Tag: Donald Trump

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Trump Retweets Game Show Host’s COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories

L-R Chuck Woolery, Donald Trump
Donald Trump retweeted messages from politically conservative former game show host Chuck Woolery that accuses the Centers for Disease Control and physicians of “outrageous lies” about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Woolery alleges in one tweet that doctors and scientists, among others, are exaggerating the fallout of the coronavirus in order to hurt Trump’s reelection prospects. “The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19,” read Woolery’s tweet. “Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it.” That was followed by another tweet (also retweeted by Trump) declaring “This is so much evidence, yes scientific evidence, that schools should open this fall. It’s worldwide and it’s overwhelming. BUT NO.” It’s not clear what “lies” Woolery was accusing the CDC of making. But it’s disconcerting that the president of the United States would further dangerous remarks like these leading his followers into deeper disbelief about the ravaging effects of the coronavirus. It’s worth noting that other countries are re-opening schools because they took far more stringent steps against the pandemic as it began.

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Donald Trump Commutes Prison Sentence Of His Buddy Roger Stone

Roger Stone (screen capture)
I guess this is where I write “I told you so.” CNN reports Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of longtime adviser Roger Stone. In February, Stone was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after a jury found him guilty of seven felony charges that included lying to Congress and witness tampering. He was scheduled to report to prison on Tuesday, July 14. From CNN:

Trump has faced immense pressure from some of his political allies to pardon Stone after he was sentenced to more than three years in prison, in part for lying to Congress about his effort to set up a backchannel between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone was also convicted of witness tampering and obstruction related to Congress’ inquiry into Russian meddling.

Stone, 67, was indicted in January 2019 when armed FBI agents arrested him at his Florida home. He had covered up records that would have revealed he sought to reach WikiLeaks in 2016 to help Trump, lied about the effort when he testified to a Republican-led congressional committee, then threatened another congressional witness, according to the charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller and the DC US Attorney’s Office.

Trump and Stone have tried to cast his prosecution and conviction as a politically motivated witch hunt. But prosecutors argued to a jury that Stone threatened a witness and lied in part to protect the President. The jury agreed, finding Stone guilty of all seven counts he faced.

Trump’s act of commuting Stone’s sentence leaves his criminal conviction in place but reduces the punishment by shortening a sentence of incarceration. The Washington Post notes, “According to Justice Department standards for considering clemency petitions, it does not imply forgiveness of the underlying offense or even reflect on the fairness of the original sentence, and usually the department does not consider requests until a person begins serving his or her sentence.”

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Supreme Court: Manhattan DA Can See Trump Taxes, Congress Will Have To Wait

The current U.S. Supreme Court (image: public domain)
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. can see Donald Trump’s taxes and business records, but Congress will have to wait a bit longer. From the New York Times:

Vance is investigating whether the Trump Organization falsified business records to conceal hush payments to two women, including pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged they had affairs with Trump years ago. Trump has denied those claims.

Vance is seeking Trump’s tax returns, among other records. The president has refused to make them public, unlike previous modern presidents. Because the records are for a grand jury investigation, they would not likely be disclosed before the election.

Separately, three House committees have sought bypass the president to obtain his financial records from his longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, and financial institutions. The committees, all controlled by Democrats, say they are needed to check Trump’s financial disclosures and inform whether conflict-of-interest laws are tough enough.

In both cases, the justices ruled 7 to 2, with Trump nominees Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh joining the majorities. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented.”

Predictably, Trump went on an epic Twitter rant claiming ‘Prosecutorial Misconduct!’

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Lincoln Project Ad ‘Whispers’ Trump’s Got A Loyalty Problem

The latest attack ad from the anti-Donald Trump conservative group, The Lincoln Project, puts the focus on the Donald's infamous insecurities.
(screen capture)
The latest campaign ad from the anti-Trump conservative group, The Lincoln Project, puts the focus on Donald Trump’s infamous insecurities believing a traitor is around every corner of the White House. Titled ‘Whispers’, it’s pretty clear The Lincoln Project’s psychological warfare game is on point. You could say this spot is aimed at an audience of one.

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White House: Americans Will Grow Numb To COVID-19 Deaths

Donald Trump threatens indie run over Muslim ban

Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)
While the Biden campaign’s view of the COVID-19 pandemic is that of a problem that needs not only leadership but empathy and compassion, Team Trump is hoping Americans will simply grow numb to the mounting death count. From the Washington Post:

Trump’s advisers, by contrast, are seeking ways to reframe his response to the coronavirus — even as the president himself largely seeks to avoid the topic because he views it as a political loser. They are sending health officials to swing states, putting doctors on TV in regional markets where the virus is surging, crafting messages on an economic recovery and writing talking points for allies to deliver to potential voters.

The goal is to convince Americans that they can live with the virus — that schools should reopen, professional sports should return, a vaccine is likely to arrive by the end of the year and the economy will continue to improve.

White House officials also hope Americans will grow numb to the escalating death toll and learn to accept tens of thousands of new cases a day, according to three people familiar with the White House’s thinking, who requested anonymity to reveal internal deliberations. Americans will “live with the virus being a threat,” in the words of one of those people, a senior administration official.

