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Trump's overwhelming need for attention could lead to him bailing on Truth Social: NYT
January 28, 2023
Now that Donald Trump has been given the go-ahead to begin posting again on Meta -- formerly known as Facebook -- the former president is reportedly weighing breaking with his own troubled Truth Social to bolster his 2024 presidential run.
According to a report from the New York Times, the former president has become a much more prolific poster on Truth Social as he ramps up his 2024 presidential bid, with a noted increase in boosting conspiracy theories popular with the QAnon crowd.
As the Times Maggie Haberman and Ken Bensinger wrote, Trump's new access to Meta and Twitter, after owner Elon Musk intervened, is a powerful draw for Trump who was able to use those two platforms to prop up his political endeavors.
While the former president is under contract to post his thoughts -- or "truths" -- at Truth Social first and then wait six hours to share them elsewhere, he does have a loophole that allows him to post elsewhere if it "specifically relates to political messaging, political fund-raising or get-out-the vote efforts at any time.”
While he has yet to take advantage, the report notes that it is only a matter of time because the former president needs a boost for his flagging third run for the presidency.
RELATED: 'Politically stupid' Trump is killing off any chance of hanging on to a key voting bloc: analyst
"According to people close to Mr. Trump, he is aware that a return to those platforms would risk starving Truth Social of its largest draw. But it may be that his desire for more income, they said, is outweighed by the enormous attention that Facebook and Twitter can provide him as he runs again for president," the Times is reporting.
According to Rashad Robinson, the president of Color of Change, Meta could also benefit from Trump's return.
"Facebook has more followers than Christianity,” Robinson explained. "Corporations like Facebook have continued to find ways to profit off Trump even as they’ve condemned him. It’s not just that they let Donald Trump back on their platform, it’s that they benefit from it.”
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George Santos House staffers 'trying to find the route to get out' as investigations pile up
January 28, 2023
Now that Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has settled into the House despite the cloud of investigations that grows darker each day, his House office is still engaged in staffing up which, in turn, has become an object of fascination for House aides who work for other lawmakers and who believe Santos job is a bad career move.
According to a report from the Washington Post, the controversial lawmaker who lied his way to a midterm win has filled key positions, but there is no telling how long they will be employed should one of the investigations bear fruit and lead to his ouster from the House.
As the WaPo's Joe Flynn and Meaghan Heim wrote, "Taking a job for Santos could prove dicey for staffers. In conversations with more than a dozen former and current Republican and Democratic lawmakers and staff members, many wondered if those who go to work for Santos, particularly higher-level staffers, would ever be able to find another congressional office that would hire them."
Adding that "It’s hard enough to get offices up and running in normal circumstances, but Santos is under intense media scrutiny," the report continued, "For staffers who have opted to work for Santos, a future on Capitol Hill could prove difficult to negotiate, said George McElwee, who served as chief of staff for former GOP congressman Charlie Dent from Pennsylvania and was also president of the House Chiefs of Staff Association."
ALSO IN THE NEWS: 'Politically stupid' Trump is killing off any chance of hanging on to a key voting bloc: analyst
Speaking with the Post, McElwee suggested those who have been hired are probably painfully aware about what the future might bring and are likely looking to make a move if a job presents itself.
“Particularly for staff in those senior roles, people are going to wonder why they’re there. Why are they continuing on?” he explained “And it’s probably going to hurt them at some point in their job prospects.”
He added, "A lot of the folks in his office probably have an eye to the door and they’re trying to find the route to get out. They know it’s not a stable environment for them in their political future.”
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'Politically stupid' Trump is killing off any chance of hanging on to a key voting bloc: analyst
January 28, 2023
Donald Trump's ongoing war with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will likely blow up in his face should he manage to become the Republican Party's 2924 presidential nominee because he refuses to halt the racist attacks on the GOP leader's wife.
In a column for Bloomberg, longtime political observer Robert George suggested that, had the former president confined his attack to McConnell, that would be politics as usual -- particularly for Trump.
However Trump can't seem to get off a shot at the Kentucky senator without taking a swipe at his wife, former Trump administration official Elaine Chao by repeatedly calling her "Coco Chow" and pointing out her Chinese heritage while questioning her ties to China.
In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Does Coco Chow have anything to do with Joe Biden’s Classified Documents being sent and stored in Chinatown? Her husband, the Old Broken Crow, is VERY close to Biden, the Democrats, and, of course, China.”
According to George, Trump's using Chao as a cudgel against McConnell will drive away Asian American voters who are tend to more conservatively , but also represent a growing and powerful voting bloc.
ALSO IN THE NEWS: Big money donors avoiding Trump have forced him to run a 'small scale' presidential campaign
As George put it, Trump's racist smears are not only "repugnant" but "politically stupid."
"There’s at least anecdotal evidence over the last several elections that Asian Americans are becoming more conservative on crime, education and possibly the economy," he wrote before explaining, "In New York state, not only did Asian American voters move significantly rightward during 2022’s gubernatorial election, they also helped Republicans pick up four US House seats. And an Asian American Republican ousted a 36-year incumbent Democrat on the New York City Council."
"Trump’s animus is almost pathological," George suggested. "And Republicans can’t excuse his behavior as just belligerent pettiness stemming from Chao’s resignation after Jan. 6 or the many times Trump was criticized by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Chao’s husband. How else to explain Trump’s odd mocking of Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin’s name: 'Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?' Could the insult have anything to do with Youngkin’s status as a possible 2024 candidate?"
According to the columnist, Trump is providing advertising fodder for Democrats in 2024 who will most certainly use his comments to target Asian American voters.
He added, "There are at least two ways for Republicans to avoid sabotaging their emerging relationship with the fastest-growing minority group in the country. They can denounce Donald Trump when he goes off on one of his racist rants, as he inevitably will. And they can nominate a presidential candidate who doesn’t have racist baggage."
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