As more presidential contenders declare their candidacy some Republicans are taking the time to publicly break with former President Donald Trump well ahead of the 2024 primaries.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is firmly against what is now Trump’s third pursuit of the White House and says he intends to keep his distance-literally.
In an interview with WISN-TV, Ryan said he will not attend the Republican National Conference (RNC) if former President Trump wins the party’s presidential nomination in 2024.
Ryan announced the results naming Trump as the Republican nominee in 2016 when he was the chair of the RNC convention.
“It depends on who the nominee is. I’ll be here if it’s someone not named Trump,” he said.
The 2024 RNC will be held in Ryan’s home state Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I’m not interested in participating in that, no. Even in Wisconsin,” he added.
Ryan, who was now-Sen. Mitt Romney’s (Utah) vice presidential running mate, expressed his doubts Trump will manage to win the GOP’s nomination.
“The reason I don’t think he’ll be our nominee is because we now we’re going to lose with him,” he said. “He cost us the House in ’18, he lost the White House in ’20, he cost us the Senate in ’20, he cost us the Senate again in 2022, and he cost us probably a good dozen House seats in 2022. This is a lesson we don’t need to repeat again.”
Despite his lack of confidence in Trump’s latest presidential pursuit the former House Speaker refused to throw his support behind any other candidate.
On Sunday, Trump ripped into Ryan over his comments on Truth Social.
“Paul Ryan is a loser, Mitt Romney could have won without him. I won twice, did much better the second time, and was 233 Wins out of 253 Races in the Midterms. Paul Ryan is destroying Fox, and couldn’t get elected dogcatcher in the Republican Party!” he posted.
Since leaving Congress in 2019, Ryan has served on the board of Fox News’s parent company and as vice chairman of Teneo, a public relations and CEO advisory firm.
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for a probation interview Monday, a standard part of the sentencing process for those convicted in New York state court.
The interview, aimed at influencing his upcoming sentencing in July, will take place later today.
The pre-sentencing probation interview will be done over a special virtual network with added security measures, and the interviewer will be a female, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. The call is not expected to be held over Zoom, those sources added.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted last month on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the historic case. The probation interview is required by the court as part of the former president’s pre-sentencing report.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case, permitted Blanche to be present for the probation interview after prosecutors did not object. The Trump defense team is scheduled to submit their sentencing recommendation on June 13.
The former president is scheduled to be sentenced for all 34 felony counts in New York on July 11, days before the Republican National Convention begins.
Trump will conduct the interview from Mar-a-Lago in Florida with Blanche by his side.
The probation officer will record Trump’s lack of criminal history, employment record, current financial status, and observations regarding his “physical and mental condition,” all of which Merchan will consider in his sentencing.
Former CNN host Chris Cuomo left podcaster Patrick Bet-David stunned on Tuesday when he revealed his unusual pick for president in the 2024 election.
Cuomo and conservative star Charlie Kirk joined Bet-David on The PBD Podcast recently for some post-election analysis, and Bet-David got Cuomo to reveal who he voted for.
“Would we be surprised if we could see who you voted for?” Bet-David said.
“I probably shouldn’t tell, but I can tell you who I voted for,” Cuomo said. “You want to know?”
“Yeah,” Bet-David said.
“I voted for my brother,” Cuomo said, revealing he wrote in ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) name in on his ballot. “I wrote him in.”
“Are you joking?!” Bet-David asked twice in shock as Cuomo pulled up a picture as proof.
“He didn’t win by the way,” Cuomo joked.
“Did you really vote for your brother?” Bet-David asked, noting his brother voted for Harris.
“He’s a Democrat, so he does what he does,” Cuomo said. “My feeling is this: America can do better than these two candidates.”
Watch:
Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor of New York in 2021 amid multiple sexual harassment allegations.
A novel legal theory from two conservative legal scholars published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review that a section of the 14th Amendment makes Donald Trump ineligible to run for president may be getting a court hearing in Florida.
