Category Archives: Donald Trump

It was just like old times. On Wednesday alone, Donald Trump issued pronouncements on a potential war with China, what Congress should do about the debt ceiling, false claims of a stolen election and his Fox News ally the great Sean Hannity.

But how many people noticed?

Cast into the social media wilderness, the former US president releases statements by email these days, clogging the inboxes of reporters whose attention has turned elsewhere. The era when a single tweet from Trump could electrify cable news, rattle financial markets and unnerve foreign capitals is long gone.

His post-presidential online engagement is in freefall, the Axios website reported this week, citing data from SocialFlow, an optimization platform that measures clicks from posts referred from its network of publishers.

Clicks to content about Trump dropped 37% in August and September compared with June and July, according to the findings. This represented a 50% decline since March. The decline has been inexorable since the blockbuster event of Trumps impeachment trial in February.

In short the former guy, as Joe Biden calls him, who once brutally colonized social media feeds, is fading fast, a victim of the rapid news cycle he once reigned over.

Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, said: His online presence has definitely declined due to a variety of factors. First of all, he was better on Twitter because he was punchy. He was of the moment: people followed him and got constant updates. Any other platform is very difficult for him to navigate with his style and personality.

In addition to that, hes lost his position as president of the United States, and he doesnt have a concrete election yet that hes actually running for. The attention has been siphoned away by the current administration and whats going on in the country and the Delta variant and all kinds of other things. Hes become to some extent irrelevant to the general populace, even though hes still very relevant to his still very loyal followers.

Trump had more than 88 million followers on Twitter and used it as his social media megaphone, stoking division, insulting opponents and perpetrating crimes against spelling.

But Twitter joined several other social media platforms in banning him after a mob of his supporters attacked the US Capitol on 6 January. Twitter said his tweets had violated its policy barring glorification of violence and were highly likely to encourage people to replicate what happened in the deadly insurrection.

From that moment Trumps ability to dominate the online agenda went into a precipitous decline. He subsequently launched his own platform, a glorified blog that bit the dust after a month. He continues to email statements via his Save America political action committee but they are often lengthy and seldom trouble cable news chyron writers.

Michael DAntonio, a political commentator and author of The Truth About Trump, observed: Its almost like the difference between a text message and a telephone call. People generally dont want to talk on the phone any more but they will respond to a text if youre economical in what you write and direct.

Such failed ventures only serve to demonstrate how Trump and Twitter were perfect for each other, a loss that he increasingly appears to understand. Earlier this month he filed a court motion asking a federal judge in Florida to force Twitter to reinstate his account potentially putting him back at the centre of attention.

DAntonio added: For five or six years there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people in journalism tuned to his Twitter output and poised to respond with articles or calls to other sources because he was so good at using the form. He just seemed to excel at writing what were essentially tabloid headlines every day that I connect to his lifelong obsession with the tabloids that arose because of [Rupert] Murdoch and the [New York] Post.

He met his perfect medium in social media, especially Twitter. It connected him with an audience that wasnt interested in reading more than a couple of sentences about something and actually they were primed for disinformation delivered via social media because people were just eager for the snappy retort.

The shift means that a striking disconnect has emerged over the past nine months. Trump, ensconced at his estates in Florida or New Jersey, has been largely irrelevant to substantive policy debates about the Afghanistan withdrawal and Bidens infrastructure bill and social spending plans. Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader in the Senate, appears to be paying him little heed.

In addition, the former president struggles to break through and make news, and when he does it is usually because of a damaging revelation from a book or official investigation about his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Axios cited data from NewsWhip showing there were 26% fewer stories about him during August and September than in March and April. And the stories were averaging 28% less engagement on social media.

Yet Trump is still widely acknowledged as the unofficial leader of the Republican party and his big lie about a stolen election has all but become party orthodoxy. He continues to be given a platform by conservative broadcasters such as Fox News, Newsmax and the One America News Network. Should he decide to run for president again in 2024, he would instantly be the Republican frontrunner.

John Zogby, a pollster and author, said: Im in upstate New York. Im seeing hundreds of signs for local and judicial races but also Honk if youre with Trump. The famous Fuck Biden shrines are mainly rural but theyre real.

Trump is running for president. Hes got his network and that includes talk radio and cable. Hell breathe more life into Newsmax and the One America News Network. Hell find his way because his base wants him.

From the start, Trumps digital power was been augmented by an analogue soapbox: campaign rallies that offer diehard fans the chance to be in his presence in a communion of grievance. On Saturday night he is likely to draw a huge crowd for a rally in Iowa, the first state to have a say in party primary contests.

Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill, said: Were no longer married to our Twitter feeds and cellphones and we can actually enjoy Sunday brunch now because Donald Trump isnt tweeting something insane. However, the undercurrent of his presence is still a threat to our politics.

Despite the fact that he isnt so ubiquitous on social media platforms, hes still out there and he still has a rightwing media ecosystem that continues to promote his ilk and thats problematic.