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Glass Houses: Donald Trump (Of All People) Accuses Biden Of Mental Decline

Donald Trump
File this one under ‘Glass Houses.’ Donald Trump, of all people, challenged former Vice President Joe Biden to take a cognitive test that Trump claims he ‘aced.’ The test Trump refers to includes questions like ‘What month is it?’ and asks the participant to identify a drawing of a camel. #seriously The folks at The Daily Show and MSNBC put together a couple of ‘highlight reels’ of Trump’s own cognitive issues…

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Robust News Cycle Leads To CNN’s Best Ratings In 40 Year History

Donald Trump
The Associated Press reports the recent stretch of news regarding the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the lives of the world’s citizens coupled with the racial upheaval triggered by George Floyd’s death has resulted in CNN garnering its biggest audience for any three-month period in the network’s 40-year history. According to the Nielsen ratings, CNN’s weekday prime-time audience of 1.95 million was up 120% over the same period last year. Fox News saw a 43% increase pulling in an average of 4.07 million viewers, while MSNBC’s audience of 2.47 million was up 13% from 2019. Donald Trump, who rarely acknowledges actual facts and figures, routinely refers to CNN as “failing.” Sure, Jan… Even the moderator for CNN’s Twitter account for Public Relations finds the Donald to be exhausting in his perpetual lies.

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Trump Cancels Alabama Rally Amid Rising Coronavirus Concerns

Trump walks past reporters with no comment

Trump walks past reporters with no comment
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House)
With coronavirus infections on the rise across the US, Donald Trump’s reelection campaign has canceled plans to hold a rally in Alabama. From CNN:

Trump was slated to travel to the state ahead of the Senate race between his former attorney general Jeff Sessions and the former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, but plans were called off as state officials voiced concerns about a mass gathering and campaign officials ultimately decided against it.

A person close to the campaign said there are currently no rallies on the horizon, but aides are scoping out possible venues for when they decide to host them again.

“We don’t ever confirm where we’re looking until a rally date and location are announced. There is always work underway to identify sites,” said Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump campaign.

On Tuesday, Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced an amended order, which will extend the current rules until the end of July. The order encourages minimizing travel outside the home and wearing face coverings when doing so. The order also states that “all non-work related gatherings of any size, including drive-in gatherings, that cannot maintain a consistent six-foot distance between persons from different households are prohibited.”

You’ll recall Trump’s recent return to the campaign trail in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a less-than-spectacular result as eight pre-event campaign staffers tested positive for COVID-19 just before the rally. Following the event, which drew less than half capacity, dozens of Secret Service agents had to self-quarantine after two agents tested positive as well.

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Parody: Randy Rainbow Wants Donald Trump To “Cover Your Freakin’ Face!”

Political satirist Randy Rainbow has some good advice for Donald Trump in his clever parody of “Put On A Happy Face” from the classic Broadway musical, Bye Bye Birdie. In his health-conscious iteration of the tune – “Cover Your Freakin’ Face!” – Rainbow addresses Trump’s avoidance of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic even though the federal government’s experts say it’s an important safety measure in tamping down the spread of the virus.

Please don’t politicize it, Don’t be a putz like Pence Don’t sit and scrutinize it, It’s only common sense Don’t spread droplets all over the place Cover your freakin’ face

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Polls: Biden Leads In Six Vital Battleground States

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
New polling in six battleground states won by Donald Trump in 2016 (Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina) offers some disconcerting news for the Trump campaign. The surveys, conducted by the New York Times/Siena College, show former Vice President Joe Biden leading in all six states including double-digit leads in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The new polling shows: • Biden in the lead in Michigan by 11 points (47-36). Trump won there in 2016 by less than one point. • Wisconsin, where Trump also won by less than 1% nearly four years ago, indicates Biden holds an 11 point lead as well (49-38) • Another ‘less than 1 percent win’ state, Pennsylvania, appears to favor Biden by ten points (50-40) • Florida, where Trump eked out a 1 point win in 2016, shows Biden leading by 6 points (47-41) • Arizona, traditionally a Republican enclave where Trump won by 4 points during the last election, indicates Biden ahead of Trump by 7 points (48-41) • And North Carolina, another 4 point victory for Trump in 2016, shows Biden beating Trump by 9 points (49-40) Note: while the break-down of Democrats/Republicans/Independents polled was close in each swing state, there were more Republicans surveyed in Florida and Wisconsin. So, any claims of ‘weighting’ the polls in favor of Biden wouldn’t hold water. If Biden were to win all six of those states and hold onto those carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016, he would win the presidency with by least 333 electoral votes, far more than the 270 needed, if he won all six of the states surveyed and held those won by Hillary Clinton four years ago. Scoring a win in any three of the six states listed above, however, would be enough to put him over the 270 point threshold to win the White House. Biden currently leads in virtually all national polls by an average of 9.4 points. A separate New York Times/Siena College national poll released this week showed Biden with a 14 point lead nationally (50-36). But as I’ve written many times, national polls don’t really tell the tale of an election that’s predicated on the Electoral College. Keep watching the swing state polling. A margin of plus/minus two or three points is close to a draw, but 6+ shows a clear advantage.