During an interview on Fox News Thursday night, Donald Trump admitted he could lose his reelection bid in November saying, “He’s gonna be your president because some people don’t love me, maybe.” Trump then, of all people, took a moment to mock the way former Vice President Joe Biden speaks. “I don’t want to be nice or un-nice, but…the man can’t speak.” “Un-nice?” He also pivoted to the healthy economy he inherited from President Obama insinuating HE alone had achieved that before the coronavirus.
"He's gonna be your president because some people don't love me, maybe" — Trump sure sounds resigned to losing to Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/UQTrzJVSXR
L-R Mondaire Jones, Ritchie Torres (images via campaigns) New York City Councilmember Ritchie Torres won the Democratic primary for New York’s 15th Congressional District, defeating virulently anti-LGBTQ opponent Rubén Díaz Sr. and putting him on track to become the first openly LGBTQ Afro-Latinx member of Congress. The seat is one of the safest in the country for Democrats, almost guaranteeing Torres will win in November. He will join Mondaire Jones, who also won his primary for New York’s 17th Congressional District last night in a safe district, in becoming the first two Black openly LGBTQ members of Congress when they win in November. Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about Torres’ and Jones’ primary victory:
“Voters in the Bronx rejected the politics of bigotry and instead put Ritchie on track to become the first openly LGBTQ Afro-Latinx member of Congress. At a time when our country is divided and we confront the realities of racism and police brutality, it is essential we have a voice like Ritchie’s fighting to turn the demands of protesters into legislative change at the federal level.
“Richie and Mondaire have shattered a long-standing political barrier with their primary wins, putting them on track to becoming the first two openly LGBTQ Black members of Congress. Black LGBTQ people – like all LGBTQ people – are severely underrepresented at every level of government, but this gives hope that we are moving toward building a U.S. Congress that is more representative of the people it serves.”
In a statement posted to the Trump 2020 campaign site, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, claims news reports about TikTok and K-Pop fans claiming thousands of RSVPs to the woefully under-attended rally in Tulsa this past weekend are unfounded. In fact, Parscale denounces those reports of ticket hacking because the campaign weeds out “bogus” requests.
Leftists and online trolls doing a victory lap, thinking they somehow impacted rally attendance, don’t know what they’re talking about or how our rallies work.
Reporters who wrote gleefully about TikTok and K-Pop fans – without contacting the campaign for comment – behaved unprofessionally and were willing dupes to the charade.
Registering for a rally means you’ve RSVPed with a cell phone number and we constantly weed out bogus numbers, as we did with tens of thousands at the Tulsa rally, in calculating our possible attendee pool.
These phony ticket requests never factor into our thinking. What makes this lame attempt at hacking our events even more foolish is the fact that every rally is general admission – entry is on a first-come-first-served basis and prior registration is not required.
The fact is that a week’s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of COVID and protestors, coupled with recent images of American cities on fire, had a real impact on people bringing their families and children to the rally.
MSNBC was among outlets reporting that protesters even blocked entrances to the rally at times. For the media to now celebrate the fear that they helped create is disgusting, but typical. And it makes us wonder why we bother credentialing media for events when they don’t do their full jobs as professionals.
The Tulsa Fire Marshall estimated 6,200 showed up for the event at the BOK Center which holds just over 19,000. If I’m understanding Parscale correctly, he’s saying his team received around a million valid requests for rally tickets, and a smattering of protests kept around 993,800 people from entering the event? Trump campaign spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp deflected when Fox News anchor Chris Wallace asked “What happened?”
“You guys were so far off that you had planned an outdoor rally, and there wasn’t an overflow crowd … the fact is, people didn’t show up” — Chris Wallace grills Trump campaign spokesperson Mercedes Schlapp on Trump’s underwhelming Tulsa crowd pic.twitter.com/1wdWK7Cpta
L-R Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) A new Monmouth University poll shows Democrats favor Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate by a wide margin. Of the 2,240 Democratic primary voters surveyed: • 28% favor Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) • 13% named Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) • 12% supported Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) who took herself out of the running last night • 10% gave the nod to former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams • 7% favor Florida Congresswoman Val Demings • 2% support former National Security Adviser Susan Rice Among Biden’s primary voters, 33% said they prefer Harris. Among Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) voters, Warren was favored by 22% while Harris is at 18%. Also notable from the poll, 59% say having a woman of color on the ticket improves the chances of winning in November.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) removed herself from consideration to be former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 presidential election Thursday night saying the veep candidate should be a woman of color. From NBC News:
“America must seize on the moment and I truly believe — as I actually told the VP last night when I called him — that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket,” she told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell in an exclusive interview Thursday night. “And there are so many incredible, qualified women. But if you wanna heal this nation right now, my party yes, but our nation, this is a helluva way to do it.”
Biden responded in a tweet late Thursday saying that when she first announced her presidential bid, it “wasn’t hard to see you had the grit and determination to do anything you set your mind to” and that with her help, “We’re going to beat Donald Trump.”
Klobuchar’s announcement was no doubt based, in part, on the weeks of protests in her home state of Minnesota after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. But also, Klobuchar’s tenure as chief prosecutor for Hennepin County has received renewed scrutiny, specifically in cases of police brutality. Biden has said he expects to announce his running mate by August 1. Pundits say Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are among the front-runners.
