Daily Archives: July 1, 2024

Top allies of President Joe Biden came to his defense across several news programs on Sunday, acknowledging the presidents subdued debate performance but arguing that he remains the strongest contender against former President Donald Trump in the general election.

I think hes the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a Biden campaign co-chair, said during an interview on ABC News This Week. And let me tell you, we had the single best day of grassroots fundraising after the debate.

The Biden campaign on Sunday said it had raised $33 million in the time since the debate, of which $26 million came from grassroots donations. Bidens senior adviser Anita Dunn on Saturday also touted the campaigns fundraising numbers during a panel on MSNBCs The Weekend. She argued that voters liked Bidens focus on the issues at the debate rather than Trumps rhetoric and personality.

The reality is that I think voters experienced this debate a little differently than perhaps some of the insiders did, Dunn said. Coons on Sunday also touted the campaigns standing with voters following the debate.

The first poll that we saw after the debate showed Joe Biden gaining ground on Donald Trump. I understand theres a lot of hand-wringing and concern and pearl-clutching amongst the commentary thats great, thats expected, Coons said.

While some Biden campaign staffers acknowledged his grassroots support, they also referenced internal daily polling that reflected Bidens debate-night performance.

The president is the first to say it was not his best night, Biden campaign pollster Molly Murphy said in an interview on Inside with Jen Psaki. We see that in our polls. That is something that we have seen.

What they also took out of the debate is a majority of people who watched the debate felt like the president talked about issues that they cared about, she added.

Asked whether Bidens advisers and the campaign bear any responsibility for the performance, Coons also acknowledged that Biden had a weak debate, but argued that Trumps baseless claims amounted to a horrifying performance.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who served as House speaker, similarly referenced Trump while acknowledging on CNNs State of the Union that Biden had a bad night.

Asked to respond to a late-June CBS News/YouGovpoll that showed 72% of voters dont believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, with a margin of error of 4.2%, Pelosi sought to draw a stark contrast between Biden and Trump.

Well, what do they think about the other guy? Do they think that he has the integrity to be president after that performance? Pelosi said, referring to Trump. Let us not make a judgment about a presidency on one debate.

Its not about performance in terms of a debate, its about performance in a presidency, she continued. And I want you to know that the fact is that the reaction to the lies of Donald Trump is something that maybe TV isnt focusing on, but people are. And to have a debate where you have to spend half your time negating what he said, because he knows nothing but the truth. One side of the screen, you have integrity. The other side you have dishonesty.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., another top Biden ally, said the presidents bad performance during the debate is not reflective of his presidential record.

I always say that the best predictor of future behavior is past performance, and when we look at the past performance of these two men that are the front-runners and their partners, we get a lot of indication about what their future behavior would be, Clyburn said on CNNs State of the Union. So Joe Biden should continue to run on this record.

Asked if he understands why some Democrats and independents who were not interested in voting for Trump are now not interested in voting for Biden either after the debate, Clyburn said he would tell them to take Bidens presidential record into account.

Clyburn maintained that Biden should stay in the race amid calls for him to step aside, arguing that the president was obligated to combat Trumps false claims during the debate due to the rules that were set beforehand.

The guy told 30-some-odd lies, and nobody checked him on it and said that was up to Joe Biden to do, he said.

The strong defense from Bidens top allies comes after his debate performance prompted significant concerns within the Democratic Party, with some congressional Democrats and regional editorial boards calling on the president to drop out of the presidential race and allow a younger candidate to run instead.

The Biden campaign, however, has made efforts to reassure that the president isnt going anywhere and remains focused on next steps after his dismal debate performance. One senior administration official told NBC News that during multiple discussions with Bidens top aides and advisers, one main message was conveyed: Well weather the storm, just like we always have.

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Top Biden allies say he's still the best bet to win against Trump in November - NBC News

(Alex Brandon | AP) In this Nov. 28, 2020, photo former President Donald Trump plays golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.

| June 28, 2024, 2:31 p.m.

After watching the presidential debate on Thursday night, a night that must have depressed every citizen that cares about this country, my initial reaction might be an irresponsible one, but at least not one without humor.

Sometimes we have to laugh before we cry.

