Donald Trump is escalating his attacks against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
On Wednesday, Trump accused DeSantis of being a “RINO Globalist” as he criticized his response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed quickly down Florida and even its beaches,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Loved the Vaccines and wasted big money on ‘Testing.’ How quickly people forget!”
RINO, one of Trump’s go-to insults for his fellow Republicans, stands for “Republican in Name Only.”
According to The Hill, Trump’s latest insult comes after a series of weekend campaign stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina where he cautioned against DeSantis’s potential White House bid.
“If he runs, that’s fine. I’m way up in the polls. He’s going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run,” Trump said. “I do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in. He had no chance. His political life was over.”
However, despite Trump’s insults, it seems DeSantis is managing to stay above the fray.
“I roll out of bed. I have people attacking me from all angles,” the Florida governor said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It’s been happening for many, many years.”
“When you’re an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions. You got to steer that ship,” DeSantis said. “And the good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that — whether they reelect you or not.”
“And I’m happy to say, you know, in my case, not only did we win reelection, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican governor candidate has in the history of the state of Florida,” he added.
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]
On a bustling Thursday night in San Francisco, former President Donald Trump marked another impressive milestone in his 2024 presidential campaign. The presumptive Republican nominee and front-runner, according to the polls, celebrated a monumental $12 million fundraising haul. The fundraising event, hosted by prominent Silicon Valley figures, David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, highlighted the undeniable shift in the tech industry, an arena traditionally dominated by liberal ideologies.
“These are brilliant guys – AI guys – these are the guys that are doing all the things you read about,” Trump gushed to Fox News Digital. These are just a brilliant group of people. And they can’t relate to Biden because he is a stupid person – and I have a high IQ.”
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“They don’t like dealing with an IQ that’s like, you know, 1/3 of theirs, because it is a difficult thing when someone has an IQ of 180, it is difficult to deal with a man with an IQ of 70 – or maybe lower,” Trump added, attempting to goad the current president.
Sacks endorsed Trump hours before the high-dollar fundraiser at his multimillion-dollar home, located near the residence of Nancy and Paul Pelosi, symbolizing the growing willingness of certain tech industry leaders to publicly support Trump, a stance that previously rendered individuals persona non grata in Silicon Valley. (RELATED: San Francisco Sued Over Gender Scheme Targeting Minority Men)
Known for his business acumen and successful investments, including his status as an angel investor for Facebook, Uber, SpaceX, and Airbnb, Sachs’ support signals a broader acceptance of Trump’s candidacy within a traditionally GOP skeptical community.
Trump told Fox News Digital that Sacks’ “strong” endorsement “is a great testament to what I’ve accomplished.”
“David Sacks — the king of that world — David Sacks and the group that we were with are the most respected people in San Francisco from both a business and high tech standpoint,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They love our country and they understand what’s happening into the future with technology better than any group, anywhere in the world.”
“One of the primary reasons for the endorsement was the four years that we had in office, which was the best four years ever for high tech, which will play an increasingly important role in the future of our country, especially as it relates to AI and all of the other new and brilliant technologies coming right at this moment,” Trump said. “It is a very exciting time and it is a great honor to have the most brilliant minds supporting, by far, the most brilliant leader.”
Why I’m Backing President Trump
As many press accounts have reported, I’m hosting a fundraising event for President Donald J. Trump at my home in San Francisco this evening.
Over the last couple of years, I have hosted events for presidential candidates Ron DeSantis, Vivek…
“My reasons rest on four main issues that I think are vital to American prosperity, security and stability — issues where the Biden administration has veered badly off course and where I believe President Trump can lead us back,” Sacks said Thursday.
Other guests at Sacks’ Pacific Heights fundraiser included the Winklevoss twins, who successfully sued Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their idea, which later became Facebook.
JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“He wasn’t the guy I see on TV,” one source told the New York Post. “He was very thoughtful and self-deprecating.” More than 100 guest attended the San Francisco soirée, paying as much as $300,000 a head.
Historically, Silicon Valley has been a bastion of liberal politics, with many tech leaders supporting Democratic candidates and policies. This alignment was driven by shared values around social issues and environmental sustainability. (RELATED: Google Shuts Down Its AI Chatbot ‘Gemini’ For Being Woke And Racist)
However, the dynamics may be changing. The industry’s rapid growth has brought increased scrutiny and regulatory pressures from Democratic lawmakers. Concerns over antitrust actions, data privacy regulations and labor practices have strained relationships between tech giants and the Democratic Party.
In contrast, Trump’s deregulatory stance, pro-business policies and tax reforms align with the interests of a growing number of Silicon Valley insiders.
