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Report: DeSantis Drops Out Of 2024 Contest

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On Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially paused his 2024 presidential campaign.

The Hill has more:

“Following our second-place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on our way forward,” DeSantis said in a video message posted on X, a few hours ahead of an event he had scheduled in New Hampshire. “If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”

“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” the governor continued. “While I have had disagreements with Donald Trump such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear.” 

DeSantis went on to signal his support for Trump while knocking former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. 

“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear. A repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.” 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Now Has One Less Primary Rival

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Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has dropped out of the Republican presidential primary. The mayor suspended his campaign a week after he failed to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate.

“Running for President of the United States has been one of the greatest honors of my life. This country has given so much to my family and me. The prospect of giving back at the highest levels of public service is a motivator if not a calling,” Suarez said in a statement. “Throughout this process, I have met so many freedom-loving Americans who care deeply about our nation, her people, and its future. It was a privilege to come so close to appearing on stage with the other candidates at last week’s first debate.”

Suarez was the only Hispanic candidate on either side in the race for the White House.

Suarez launched his campaign a little over two months ago, attempting to mimic Ronald Reagan’s big tent policy.

Per CNBC:

Suarez, a Cuban American, touted his Hispanic heritage and billed himself as a unifier in a politically polarized country. He also ran on his record courting the tech industry to invest in Miami, and leaned into his pro-cryptocurrency views by accepting campaign donations in bitcoin.

“I will continue to amplify the voices of the Hispanic community – the fastest-growing voting group in our country,” Suarez said in Tuesday’s post.

“I look forward to keeping in touch with the other Republican presidential candidates and doing what I can to make sure our party puts forward a strong nominee who can inspire and unify the country, renew Americans’ trust in our institutions and in each other, and win,” he wrote.

Suarez was the third Republican from Florida to run for the 2024 presidential nomination, sharing that trait with Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But while Trump has loosed a relentless barrage of attacks against the governor, the former president rarely, if ever, mentioned the mayor.

This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

Judiciary Committee Republican Floated As Trump’s VP

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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

The dream team?

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) signaled an openness to being former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick when asked over the weekend during a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press” with guest host Peter Alexander.

“You are reportedly on Donald Trump’s short list of possible running mates,” Alexander said. “Would you accept if Donald Trump asked you?”

“Well, Peter, Donald Trump’s going to make this choice,” Cotton responded. “I suspect only he knows who’s on his short list.”

Cotton said that he has not been in direct contact with the Trump campaign about who the presumed candidate will pick as his vice presidential running mate or about any position in his administration.

When asked if he would accept the job if offered it, Cotton responded: “Peter, any great patriot, if offered a chance to serve our country by the president, would have to consider it seriously. But what I’m focused on, like the president, is making sure that we win this election in November, and I want to help him govern successfully to restore the peace and prosperity that he brought to America for four years that Joe Biden has destroyed.”

Watch Sen. Cotton:

Sen. Cotton’s committees include the Judiciary Committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member of the Air Land Power Subcommittee.

The Arkansas Senator served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Republican Party Halts Ad Spending For Embattled Trump-Backed Candidate

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Republican Party has confirmed it is pulling financial support for Trump-backed North Carolina gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Robinson’s campaign has been in steep decline since revelations surfaced that he allegedly left racist comments on a porn website’s message board. Following calls from North Carolina Republicans for him to step down and the resignation of several high-ranking staffers – including his campaign manager and deputy campaign manager – Robinson has now lost the financial backing of the Republican Governors Association (RGA).

RGA spokesperson Courtney Alexander told National Review (NR), “We don’t comment on internal strategy or investment decisions, but we can confirm what’s public – our current media buy in North Carolina expires tomorrow, and no further placements have been made.”

The RGA’s spending update follows a CNN report Thursday afternoon connecting Robinsons’s email to comments on a porn-site messaging board, where he allegedly called himself a “black Nazi” and made other unsavory sexual and race-related comments years before he was elected to statewide office. Robinson has denied the allegations, as NR first reported last Thursday.

The news comes as the Robinson campaign continues to bleed staff. On Sunday, Robinson’s campaign sent out a press release announcing that four employees resigned from his campaign: general consultant Conrad Pogorzelski III, campaign manager Christopher Rodriguez, finance director Heather Whillier, and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk.

“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in a press release. “An announcement of new incoming staff members will be forthcoming from the campaign soon.”

