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Nikki Haley Campaign Rips Trump, DeSantis in Leaked Memo

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The gloves are coming off…

The attacks from Nikki Haley‘s presidential campaign are heating up. In a leaked memo to donors, Haley’s campaign unleashed a barrage of attacks targeting her 2024 primary rivals.

The memo from Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign manager, casts Haley as above the political fray in the GOP presidential primary, recapping her more-than $11 million fundraising haul in the first quarter and early efforts in critical primary and caucus states like New Hampshire and Iowa. 

Donald Trump had a pretty good Q1, if you count being indicted as ‘good,’” Haley’s campaign wrote.

“It’s increasingly clear that Trump’s candidacy is more consumed by the grievances of the past and the promise of more drama in the future, rather than a forward-looking vision for the American people,” the memo reads.

Haley’s campaign also takes aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who’s widely expected to launch a White House bid later this spring once the state’s legislative session concludes.

“Ron DeSantis essentially launched his presidential campaign with a national book tour during this period and made one misstep after another, confirming what many observers have long suspected: he’s not ready for prime time,” the memo reads.

“None have taken the plunge,” it says. “That’s of course their decision, but they certainly did nothing to help themselves in the first part of the year. By contrast, Nikki is a decisive person. When she puts her mind to something, she’s IN IT, devoting all her energy to it night and day, week-in and week-out.”

The campaign took a slight shot at other contestants without specifically mentioning their names, suggesting they aren’t worth naming to begin with.

“And then there are the others,” the memo reads. “Wait, what others?”

CNN Commentator Criticizes Trump’s Response After Assassination Attempt

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A failed loner attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump in a horrific moment on Saturday afternoon. The incident left one rally goer dead and two others in critical condition.

Yet, CNN’s Jamie Gangel chose to focus on Trump’s immediate reaction following the attack.

The Aftermath of the Attack

Moments after narrowly escaping the assassination attempt, Trump was heard yelling “Fight! Fight! Fight!” to the crowd.

Gangel’s Reaction

Jamie Gangel, a reporter for CNN, expressed her disapproval of Trump’s choice of words seconds after he was shot. She stated:

That’s not the message that we want to be sending right now. We want to tamp it down.

Police have ransacked the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, home of the deceased gunman, a 20-year-old male named Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The FBI later confirmed Crooks’ identity early Sunday and called the incident an assassination attempt, although President Biden initially declined to do so.

READ NEXT: Congressman Reveals Bombshell Request Before Trump Assassination Attempt

‘This Race Is Done’ Winner Projected In Georgia!

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A Donald Trump is projected to win Georgia per Decision Desk HQ.

During a press conference late Tuesday night, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said “It looks like this is pretty much done. I think the results are pretty well baked in.”

Elon Musk appeared to celebrate Trump’s early successes in various states as race results poured in Tuesday night, writing on X, “Game, set and match.”

Decision Desk HQ projects Trump as the winner in the battleground states of North Carolina and Georgia, though the races in other pivotal states, including the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin have yet to be called. The wins put Trump squarely on the path to the White House while the Harris campaign is running out of paths forward.

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns poured enormous resources into the state won by President Biden in 2020 by less than 1%.

The Peach State’s early voting period between Oct. 15 and Nov. 1 saw more than 4 million people vote either early in-person or absentee. That’s 55.5% of their active voting populace, according to Georgia’s Election Data Hub.

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

Report: Trump to Skip First Debate to Participate in Rival Event with Tucker Carlson

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Tucker Carlson via Gage Skidmore Flickr

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.

Is Vivek Ramaswamy The GOP’s New Trump ‘Lite’?

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Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

ANALYSIS- Who is this skinny guy with the funny-sounding name? (That was his opening line at the debate). Vivek Ramaswamy wasn’t supposed to be at the center of the first Republican presidential candidate debate in Milwaukee.

Ron DeSantis was supposed to be the viable GOP alternative to Donald Trump. A two-term governor of the third most populous state in the union, DeSantis, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq, is as conservative as they come.