A California appellate court ruled Republican candidate Vince Fong can legally appear on both the state and federal congressional ballots this fall.
Fong, a mentee and ex-staff member for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), is running for his boss’ vacant seat.
Prior to McCarthy’s resignation, Fong also filed to run for reelection in the California State Assembly, where he represents the Bakersfield area.
California Secretary of State Shirly Weber (D) attempted to keep Fong out of the Congressional race, since he’d already declared for the state-level position and California law bars candidates from appearing twice. But, a judge ruled in late December that Fong could run.
Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang ruled that Weber’s determination was “inapplicable” to Fong and said he could run in the 20th Congressional District. Chang noted that the law only applied to independent candidates for Congress, not partisan primaries.
The 3rd Court of Appeals agreed Tuesday, ruling that since Fong was not “seeking to utilize the independent nomination process,” the statute did not apply to him.
“If the Legislature wants to prohibit candidates from running for more than one office at the same election, it is free to do so,” the judges wrote. “Unless and until it does so, however, we must take section 8003 as we find it and enforce it as written.”
If Fong wins both elections, he would resign from the Assembly and head to Congress. A special election would be held to fill the Assembly vacancy in 2025, Fong spokesperson Ryan Gardiner told the Los Angeles Times.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.
With only three weeks left until Election Day Democrats are officially in panic mode. The latest polling data shows that Republicans are set up to win big this year.
(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
According to a New York Times report, former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton doesn’t think the vice president has what it takes to survive a presidential primary
“Members of Congress, Democratic strategists and other major party figures all said she [Harris] had not made herself into a formidable leader,” a Monday article from The New York Times read.
“Two Democrats recalled private conversations in which former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lamented that Ms. Harris could not win because she does not have the political instincts to clear a primary field,” the Times reported.
Nick Merrill, a Clinton spokesman pointed to their “strong bond,” but the Times didn’t quote him issuing a specific denial of Clinton’s reported private thoughts of the VP.
“They have built and maintained a strong bond. Any other characterization is patently false,” Merrill said on Clinton’s behalf.
He also claimed the two held discussions focused on their separate experiences of being “a woman in power” and, according to the Times, reiterated that Clinton remains “strongly supportive” of her.
The Times article noted that many Democrats close to the first female vice president have been disappointed by her inability to establish her own political legacy outside of being as many “firsts” – the first African-American, Asian-American and woman to serve as vice president in U.S. history.
“Even some Democrats whom her own advisers referred reporters to for supportive quotes confided privately that they had lost hope in her,” the article stated.
Harris has faced intense criticism since being elected, largely for her lack of action at the U.S.-Mexico border despite being charged with the mission at the start of the Biden administration. RealClearPolitics reports the vice president’s approval rating is also underwater at 51.8 percent.
Despite Donald Trump’s early entrance to the 2024 presidential campaign, some Republicans are dedicated to taking the “wait and see” approach to the next election.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who also previously served as Trump’s press secretary, told Fox News’s Shannon Bream that she isn’t focused on 2024 yet and declined to endorse her old boss publicly.
According to The Daily Wire, Bream asked the newly sworn-in governor, “Your bio, on your official page as Governor, describes you as a ‘trusted confidant of President Trump. Have you talked to him about his ’24 run? Will you endorse him in that?”
“I love the president, have a great relationship with him,” Sanders responded. “I know our country would be infinitely better off if he was in office right now instead of Joe Biden. But right now, my focus isn’t 2024. It’s focusing here in Arkansas and doing what we can to empower the people of this state, and make sure that I’m delivering on the promises that I laid out over the course of the last two years.”
“My focus isn’t on 2024,” Sanders answered. “It’s on what we can deliver in this legislative session. I’m not going to set an arbitrary timeline. I’m not really focused on that at all.”
Bream also pressed Sanders on her own ambitions.
“I feel the pressure of delivering this legislative session,” Sanders said. “That’s the only thing that our team, and that I am focused on, is delivering on what we laid out to do.”
Sander’s refusal to outwardly endorse Trump underscores speculation that Republicans are preparing to steer away from the former president and support another candidate in the 2024 election. Numerous polls have reported Trump trailing behind other potential contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
A Republican lawmaker is trying to change the political landscape of the Sunshine State.
Following Democrats’ widespread losses in Florida during the 2020 midterms, Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia has filed a bill to eliminate the party entirely.
According to The Hill, “The Ultimate Cancel Act” (SB 1248), sponsored by Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), would cancel the filings of any political party that supported slavery during the Civil War.
