'No notes!' Jen Psaki laughs as Trump blows his $400 million war chest

MS NOW's Jen Psaki kicked off Wednesday evening's edition of "The Briefing" with a look at how President Donald Trump's allies are spending his $400 million war chest during a time of crisis for Republicans in Congress.

"Let's be honest here. I mean, Donald Trump's options of what he can do to actually help Republicans in these midterm elections is kind of limited," said Psaki, noting that polls across the board show Trump and his policies are in the toilet. "But Trump does have one thing that could really, really help Republicans this cycle. Lots and lots of money."

Specifically, she said, MAGA Inc., the principal super PAC backing Trump, has around $400 million in funding, "and Republicans have practically been begging Donald Trump on Fox News and other shows on television to spend that money on their races to help them get reelected."

They're finally starting to do so, said Psaki — but their first ad doesn't boost any vulnerable Republican incumbents. Instead, it just talks on and on about how great Trump himself is.

"He is the toughest, most resilient person that I've ever met. And nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves," said a clip from the ad, quoting Dana White of UFC. Another said, "There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome, no frontier too vast for us to conquer, and our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous, and free."

"Mr. President, no notes ... you keep doing you!" said Psaki. "I particularly love the way it makes you and your record the focus of this election, especially given your stunning 33 percent approval rating. And what a bold and really innovative choice to not even mention Congress or the midterms or the work you've done with members of Congress up for re-election at all."

Republicans, said Psaki, are bound to be "absolutely tickled pink that this is how you're spending the money from your massive war chest." Moreover, it's clear "the brilliant idea for this Trump-focused ad campaign came directly from Trump himself, because The Atlantic reported last week that the president personally ordered a series of television advertisements about his own record that will serve as a backdrop to the hundreds of individual House and Senate contests."

All of this, she added, comes as the GOP is preparing to hold a massive Trump-focused midterm convention in Dallas next week — yet another massive gamble on Trump's funding.

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