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2024 Elections

Trump indictments aren't helping him win key swing voters: former Obama advisor

Former President Donald Trump has been completely undeterred by his criminal indictments in New York and Florida, and the possibility of another round of charges in the January 6 investigation. If anything, his poll numbers among Republican primary voters have actually gone up since then, with him leading the runner-up of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 30 points.

But this strength might be an illusion, said former President Obama strategist David Plouffe on MSNBC Tuesday — Trump is likely in trouble with the specific categories of voters who will decide the election. And that could be part of why he is leaning on House Republicans to open impeachment hearings against President Joe Biden.

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'They’re terrified' of Trump: Presidential historian accuses GOP primary rivals of cowardice

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss on Tuesday slammed Republican presidential candidates who despite some notable exceptions have largely avoided criticizing Donald Trump over the former president’s role in undermining American democracy.

Beschloss accused the GOP candidates “cowardice” during an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Reid Out with Joy Reid.”

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Ex-GOP chair: 'Trump learned a valuable lesson' he would use in new term

Former President Donald Trump failed in many of his more outlandish schemes in office, one of the most prominent being attempting to steal the 2020 presidential election — and a key reason for that is that many of the career officials who would have needed to rip up procedure and law refused to do so.

That is unlikely to be true if he is re-elected, warned former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele on MSNBC. He and his associates have a sweeping plan to rip out the guardrails checking the power of the executive branch, allowing Trump to ensure only committed loyalists are in control.

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DeSantis’ campaign lays off 38 staffers, more than one-third of total employees

MIAMI — Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign has laid off more than one-third of its staff, the campaign confirmed to the Miami Herald, part of an additional cost-cutting measure from the governor amid a disappointing start to the GOP primary. DeSantis officials argued the layoffs are a sign that, two months after launching, the campaign is taking the necessary steps to ultimately win the presidential primary. But the news nonetheless adds to the growing doubts among many Republicans — including some of DeSantis’ own donors — in the governor’s ability to build and sustain a campaign capable of ...

Trump would ignore negative court orders if elected again: ex-Trump admin official

A former Trump administration official said Tuesday that the former president would ignore court orders he disagrees with if he's elected to a second term.

Miles Taylor was responding to a question from guest host Katie Phang during an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber,” who referenced a comment Stephen Miller, a former senior advisor to Trump, made in a meeting in which he said “country without judges would help.”

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Republicans take New York House map case to state’s top court

NEW YORK — A law firm representing Republicans filed an appeal notice Tuesday taking the battle over New York’s congressional map to the state’s highest court, after a lower court ordered the map redrawn. The brief filing opens the latest front in a long-running legal chess match between the state’s Republicans, who want to preserve the current districts, and Democrats, who blamed midterm losses on the map and want to have it thrown out. Republicans prevailed last year in pushing the state’s top court to block a map that was drawn by the Democratic-ruled state Legislature to favor Democratic c...

Erie, Pa., officials stiffed in 2018 want Trump to pay in advance of Saturday rally

After former President Donald Trump’s campaign allegedly skipped out on the bill following a 2018 rally, officials in Erie, Pa., want the Republican 2024 front-runner to pay up before his rally on Saturday night. City officials said the former president’s Make America Great Again rally ran up a $35,129 tab while passing through town for an Oct. 10, 2018 rally at Erie Insurance Arena. That bill for overtime pay for city workers including law enforcement officers was footed by taxpayer money. Trump plans to return to the scene of the proverbial crime at 6 p.m. Saturday following an afternoon of ...

FEC is asked to investigate $500,000 donation to PAC backing Francis Suarez from Chinese straw donor

MIAMI — A complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission Tuesday accused an online artificial flower vendor of illegally funneling half a million dollars from an unidentified source into a Super PAC backing Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president. In its complaint calling for an FEC investigation, the Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan watchdog organization, alleged that PassionForest LLC — a small online vendor founded in 2021 — appeared to be a straw donor, illegally masking the identity of whoever was behind a $500,000 contribution to SOS...

Kellyanne Conway mocks DeSantis' reboot: 'Usually not 6 weeks after campaign launch'

Donald Trump's top competitor for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is being called out for a premature campaign reboot by Trump ally Kellyanne Conway.

Ron DeSantis reportedly cut a third of his staff Tuesday, causing some to suggest his campaign is ill-prepared for the harsh primary season. One of those critical voices belongs to Conway, a former counselor to Trump.

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'Embrace being the underdog': Ron DeSantis campaign outlines its 'reset' plan

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis' campaign has reportedly revealed how it will "reset" after failing to gain traction.

Journalist Ben Jacob first published "messaging guidance" bearing the DeSantis campaign logo that he was told was sent to key supporters after reports said DeSantis was cutting one-third of his staff.

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'Most alarming political ad': Pro-Trump activists release disturbing campaign message

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz on Tuesday shared a disturbing digital campaign spot to Twitter's rebranded X that alleges a vast conspiracy orchestrated by "the deep state" to hoodwink the American people. The one-hundred-ten-second video — which concludes by crediting the "Dilley Meme Team" and former President Donald Trump's "online war machine" — contains sinister male-voiced narration declaring that most significant events and major domestic issues in recent memory were lies.

"This is the most alarming political ad I've seen this year," wrote Luntz, who urged users to post their reactions.

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Ex-Bush strategist gives Mitt Romney pointers on how to stop Trump — if he really wants to

Matthew Dowd, who previously worked for George W. Bush's campaigns, wants Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) to put up or shut up.

Romney wrote an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal Monday in which he complained that large donors should agree to put their support behind the candidate most likely to beat Donald Trump in a primary race. But if Romney really wanted to do something to change the Republican Party and stop it from devolving into Trumpism, he could take real actions personally, Dowd said.

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How Ron DeSantis destroyed his 'electability' argument in just a few months: columnist

Washington Post columnist Aaron Blake walked through the staggering crash of Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R-FL) campaign over the last few months.

The argument for DeSantis once involved his keen ability to get elected against President Joe Biden. Republicans were excited, Blake explained.

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