Political Wire

Geraldo Rivera Admits He Was Wrong About Trump

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Geraldo Rivera told the New York Times that President Trump’s recent comments telling four minority congresswomen to “go back” to the countries they came from have shown him that critics of Trump “were much more right than I.”

Said Rivera: “My friendship with the president has cost me friendships, it has cost me schisms in the family, my wife and I are constantly at odds about the president.”

He added that “as much as I have denied it and averted my eyes from it, this latest incident made it impossible to defend him.”

White House Backs Off on Budget Cuts

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“White House and congressional negotiators rushing to hammer out the final details of a sweeping budget and debt deal are unlikely to include many — if any — actual spending cuts, even as the debt limit is lifted for two years” the Washington Post reports.

“The agreement appeared likely to mark a retreat for White House officials who had demanded major spending cuts in exchange for a new budget deal. But the process remained in limbo while negotiators awaited final approval late Sunday from President Trump.”

“The pending deal would seek to extend the debt ceiling and set new spending levels for two years, ratcheting back the budget brinkmanship that led to a record-long government shutdown earlier this year.”

Why Trump Keeps John Bolton

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Jonathan Swan: “Trump has a strongly held theory of Bolton’s value, according to senior administration officials and advisers to the president, including people who have privately recommended to Trump that he fire Bolton. Seven sources who have discussed Bolton with Trump told me the president says having Bolton on his team improves his bargaining position and gives him a psychological advantage over foes like Iran and North Korea.”

Said one source: “Trump thinks that Bolton is a key part of his negotiating strategy. He thinks that Bolton’s bellicosity and eagerness to kill people is a bargaining chip when he’s sitting down with foreign leaders. Bolton can be the bad cop and Trump can be the good cop. Trump believes this to his core.”

Hickenlooper Is Senate Favorite for Colorado Democrats

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Although former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) has said repeatedly that he has no intention of abandoning his struggling White House bid to challenge Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), a new Public Policy Polling survey finds Hickenlooper would crush any challengers in a Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

He’s leading the closest challenger, Andrew Romanoff, by 44% to 12%. No other possible candidate gets more than 4% support.

Puerto Rico Governor Will Not Run for Re-Election

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“The embattled governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rosselló has announced that he will not seek reelection in November 2020 but will not resign,” ABC News reports.

Axios: “Protestors took to the streets last week to demand Rosselló resign over leaked Telegram messages between the governor and his top aides that were reported to include misogynistic, profane and homophobic comments. Some of the messages were reported to have mocked victims of Hurricane Maria, a disaster over which Rosselló’s administration has been criticized for mishandling.”

Trump Escalates Attacks on Lawmakers

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President Trump is doubling down in his fight with the “The Squad” on Twitter.

Said Trump: “I don’t believe the four Congresswomen are capable of loving our Country. They should apologize to America (and Israel) for the horrible (hateful) things they have said. They are destroying the Democrat Party, but are weak & insecure people who can never destroy our great Nation!”

Playbook: “Its hard to believe this is what Republican lawmakers who have urged Trump to tone down his rhetoric want.”

Cummings Says There’s ‘No Doubt’ Trump Is a Racist

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House Oversight Committee Chair Elijah Cummings (D-MD) told ABC News there was “no doubt” President Trump was a racist amid fallout over Trump’s tweets attacking four congresswomen of color.

Said Cummings: “No doubt about it.”

He added: “I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but when I think about what he said to these young ladies who are merely trying to bring excellence to government… when I hear those things it takes me back.”

Nadler Says Trump Broke the Law

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House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) told Fox News that Donald Trump has “violated the law 6 ways from Sunday” and that he would be indicted if he were not president.

Said Nadler: “The president and the attorney general and others have spent the last few months systematically lying to the American people about what the investigation found. They’ve said that it found no collusion, that it found no obstruction, that it exonerated the president. All three of those statements are absolute lies.”

Four Democrats Move Into Top Tier

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A new CBS News poll across the early primary and caucus states finds Joe Biden leading the Democratic field with 25%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 20%, Kamala Harris at 16% and Bernie Sanders at 15%.

“If we consider a 15% threshold as the minimum support needed to win convention delegates, then across the early states, four candidates would meet that benchmark: Biden, Warren, Harris and Sanders.”

However, the contest “is tighter now among estimated delegates across early states, the true measure of the contest — delegates to the convention. By this measure, Warren is much closer to Biden due to stronger showings especially in very liberal areas.”

Trump Slams Report as ‘Presidential Harassment’

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President Trump lashed out at the Washington Post over its reporting on his attacks against a group of minority congresswomen.

Said Trump: “The Washington Post Story, about my speech in North Carolina and tweet, with its phony sources who do not exist, is Fake News. The only thing people were talking about is the record setting crowd and the tremendous enthusiasm, far greater than the Democrats. You’ll see in 2020!”

He added in a separate tweet: “Presidential Harassment!”

Boris Johnson on Verge of Becoming UK Prime Minister

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“Barring a surprise of historic proportions, Boris Johnson will be announced on Tuesday morning as leader of the U.K.’s Conservative Party, and the country’s next prime minister,” Axios reports.

“Polls suggest roughly three-quarters of the 160,000 Conservative Party members who’ll pick the next prime minister prefer him to Jeremy Hunt, the current foreign secretary and Johnson’s lone remaining rival.”

Bringing Back ‘Betomania’

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“Beto O’Rourke has gone from phenom to front-runner to flailing in five months, and so he came home to this dusty border town last week to regroup, prepare for the next debate, and try to recast himself as the underdog in a Democratic presidential race in which many have already counted him out,” NBC News reports.

“O’Rourke says that he doesn’t plan to change his freewheeling style much, but that a top priority now is to raise the money to keep building his campaign organization so it will be ready to rebound.”

Said O’Rourke: “If you remember in Texas, it didn’t happen overnight. It was a really long process that was against the odds, very often counted down and out.”

Cruz Sees 50-50 Chance of Trump’s Re-Election

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told PBS’s Firing Line that he thinks President Trump could “absolutely” be defeated in the 2020 election and predicted there could be “staggering” Democratic voter turnout.

Said Cruz: “I personally handicap the 2020 election as a coin flip. I think it’s about 50-50.”

He added: “I think we are going to see staggering Democratic turnout in 2020. Anger is a powerful motivator. The far left is pissed. They are enraged by Donald Trump, and it means they’re going to show up, and the big open question is, does everybody else show up?”

Trump’s Long History of Using Race for Gain

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New York Times: “Over decades in business, entertainment and now politics, Mr. Trump has approached America’s racial, ethnic and religious divisions opportunistically, not as the nation’s wounds to be healed but as openings to achieve his goals, whether they be ratings, fame, money or power, without regard for adverse consequences.”

Warren Outpaces Biden to Build Iowa Ground Game

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Bloomberg: “An elected Democratic official in the state, speaking on condition of anonymity, complained that if Biden has a campaign in Iowa, he doesn’t know who’s working on it or how many.”

“In contrast, Elizabeth Warren, who jumped into the race four months before the former vice president, has built one of the most robust operations in the state, positioning her to capitalize on her surging national poll numbers and her steady rise in Iowa, Democratic operatives say.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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