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“I want to tell you what I really think of Donald Trump. This man is a pathological liar… He lies practically every word that comes out of his mouth… The man cannot tell the truth, but he combines it with being a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has ever seen.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), 10 years ago today.
Washington Post: “For a decade, the PGA Tour shunned Trump’s courses, pulling a long-running event from Doral as his first presidential run unnerved sponsors…”
“But in Trump’s second term, some institutions that once publicly opposed him have backed down. Even those that engaged in quieter resistance, such as the PGA Tour, have come to accommodate him. And now golf’s flagship tour, with the accompanying glitz and glamour, is back at his resort.”
“Kamala Harris’ new $8.15 million Malibu home sits on a hill overlooking bougainvillea-dusted streets that sweep down toward the surf — a secluded idyll in a neighborhood of defensive shrubbery and eccentric statuary, where surveillance cameras swivel and the quiet feels carefully curated,” Politico reports.
“It is, in other words, the perfect place to get away for a while. Which is exactly how many of her new neighbors see it, too.”
“Amid all the speculation about whether Harris will again run for president, her move is regarded here — in her new celebrity-laden enclave — not as a launching pad, but as a sign of retreat.”
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Politico: “Their disdain adds to the list of grievances MAHA members have with the Trump administration and could dampen their enthusiasm for Republican candidates in the midterms. The White House is counting on the alliance to help GOP candidates.”
Washington Post: “Pennsylvania’s governor is trying to figure out who will pay to improve safety at his personal residence. Baltimore’s mayor is being questioned over a $160,000 SUV with enhanced security features. And Minnesota legislators are considering a new security unit for elected officials that would cost millions each year.”
“Even before the attempted attack at the White House correspondents’ dinner last weekend, a spate of political violence and a rising number of threats had rattled state and local officials asking what should be done to protect those in public office.”
New York Times: “On the first day of early voting, some glimpses of voter bewilderment came into focus, part of a dizzying scramble playing out days after a major Supreme Court ruling.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Sunday appeared to abandon a plan to appeal an adverse ruling in her attempts to criminally investigate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, CNBC reports.
Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) made the case for her “authenticity” while responding to criticism she’s facing after reports revealed she deleted old social media posts criticizing the rural Midwest and praising California, CNN reports.
Said McMorrow: “I started my career as a car designer, and then I worked in a very different career and wasn’t thinking about it. I tweeted normal things like a normal person, and people are desperate for authenticity, so that is what we need in November.”
“The U.S. Army is searching for two service members who went missing while taking part in a joint military exercise in Morocco,” the New York Times reports.
“A shrinking number of seats will determine control of the US House after both Republicans and Democrats spent much of the past year redrawing congressional maps to erase swing districts,” Bloomberg reports.
“Even before Florida’s legislature approved a new Republican-leaning map last week, just 16 seats were listed as ‘tossups’ by the Cook Political Report, the nonpartisan newsletter that serves as an unofficial electoral scorekeeper. Another 16 districts are listed as leaning toward Democrats or Republicans, with the outcome all but predetermined for more than 400 seats.”
“This could make for the fewest competitive seats since political analyst Charlie Cook first published his race ratings in 1984.”
President Trump took questions from reporters:
REPORTER: In your letter to Congress, you said the hostilities in Iran have concluded. How can you say that given the naval blockade?
TRUMP: Well, it’s a very friendly blockade.
“More than a dozen states are set to hold US House primaries in the next five weeks,” CNN reports.
“Some will set up key general election matchups that could determine control of the US House in November. Others will reveal something about the dynamics that are shaping the two parties and what it means to be electable.”
“President Donald Trump’s political power will be put to a high-profile test in Kentucky, where he’s targeted Rep. Thomas Massie, and a crowded primary in Montana. And Democrats are facing off in crowded primaries in Pennsylvania, Nebraska and California, with opposing visions of the party’s future and who is most likely to flip Republican-held districts.”
New York Times: “The current political math in California goes like this: There are eight candidates running for governor. Only four of them are breaking double digits in polling. And there’s a chance that Democrats could be shut out of the general election entirely in November.”
“To many Democrats in the reliably liberal state, the calculus seems rather grim. Some can’t help but wonder about a never-was-but-what-if variable: Kamala Harris.”
“Maybe, they say, she should have run for governor instead of publicly pondering a third run for president.”
New York Times: “In a polarized America divided on matters of war, immigration enforcement and even the Super Bowl halftime show, Democrats and Republicans are finding common ground on one issue — the growing unease about artificial intelligence.”
“As public concerns mount about the threat that A.I. poses to jobs, energy prices, education, privacy and mental health, politicians from both parties are beginning to scramble, sometimes haltingly, to address the issue.”
Washington Post-ABC News Poll: “Trump’s overall approval now stands at 37 percent, largely the same as the 39 percent figure in February. But his disapproval has reached 62 percent, the highest of his two terms in office.”
“Among Republicans, Trump’s approval has held steady at 85 percent, but his ratings among Republican-leaning independents have reached a new low of 56 percent. His approval rating stands at 25 percent among independents overall.”
ABC News: “The poll finds Trump is also underwater on managing every issue measured, as two-thirds of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction and Democrats’ midterm lead over Republicans has increased slightly to 5 points.”
Wall Street Journal: “The jet-fuel crisis is turning into a disaster for airlines.”
“Across the world airlines have been trying to deal with rising fuel costs that are threatening to add billions of dollars in unexpected expenses this year, and forcing carriers to raise fares and trim routes to stem their mounting costs.”
New York Times: “Two months into the war in Iran, President Trump is confronting the complicated reality of a conflict that has proved costly, deeply unpopular and lacks a clear endgame.”
“Energy markets are in turmoil. The Pentagon has given its first public estimate of the war’s cost: $25 billion so far. Key Republicans in Congress are growing impatient. And Mr. Trump is lashing out at foreign allies, like Germany, who have shown no interest in joining the fight.”
“Speaking to a crowd of supporters on Friday, Mr. Trump insisted he had no regrets… Still, Mr. Trump’s predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences appear to be crumbling around him.”
Taegan 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.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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