Four additional staffers not listed in that press release have also resigned, according to Pogorzelski, Robinson’s former general consultant. “The reports are true that I, along with others from the campaign have left of our own accord,” he said in a text message to National Review that listed several other staff departures, including deputy finance director Caroline Winchester, political director John Kontoulas, political director Jackson Lohrer, and director of operations Patrick Riley.

Even though North Carolina was seen as one of the RGA’s top pickup opportunities this election cycle, public polling had shown that Robinson was trailing Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.

A Cook Political Report and BSG survey released on Aug. 15 revealed that Stein held a seven-point lead over Robinson. When undecided voters were included, Stein’s lead increased by another point. This marked a significant shift from May when polling showed the race tied.

As of Friday, Trump had no plans to withdraw his endorsement of Robinson, but he did not mention him once at a rally in North Carolina over the weekend.

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NYT’s Maggie Haberman Reveals Trump’s Next Potential Running Mate

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New York Times reporter and avid Trump critic Maggie Haberman revealed to “The View” panel who former President Trump is considering to be his next running mate and has reportedly narrowed the pool of candidates down to two lawmakers.

While promoting her upcoming book on the 45th President of the United States, Haberman admitted Trump is laser-focused on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his potential to torpedo Trump’s chances of winning the Party’s nomination with his own presidential campaign.

Trump is “focused on Ron DeSantis in a way he isn’t on anybody else,” Haberman said, according to Mediaite.

“There are a couple of people whose names get mentioned,” Haberman answered, “and the one ho gets mentioned the most by people close to him is Tim Scott from South Carolina, the senator. And then Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is possibly the next governor of Arkansas.”

The mention of Trump’s former White House press secretary drew very audible groaning from Whoopi Goldberg, others at the table, and the audience.

“I didn’t mean to cause that. I’m sorry,” Haberman said, to which, Goldberg replied “it just came up out of my system.”

Bernie Sanders Mulling 2024 Run if Biden Steps Aside

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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.

Christie Predicts Trump Will Become GOP Nominee If He Wins New Hampshire

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Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) predicted that if Donald Trump wins the New Hampshire primary later this month he will more than likely move on to become the party’s nominee.

While speaking at a town hall event in New Hampshire, Christie warned that Nikki Haley’s popularity in her home state of South Carolina will not be enough to deter Trump if he wins the Granite State. South Carolina’s primary comes next month.

“If he wins here, don’t expect South Carolina to save us; it’s not going to happen,” the former New Jersey governor told the crowd Tuesday. “So you all are the ones who are going to make the call here.”

Trump currently leads with 41.5 percent support in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average of the state. Haley, the former South Carolina governor, places second with just more than 30 percent. Christie trails in a distant third place with 11.5 percent.

Christie expressed doubts at the town hall about Haley’s ability and interest in defeating Trump for the nomination.

He argued she is not actually running to beat Trump because she said in the past she would pardon him if he’s convicted in any of his criminal trials. She also has not ruled out being the former president’s running mate, Christie added.

“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now and I supported Nikki Haley. And then three months from now, four months from now, when you’re ready to go to the convention, she comes out as his vice president. What will I look like?” he said. “What will all the people who supported her at my behest look like?” 

Trump Officially Locks Up GOP Nomination

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

It’s finally official…

On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump secured the GOP nomination after winning the GOP primary in Washington state.

“It’s your favorite president speaking to you on a really great day of victory,” Trump said in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, by his campaign. “One week ago, we had something called Super Tuesday and it was indeed super, because we won at numbers at nobody has ever seen before, records in virtually every state.”

“And tonight, likewise, but this one got us over the top,” he continued. “The Republican National Committee has just declared us the official nominee.”

After the race was called, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that “It is my great honor to be representing the Republican Party” on the top of the ticket in November.

“Our Party is UNITED and STRONG, and fully understands that we are running against the Worst, Most Incompetent, Corrupt, and Destructive President in the History of the United States,” the former president wrote.

“But fear not, we will not fail, we will take back our once great Country, put AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN – GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE,” he added. “November 5th will go down as the most important day in the history of our Country! GOD BLESS AMERICA.”

President Joe Biden also secured the Democrat nomination the same day, officially teeing up a rematch of the 2020 election.

“Voters now have a choice to make about the future of this country,” Biden said.

Nate Silver’s Forecast: Harris Now Favored Over Trump In 2024 Election

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In a significant shift, Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled ahead of former President Donald Trump in the latest 2024 election forecast from data expert Nate Silver. According to Silver’s “Silver Bulletin” election model, Harris currently holds a 58% likelihood of winning the presidency, compared to Trump’s 42%.

