Economic Anxiety Is a Sign of Trump’s Vulnerability
A new Survey Monkey/New York Times poll finds Americans’ confidence in the economy is fragile, with a majority of voters expressing concern — a potential vulnerability for President Trump if the current economic slowdown worsens before next year’s election.
“Nearly three in five respondents to the survey said they were worried about the economy, regardless of whether they were personally struggling or doing well financially. That group cuts across party lines and encompasses a large group of voters who could collectively sink Mr. Trump’s re-election chances, including three in 10 Republicans and seven in 10 independents.”
Another Week of Trump Chaos
Dan Balz: “Tuesday turned out to be a busy day for President Trump. He poked another U.S. ally in the eye, questioned the loyalty of American Jews, backpedaled on gun legislation and undercut the denials of his advisers on the economy. It was just another normal day in the Trump administration.”
“Take Tuesday’s quartet case collectively, and it portrays an administration and White House in chaos, lacking in systematic policymaking. It portrays a president who changes his mind whenever it suits him, whose statements shift with the moment, and who uses words carelessly and sometimes destructively. It forms a pattern of dissembling, of deliberate or unknowing falsehoods as well as efforts to divide already divided Americans from one another.”
Biden’s Poll Numbers Mask an Enthusiasm Gap
“Joe Biden is coasting in the national polls. Surveys show him ahead of his Democratic rivals in hypothetical matchups against President Trump. He has maintained a lead in Iowa all summer, despite facing months of controversies over his record and his campaign missteps,” the New York Times reports.
“But less than two weeks before Labor Day, when presidential campaigns traditionally kick into high gear, there are signs of a disconnect between his relatively rosy poll numbers and excitement for his campaign on the ground here, in the state that begins the presidential nominating process.”
Inslee Will Run for Governor Again
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), who ended his presidential campaign last night, plans to run for a third term as governor, the Seattle Times reports.
The Next Stop on Trump’s End-of-Diplomacy Tour
Edward Luce: “The one good thing about Donald Trump’s failed bid to buy Greenland is that it softens up America’s allies for what is to come. This weekend Mr Trump will join his G7 counterparts in Biarritz for what promises to be one of the most bizarre meetings in its history. Summits are supposed to make global problems easier to manage. The G7 — and others of its kind, notably the G20 — are reaching a point where they result in the opposite: a world less manageable than if the leaders had never met. Mr Trump’s lunge for Greenland was the amuse-bouche before the meal…”
“Mr Trump badly needs a foreign policy win. The obvious one would be China. Most of Europe shares Mr Trump’s fear of an emerging behemoth that does not play by the rules. Unfortunately for US allies, Mr Trump’s remedy is to go it alone. Europe wants to handle China with a rules-based approach. The mere utterance of such words causes Mr Trump to lose his cool. If he can make it through a French weekend without accelerating the demise of the west — offering to buy a chunk of Europe, for example — that would be a victory of sorts. But the chances of that happening are slim.”
GOP Senator Says Buying Greenland Was His Idea
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) told Talk Business & Politics that he suggested purchasing Greenland to President Trump several months ago.
Said Cotton: “I can reveal to you that several months ago, I met with the Danish ambassador and I proposed that they sell Greenland to us.”
‘Chopper Talk’ Lets Trump Deal with Press on His Terms
Politico: “As reporters shouted dozens of questions above the din of the helicopter’s churning blades, Trump picked the ones he wanted — on Greenland, Russia, the Fed and background checks for gun sales — and brushed past those he didn’t.”
“Wednesday’s careening, impromptu 35-minute news conference may have looked bizarre to veteran observers of the White House, not to mention maddening to television pros accustomed to high-quality audio and video production values. But there’s a method to the seeming madness.”
“The ‘Chopper Talk’ sessions, as comedian Stephen Colbert has dubbed them, serve multiple goals for Trump, reporters and White House insiders say. They allow him to speak more often in front of the cameras than his predecessors, yet firmly on his own terms. He scans the pack of reporters, seizing on questions he wants, while ignoring others. He makes headline-ready pronouncements and airs grievances for anywhere from a few minutes to a half-hour — and then walks away when he’s had enough.”