And he has a proven track record of fighting the left in Florida – and winning.

But despite his solid bona fides and resume, DeSantis has a personality problem. He just doesn’t exude charm or confidence, and that’s hurting him – a lot.

Meanwhile, Ramaswamy the 38-year-old Trump-defending, Cincinnati-born, biotech billionaire (worth at least $950 million), son of Pakistani immigrants, kind of stole the show at the debate.

According to former FBI agent and body language expert, Joe Navarro: “[Ramaswamy] consistently looked the most comfortable on stage.”

He was also the most openly and unabashedly pro-Trump. He was the first candidate to raise their hand when asked who would support the former President as the party nominee even if he is convicted on felony charges that he’s facing.

He has also promised to pardon Trump if elected. But he went even farther than that.

“President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century,” Ramaswamy said in a clip from the debate Trump posted on Truth Social.

And Trump loved it.

“This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you, Vivek!”

The ever-smiling political newbie Ramaswamy, who seemed to be having a blast on stage, was also the target of many of his GOP rivals.

As TIME reported:

Maybe it was Ramaswamy’s consistent and confounding defense of All Things Trump. Maybe it was his smooth talk and culture-war acumen. Maybe it was just the fact that Ramaswamy frankly does not care how things were done before and might just have enough self-made money to go the distance.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie snarled that he had “had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT,” an A.I. battery. He then dismissed Ramaswamy as someone on the same level as a political figure universally loathed in the GOP. “The last person in one of these debates… who stood in the middle of the stage and said, ‘What is a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?’ was Barack Obama. And I am afraid we are dealing with the same type of amateur standing on the stage tonight,” Christie said.

But the quick witted Ramaswamy’s riposte to Christie was a zinger: “Give me a hug like you did to Obama, and you’ll help elect me just like you did to Obama. Give me the damn hug, brother.”

Ramaswamy was referring to the 2012 incident when Christie was accused of “hugging” Obama during his visit in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which hit days before the 2012 presidential election.

It’s a claim that Christie has been denying since then, saying: “I didn’t hug him.”

Photos at the time seem to back up Christie, but the zinger still worked.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN under Trump, and ex-South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, who is of Indian descent, hit Ramaswamy too: “You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows.”

I would agree with that assessment and believe he has made a few deeply flawed important national security statements – including on Ukraine and Israel.

But he is super smart and can learn quickly.

Then Vice President Mike Pence took a Christie-like jab at Ramaswamy, attacking the very same quality that originally helped raise Trump in the GOP base – that he is not a politician.

“Now it’s not the time for on-the-job training,” retorted Pence. “We don’t need to bring in a rookie. We don’t need to bring in people with no experience.”

AS TIME noted: “Attacks during debates are the norm but this was different. Ramaswamy’s competitors really don’t like him. Not even a little.”

However, there is one important GOP rival who seems to like Ramaswamy – Donald Trump. And that could be all that matters.

Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

Florida Lawmaker Makes Announcement on 2024 Plans

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) is shutting down speculation of a White House run…at least for 2024.

On Wednesday, Sen. Scott announced he will seek another term in the Senate in 2024. According to The Hill, the Florida Senator announced his intentions during an appearance in South Florida and also unveiled a list of hires that includes several longtime campaign hands. 

“I’ve never lost an election and I don’t intend to now,” Scott said in a statement. “We’ve worked hard to turn Florida into a red state that elects Republicans up and down the ballot. But I never take anything for granted.”

“The people of Florida have elected me three times so far to fight for conservative values, stand up to Joe Biden and the radical, woke Democrats, and bring common-sense to Washington. We’re going to keep fighting to do the things the people of Florida elected me to do.”

The Senator’s announcement comes after Republicans failed to win back the upper chamber last year, a failure that some blamed on Scott.

Despite the GOP’s unsuccessful effort to win back the Senate majority, the Florida Senator launched an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as Senate minority leader.

Scott remains a powerful political force in his home state. Prior to winning his Senate seat in 2018, he served two terms as Florida governor. 