Trump would be eligible to return to Facebook in 2023, when his two-year suspension has run its course, just in time for a White House bid. At that point Twitter could also face overwhelming pressure to reinstate him or face the accusation that it is tipping the scales against one candidate in a presidential election.

Setmayer, a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project, which worked for Trumps defeat last year, noted that Twitter could have a further incentive to bring him back. I dont know how much they will be able to justify keeping Trump off if he decides to run again from a business perspective, given how many users left as a result of them banning Trump. Engagement was down, their stock went down.

Twitter is still trying to figure out how to make their platform profitable so if you take off one of your most prolific, engaging accounts, it hurts their bottom line. It may be a different reality that faces Twitter at the time when they need to make their decision, unfortunately.

Read more:

The silence of Donald Trump: how Twitters ban is cramping his style - The Guardian

After a GOP donor accused Corey Lewandowski of sexual misconduct late last month, the former top aide and confidant to ex-President Donald Trump didnt just lose his cushy job leading a pro-Trump super PAC. He was also fenced off sociallyquietly blacklisted at several Trump properties and clubs, MAGA events, and private social gatherings, especially if alcohol is served, The Daily Beast has learned.

The temporary directive, which three people familiar with the matter said came with Trumps personal blessing, was handed down shortly after a big Republican donor accused Lewandowski of sexually assaulting and harassing her over the course of an evening at a late-September charity function. In recent days, two of these sources said, Trump has made a point of telling close associates and Republican allies that they should avoid inviting Lewandowski to public events or parties, particularly if alcohol is flowing or if the event is held at one of the ex-presidents prized private clubs.

Others close to Trump have already told subordinates, as well as fellow players in the party and in the conservative movement more broadly, to remove Lewandowski (at least for now) from invitations and emails for upcoming GOP and MAGA festivities, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The message was also delivered in texts and an email viewed by The Daily Beast.

One text message instructed fellow Trump associates to simply turn Lewandowski away, or alert security, if he showed up to events in the foreseeable future.

Although the news of blackballing the once-top Trump adviser rocketed across MAGAworld, Lewandowskiwho has long been loathed throughout prominent MAGA and GOP circles, as well as within Trumps own familyapparently had not been informed until contacted for this article.

As it became clear that the sexual misconduct allegations were fatal to his then-position leading the only Trump-endorsed super PAC, Lewandowski began demanding a hefty six-figure payout in exchange for quietly departing his leadership role.

That rankled the notoriously tight-fisted Trump, who has in the last two weeks privately expressed how disappointed he was by Lewandowskis attempt to use his alleged transgression to shake loose some cash for himself on the way out the door, according to several people familiar with the former presidents reaction.

Corey Lewandowski and Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.

Joe Skipper/Reuters

Lewandowskis request wasnt without precedent, however. He had previously successfully negotiated a plush monthly severance after his dismissal from Trumps 2016 presidential campaignan ousting which also stemmed from an allegation of assaulting a woman.

The Daily Beast reported last week that the attempted shakedown had immediately and categorically failed, with the other members of Lewandowskis months-old super PAC, called Make America Great Again Action, abandoning that group to start a new one, Make America Great Again, Again!

A press release emphasized that the new group is now the ONLY Trump-approved super PAC.

The three sources said that, during his brief super PAC tenure, Lewandowski had boasted that he controlled which candidates Trump would endorse, claiming or spinning this to political candidates, politicians, party operatives, and donors.

He told tons of people that, one source said. Bragged.

A Lewandowski representative called the claim false.

Corey says the only person who makes decisions about Donald Trumps endorsements is Donald Trump, the representative told The Daily Beast.

In the days since this latest Lewandowski-related scandal broke, some of his remaining friends have had difficulty reaching him over the phone or otherwise, according to two other sources whove tried. On Friday, the Lewandowski representative provided a statement saying that the beleaguered operative had not been told he is no longer welcome in MAGAland.

Neither Mr. Lewandowski nor anyone on his legal team has received any communication consistent with the claim that he has been asked not to go to any Trump property. Absolutely none, the statement said.

Trumps spokesperson did not provide comment for this story. The Daily Beast reached out to Trumps adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who help their father operate the family business empire, but received no comment. A man who answered a call to a phone number for Eric Trumpwhich Eric has previously answereddenied being Eric Trump. Asked about Lewandowski, the man hung up.

Still, Lewandowskis exile has delighted many of his Republican enemies, which are plentiful.

For years, Lewandowski has been despised inside Donald Trumps inner sanctum. Ivanka Trump and Don Jr., for instance, have repeatedly trash-talked him, including to Trump directly, and a number of advisers have suspected him of leaking on them to the press, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter say.

Despite all of this, Trump has, for the most part, held on to Corey. Various people close to Trump, even those who loathe Lewandowski, predicted that the former aides expulsion from MAGAworld may not last long. In private conversations over the last two weeks, the former president left the door open for Lewandowski, with Trump saying he wasnt sure if every recent allegation sounded credible, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The [former] president mentioned that with good behavior, Corey could be OK, one of these sources recounted. Like he was talking about somebody on parole.

