2024 Elections

Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday afternoon, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade made fun of Donald Trump's lawyers for suggesting they will run to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to bail them out if Judge Tanya Chutkan rules against their attempt to get special counsel Jack Smith off the case.

Sitting down with fill-in MSNBC host Melissa Murray, McQuade was asked, "In that hearing last week and in Judge Chutkan's courtroom, there was a really stunning moment where Trump's legal counsel noted they would be challenging the appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel and they noted they were directed to do it by Justice Clarence Thomas."

"Of course I think they were referring to Justice Thomas' concurrence in the Trump immunity case which questioned the authority of special counsels. What you make of this idea of a sitting Supreme Court justice essentially acting as a kind of shadow defense counsel here?" Murray asked.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are about to meet in-person for the first time on Tuesday night at ABC's televised debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And several Republicans are exceedingly nervous about how Trump will handle the moment.

Several longtime Republican strategists and consultants told Politico that they think Trump could score high marks in the debate if he refrains from lobbing personal attacks at Harris and sticks to discussing policy. But they also commented that it was unlikely the notoriously bombastic former president would be able to do so when standing across from his opponent.

In a deep dive into the debate preparations currently underway for Tuesday night when Donald Trump will face off with Vice President Kamala Harris, the New York Times is reporting that some of the former president's advisers are worried he may come on too strong and alienate voters who have tuned in.

At issue, the Times is reporting, is the unpredictability of Trump, who reportedly has little respect for his opponent, with the report stating, "Mr. Trump plainly believes that Ms. Harris is unintelligent, advisers and allies say. In private, he uses misogynistic language to describe her and gossips about her past romantic relationships, including with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco."

One member of the House Republican Conference isn't bullish on his party's chances to keep the speaker's gavel in Republican hands. Now, his colleagues are blasting him over his public pessimism about the November election.

The Hill reported Saturday that comments Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) made during the Texas Tribune Festival are "making waves" among House Republicans. Multiple unnamed Republican lawmakers from swing districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020 say they wish Gonzales kept his prediction to himself.

On Saturday morning, MSNBC host Michael Steele reacted angrily to Judge Juan Merchan's decision to postpone Donald Trump's sentencing election because it may appear to be political in nature.

With legal analyst Andrew Weissmann attempting to explain why the Manhattan judge felt it was prudent to delay the sentencing out of fear the Supreme Court may intervene, Steele — a former RNC chair — wasn't having it.

"We have patty-caked this man all the way through this process," he began. "Our courts have exposed their rear end more than I have ever seen them do for anybody and it makes absolutely no sense."

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"So, let it go to the Supreme Court, let them monkey around with it so that we can deal with that at the ballot box!" he exclaimed. "If they want to show their political hand, then force their political hand. Do not give this man more cachet than any other."

"He is a former president, which means he is no different than anyone sitting at this table," he continued. "And the fact that, as the court says, the imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance, 'however unwarranted.' So, the fact that you have to tell me that, alright? Goes on to say that the 'proceeding has been affected by, or seeks to affect the approaching presidential election.' This has nothing to do — you wouldn't do this if a governor was a candidate running for governor was in the exact same position. If a candidate was running for U.S. Senate was in the exact same position."

"There's no difference in those offices, in terms of the judicial system. So, why?" he asked. "Why does this court, this judicial system, which Donald Trump has punked from day one, with all of the — you know, the excess appeals and the bogus crap that he raises, you know, we see it now playing out with E. Jean Carroll case yet again — you want us to trust the system? But as a citizen, I am looking at it and going, 'That is not going to happen to me if I am in that position.""

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Leading U.S. Senate Democrats on Friday accused House Republicans of "wasting precious time catering to the hard MAGA right" as House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a stopgap funding bill tied to a proposal that would require proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections.

The proposal—the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act—has been pushed by Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump and was passed by the House in July, with five Democrats joining the GOP in supporting the bill.

Sitting in with the hosts of MSNBC's "The Weekend," political analyst Basil Smilke suggested Donald Trump's bizarre answers to questions earlier this week —specifically a baffling response to childcare needs in America — is a sign that he is losing the plot.

Speaking with the hosts, Smilke stated that it looks to him like the pressure of running against Vice President Kamala Harris may be affecting Trump's ability to make the case for his third presidential run.