Nikki Haley Secures Endorsement from Key Trump Ally

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is already securing key endorsements.

On Wednesday, House Freedom Caucus member Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) has chosen to endorse Haley for president, dealing a disappointing blow to former President Donald Trump.

“We are at a pivotal point in our nation.  While the Republican candidates, values, and messages have done very well here in South Carolina, that hasn’t been the case everywhere across our great nation,” Norman said in a tweet on Wednesday.

“It’s time for a reset and a new chapter in national Republican politics, and there’s no better person to help write that new chapter than our former governor and my good friend, Nikki Haley!” Norman said.

Rep. Norman was among the more than 20 hardline Republicans that withheld support from Kevin McCarthy during the contentious battle to elect the newest House Speaker.

Following the tense Speaker battle, Norman was appointed to serve on the influential House Rules Committee, which controls legislation that can go to the House floor.

The South Carolina congressman’s decision to stray from Trump is notable, Norman has been a staunch defender of the former president for years.

According to The Hill, Norman has also been a supporter of former President Trump and voted against certifying the 2020 Electoral College results from Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021. Text messages reported by Talking Points Memo show that Norman texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Jan. 17, 2021, encouraging Trump to invoke “Marshall [sic] Law” to investigate alleged election fraud.

In comments to Fox News, Norman said that Trump “was exactly who the Republican Party needed at the time” in 2016 because he “reminded us how to fight what we believe,” but that the GOP has since “entered a season of change.”

“We’re at a pivotal juncture, and most of the Republicans I know are now looking for new leadership with a new vision at the top of the ticket. Nikki Haley has that vision, and she’s going to be an outstanding President,” Norman told Fox News.

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.

DeSantis Reveals A Republican Under Consideration to Become His Running Mate

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Republican White House contender Ron DeSantis says he is eyeing Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds as his potential pick for vice president.

DeSantis made the remarks after he touted the popular Iowa governor on Friday at a forum with Tucker Carlson. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson to Host GOP Presidential Forum – Without Trump)

“Governor, you have spent a lot of time with Governor Reynolds, you defended her after President Trump’s recent statements,” a reporter said to DeSantis at an event on Saturday. “Would you consider her as a potential vice presidential pick in this campaign?”

“Of course,” DeSantis responded. “I mean, she’s one of the top public servants in America, I thought the attacks on her were totally, totally out of hand, and totally unnecessary.”

“We should be thanking good Republican office holders,” he continued. “You know, we kind of joke about the Iowa-Florida [competition], sometimes they do things before us, sometimes we do. But honestly, I want them to do better than us because it’s healthy. When Republicans are doing well, I like that, I don’t get jealous of that, I want to see them do well.”

“And so they’ve done a great job and I think she’s been a model public servant and anybody who’s a Republican that’s trying to denigrate her I think is way off base on that,” he concluded.

Nikki Haley Speaks Out on Potential White House Bid

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley seems to be readying herself for a White House run.

During an interview with Fox News, Haley said that she could be the next President of the United States and that she is seriously exploring the possibility.

“When you’re looking at a run for president, you look at two things,” Haley told Fox News anchor Bret Baier. “You first look at, does the current situation push for new leadership? The second question is, am I that person that could be that new leader, that, yes, we need to go in a new direction? And can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”

“I was — as governor, I took on a hurting state with double-digit unemployment, and we made it the beast of the Southeast,” she said. “As ambassador, I took on the world when they tried to disrespect us. And I think I showed what I’m capable of at the United Nations.”

“So, do I think I could be that leader? Yes,” she added. “But we are still working through things, and we will figure it out. I have never lost a race. I said that then. I still say that now. I’m not going to lose now. But stay tuned.”

Haley’s comments come a year after the former South Carolina governor said that she would not launch her own presidential campaign if Donald Trump announces his candidacy.

 “I would not run if President Trump ran,” Haley told reporters at the time.

However, despite Trump’s early entrance to the 2024 contest the former president has seen mixed responses.