As Ballot Access news editor emeritus Richard Winger notes:
On August 24, a Florida voter, Lawrence Caplan, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to bar former President Donald Trump from being placed on 2024 ballots as a presidential candidate. Caplan v Trump, s.d., 0:23cv-61618.
Caplan, who appears to be representing himself in the case, writes:
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which provides for the disqualification of an individual who commits insurrection against our government has remained on the books for some one hundred and fifty plus years without ever facing question as to its legitimacy. While one can certainly argue that it has not been thoroughly tested, that fact is only because we have not faced an insurrection against our federal government such as the one while we faced on January 6, 2021. It should also be noted that President Trump has since made statements to the effect that should he be elected, he would advocate the total elimination of the US Constitution and the creation of a new charter more in line with his personal values.
Winger believes Caplan’s suit is “misguided:”
The Fourteenth Amendment “insurrection clause” bars individuals from being sworn in to certain offices, but it does not bar them from seeking the office. When the Fourteenth Amendment was passed, there was no mechanism to prevent any voter from voting for any candidate.
Caplan appears to be taking the law review article’s authors, William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulson, at their word:
“No official should shrink from these duties. It would be wrong — indeed, arguably itself a breach of one’s constitutional oath of office — to abandon one’s responsibilities of faithful interpretation, application, and enforcement of Section Three,” Bode and Paulsen write.
Alternatively, ordinary citizens could file challenges on the same grounds with state election officials themselves.
And other such suits may emerge over the coming weeks. I’m not convinced any federal judge will be willing to read Section 3 like Baude and Paulson say it should be. It’s not because the Section’s words aren’t clear – they are.
My concerns are akin to those of Cato’s Walter Olsen, who writes:
…no one should assume that just because Baude and Paulsen have made a powerful intellectual case for their originalist reading, that the Supreme Court will declare itself convinced and disqualify Trump. Justice Antonin Scalia memorably described himself as a “faint‐hearted originalist,” which captures something important about the thinking of almost every Justice—if overruling a wrongly decided old case threatens to disrupt settled expectations to the point of spreading chaos and grief through society, most of them will refrain. Stare decisis, and a general preference for continuity in law, still matters.
Exactly. While some judges may nurse images of themselves as bold crusaders for justice, most jurists aren’t eager to upset established practice and precedent on a whim. Though, to be fair to the times when such upsets have occurred – Brown v. Board of Education, for example, or Griswold v. Connecticut – have been warranted, necessary, and beneficial.
Does that apply in the Caplan case? A court will decide. But as I’ve long said about Trump, the only court he cares about is public opinion. If voters reject him, that will carry more weight and sanction than any court could ever deliver.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Great America News Desk. It first appeared in American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
A top aide to Vermont Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I) says the senior lawmaker would “seriously” consider mounting a third presidential campaign if Joe Biden decides not to pursue a second term in the White House.
Sanders, 81, ran for president as a Democrat in 2016 and 2020, losing the nomination to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden respectively.
“I assume that he would give it a hard look,” longtime Sanders adviser Faiz Shakir told CBS News on Thursday. “I don’t want to make the judgment for him. Obviously, it would be his choice to make. But I assume that he would want to reevaluate it.”
If Sanders to win the presidency in 2024, he would be 83 years old upon assuming office. Shakir said Sanders is “very aware that he’s older now, and he’d have to make a real judgment about his own vigor and his stamina and his desire and hunger and passion to do this a third time.”
“But if it were an open field? Yeah, I’m confident he would take another look at it and say, ‘Do I want to do this or not?'” he added.
“Personally, I take President Biden at his word and our orbit takes him at his word that he’s taking it seriously and presume that he is leaning toward yes,” Shakir said.
However, some Democrats have noted their interest in pursing the office regardless if Biden seeks a second term, concerned he can’t defeat Trump a second time.
President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010
Is this a step too far?
On Monday, former President Donald Trump’s press secretary told Kimberly Guilfoyle during an interview that Trump plans to deploy “soldiers” to monitor polling stations on election day in an effort to make sure “there are no irregularities” or “fraud.”