On the one hand, you had a morally corrupt former president who some say is a threat to our democracy, who refused to answer questions, who said the United States currently is a dumpster ablaze, firing off clusters of lies with the rapidity of an overheated machine gun on important issues; on the other hand, you had a president who couldnt keep a train of thought, who spoke in incomplete sentences, who seemed at times to be lost in a cloud of um, what was the subject again?

All of that said, theres only one thing to do with this election, a sporting thing cancel the whole durn thing and settle it by way of a golf match. Thats right, save us all the pain of watching so much nonsense, all the turpitude, all the lies, all the bumbling and stumbling around, all the geriatrics, and put it all on the line on the links.

You saw in the debate the fireworks between Joe Biden and Donald Trump over whats this? youve got to be kidding, but youre not who has the better golf swing.

Whos the better golfer.

(Manuel Balce Ceneta | AP) President Joe Biden drives a golf cart with his brother Jimmy Biden at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Sunday, June 4,2023.

What would George Washington or Abraham Lincoln have thought about that?

In that moment, I couldnt believe what I was seeing and hearing with my own eyes and ears. What a freaking joke. This is the best we can do to lead the USA, to lead the free world?

There Trump was, offering the worst policies with the best delivery. And there Biden was, offering the best policies with the worst delivery.

It was embarrassing, humiliating for a proud country forced to watch this mess, cascading into the nadir of bickering over who hits purer flop wedges and 5-irons and drivers.

Ive had better arguments with my buddies in the clubhouse over who would win at Bingo, Bango, Bongo! (Thats a golf game, not Biden stammering.)

One fact-checker said Trump lied more than 30 times, Biden nine times.

Can our country endure four-plus more months of this?

Its exhausting. More than that, its dangerous. Not only were American voters watching the debate, so were leaders of nations across the globe. What were they thinking, allies and foes alike?

A friend suggested that instead of getting all wrapped up in the drama of this election, try sitting back and watching it as you would a movie. The problem with that is, its transformed into a horror flick.

Lets just take it on out to the golf course and settle it there. That would be less harmful to the national psyche, less damaging to our collective mental health. Youre up, Mr. President. As the man currently sitting in the Oval Office, you have honors. Mr. Trump, you can wait. But there will be no jingling of keys on the greens while the other guy putts, no burping or belching or sneezing straight in the middle of backswings, no mulligans.

The only problem with this idea is the matter of cheating, the use of foot wedges, the bad math, the creative subtraction of strokes, the improvement of lies.

We all know which of the two candidates is most adept at messing with lies.

It is said that Mark Twain said, Golf is a good walk spoiled.

Thats a lie, too. If Twain ever uttered those words, and thats very much in doubt, others said it first.

But golf would be a bad presidential election made better.

I say, lets tee em high and let em fly and hope for the best. And spare us all, all of us who love this country, the torture of more of what we suffered through this week.

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Trump or Biden: Who's the better golfer? - Salt Lake Tribune

For the first hour and 20 minutes of Thursday nights presidential debate, Joe Biden and Donald Trump gracefully and thoughtfully debated the days critical issues. Having fulfilled their democratic obligationsTrump by honestly describing his policy proposals, Biden by effectively stringing together several sentences at oncethe candidates took a deserved respite to talk about golf.

Moderator Dana Bash asked the candidates about their ages (78 for Trump, 81 for Biden). Trump, after bragging about his performance on cognitive and fitness tests, brought his answer to the links.

I just won two club championshipsnot even senior, the former president said, as recreational golfers all over the world pointed at their TVs like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme. Two regular club championships. To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. He doesnt do it. He cant hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match; he cant hit a ball 50 yards.

Biden replied: Id be happy to have a driving contest. I got my handicap when I was vice president down to a six. By the way, I told you before, Im happy to play golf with you if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it? Trump was incredulous: Thats the biggest liethat he was a six handicapof all. (In golf, a lower handicap is better. It represents, more or less, how many strokes over par a player can be expected to shoot in a given round. Anything in the single digits is good, and anything close to zero is great.)

Biden then said, I was an eight handicap. Eight. He tried to keep talking but could not get the words out, so its not clear if he was ultimately claiming to be a six or an eight handicap.

Ive seen your swing, Trump said. I know your swing. Lets not act like children.