Trump, of course, has himself been accused of a range of sexual misconduct by at least 26 women. The allegations run a spectrum from unwanted verbal advances to infidelity to assault to outright rape. Two of the ex-presidents accusersformer Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos and writer E. Jean Carrollare pursuing active defamation suits after Trump denied their allegations of sexual assault and rape, respectively.

Lewandowski rode out accusations from at least two other women before the current scandal toppled him. The recent allegations were brought by Trashelle Odom, a major donor to Lewandowskis own super PAC, who two weeks ago came forward on Politico to detail a series of unwanted advances at a charity event late last month in Las Vegas.

Odom described an evening of unrelenting pursuit, saying Lewandowski had grabbed her leg and rear end, spoken to her obscenely, described his genitalia, and suggestively showed her his hotel room key. Politico cited a number of other event attendees who corroborated her account.

In her statement to Politico, Odom said she had decided to speak out because Lewandowski needs to be held accountable.

I want other women to know that you can be heard, too, and together we can stop terrible things like this from happening, Odoms statement said.

Asked whether Lewandowski has had any recent contact with the former president, either directly or through an intermediary, or if he plans to visit any Trump properties in the near future, his representative declined to comment.

More here:

Corey Lewandowski in Exile: Banned at Trump Properties - The Daily Beast

In this Sept. 25, 2021, file photo, former President Donald Trump prepares to take the stage during his Save America rally in Perry, Ga. AP Photo/Ben Gray, File

Babbitt was fatally shot on January 6 as she and other rioters attempted to enter the Capitol.

A DOJ investigation cleared the Capitol Police officer who killed Babbitt of any wrongdoing.

In a video, Trump called for a "fair and nonpartisan" investigation into Babbitt's death.

Former President Donald Trump recorded a video where he wished deceased Capitol rioter Ashli Babbit happy birthday and called for the Department of Justice to reopen its investigation into her death.

The video was reportedly played at the Texas Loves Ashli Babbitt rally on Sunday, which was held by family and supporters in Freeport, Texas, according to a broadcast from News2Share's Ford Fischer, who confirmed to Insider that he attended and filmed the rally in person.

Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and endorser of QAnon conspiracy theories, was shot by a US Capitol Police officer when she and other rioters tried to enter a door that led to the House of Representatives on January 6, which Trump said in the video was a "horrible day."

"Together, we grieve her terrible loss. There was no reason Ashli should've lost her life that day. We must all demand justice for Ashli and her family, so on this solemn occasion as we celebrate her life, we renew our call for a fair and nonpartisan investigation into the death of Ashli Babbitt," Trump said in the video.

The DOJ conducted an investigation into Babbitt's death and concluded in April that the unnamed Capitol Police officer who fatally shot her acted in self-defense and defense of other officers and members of Congress.

The officer was formally exonerated in August, according to a Capitol Police department memo obtained by NBC News.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Read the original post:

In a video, former President Donald Trump wished Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt a happy birthday and called for the DOJ to reopen their investigation...

Former President Donald Trump holds a Save America rally in Perry, Ga., in September. Trump is unlikely to take falling off the Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans in stride. Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

Former President Donald Trump holds a Save America rally in Perry, Ga., in September. Trump is unlikely to take falling off the Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans in stride.

Former President Donald Trump has reportedly long been obsessed with the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans specifically, his place on it. So, he's unlikely to be pleased with its latest iteration which doesn't include him at all.

It's the first time in 25 years that Trump hasn't made the annual list, which debuted in 1982.

Forbes reports that while the former president, who ranked No. 339 in 2020, is worth an estimated $2.5 billion, "he is down $600 million since the start of the pandemic."

The magazine says that while many sectors thrived as a result of COVID-19, "big-city properties which make up the bulk of Trump's fortune have languished."

For the fourth year in a row, Trump nemesis Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon who flew into space aboard his Blue Origin company's rocket this year, topped the list, with an estimated net wealth of $201 billion. Another space pioneer, Elon Musk, is runner up with $190.5 billion almost three times his net wealth a year ago, thanks largely to the increased market value of his auto and alternative energy company, Tesla. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg comes in third, and Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, is at No. 4.

As for Trump, if the past is any example, he is unlikely to take lightly the news that he's off the famous list.

In 1985, Trump "invented a fake persona to lie about a transfer of wealth from his father," according to Forbes. "Forbes fell for that ruse taking Fred Trump off the list and listing Donald alone. But five years later, we published an explosive story, uncovering the trouble brewing inside Trump's empire," the magazine said.

Beginning in 1996, Trump secured a spot among the 400 and remained there for 25 years. However, Forbes says, "things took a turn for the worse the year he won the presidency. After five years of dropping in the rankings, he's now off the list entirely."

But the magazine says it didn't have to be that way. Senior editor Dan Alexander writes: "If Trump is looking for someone to blame, he can start with himself. Five years ago, he had a golden opportunity to diversify his fortune. Fresh off the 2016 election, federal ethics officials were pushing Trump to divest his real estate assets. That would have allowed him to reinvest the proceeds into broad-based index funds and assume office free of conflicts of interest."