Trump Frustrated by His Unpopularity With Jews
“President Trump decided long ago that it would be smart politics for him to yoke his administration to Israel and to try to brand the Democratic Party as anti-Semitic,” the Washington Post reports.
“He set about executing a pro-Israel checklist: Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the Golan Heights as part of sovereign Israel and taking a hard line against Iran. And he promoted himself as the greatest president ever — a deity even — for Jewish people.”
“Yet Trump has become flummoxed that Jewish Americans are not in turn lining up to support his reelection… and he has lashed out in predictable fashion.”
Biden Plays the Electability Card
“Joe Biden, his wife and his entire campaign apparatus have put an electability argument front and center this week in an attempt to dispel any lingering concerns among Democrats about his ideology, his age or his verbal mistakes,” the Washington Post reports.
“As the Democratic primary campaign trundles on, Biden is winning polite applause from audiences that respect him but clearly are not as fired up by his presence as are crowds for other candidates. He has made verbal miscues nearly daily as his more disciplined opponents hew closely to their chosen messages.”
“And yet his standing atop the polls as the candidate seen as most able to defeat Trump — including in key states needed to secure the presidency — has been an enduring aspect of an otherwise volatile primary contest.”
Hickenlooper Will Run for Senate
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) announced that he will run for Senate, the Denver Post reports.
Said Hickenlooper: “I’ve always said Washington was a lousy place for a guy like me who wants to get things done — but this is no time to walk away from the table. I’m not done fighting for the people of Colorado.
A new Emerson poll shows Hickenlooper beating Sen. Cory Garner (R), 53% to 40%.
Boris Johnson’s Girlfriend Blocked from Visiting U.S.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s girlfriend Carrie Symonds had her request for a U.S. visa initially blocked over a visit to a country on the U.S. travel ban list, according to Sky News.
Giuliani Again Pushes Ukraine to Probe Trump Rivals
New York Times: “Months after backing out of a trip to Ukraine amid criticism that he was mixing partisan politics with foreign policy, Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, has renewed his push for the Ukrainian government to pursue investigations into political opponents of Mr. Trump.”
“Over the last few weeks, Mr. Giuliani has spoken on the phone and held an in-person meeting, in Madrid, with a top representative of the new Ukrainian president, encouraging his government to ramp up investigations into two matters of intense interest to Mr. Trump.”
Officials See Few Options If Slowdown Hits
Wall Street Journal: “With short-term interest rates already low, the Federal Reserve has little room to cut borrowing costs to spur spending and investment as it usually does in a slowdown. Meantime, the federal debt is exploding, which could hamstring any efforts to boost growth with tax cuts or spending increases.
“Further complicating matters, Democrats and Republicans strongly disagree about how best to rev up the economy, with Democrats favoring higher spending and the GOP wanting lower taxes. Even within their own ranks there are disagreements about what course to take.”
Allies Worry About Trump’s Behavior
New York Times: “Some former Trump administration officials in recent days said they were increasingly worried about the president’s behavior, suggesting it stems from increasing pressure on Mr. Trump as the economy seems more worrisome and next year’s election approaches.”
Trump Sets Out to Flip Minnesota
For President Trump, Minnesota “is the one that got away in 2016. Now he’s fixated on flipping the state in 2020,” Politico reports.
“After losing Minnesota by just 1.5 points, the president has told aides repeatedly in recent weeks that he’s determined to win the Democratic stronghold, which hasn’t gone for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.”
“Trump’s push reflects his broader reelection blueprint, which is focused on a cluster of Midwestern and Rust Belt states that were decided by razor-thin margins in 2016 and are likely to determine the outcome of the election. Hoping to offset what they concede will be deep deficits in metropolitan centers and suburbs, the president’s advisers are formulating a strategy geared toward amping up conservative turnout in rural areas.”
Related: Identifying the 2020 battleground states.
Joe Walsh to Challenge Trump In Primary
“Joe Walsh, a conservative radio show host and former Republican congressman from Illinois, is expected to announce he is running for president as early as this weekend, presenting President Trump with a challenger from the right his critics hope will weaken the president in the 2020 election,” the New York Times reports.
Inslee Quits Presidential Race
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) told MSNBC that he is dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race.