Who would win this golf match in hell? First, a little fact check: As it concerns their respective golf abilities, both candidates for president were absolutely, utterly full of shit, though Biden was at least factually close to the pin in describing his own handicap. Most recently, his official handicap index maintained with the United States Golf Association was a 6.7, but he has not listed a score since 2018.

Trumps history of cheating in golf and lying about his exploits is old hat. It is the subject of an entire book and countless testimonials. Over the years, Trumps playing partners have described seeing all the usual manners of golf cheating: taking mulligans in ostensibly competitive matches, moving his ball to a more favorable lie, throwing it out of a bunker and onto the grass. He does it all. Rick Reilly, the author of the book about Trumps golf fabrications, told Vox in 2019 that Trump cheats like a mafia accountant, adding: He kicks the ball so much that caddies call him Pel.

These arecommon ways in which golfers deflate their own scores, and in doing them, Trump isnt different than any typical rich asshole who loves golf. But he diverges from a bargain-basement country club member because he owns numerous golf clubs and uses his status to attribute club championships to himself. Every golf club puts on a championship every year to crown the best player at the club. Reilly described Trump racking up club championships by buying a club, setting up a match between himself and the prior champion, and declaring himself the winner of that match. Nobody other than Melania Trump would be on hand to serve as a witness, and even if Trump won fair and square, it wouldnt be the same as winning a club championship.

Is Trump actually good at golf? Its hard to say, in part because good is a moving target for all amateurs. Trump is an unathletic-looking 78-year-old, and most of his thousands of golf rounds have occurred out of public view. Its easy to find a video, though, of Trump hitting a brutal shank on an extremely straightforward pitch shot from right in front of the green in 2023. All golfers hit horrible shots, but the one caught on video was a level of bad that would be quite unusual for the best player at a club. Trump reports an excellent 2.5 handicap with the USGA, which I find completely implausible. It is what golfers would call a vanity handicap, the product of fudged scorekeeping and nobody in Trumps world trying to stop him. (He has only posted two scores since his 2016 election, usually keeping his totals off the internet.)

However, many of the best golfers in the world have attested that Trump is a pretty good player. Theres some partisan bias at play there; you probably dont play with Trump unless youre a fan of Trump, like U.S. Open champion and big-time Trump guy Bryson DeChambeau, or all-time majors leader Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear has said Trump is the best player of the several presidents with whom hes teed it up. But Nicklaus is also a Trump sycophant who lacks the courage of his Trumpist convictions. And no human in the history of the world has had better access to high-level facilities and instruction than Donald Trump, so his not being a pretty decent player would be astonishing.

Biden does not have the same long history of bragging about how good he is at golf. His handicap when he was vice president was 6.7, so not far off the six and eight that he alternately claimed as he argued with Trump. But the idea that Biden is currently any good at golf is, uh, questionable. He does not play regularly as Trump did in his White House days. Bidens swing as of late 2022 looked just fine for a senior, but I dont think the president is in his golfing heyday.

The presidents campaign staff are obsessed with finding opportunities to make him look spry, limber, and energetic. To that end, hes had a handful of photo ops riding his bike. Unlike both Trump and Barack Obama, hes had few or none on the golf course. (In 2012, Biden and Obama played with John Boehner and John Kasich, who later joked that Biden exaggerated his ability.) When Bidens campaign unveiled a five-minute video of Biden playing golf in Michigan, it did not actually show him swinging a clubonly putting, briefly, at the end of the video. If anyone thought it looked good, wed have all seen more.

So to answer the most important question of a fine night for America: I do not believe that Biden would currently beat Trump in a golf match. I also do not believe that Trump could be even remotely competitive in an officially scored match with the best player at any of his clubs. But at least both Biden and Trump have done something relatable in hamming up their golf abilities for public consumption.

Slate wants to help.Submit your questions here. Its anonymous! No question is too dumbor too existential.

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Presidential debate: An unfortunate reality check about the night's weirdest Trump-Biden exchange. - Slate

A number of people have expressed concerns about President Joe Bidens performance during his Thursday presidential debate with former President Donald Trump. Unfortunately, I think at least some of them might be letting surface issues (e.g., Biden initially appearing to lack energy) get in their way of developing a more accurate and complete perception of Bidens debate performance.