If, according to Forbes, Trump had "managed to avoid capital gains taxes" and instead taken his $3.5 billion when he became president and reinvested it in the S&P 500, it would have been worth about $7 billion by September, keeping him comfortably on the list at No. 133.

View post:

Thanks partly to the pandemic, Donald Trump has dropped off the Forbes 400 list - NPR

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham on Sunday said that she believes former President Donald Trump will run for his old job in 2024 and hire "people of the January 6 mind."

During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Grisham told host Chuck Todd that she was initially skeptical of another presidential bid by the former president.

"At first, I really didn't think he'd run again," she said. "I honestly thought this was a lot of his bluster, which he's good at doing. He was doubling down. He'll never admit to losing. I thought he was going to just kind of raise some money so he could pay off legal bills."

She added: "I think now, because his base is reacting to him the way that it is, and polls are showing that he's very much the leader of the Republican Party ... but also on this current attack on democracy with regard to election integrity, I think he is going to run again. That's why I'm speaking out the way that I am."

Grisham, who was former first lady Melania Trump's chief of staff and press secretary at the time of herresignationon Jan. 6, recently released a tell-all memoir, "I'll Take Your Questions Now," which chronicles her time in the Trump White House.

In the interview with Todd, Grisham laid out her case of why the former president should not return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"I don't want him to run again," she said. "I think people aren't remembering that if he does run again in 2024, he'll have no guardrails because he'll never have to worry about reelection, so he will do whatever he wants."

She emphasized: "He will hire whomever he wants, and I think that includes people of the January 6 mind."

Grisham went on to reference an earlier segment of the program that featured Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, where Todd and the lawmaker spoke of Trump's election pressure on the Department of Justice.

"Earlier, your guest [Whitehouse] was talking about the DOJ and it being weaponized," she said. "Imagine who he [Trump] could put into the DOJ in 2024 knowing he's got no consequences there."

Grisham, who moved to Kansas at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year and traveled back and forth from Washington, DC, until she left the White House over the administration's response to the Jan. 6 riot, recently told New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi that she was skeptical of a possible "rebrand" due to her old ties to the Trumps.

"I don't think I can rebrand. I think this will follow me forever," Grisham said of her time in the White House. "I believe that I was part of something unusually evil, and I hope that it was a one-time lesson for our country and that I can be a part of making sure that at least that evil doesn't come back now."

Grisham, who said in a recent CNN interview thatshe didn't vote for Trump in the 2020 election, warned that a new Trump White House term would be defined by "revenge."

During an interview with Insiderlast Friday, Grisham said that she struggled with anxiety and had to be "deprogrammed" after her resignation.

See original here:

Grisham: Trump will run for president in 2024, hire 'people of the Jan. 6 mind' - Business Insider

Good Monday morning Utah! Thanks for reading The Rundown.

My inbox is open for you. Send in those news tips, story ideas, feedback about this newsletter, or anything else on your mind. My email is bschott@sltrib.com or you can find me on Twitter @SchottHappens.

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We all know the now-famous picture of Mitt Romney having dinner with then-president-elect Donald Trump in 2016. Trump was reportedly considering Romney for a spot in his new administration, but a new book says the dinner was set up by Trump to torture Romney.

Former Trump White House staffer Stephanie Grisham writes in her book Ill Take Your Questions Now about the story behind the dinner.

Raw Story reports the meeting was a power play by Trump to humiliate Romney.

Trump wanted all the press to see that Romney would come all the way to New York and sit down with a man he had called a con artist and a fake to sing for his supper, the book said. Donald Trump was many things, but even his critics had to admit that he was a master at TV spectacles. This was yet another, set to be one for the ages.

During the 2016 campaign, Romney delivered a speech at the University of Utah where he excoriated Trump as a charlatan.

Heres what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. Hes playing the American public for suckers, Romney said during the speech.

Trump wanted all the press to see that Romney would come all the way to New York and sit down with a man he had called a con artist and a fake to sing for his supper, the book said. Donald Trump was many things, but even his critics had to admit that he was a master at TV spectacles. This was yet another, set to be one for the ages.

Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend. The company blamed the disruption on weather and issues with air traffic controllers, but there are indications that the problems arose from protests against a vaccine mandate. [WaPo]

Merck is seeking FDA emergency use of its antiviral treatment for COVID-19. [CNN]

Soaring energy prices are raising concerns about inflation and the impact that may have on the economy. [WSJ]

How will President Joe Bidens restoration of two national monuments in Utah impact legal challenges to the Antiquities Act? [Tribune]

Former President Donald Trump came incredibly close to installing his daughter, Ivanka, as the head of the World Bank in 2019. Trump argued his daughter was very good at numbers. Then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stepped in to block the appointment. [Intercept]

The Tribunes Robert Gehrke looks at the starkly different approaches to COVID-19 in Summit County and the Uintah Basin. They had wildly different results. [Tribune]

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops have not yet complied with a vaccine mandate as the deadline approaches. [WaPo]

Allen West, a former congressman who is running for governor of Texas, was hospitalized with COVID. West is unvaccinated. [WaPo]

A new report says a quarter of critical infrastructure in the U.S. could fail due to flooding. [CNN]

Supporters of Bears Ears celebrate President Bidens restoration of the national monument. [Tribune]

The Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to a trio of researchers from America to understand how the job market works. [WSJ]

Former President Trump paid tribute to Ashli Babbit, the capitol rioter killed during the January 6 attack. Trump sent a video message to a rally on Sunday for her birthday in which he called for an investigation into her death. [Insider]

William Shatner is headed to space on Jeff Bezos Blue Origin rocket on Wednesday. [The Verge]

In this weeks episode, Im joined by Rex Facer, chairman of Utahs independent redistricting commission.

We discuss the factors theyre considering as they come up with map proposals and the importance of public input to their process.

Listen to the conversation here.

Utah

Rural Utah wrestles with its future as apostles, tech executives and lawmakers weigh in. [Tribune]

Runners who fought near whiteout conditions during Utah ultramarathon had one choice: Keep moving. [Tribune]

In a historic neighborhood, Ogden faces an age-old battle: how to balance preservation with the need for denser housing. [Tribune]

Zions monster year means record rescues, trash, graffiti and, in nearby towns, revenue. [Tribune]

Lionsback Resort above Moab is under construction, after delays and litigation. [Tribune]

Whats being done to help human trafficking victims in Utah? This recovery center is seeking donations. [Tribune]

Dozens of Southwest Airlines flights to/from SLC canceled. [Fox 13]

First Afghan woman to openly protest Taliban now living in Utah. [Fox 13]

Politics

COVID-19

Andy Larsen: Explaining molnupiravir, a new COVID drug with surprisingly effective test results. [Tribune]

Drop in Utah COVID-19 cases stalls. What that means for hospitals. [Tribune]

Elementary school in Provo moves to remote learning following Test-to-Stay event. [KUTV]

Opinion

Whats wrong with Utah politics? Facebook whistleblower explains, George Pyle writes. [Tribune]

What should come after restoration of national monuments in Utah, from the Tribune Editorial Board. [Tribune]

Opinion: Bernie Sanders is wrong about Sens. Manchin and Sinema. [Deseret News]

Happy birthday to former Utah state Rep. Ben Ferry.

Belated birthday wishes to Rich McKeown, former chief of staff to former Gov. Mike Leavitt who celebrated on Sunday.

Got a birthday youd like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.

Original post:

A new book says the 2017 dinner between Donald Trump and Mitt Romney was a power play by Trump to humiliate Romney - Salt Lake Tribune

Former President TrumpDonald TrumpFormer Trump cybersecurity official says GOP leaders have 'lost control' of voter base: 'This is a death spiral' Pence treads carefully with Trump Grisham thinks Trump will run in 2024 and have no 'guardrails' MORE recently declared he would beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisThe Biden-Harris train wreck may have its savior: 2024 GOP nominee Donald Trump The perfect Democratic running mate for DeSantis? Trump heads to Iowa as 2024 chatter grows MORE in a potential Republican primary match-up for the party's 2024 presidential nomination. And based on current polling, he's almost certainly right.

"If I faced him, I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else, Trump said of DeSantis in an interview with Yahoo Finance earlier this week.I don't think I will face him. ... I think most people would drop out. I think he would drop out.

A Trump 2024 run which looks increasingly likely would look a lot like 2016 from a media perspective. The former real estate mogul and star of the reality TV show "The Apprentice"would blot out the sun and dominate the media coverage. Most of said coverage would be profoundly negative, of course, with the usual comparisons of Trump to Hitler or (insert favorite totalitarian figure here) and enough file footage of the horrible Jan. 6 Capitol riot to fill an entire decade. (More on that later.)

With such a backdrop, the immediate questions (and probable answers) are:

Would DeSantis still run if Trump were to announcehis intention to take back the White House? (Probably not.)

Does Trump really want to be president while in his 80s? (Probably so.)

Against whomwould Trump or DeSantis (or both, on a combined ticket) run if President BidenJoe BidenMajority of Americans concerned about cyberattacks on critical groups: poll Labor secretary says 194K jobs added in September was 'not the best number' Biden task force has reunited 52 families separated under Trump: report MORE chose not to run again or was asked by his handlers not to run again? (Impossible to say.)

Despite Trump's media dominance and extremely loyal base, one could make the argument that DeSantis would have a better chance in a general election to beat President Biden, Vice President Harris or (insert favorite Democrat here) if he were the nominee. The governor, of course, would need the full blessing of Trump if the former president decided to sit this one out, complete with rallies on his behalf.