Karoline Leavitt, who previously ran for Congress and lost, explained the plan during an appearance on The Kimberly Guilfoyle Show.
“We’re gonna play offensive this time around.” Trump Campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt claims they’re “gonna have soldiers” watching polling places on Election Day. (Video: The Kimberly Guilfoyle Show) pic.twitter.com/dWq5mrEKwj
We’re so excited about our recent merger with the Republican National Committee and the new leadership we have there in both Lara Trump and Michael Whatley. Our team is already working hand-in-hand with the staff at the RNC as one very lean and mean machine, as we like to call it, with one goal, and that goal is victory for Republicans up and down the ballot on November 5th.
We have the team, now it’s time to deploy the troops on the ground. We have an amazing volunteer-led effort right now in all of the battleground states, in addition to our great paid staff who will be making direct voter contact every single hour of every day between now and November 5th to get out the vote. A large part of this is also educating voters on the laws within their state. If you live in an early voting state, we encourage you to get out and vote early, cast your ballot. You don’t know what could happen to you on election day.
And then we’re also investing a lot of money into voter integrity efforts to ensure that every American knows their ballot will be cast and counted and matter, and we’re gonna play offense this time around. We’re not gonna play defense like we unfortunately did in 2020. We’re gonna have soldiers, poll watchers on the ground who are making sure that there are no irregularities and fraud like we saw in the last election cycle.
Guilfoyle replied, “I love it. I cannot wait. It’s gonna be fantastic.”
This is hardly the first time Trump has called for backup at the polls. During the 2020 election, the then-President encouraged supporters to stay vigilant and independently monitor polling stations for evidence of fraud.
“I am encouraging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that’s what has to happen,” said Trump at the time. “I am urging them to do it.”
(Los Angeles - EUA, 09/06/2022) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro, durante Sessão Plenária de Abertura da IX Cúpula das Américas..Foto: Alan Santos/PR
This is big news…
Prominent polling guru and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver is sounding the alarm for Republicans after he re-labeled the presidential election a “toss-up.”
In a post online, Silver recalled a past article where he argued that the race wasn’t a toss-up because of how poor Biden was performing in key swing states, even before his debate performance shocked Democrats into action.
“Now that the election is in kamala_mode, however, it’s far from clear whose position you’d rather be in, and I wouldn’t blame if you wanted to bet either on Harris or on Trump,” he wrote.
As of Thursday, Silver argued, Harris and former President Trump each have at least a 40 percent chance of winning the election. Harris earns 44.6 percent compared to Trump’s 54.9, he said.
“It’s not exactly 50/50, but close enough that a poker player would call it a ‘flip’: Democrats have ace-king suited, and Republicans have pocket jacks,” Silver said.
The FiveThirtyEight founder said Harris is performing well in swing states but it’s still up in the air. He said she has a 54 percent chance of winning Michigan, a 50 percent chance of winning Wisconsin and a 47 percent chance of winning Pennsylvania.
Silver echoed similar warnings that Democrats shouldn’t be too excited. His model has accounted for the excitement that’s generated for Harris after she became the likely nominee but it could be “a temporary surge of Democratic enthusiasm.”
“Still, we’re not exactly going out on a limb here. Betting markets agree with the assessment that the race is about 50/50,” he said.
“And although we can’t tell you who’s going to win, there’s one thing I think we can say with some confidence: Democrats are lucky that they’re getting a second chance in this election with Harris instead of Biden,” Silver concluded.
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly finalized his plans to skip the first Republican presidential debate and instead participate in an event with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
The New York Times reported the news noting the former president has spent the last several days soliciting feedback from aides and allies on whether to participate in the debate.
When The Hill contacted for comment on the reported agreement between Trump and Carlson, an aide for the former president said his campaign “hadn’t confirmed anything on our end” and cautioned against “getting too far ahead” as it relates to the former president’s plans.
Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, has for weeks signaled a hesitation to participate in the Aug. 23 debate, which is being hosted by the Republican National Committee and will be broadcast on Fox News.
The Wisconsin Senate race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and expensive races in the 2024 election cycle. Let’s take a deeper dive into this contentious race.
Tammy Baldwin: Meet The Incumbent
Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Senator Tammy Baldwin has represented Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate since 2012, making history as the first openly gay member of the chamber. She has built a reputation as a progressive champion, focusing on key issues like health care, LGBTQ+ rights and so-called economic fairness—advocating for reducing income inequality, expanding access to social safety nets and promoting the redistribution of wealth and resources. Over the course of her two terms, she has built a strong base of support in urban areas like Milwaukee and Madison but has alienated voters elsewhere over her support of far-left policies.
Baldwin faces a tough reelection battle in 2024 as Wisconsin’s political landscape has become increasingly competitive. However, with her incumbent status and a robust war chest, Baldwin remains a formidable candidate with deep connections to Wisconsin voters.
The Republican Challenger: Eric Hovde
Eric Hovde 2012 Senate campaign. WisPolitics.com, via Wikimedia Commons
Eric Hovde, a prominent businessman, philanthropist and Madison native, is making his second bid for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin. As a successful entrepreneur, Hovde built a career in real estate investment and banking, having served as CEO of Hovde Properties and Hovde Capital Advisors. His business acumen has fueled his platform of fiscal conservatism, emphasizing reduced government spending and tax reform. Hovde is also known for his philanthropic work, particularly through his foundation, which focuses on supporting veterans, health care initiatives and combating homelessness. His campaign has receive significant support from conservative PACs, including the Fix Washington Political Action Committee, which received $1 million from Hovde’s brother days after its creation.
Key Policy Issues:
Fiscal Conservatism: Hovde emphasizes reducing government spending, cutting taxes and addressing the national debt through economic policies aimed at shrinking government intervention.
Health care Reform: He advocates for market-based solutions in health care, promoting competition and reducing the influence of government in the U.S. health care system.
Economic Growth: Hovde supports deregulation to help businesses thrive, focusing on reducing what he sees as overregulation that hinders job creation and economic expansion.
Critical Issues in the Race
The 2024 Senate race in Wisconsin will likely hinge on a few key issues that have shaped recent elections in the state. These include the economy, health care and the rural-urban divide that has become increasingly pronounced in Wisconsin politics.
The Economy: Wisconsin’s economy, like much of the Midwest, is heavily reliant on manufacturing and agriculture. Job creation, wage growth and trade policies will be at the forefront of voter concerns. Baldwin has championed policies aimed at revitalizing Wisconsin’s industrial base, such as her efforts to protect manufacturing jobs from outsourcing. However, Republicans argue that her policies have not gone far enough to stimulate economic growth, particularly in rural, GOP-leaning areas.
Health care: Health care continues to be a top issue for Wisconsin voters, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Baldwin has been an advocate for expanding health care access, including supporting Obamacare.
The Rural-Urban Divide: Like many other swing states, Wisconsin has a stark political divide between its urban and rural areas. Baldwin’s challenge will be to maintain her strong support in liberal strongholds like Madison and Milwaukee, while making inroads in rural areas that have increasingly turned to Republicans in recent elections. Hovde is working to bridge the gap between the party’s base in rural Wisconsin and more moderate, suburban voters. Waukesha, a historically suburban Republican stronghold west of Milwaukee that has shifted leftward in recent cycles, may play a decisive role depending on the margin of victory for Trump and Hovde there.
Campaign Spending and Fundraising
With control of the Senate at stake, both parties view Wisconsin as a true toss-up, guaranteeing that fundraising and spending will continue at unprecedented levels.
When all said and done, the 2024 Senate race is expected to be one of the most expensive in Wisconsin’s history, with both candidates benefiting from significant outside spending by national political action committees (PACs). According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data, Baldwin has raised over $30 million, positioning her campaign to compete on a national level. Her campaign has benefitted from support from Democrat-leaning groups such as the Senate Majority PAC and organizations focused on health care and LGBTQ+ rights, according to Open Secrets.