In particular, Biden pretty consistently answered the questions actually asked by the moderators arguably an indicator of cognitive flexibility and adaptiveness and made a number of true statements in the process.

By contrast, while Trump may have come across to some people as more polished in his delivery, he frequently didnt answer the moderators questions, despite the moderators explicitly prompting him frequently to refocus. Trumps persistence in not answering the moderators questions and focusing instead on irrelevant issues may be an indicator of a lack of cognitive flexibility and adaptiveness. Additionally, Trumps persistence in making false and misleading statements repeating familiar ones while also creating new ones was on full display.

If I had to vote today, I would much rather choose the candidate who, while perhaps at times appearing less physically energetic, was able to focus and shift that focus as called for in the situation rather than the candidate who, threats against our democratic republic aside, often seemed unable to perform those basic cognitive tasks.

James Carney, Evanston

I am an 85-year-old veteran of the Air Force (1962-65). I am also a father to three sons and a grandfather of three. I can confirm that we grandpas have bad days every now and then, and President Joe Biden just had one.

But I also know that for a liar and cheat, every day is a bad day.

My vote for commander in chief is still for honorable servant Grandpa Joe rather than convicted felon Uncle Donald.

Glenn Shipley, Chicago

President Joe Biden may not have performed well on this one debate night, but hes been performing well for the past 3 1/2 years, adding jobs, kindness and dignity to the Office of the President of the United States on the world stage. Yes, his voice was low while Trump boomed his lies. And now, it seems the Democrats, in their panic, will publicly throw him under the bus instead of sticking together and having faith in whats been accomplished.

Only Republicans will mystifyingly band together to support of a convicted felon, a man held liable for sexual abuse, a liar and a threat to democracy, who ended a two-century run of peacefully passing on the presidential office with an attack on the U.S. Capitol and democracy itself.

I pray that letter writer Jerry Hanson (There are millions of us, June 22) is right and there indeed are millions and millions of us who show up to vote and support our democracy.

Sandra Lurie, Highland Park

Well, we witnessed the very sorry state that we now find ourselves in after watching the debate. How can it be that here in the United States of America, we cannot field a multiple of extraordinary people who have exceptional intelligence, integrity and common sense? Do we need to force-feed a substantial change to our political system and process? The debate was an extreme embarrassment in front of the entire world.

It was most obvious that President Joe Biden no longer has the mental acuity to serve our country in any capacity, let alone the presidency. Former President Donald Trump has proved he no longer has the level of fear/respect that he once had on the world stage. Additionally, at best, he will be only tolerated by our allies and disregarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and others. While he proved in his first term that he has an ability to make decisions beneficial for our country, his lack of credibility renders him unworthy to hold the office.

Why, then, do we have party zealots defending and supporting these individuals? What is the rationale? Is there no one who can step up and command respect? Is the political system so filled with political landmines that taking an opposing position is too risky for ones political future?

Where are the true leaders? Isnt there a multiple of highly qualified people available? Are there not any true statesmen and stateswomen with proven ability to be worthy of the office? Is the system broken? Is it possible that we can find new ways and means for a nomination process that will provide we the people with many great candidates whom we could be very proud of and who would have great respect throughout the world?

In the continued absence of having great choices, we will remain in a very sad state.

Dave Roberts, Frankfort

Thursday evenings prime TV event was not a debate. Viewers watched two adversaries positioned in two different spheres. One, a buffoon, hurled insults and untruths, focused as always on self-aggrandizement and acting like a spoiled youngster. The other haltingly and gropingly attempted to defend his record and preview his future plans for the country. At least the latter has a laudable record and sound plans for a second term; good, capable people around him; and a strong moral compass. The other has a criminal record and no clearly articulated, reasonable plans for a second term as president, and a good number of those who surrounded him in his first term are in jail or under indictment. He has no moral compass in his personal or public life.

For me, the choice in the upcoming election is clear. Televised political debates should not be the measure by which citizens weigh their options and cast their votes.

Madeleine Felix, Evanston

Regarding the editorial As America sank into the couch, Joe Biden and Donald Trump combined for a depressing farce. Enough.: I agree it was awful, but the Tribune Editorial Board continues to do the same thing all major outlets do give Donald Trump a pass. Sure, the board says slightly negative things, such as, Trump was mostly just himself, energetically narcissistic, cavalier with truths, cruel of tone, bereft of empathy. The editorial board knows thats what his followers like about him, right?

