Philip Bump noticed an interesting bit from Trump’s Fox and Friends Weekend interview: There was an element of the discussion, though, that hasn’t attracted much attention. It centered on a question from Rachel Campos-Duffy, co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” the show on which the interview first aired. “Americans have lost a lot of trust in institutions, and I think there’s been a lot of discussion, especially online, especially with young people,” Campos-Duffy began. “How do we rebuild that trust in institutions — the CIA, the FBI — all those institutions?” “You’re right,” Trump replied — but before he could answer, Campos-Duffy jumped ahead. “Some people think that one way to build trust is to declassify things that everyone’s talking about,” she said. Then she offered a rapid-fire list of things he might be interested in declassifying, putatively to restore trust in institutions.
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Stop the handwringing A friend asked yesterday if we have a chance this election. Well, considering we (local Democrats) have over three dozen candidates on our fall ballot, we have a lot of chances, I said. What he meant, of course, was the race atop the ballot featuring Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Buck the f#&k up! Voters want to support winners. Maybe start acting like winners? Do Republicans doubt themselves like this? Hell, no. They declare themselves winners before all the votes are counted. They try to litigate (or intimidate) wins when they’ve clearly lost. They are acting like 2024 winners even now, after a string of high-profile, post-2016 losses and with a presidential candidate just convicted of 34 felonies, three more cases pending, and more charges on the way. Ed Kilgore rolls his eyes at New York magazine: One of the most notable aspects of the 2024 presidential contest has been how often voices have been raised in the left-of-center commentariat calling on Democrats to abort Joe Biden’s reelection campaign before it’s too late.
When in Babylon…. “Jesus Is The Answer To All Your Problems,” read the billboard I passed on westbound I-40 on Sunday somewhere between Greensboro and Statesville, North Carolina. Southern Christians especially have a thing for — what is it Donald Trump calls lying? — thruthful hyperbole. Their extravagant promises, their religious puffery, may be well-intended but oversell the product, don’t you think? The larger and louder the claims, even billboard-sized, the more there is a hint that it’s not just you they are trying to convince, but themselves. A lot of places across the South claim the title “Buckle of the Bible Belt.” Back when Southern Baptists were the political equivalent of Boss Hogg in those towns, a Bible verse that tripped off many tongues came from the book Donald Trump famously referenced like a “walked into a bar” joke: Two Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. Be in the world but not of the world. That was then.
It’s always about control Amanda Marcotte: A pair of Texas professors figured out that their female students have sex and, boy, they do not like it. So now the philosophy professor and finance professor are suing for the right to punish their students who, outside of class, have abortions. “Pregnancy is not a disease, and elective abortions are not ‘health care,'” University of Texas at Austin professor Daniel Bonevac sneers in a federal court filing with professor John Hatfield. Instead, Bonevac writes, because pregnancy is the result of “voluntary and consensual sexual intercourse,” students should not be allowed time off to get abortions. If the students disobey and miss class for abortion care, the filing continues, the professors should be allowed to flunk students.
We are seeing a lot of press lately about Donald Trump’s promises to wreak revenge on his enemies should he get back into power next year. Some of us have been focusing on this for years because Trump made “vengeance is mine” his credo going back decades. He’s never made a secret of it. He even gave a speech at the Christian right’s flagship Liberty University before he ever ran for president and gave them two pieces of advice: always get a pre-nup and: I always say don’t let people take advantage — this goes for a country, too, by the way — don’t let people take advantage. Get even. And you know, if nothing else, others will see that and they’re going to say, You know, I’m going to let Jim Smith or Sarah Malone, I’m going to let them alone because they’re tough customers. Years before that he told an audience in Colorado, “If someone screws you, screw them back 10 times harder. At least they’re going to leave you alone, and at least you’ll feel good.
Trump and the Republicans must be shocked that he didn’t attack the judge (Trump appointed) and the prosecutor (Republican) Doesn’t he understand how this is done? By the way, Jill and Hallie Biden are in court today. Weird.
Hey kids… By the way, Nate Cohn, DC’s polling god, put this little tid bit out this morning: While Mr. Trump has survived many controversies, he has also suffered a political penalty for his conduct. He did lose re-election, after all. And this cycle, there is one reason to wonder whether Mr. Trump might now be more vulnerable: He depends on the support of many young and nonwhite voters who haven’t voted for him in the past, and who might not prove as loyal as those who have stood by his side from the start. Huh. You’d think this odd fact would be more salient in the coverage but I see little evidence that many in the mainstream media have noticed. But maybe that’s a good thing. Anyway: Mr. Trump doesn’t just count on the support of Republicans and MAGA loyalists in the conservative information ecosystem. His strength in the polls increasingly depends on surprising strength among voters from traditionally Democratic constituencies, like young, nonwhite and irregular voters. Many of these voters are registered as Democrats, back Democrats in races for U.S. Senate and may have even backed Mr. Biden in the last election. This is not Mr.
I’m sure they would say that they are only speaking of election day. But they actually mean so much more and we know it. It is a direct threat to Biden. Trump is ginning up his rabid cult to take up violence if he loses, there’s no doubt about that. And if he wins, he will exact retribution by using the Department of Justice. In fact, he will do exactly what he falsely claims Joe Biden is doing.
We’ve all seen the threats and the pardon dangling Trump has done from the moment he became president. He even asked the director of the FBI to go easy on his buddy Michael Flynn and then fired him when he refused to do it. The corruption is boundless. And now we find out he’s literally paying people off as well. Pro Publica has a big expose today showing that some of the witnesses in the criminal cases against him have been given fancy jobs, cash bonuses, board seats, shares in his companies and plum jobs for family members often at very important times in the legal process. And the dollar amounts are impressive. Recall the recent story of Brian Butler, the Mar-a-Lago employee who witnessed the handling of those bankers boxes full of classified document and came forward to say that he was offered a new job with a big raise. Cassidy Hutchinson was offered a job and they sent her a lawyer paid by the campaign. This is how they operate. According to the experts they interviewed, cases like this are very difficult to prove. But prosecutors will certainly use the information to question these witnesses credibility if Trump is ever brought to trial on these charges.
Scott Jennings and other regular CNN Trump supporters make it almost impossible to watch their “panels.” It’s not that I can’t sit through arguments between conservatives and liberals on TV. There’s nothing new about that. But the Trump henchmen are such liars and rarely get any fact checking in real time and it distorts the truth in ways that are very destructive. George Conway called Jennings out in real time and it was glorious: Conway discussed this on Greg Sargent’s podcast and it’s excellent: The other day on CNN, prominent Never Trump lawyer George Conway did something you rarely see in Washington. He dressed down a GOP commentator for lying his ass off about Donald Trump—and then, right on the air, he asked why CNN was paying this Republican to spread lies on Trump’s behalf. We think this episode illustrates a deep problem with the media’s handling of pro-Trump propaganda. So we chatted with Conway about why he unloaded—and in the process, he revealed some interesting things about the network. Listen to this episode here. It’s well worth your time.