Why would DeSantis who is just 43 and has never run for national office be a better option if winning back the White House is the Republicans goal? Simply put, DeSantis doesnt have remotely as much political baggage. DeSantis, an Iraq War veteran, would make the choice for voters (particularlyfor independents) one largely basedon his positions on major issues versus those of Biden or Harris rather than a personality contest between two flawed candidates. That would be especially true regarding inflation, the economy, taxes, the southern border, foreign policy and Afghanistan.

In contrast, a personality contest is exactly what any race with Trump would become about the person himself and not so much the issues. In addition, Trumps propensity to continually relitigate the 2020 election (with declarations at every rally about it having been "stolen" from him, despite loss after loss in court and post-election vote audits not uncovering any victories in states such as Arizona or Georgia) would be a constant, pointless distraction.

On all the aforementioned issues, the Biden administration is failing badly in the eyes of most Americans. A recent Quinnipiac poll has Biden polling at 39 percent approval on the economy, 37 percent approval on taxes, 23 percent approval on border security and 28 percentapproval on Afghanistan.

Overall, just 32 percent of independents support the president, with his overall approval clocking in at 38 percent.But if Trump runs, the focus would be largely taken off Biden's dismal record.

Biden's handlers wisely would attempt to turn such a 2024 contest into a rerun of the 2020 race, making the choice a referendum on Trump instead of Biden, who arguably has had the worst first nine months in office imaginable.

Battleground state pollingreflects how poor Bidens performance has been. Hereare his approval-disapproval rankings in the 10 states that decide elections, per Civiqs polling: Arizona, 42-52; Florida, 40-54; Georgia, 39-53; Iowa, 35-59; Michigan, 42-54; Nevada, 43-49; North Carolina, 41-52; Ohio, 37-56; Pennsylvania, 42-51; Virginia, 42-51.

It's difficult to see how Biden turns those numbers upside down if he is the nominee. And ifplan B(meaning Harris) is activatedinstead, the numbers likely would look worse, considering that she's polling lower than Biden in almost every sampling. Throw in her awful 2020 campaign for the party nomination, which ended in 2019 before one vote was cast, and it's looking gloomy for the Blue Team in 2024.

Unless, of course, Trump enters the fray because there's no greater reverse motivator for the Democratic base and independents than the 45th president. It's easy to foresee a hold-your-nose election in which those who might otherwise vote against Biden or juststay home would, instead, turn out for Biden because they viewed another Trump presidency as infinitely worse.

And this perspective wouldn't be based on performance, of course. Leading up to the pandemic, the Trump era was highly successful, based on key metrics on which most presidencies are measured. The economy was strong; unemployment was at just 3.5 percent. The ISIS caliphate had been destroyed, the North Korea threat was diminished and the Middle East was relatively stable. The U.S. border was more secure.

Then COVID-19 came along, and the whole game changed.

Trump's handling of the pandemic, particularly from a messaging perspective, was profoundly horrid. He should have allowed the experts and his vice president, who headed the administrations coronavirus task force, to take the lead on messaging and press conferences. But a defensive Trump insisted on taking dozens upon dozens of questions every day from the podium, with some press conferences lasting more than two hours. And the more he spoke, the worse it got.

The vaccines that most of the media said were impossible to deliver in 2020 came shortly after the election, thanks to Operation Warp Speed. For that, Trump deserved enormous credit, but it was too little, too late, in terms of his reelection bid.

A 2024 Trump campaign would be all about Trump, which is the way he likes it. Yes, he'd hit on all the key issues, but he wouldn't be able to resist rambling about the 2020election being "stolen," which the press would make its main takeaway. Almost every media analysis would be about the man, the tone, the past, the impeachments but not his overall record or vision moving forward.

That wouldn't be the case with DeSantis. He still would receive the kind of negative press that Republicans John McCainJohn Sidney McCainThe Biden-Harris train wreck may have its savior: 2024 GOP nominee Donald Trump Kelly raises million in third quarter Legislative limbo how low can they go? MORE, Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyDemocrat on controversial Schumer speech: Timing 'may not have been the best' The Biden-Harris train wreck may have its savior: 2024 GOP nominee Donald Trump McConnell vows GOP won't help raise debt ceiling in December after Schumer 'tantrum' MORE and, especially, Trump received during their presidential campaigns. But the governor has shown that he knows how to engage in this battle; the most notable example of this was when he struck back hard against an obvious hit piece by "60 Minutes" regarding his vaccine distribution in Florida earlier this year:

'60 Minutes' faces backlash from Democrats and Publix for critical story on Florida's vaccine rollouthttps://t.co/0kpa3rJPdO

*Democratic* mayor of Palm Beach Dave Kerner, on 60 Mins DeSantis story:

"Our residents, like all Americans, are tired. And the media is making it worse. They are hellbent on dividing us for cheap views and clicks. 60 Minutes should be ashamed."https://t.co/oEbociUi2g

Trump versus Biden (or versus Harris or any other Democrat) would be another ratings bonanza, just like the 2016 and 2020 campaigns. The sound bites, drama and unnamed-source gossip dressed up as news stories would be an almost hourly occurrence. Another two-year political food fight, from the primaries to Election Day.