What the editorial board should have said was: Trump was himself, spewing lie after lie about his administration, attacking America with falsehoods, making wild, evidence-free claims about Joe Biden and his supporters and denigrating the U.S. with every sentence. In short, being the pathological liar that he is.

But major media outlets, including the Tribune, wont tell the truth about Trump, for whatever reason, and it may lead to the downfall of our great country.

Martin A. Pierce, St. Charles

What we witnessed during the first presidential debate was the erosion of our democracy. President Joe Biden performed ineptly, and Donald Trump delivered one lie after another. The lies won out!

Sam Solomon, Deerfield

Despite a disappointing debate performance, accentuated by a pronounced feeble manner and weak voice, President Joe Biden still demonstrated that experience, integrity and a grasp of issues that affect all Americans eclipse the views of one in service of himself.

Donald Trump was undeniably more vigorous, but vitality alone is not a measure of reassurance when it comes to protecting the sovereignty of our nation. Trumps widely known character flaws usually detract attention from his ignorance about matters crucial to effective governance. Not this time. His nescience was on full display.

The contrast in competing visions couldnt have been more clear-cut, but this election isnt just about dissimilar ideologies. It is about the very survival of the republic. So, voters must decide if they want an ill-informed president who favors dismantling the Constitution or one hell-bent on doing whatever is necessary to protect it.

Jim Paladino, Tampa, Florida

The Thursday debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump provided new and terrifying insight into Trumps foreign policy perspectives. He asserted that had he been president instead of Biden, the wars in Ukraine and Israel would never have taken place. So how, then, might that have come about?

It takes little imagination to see how Trump could have averted the war in Ukraine: In keeping with his own well-demonstrated proclivities, once the Russians began with their saber rattling and their assertions that ethnic Russians in Ukraine were being abused, Trump most certainly would have made it known to Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskyy that the United States had no interest in the affairs of his country, nor would he provide any monetary or military support for his defense efforts.

Under those circumstances, Ukraine might have been able to hold off the Russian army for a short while, but eventually, Trumps friend Russian President Vladimir Putin would undoubtedly have prevailed. Moreover, the United States would have saved billions of dollars.

We have no idea where Putins ambitions might take Russia after his takeover of Ukraine, perhaps Poland and the Baltic states, but those countries are members of NATO and are therefore part of a mutual defense agreement that includes the United States. That would have provided a perfect time for Trump to move ahead with his long-held plan to withdraw our country from NATO and leave Europe to fend for itself.

It is still unclear how Trump could have averted the war between Israel and Hamas. Perhaps he will clarify that one in a later debate.

George Honig, Chicago

It is Thursday at 9:21 p.m. while I write this, and I have been watching the presidential debate from its start. Im frustrated. One of the contestants is talking policy and offering provable facts while the other is doing nothing but complain, even saying that the country is falling apart. And he has not offered any proven policy statements. Just complaints.

Lordy, lordy.

Bernard Biernacki, Aurora

If the Democrats do as the Tribune Editorial Board is calling for and replace Joe Biden, they lose incumbency, party cohesion and the presidency. Chicago is again host to a chaotic Democratic open convention with no clear leader.

Why not call for convicted felon Donald Trump to step down for the good of the country? You know the answer; he wont.

Biden is not incompetent. He will win again. The country will be led well through 2028, as it has been since 2020. And way better than a criminal demagogue.

Tony Quintanilla, Chicago

I am unconcerned about what some think were shortcomings in President Joe Bidens debate performance that were far more about presentation than content, the latter being more important.

The presidency is not a no notes job, and one cant repeat the greatest hits of rally speeches, no matter how well-rehearsed, for four years and call it governance.

Donald Trump, as always, was a walking make-work project for fact-checkers.

Curt Fredrikson, Mokena, Illinois

President Joe Biden missed many opportunities to deliver haymakers against Donald Trump during the debate. Every time Trump brought up the border, the response should have been that the bipartisan border deal, championed by conservative Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford, was scuttled by MAGA Republicans so Trump could use it as a campaign issue. When the economy was the topic, Bidens easy answer was to point out that Trump had several infrastructure weeks, but the Biden administration passed an actual infrastructure bill.