On the Republican side, Hovde has brought considerable personal wealth to his campaign, as he did during his 2012 run according to FEC data. Prominent conservative PACs, Americans for Prosperity and Club For Growth have also been strong supporters of the Hovde campaign. Fix Washington PAC endorsed Hovde for his pro-business policies.
Yesterday was our biggest online fundraising day EVER. In fact, we doubled our previous high. Help us keep the momentum going. We need all the help we can get to fight back against Tammy Baldwin’s lies. Let’s win this thing! https://t.co/fvoHEJTLry
Senator Baldwin’s approval ratings remain relatively strong, but Republicans see an opportunity to exploit national dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s administration, particularly on issues like inflation and immigration and uncertainty surrounding a potential Harris presidency.
Recent polling data highlights the competitiveness of the 2024 Wisconsin Senate race between the incumbent Senator and Republican businessman. Several sources point to a tightening contest:
RealClearPolitics polling average shows Baldwin with a slim lead of around 3 percentage points over Hovde, with Baldwin polling at 49% and Hovde at 46%.
Wisconsin Watchreported Baldwin leading Hovde by 52% to 44%, but this lead appears to be outside the poll’s margin of error. Other polls, such as those from Emerson College and Marist College, also reflect a smaller gap, with Baldwin holding leads within 3-5 points.
A Cook Political Report poll marked the race as a “toss-up,” with a significant swing among independent voters toward Hovde, further tightening the race to a 49% to 47% split.
A Quinnipiac University poll released October 9th, reported incumbent Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin has a slight lead over Republican challenger Eric Hovde 50% to 46%.
The Wisconsin Senate race is crucial for both parties as they fight for control of the upper chamber. With Democrats holding a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, every competitive seat counts, and Wisconsin’s swing-state status means the race could play a decisive role in determining which party controls the Senate after 2024.
For Republicans, flipping Baldwin’s seat would not only bolster their chances of retaking the Senate but also signal a continued shift in the Midwest toward the GOP.
Whenever I turn on the TV, I have to laugh at the latest attacks on me.
But, what else should you expect from a career politician like Tammy Baldwin?
The 2024 Wisconsin Senate race will be one of the most closely watched contests in the nation, with both parties pouring significant resources into the state. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s bid for a third term will test her ability to maintain support in a politically divided state, while Republicans look to capitalize on national trends and local concerns to flip the seat.
Less than a week after President Biden’s concerning debate performance he’s finally facing a tough reality. Americans have lost faith in his ability to carry out his duties as President.
A new report from The New York Times details a private discussion between the President and an anonymous source during which Biden admitted he’s considering dropping out of the race if he continues to sink in the polls.
Despite the Biden family’s insistence that Joe remain in the race, calls from the mainstream media and the president’s congressional allies markedly increased early Wednesday.
The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well.
“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, said the ally, referring to Mr. Biden’s halting and unfocused performance in the debate. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation.
After the article was published, Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said it was “absolutely false.”
Notably, per campaign finance laws, none of the money Biden has raised could go to his replacement unless it’s Vice President Kamala Harris, as her name is also on the campaign’s war chest. Despite Harris’ apparent flaws, this advantage gives her a significant boost over potentially more viable replacements.
Yet any replacement candidate will still need to placate the far-left forces and the anti-Israel factions within the Democratic Party. These groups have grown disillusioned with the party establishment and are expected to make their voices heard come convention time.
On Wednesday, Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Member of Congress to publicly encourage Biden to step down. In a more damning appearance, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi switched from accusing Trump of having dementia to validating questions about Biden’s mental acuity, further fueling the debate over his capacity to lead.
I wanted to share with you my statement calling on President Biden to withdraw. pic.twitter.com/ocwmsQ1f00
— Rep. Lloyd Doggett (@LloydDoggettTX) July 2, 2024
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News