Amy — from the moment you announced you were running for president in a snowstorm, it wasn’t hard to see you had the grit and determination to do anything you set your mind to. You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump. https://t.co/4kquPZtSV9
Trump’s rally in Tulsa on the weekend of Juneteenth proves what we already knew: he’s the largest superspreader of division and hatred we’ve seen in generations.
The video contrasts past speeches by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy to those of Gov. George Wallace and the current occupant of the Oval Office who calls white supremacists “very fine people,” tells the police to “dominate the streets” and “please, don’t be too nice.”
L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe BidenThe Detroit Free Press reports the latest polling in the vital swing state of Michigan has some bad news for Donald Trump.
Two weeks ago, EPIC-MRA of Lansing, a polling firm that does work for the Free Press, released a survey showing former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, leading Trump 53%-41% in Michigan, a 12-point edge.
But a second poll, started on May 31, a day after the first poll began, and concluded a day later than the first poll, on June 4, showed Biden leading Trump 55%-39% in Michigan, a 16-point margin.
The survey had a margin of error of plus/minus 4 points. The new poll also showed: • 70% of those surveyed believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The percentage who believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction fell from 30% to 22%. • 61% of those surveyed hold a negative view of Trump. The percentage of those with a positive view fell from 42% to 38%. • 51% said they would vote to replace Trump in November, while those who said they plan to vote to reelect him fell from 38% to 33%.
The latest from the conservative anti-Trump group, The Lincoln Project. Narration: “It took almost four years for Trump to get the crowds he wanted. After years of Donald Trump’s divisiveness and discord, America is coming together. This year we have a choice to make… America or Trump. Imagine how big the crowds will be when he’s gone. A new day begins on November 3rd.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden In an effort to engage with millions of LGBTQ voters ahead of the upcoming presidential election in November, former Vice President Joe Biden will launch a national voter outreach effort to coincide with Pride Month. CBS News reports the campaign program, titled ‘Out For Biden,’ a national get-out-the-vote effort focusing on the estimated 11 million LGBTQ voters across the nation, with special emphasis on vital battleground states. A study conducted by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute found approximately 50 percent of registered LGBTQ voters identify as Democrats, 15 percent are registered Republicans and 22 percent say they are Independents. A notable factoid that requires attention: the study found about one-fifth of LGBTQs of voting age are not registered to vote. For perspective regarding possible impact, it’s worth noting that in 2016 Donald Trump won the state of Florida by 112,911 votes and there are approximately 772,000 LGBTQ voters in the Sunshine state. In Pennsylvania, Trump had a victory margin of 44,292 votes and there are an estimated 416,000 queer voters in the state. And in Michigan, where there are 311,000 LGBTQ voters, Trump squeaked by with a bare 10,704 votes. The ‘Out For Biden’ outreach will begin as a virtual effort primarily due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Online conversations will be held on issues of health, race and sports, related to the LGBTQ community. Additionally, “tool kits” will be available which include voter registration information and messaging to engage with others regarding LGBTQ equality issues. Campaign officials say the outreach will be led in part by a group of 32 LGBTQ politicians and allies including openly lesbian Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) plus 6 other openly queer congressional members. Transgender elected officials, like Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins, will also have a prominent voice. As Instinct reported last week, while the White House was silent regarding Pride Month this year, Biden penned a lengthy essay detailing his past efforts as well as his plans to empower the LGBTQ community as president. Biden, who crossed the delegate threshold to become the Democratic presidential nominee last week, closed his Pride proclamation writing, “I believe in the story of this country and the LGBTQ+ community.” For more information about ‘Out For Biden,’ visit the official Joe Biden campaign website. In related news, Biden has jumped to a 14 point lead in the latest CNN/SSRS national poll with Biden garnering 55 percent to Trump’s 41 percent. But for those inclined to follow politics, national polls may offer a sense of the country’s political temperature, but they aren’t useful in determining the actual state of the presidential race. As many have noted, the 2020 contest will most likely be determined in a handful of swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona. You can check in on those battleground states’ recent polls at Real Clear Politics. Currently, in RCP’s average of polls, Biden leads Trump nationally by 7.8 percent. But more importantly, he holds small leads in each of those above-named swing states.
Former Vice President Joe Biden (image via Instagram) Former Vice President Joe Biden officially crossed the threshold to secure the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. From NBC News:
Joe Biden won enough delegates on Saturday to become the Democratic presidential nominee in November’s election against President Donald Trump, NBC News projects.
To win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination on the first ballot at the party’s convention, a candidate must receive support from a majority of pledged delegates — at least 1,991 of the total 3,979 pledged delegates available.
Heading into the weekend, Biden had already amassed a projected 1,970 pledged delegates after winning a series of Democratic primaries on June 2. He now has 2,000, according to NBC News.
(image via NBC News)Real Clear Politics’ average of polls shows Biden leading Trump in national polls, which don’t mean much, by 7.1 points. More importantly, although it’s was early, Biden leads in every swing state poll RCP is tracking. (image via RealClearPolitics)
During an interview on Fox News Thursday night, Donald Trump admitted he could lose his reelection bid in November saying, “He’s gonna be your president because some people don’t love me, maybe.” Trump then, of all people, took a moment to mock the way former Vice President Joe Biden speaks. “I don’t want to be nice or un-nice, but…the man can’t speak.” “Un-nice?” He also pivoted to the healthy economy he inherited from President Obama insinuating HE alone had achieved that before the coronavirus. 