This marks a reversal from early September, when Trump had over a 60% chance of victory. Silver attributes the shift to changes in polling data. He noted that Harris has gained a 3-point lead nationally and has been performing well in key battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina.

The exception is Arizona, where Harris has struggled in recent polling, but Silver noted it has only a 5% chance of being the tipping-point state.

While Silver still categorizes the race as a toss-up, he suggested that Harris’s hand appears stronger. He also pointed to positive economic revisions, which he said have bolstered Harris’s chances.

Silver explained that Harris has two viable paths to securing the Electoral College, whereas Trump’s options appear more limited. Harris could win the presidency even if she loses all the toss-up states, provided she secures Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Mediaite has further details on Harris’ “Plan A” and “Plan B” pathways to victory:

Silver’s latest write-up of his forecast notes that Harris, unlike Trump, has two solid routes to winning the Electoral College. Harris can lose all the toss-up states while winning Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin and still become president.

Silver calls this “Plan A” – the long talked about “blue wall” that crumbled in 2016 for Hillary Clinton. Silver explains that Harris also has a “Plan B” if one of those states falls – despite her polling up in all three. Harris can win “North Carolin, Georgia, or both” in order to still get to 270 – especially as she’s in striking position in Nevada and ahead in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.

Trump, on the other hand, must win all of the toss-up states and at least one of the three “blue wall’ states.

As recently as a few weeks ago, Silver’s model had Trump leading Harris in betting odds. However, recent developments have reshaped the landscape as the 2024 election approaches.

Silver’s full analysis is available by clicking here.

Trump Responds to Threats Against Federal Law Enforcement

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[Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Since the weekend, a number of officials and media personalities, including Fox News hosts, have called on former President Donald Trump to call for an “end to the violent rhetoric” expressed against the FBI. (RELATED: Gunman Killed After Trying to Enter FBI Building)

On Monday morning’s episode of “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy said Trump, “a great supporter of law enforcement” should help tamp down on the rhetoric “against the FBI because the FBI was simply doing what the DOJ asked them to do.”

Co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt called out the FBI, echoing the widely held belief about the Bureau’s current political biases, but they also condemned any violence and threats of violence with Earhardt saying “no one is for the violence of FBI agents.”

Doocy in turn recommended that people frustrated by alleged hypocrisy between the treatment of Republicans and Democrats by federal law enforcement recognize that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was the man behind the Mar-a-Lago search warrant. (RELATED: Judge Unseals Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant – Trump Under Criminal Investigation)

Hours after the “Fox & Friends” trio issued a call for cooler heads to prevail, former President Trump told Fox News’ Brooke Singman he “will do whatever” he can to “help the country” and bring the temperature down or “terrible things are going to happen.”

The Daily Wire reports:

“People are so angry at what is taking place,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “Whatever we can do to help—because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen.”

Trump referenced the “years of fake witch hunts and phony Russia, Russia, Russia schemes and scams,” emphasizing that “nothing happens to those people who perpetuate that—nothing happens with them.”

He added: “And then they break into a president’s house—a sneak attack where it was totally—no one ever thought a thing like this would happen.”

Trump also said he told the DOJ he would do whatever he could to help. It is not immediately clear what kind of help Trump offered the DOJ, and the former president’s team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Before the DOJ’s warrant was unsealed, Trump used an intermediary to deliver a similar message to Attorney General Garland, saying according to a person with firsthand knowledge that “The country is on fire. What can I do to reduce the heat?”

According to Business Insider, it’s unclear if the message ever reached Garland.

The attempt to deliver the message preceded Garland’s Thursday press conference where he announced DOJ’s decision to unseal the search warrant. Trump had previously demanded the search warrant be released, even though he had a copy of it and the ability to do so himself.

Around the same time as Garland’s speech, but hours before DOJ unsealed the records, Breitbart published a leaked version of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant — including the names of the FBI agents who signed their names on the property receipts.

The version released by DOJ had all of the same information but redacted the agents’ names. The FBI is currently grappling with an “unprecedented” number of threats made against its agents.

The identity of the leaker to Breitbart, a media outlet long managed by Steve Bannon, remains unknown. Breitbart was roundly criticized for its decision to doxx the agents.

Hours later, Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, sent a push alert to its members with the article that included the unredacted search warrant.

A day later, police killed a man armed with an AR-15 and a nail gun who attempted to breach an FBI office in Cincinnati shortly after posting “Kill [the FBI] on sight” on Truth Social.

The post has since been removed by moderators.

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