Largely forgotten would be potential solutions to a country divided and going decidedly in the wrong direction, according to most polling:

Americans are more pessimistic and divided two decades after 9/11, polls show (@mmurraypolitics NBC News) Details: https://t.co/1yZ0pTdOkz pic.twitter.com/5eTAvODo7H

Trump will likely run. He'll likely be the nominee. And there's a chance he'd win, albeit not by much if that were to occur.

But the easier path for Republicans would be to nominate a governor such as DeSantis, who would make his case by drawing a contrast between himself and Joe Biden rather than by drawing unflattering attention to himself.

Joe Concha is a media and politics columnist for The Hill.

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The Biden-Harris train wreck may have its savior: 2024 GOP nominee Donald Trump | TheHill - The Hill

Exactly nine months ago today, as his failed presidential term neared its end, Donald Trump reflected on the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol that he'd helped inspire a day earlier. "Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem," the Republican said on Jan. 7, describing the riot as a "heinous attack."

Reading from a prepared text, Trump added, "The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy.... To those who engage in the acts of violence and destruction: You do not represent our country, and to those who broke the law: You will pay."

Five days later, the then-president condemned the "mob [that] stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of government." On the final full day of his term, again reading from a script, Trump added, "All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated."

At the time, the Republican apparently saw some political value in aligning himself with the American mainstream. Much of the nation, like much of the world, recoiled in response to insurrectionist violence, and Trump didn't see an upside to pushing back.

He's since abandoned the pretense. The former president issued this written statement yesterday:

"The Unselect Committee of partisan Democrats, and two very weak and pathetic RINOs, should come to the conclusion after spending many millions of dollars, that the real insurrection happened on November 3rd, the Presidential Election, not on January 6th which was a day of protesting the Fake Election results."

Trump pushed similar rhetoric on a conservative podcast a day earlier, insisting, "The insurrection took place on November 3rd. That was the insurrection: when they rigged the election. The big insurrection, the real insurrection."

The fact that Trump is lying is obvious. The election was not rigged; the Republican keeps pretending otherwise because his fragile ego can't tolerate being seen as a loser who was twice rejected by his own country's electorate.

What's less obvious is how dangerous lies like these are.

According to a former American president by all measures, the head of one of the nation's two major political parties it's time to rebrand the word "insurrection." It should no longer refer to violent anti-government uprisings; it should instead refer to election results Trump disapproves of.

There's a word for those who believe elections are crimes. They're called authoritarians.

Making matters slightly more serious, the former president's followers seem unfazed by Trump's increasingly radical antics. The Pew Research Center released the results of a new national poll yesterday, noting, "The share of Republicans who say Trump should continue to be a major national figure has grown 10 percentage points from 57% to 67% since a January survey that was conducted in the waning days of his administration and in the immediate wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol."

The former president has spent the year on a dangerous and undemocratic crusade. During that time, the public has gained a clearer understanding of many of the scandals and corrupt abuses that unfolded during his tenure.

And it's against this backdrop that a growing majority of Republican voters are saying they want Trump to be a major political figure for many years to come.

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii told The New York Times this week, "American politics has gone crazy because one party has gone crazy." It's a quote that resonates for a reason.

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

The rest is here:

Donald Trump identifies what he considers 'the real insurrection' - MSNBC

Trump critics have long claimed that if the former president had simply taken the money his father gave him, stuck it in the S&P 500 and watched the money appreciate over time, hed be far richer. But for years, those critics were wrong. In fact, Trump outperformed the market for much of his life, developing some great buildings, lucking out on a couple of other projects, and capitalizing on a knack for marketing.

But markets change, and so do fortunesespecially in times of upheaval. Since U.S. equities crashed in the early days of the pandemic, they have gone on a stunning run, largely thanks to the growth of big technology companies. Trumps fortune also plunged at the outset of the pandemic, but his real estate empire, concentrated in urban office buildings, hotels and storefronts, hasnt come roaring back. The result is that the oft-repeated, long-false claim that Trump would have been richer if hed just stuck his inheritance in the S&P 500 hasfinallyturned into truth. As of today, Trump would be an estimated $400 million richer if he had just put his fathers money in the index.

In order to fairly measure Trump against the S&P 500, you need to answer three questions: how much the former president received from his dad, when he received that money, and what he is worth now. Around 2016, several outlets tried to make the comparison without knowing those answers, leading to bad guesses that fueled years of inaccurate speculation. On Oct. 2, 2018, the New York Times clarified the picture, addressing the first two questions with a single line buried inside a 13,000-word expose on the tax returns of Fred Trump, Donalds dad. Here is what can be said with certainty, the article stated. Had [Donald] Trump done nothing but invest the money his father gave him in an index fund that tracks the Standard & Poors 500, he would be worth $1.96 billion today.