Trumps contention that somehow we are a failing country is laughable. All Biden had to ask in return is: If thats true, why do people from the world over wish to come here? Why do they send their children here for college?

Biden stumbled badly; there is no denying that fact. Because of that, I believe Trump will cancel the September debate. He wont need it.

Until the debate, I was not overly concerned about Bidens age. It is now obvious to me that his age will be the focus for millions of voters.

Biden claims to have always put the country first, and his record of service bears that out.

I take no pleasure in saying it, but if that still holds true, he should withdraw from the race and release his delegates. The Democratic Party has a strong bench of young, vigorous men and women, ready to serve. A brokered convention would be interesting, to say the least, and it would yield the best candidate to defeat the authoritarian fascist candidate that is Trump.

If the polls are accurate, Biden versus Trump is the contest most of the country does not want.

It is time for the Democrats to prove they are the adults in the room.

Len Levy, Glenview

Granted, President Joe Biden was not feeling his best on Thursday. He had a cold, and hes dealing with major world issues while trying to make life better for us Americans at the same time. Hes got a lot on his mind, and he got some statistics wrong. I have trouble remembering stats, too, so I try to avoid them.

Still, Biden provided many truths over Donald Trumps lies. If we look beyond his confusion over statistics, Biden still looked like the better man and the wise elder statesman that he is.

Linda Morton, Harvard

JoeBidendoes not need to defeat Donald Trump. The American people need to defeat Donald Trump.

Joe Artabasy, Glencoe

As I watched the debate, my heart sank. This president appeared to be a doddering old man. His rival appeared to be a blathering liar. What to do? Move to Canada? I hear that they have great health care!

The future looks bleak to this senior citizen.

Carole Bogaard, Oak Lawn

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Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

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Letters: Between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, here's who actually paid attention during the debate - Chicago Tribune

The day after President Biden melted down in Thursdays prime-time debate, Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia stood beside former President Donald J. Trump on a farm in Chesapeake, gushing.

This is the best Trump rally ever!

In the past, when it suited him, Mr. Youngkin kept his distance from Mr. Trump and his unpredictable behavior.

Not now. Not with all this winning afoot.

Hello, Virginia, Mr. Trump cooed as he took the stage before thousands of his supporters in what Republicans increasingly see as a winnable state. Did anybody watch a thing called the debate? He roared: That was a big one.

On the surface, the rally in Chesapeake was a quick-turn victory lap after the debate and before the 2024 race hits a higher gear.

Democrats are in a lot of trouble, so I feel pretty good today, said Jason Alter, 35, a dentist from Miami.

But beneath the jubilation, there was a low-grade panic stirring. It was the kind of panic that one sometimes feels when everything in life seems to be going a little too well.

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At Trumps Post-Debate Rally, Unease Among the Faithful - The New York Times

Donald J. Trumps top advisers are planning to drastically scale back and simplify the official platform of the Republican Party, according to a memo sent to the partys platform committee that was reviewed by The New York Times.

The memo signed by Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, the former presidents two lead advisers described their efforts to pare down the platform to ensure our policy commitments to the American people are clear, concise and easily digestible. It dismissed past platforms as needlessly textbook-long documents shaped by special interest influence that had left the party and its nominee open to attacks from Democrats.

Publishing an unnecessarily verbose treatise will provide more fuel for our opponents fire of misinformation and misrepresentation to voters, the memo read. It is with that recognition that we will present a streamlined platform in line with President Trumps principled and popular vision for Americas future.

The memo was sent on Thursday ahead of the G.O.P.s gathering in Milwaukee next month, where it will first vote on its platform and then hold its national convention to select a presidential nominee.

The decision to cut the size of the platform sharply the most recent one adopted by the party, in 2016, ran nearly 60 pages is likely to prompt skirmishes among some conservatives and party activists who have spent years haggling over the documents language. One person close to the process who was granted anonymity to speak about the planning said the new platform could be half the size of the one in 2016.

Anti-abortion activists, in particular, have been gearing up for a fight in case the Trump team seeks to dilute or delete longstanding language in order to make Mr. Trump appear more moderate on the issue.

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Memo Reveals Trump's Plan to Slash the Size of the G.O.P. Platform - The New York Times