“The Democrat party adopted pro-slavery stances in their party platforms and this bill says that if you have done that in the past, then the Secretary of State shall de-certify and get rid of the party,” Ingoglia said.
Any “canceled” party would have the opportunity to register again, however, the name of the organization must be substantially different from the name of any other party that was previously registered with the department.
The proposal is expectedly drawing widespread criticism from Democrats.
“Shame on the Republican Party for initiating legislation of this magnitude. This is what a dictator does,” newly elected Florida Democrat Party chair Nikki Fried said.
“It’s a complete and absolute abuse, and it’s unconstitutional. This bill will go nowhere. It is meritless. It deserves zero airtime and frankly, it’s a distraction from the Republicans’ failed policies,” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said.
Ingoglia said he has not spoken to the governor or legislative leaders about the bill.
The governor’s office has not commented on the bill. Legislative leaders in the House and Senate have also yet to express interest in taking up the bill during the upcoming session. If this were to become law, it would take effect in July 2023.
“Florida Democrats are lucky I’m not asking them to return all the political contributions that they got in years past for their Jefferson Jackson dinners since they want to cancel everything. They were raising money based upon two people that, by their own admission, should have been canceled,” Ingoglia said.
On Wednesday, the Florida Democrat Party issued the following statement:
“Presenting a bill that would disenfranchise 5 million voters is both unconstitutional and unserious. Under Ron DeSantis, Senator Ingoglia is using his office to push bills that are nothing more than publicity stunts instead of focusing on the issues that matter most to Floridians, such as reforming property insurance, addressing housing affordability and combating climate change.
“The sooner DeSantis and his puppets in the legislature learn that Florida is a Democratic Republic and not a Banana Republic, the better it will be for all Floridians.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem isn’t rushing toward the presidential debate stage anytime soon.
Despite the Republican’s rising national profile, Gov. Noem told CBS News reporter Robert Costa that she’s “not convinced” she should pursue the Oval Office.
“’I’m not convinced that I need to run for president,” Noem said according to The Hill.
Costa continued to press the Governor if she is looking ahead to future elections. Noem has been floated as a potential presidential contender or even as a potential VP choice for Trump’s campaign.
“Do you not feel a rush, governor, to make a decision on 2024?” he asked.
“I don’t, Bob, at all. No, I think it’s important that people focus on governing rather than going out and making big, broad statements and going out and taking action for their own political futures,” Noem said.
Noem was endorsed in her reelection bid by former President Trump and said last summer that she’d support Trump’s latest White House campaign. However, after the midterms, the South Dakota lawmaker said that the former president does not “offer the best chance” for the GOP.
Georgia National Guard from United States, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp could be quietly positioning himself for a future Senate campaign or even a bid for the White House as his political profile continues to rise.
Kemp, who earned the ire of former President Trump after the 2020 election, just began his second term as governor in the Peach State after handily defeating Democrat Stacey Abrams for a second time.
The Georgia Governor is attracting attention after successfully surviving Trump’s best attempts to exact revenge for refusing to meddle in the 2020 presidential election. According to The Washington Examiner, Kemp was able to turn Trump’s taunts in his favor, managing to win credibility with centrists and independent voters who have become increasingly skeptical of Trump’s evidence surrounding the 2020 election results.
Democratic state Rep. Al Williams told reporters ahead of Thursday’s inauguration that Kemp is “at the height of his powers” heading into his second term. He also credited him with a number of conservative policy wins including permitless firearm carry legislation, as well as tougher restrictions on state election rules and abortion. Kemp also curried favor with voters by fanning out billions of dollars in COVID-19 federal relief funds across the state.
“He spent it very effectively and spread the net wide,” Williams said.
In November, Kemp filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to create Hardworking Americans, a political action committee that could set him up for a federal run. Having a federal PAC not only helps Kemp keep his name out there but also allows him to influence elections and donate money to candidates.
“The runoff for U.S. Senate gave Brian Kemp an excuse to open a federal PAC,” Democratic strategist David McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner. “Kemp could say he was using it to support the woefully underqualified Herschel Walker, but it likely is a means to get an early start on a 2026 bid against Jon Ossoff who will be up for reelection. People should keep in mind Kemp has never run for federal office and Ossoff will be a full-term incumbent and running as a ‘family man’ for the first time in his career.”
However, Kemp’s rising profile could make him a formidable opponent for the Senate seat. A potential Senate seat would likely propel Kemp to be considered a future presidential contender.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has become increasingly politicized and instead of targeting dangerous criminals and terrorists, it seems conservatives are their prime suspects.