At the time, Forbes estimated that Trump was worth $3.1 billion. In other words, despite all of the speculation to the contrary, he had apparently outperformed the market index by about $1 billion, as of 2018. That accomplishment didnt get anywhere near as much coverage as the previous suggestions that Trump had underperformed the market.

Trump continued to stay comfortably ahead of the S&P 500 until last year, when Covid turned the world upside down. The stock market tanked, and Trump personally lost an estimated $1 billion in a matter of weeks. After the initial shock, the overall market began to recover, but Trumps fortune languished. With his hotels, storefronts and office buildings hollowed out, the S&P 500 started to catch up to Trump. Eventually, in early 2021, the market overtook the mogul for good.

By September, when Forbes locked in its estimates for its annual list Americas richest people, Trumps net worth stood at an estimated $2.5 billion, which, for the first time in 25 years, left him short of the cutoff for The Forbes 400. If Trump had instead lived a simple life and invested in the S&P 500 for decades, he would have been worth an estimated $3 billion, enough to rank No. 377. Instead, he had decided to go his own way, providing him with years as a high-stakes businessman, decades as a famous name and one term as the president of the United Statesbut eventually costing him hundreds of millions.

The future doesnt look much brighter for Trump, whose representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Right now, the former president should be sorting out how to pay back hundreds of millions of dollars in debt coming due over the next three years. But he seems to be spending much of his time on politics. Meanwhile, the man who would usually be helping him with his financial issues, longtime executive Allen Weisselberg, stands accused of 15 counts of financial crimes, including fraud, conspiracy and grand larceny. Weisselberg has pleaded not guilty. Last month, rumors surfaced that there may be more indictments coming.

Original post:

It's Official: Trump Would Be Richer If He Had Just Invested His Inheritance Into The S&P 500 - Forbes

Resentment is someone else is doing better than me, revenge is I want to bring them down; we had resentment over the last 20-30 years, we did not have a desire for revenge, that desire came into being in 2016.

New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Credit:AP

He said the rise of squad leader Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reflected the Democratic Partys desire for revenge via woke politics, something he warns MPs against because of the long-term destruction it will cause to society.

Once you put it in your bloodstream you can never get it out, thats the danger populism on the right and wokeism on the left, and Im seeking here in Britain, to warn people of both, he said.

He defined woke as intolerance, cancel and the drive to punish people in the future for perceived mistakes of the past.

Thats the worst kind of politics because its all about definitions and you cant figure out a way to work together, he said.

He said countries need look no further than the US to see the damage it causes.

Frank Luntz, who has worked as a political consultant for decades, says Australias divisions over climate policy are fixable. Credit:Getty Images

We should be the shining light and instead were a shit show and Im a part of that shit show and I have been for the last 20 years.

He says the way to fix America could be out of reach.

Social media is what allows the polarisation to occur, he said.

If you fix social media, you fix America, but our culture wont allow it and perhaps its correct, he said, noting the fierce protection Americans have for the first amendment, which states Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech.

But its poisoning our minds, its an acid, it genuinely is toxic, its dividing us, its killing our attention span, its killing our ability to reason and most importantly were being fed 24/7 what we already believe and thats the problem, he said.

In 2007, Kevin Rudd swept Labor to its last majority victory. Luntz had a ringside seat, working in Australia conducting focus groups for Sky News and News Corp.

Rudd was elected to deliver an emissions trading scheme, but the campaign waged against it by Tony Abbott, who reversed Coalition support for a carbon price, contributed to the downfall of four prime ministers, including Abbott, and the governments reluctance thus far to sign up to net-zero reduction targets ahead of the global climate negotiations next month.

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Abbott relied heavily on the work of Luntz to destroy political support for a carbon price; in 2001, Luntz advised George W. Bush to refer to global warming as climate change.

I was trying to say the science wasnt settled prove it, Luntz says. He says this is now his biggest regret.

Between 2007 and 2009 and by the time Tony Abbott toppled Malcolm Turnbull for the Liberal leadership and reversed the then oppositions support for an emissions trading scheme, the work that Luntz did with the Environmental Defence Fund had convinced him the science was settled.

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Instead of damning me for getting it wrong 21 years ago, recognise that I was willing to acknowledge my mistakes 12 years ago and the media doesnt do that even today, he said.

Bring me to Australia and let me tell your people about the journey. It is fixable and I know how to do it, he said.

Luntz, who has been conducting research for the Centre for Policy Studies on how to prevent the Americanisation of British politics, says his advice for politicians wanting to avoid Americas divisions is to take a zero-tolerance position towards any kind of ugliness, citing the throwing of rocks at Canadas recently re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Because if you start to justify it, if you start to legitimise it, it will get out of control immediately, he said.

And on policy, he says its important for winners to give the losers a voice.

The winner gets to choose policy, but the loser needs to be heard, he said.

Id operate on an 85/15 mentality, which is the winner gets 85 per cent and the loser gets 15 per cent. Give them a voice and they wont want to cancel you, deny them a voice and theyll hate you forever.

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Donald Trump will never be president again, says renowned pollster Frank Luntz - Sydney Morning Herald