Political Wire

Voters Want MAGA Lite From Trump

January 17, 2025 at 6:24 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal Poll: “Some 53% want Trump to make significant changes in how government is run once he is inaugurated Monday. But more than 60% oppose one of his central ideas for doing so—replacing thousands of career civil-service workers with people chosen by the president.”

“More than 60% also oppose eliminating the Education Department, a marquee Trump proposal for paring the federal government. Only 18% would supersede congressional powers and give Trump more authority over federal spending, as he has proposed.”

“Similarly, the poll finds that, while voters want Trump to build his promised wall along the border with Mexico and address illegal immigration, they also want limits to his plans for sweeping deportations of undocumented immigrants.”

Inauguration Shift Causes Chaos

January 17, 2025 at 5:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to shift his inauguration from the West Front of the Capitol to the Rotunda — and much of the event to Capital One Arena downtown — has set off a chaotic scramble as congressional officials, lawmakers, Trump’s transition team and Trump’s donors and supporters jockey to figure out who can attend,” Punchbowl News reports.

“It’s virtually guaranteed that many lawmakers who want to attend will be unable to do so… We’d also guess that Democrats who were on the fence about going will just skip the event entirely.”

Many Big Trump Donors Will Be Watching on TV

January 17, 2025 at 5:07 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The dozens of major donors who are coming to Washington for inauguration weekend include some who paid big money to get seats for the swearing-in on Monday. The Rotunda at the Capitol is much smaller than the National Mall, of course, and so some of them tell me they’re expecting to be shuffled instead over to a watch party at Capital One Arena.”

“A select group of the very biggest donors most likely will make it into the Capitol; others may end up in the arena’s suites. Expect there to be a lot of angling over the next 72 hours as donors try and get their money’s worth.”

Biden’s Approval Second Lowest Since World War II

January 17, 2025 at 5:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Gallup: “Joe Biden averaged 42.2% job approval during his four years as president, the second lowest in Gallup polling history.”

“Biden’s average job approval rating for his term is just one percentage point higher than that of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who holds the record low.”

“Before the past two presidents, Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman had the lowest averages for their presidencies.”

RFK Jr. Sought to Stop Covid Vaccinations

January 17, 2025 at 4:08 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the nation’s health agencies, formally asked the Food and Drug Administration to revoke the authorization of all Covid vaccines during a deadly phase of the pandemic when thousands of Americans were still dying every week,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Kennedy filed a petition with the F.D.A. in May 2021 demanding that officials rescind authorization for the shots and refrain from approving any Covid vaccine in the future.”

CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit

January 17, 2025 at 4:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Paramount Global executives have held internal discussions about settling a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over a CBS News interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, a sign of larger efforts to dial down tensions with the incoming president,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Paramount, owner of CBS, its namesake studio and several cable channels, has a major piece of business in front of the new administration: its planned merger with Skydance Media.”

“It’s become clear to executives at both companies that Trump’s dissatisfaction with CBS News will make the review tougher than they anticipated, and that they’ll likely need to offer concessions to win approval.”

Biden Gives $26 Billion for Clean-Energy Projects

January 17, 2025 at 4:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Biden administration has distributed at least $26 billion of dollars in financing to clean-energy companies in its final days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office,” Bloomberg reports.

U.S. Reveals Once-Secret Support for Ukraine Drones

January 17, 2025 at 4:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“U.S. officials said on Thursday that they had made big investments that helped Ukraine start and expand its production of drones as it battled Russia’s larger and better-equipped army,” the New York Times reports.

“Much of the U.S. assistance to the Ukrainian military, including billions of dollars in missiles, air defense systems, tanks, artillery and training, has been announced to the public. But other support has largely gone on in the shadows. That included helping Ukraine develop a new generation of drones and revolutionize how wars are fought.”

Inside the Early Days of DOGE

January 17, 2025 at 3:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Their work has been shrouded in secrecy, conducted on Signal and at SpaceX offices a few blocks from the White House. Team members have been dispatched to federal agencies to review them for cuts. And Elon Musk, their leader and the world’s richest man, continues to be at President-elect Donald Trump’s side…”

“DOGE is expected to work closely with the Office of Management and Budget, making recommendations to Congress and the Trump administration on ways to bring down spending and cut regulations. DOGE officials have focused on ways that their goals can be accomplished through executive action as opposed to legislatively.”

Ramaswamy to Run for Ohio Governor

January 17, 2025 at 2:57 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vivek Ramaswamy will announce a bid for Ohio governor “shortly,” USA Today reports.

“With Donald Trump’s expected support, Ramaswamy could have an edge in a GOP primary.”

Lawmakers Backpedal on Eve of TikTok Ban

January 17, 2025 at 2:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In the middle of a fiercely fought presidential campaign last year, Democratic and Republican lawmakers banded together to pass a bill that could lead to the ban of the popular social media app TikTok in the United States. President Joe Biden signed it into law with little objection,” NBC News reports.

“Now, on the eve of a TikTok ban set for Sunday, neither party wants to take credit for that bipartisan legislative win.”

CNN Found Guilty of Libel

January 17, 2025 at 2:25 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A Florida jury on Friday found CNN guilty of libeling a U.S. Navy veteran in a 2021 story about people paid to rescue endangered Afghans following the Taliban takeover of that country,” the AP reports.

How Biden’s Inner Circle Protected a Faltering President

January 17, 2025 at 2:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The people closest to President Biden were well aware that he had changed. He talked more slowly than he had just a few years before, needed to hoist himself out of his seat in the presidential limousine and walked with a halting gait,” the New York Times reports.

Said Biden strategist Mike Donilon in 2022: “Your biggest issue is the perception of age.”

“They rearranged meetings to make sure Mr. Biden was in a better mood — a strategy one person close to him described as how aides should handle any president. At times, they delayed sharing information with him, including negative polling data, as they debated the best way to frame it. They surrounded him with aides when he walked from the White House to the waiting presidential helicopter on the South Lawn so that news cameras could not capture his awkward bearing.”

“They had Mr. Biden use a teleprompter for even small fund-raisers in private homes, alarming donors, who were asked to provide questions beforehand. They came up with replacing the grand steps that presidents use to board Air Force One with a shorter set that led directly into the belly of the plane. They chastised White House correspondents for coverage of the president’s age.”

Trump Team Rebuffs Talks on Mass Deportations

January 17, 2025 at 1:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump has promised to pursue the largest deportation operation in American history as soon as he takes office,” the New York Times reports.

“But the Mexican government and other regional allies have been unable to meet with the incoming Trump administration, according to officials in Latin America, leaving them in the dark about the president-elect’s plans to deport millions of illegal immigrants.”

“The incoming administration rebuffed requests by Mexico for a formal meeting, insisting that detailed discussions will only begin after Mr. Trump is sworn in next Monday… The Guatemalan and Honduran governments received similar messages.”

The Bulwark: Seven experts on what keeps them up at night ahead of mass deportations.

Gay Couples Race to the Altar Before Trump Is Sworn In

January 17, 2025 at 1:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “It’s not so much that they’re worrying about something in particular happening; it’s the unknown that’s freaking them out.”

Historians Predict How Joe Biden Will Be Remembered

January 17, 2025 at 1:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Overshadowing it all, at least for now, is his ejection from the 2024 campaign amid concerns of declining mental acuity — and then the election of Donald Trump, whom Biden had once defeated and dubbed a threat to American democracy.”

“Historians may reevaluate his legacy in the years to come, after achievements and failures alike are put in more context, not to mention what occurs in Trump’s second term. Will Biden ultimately be viewed as a uniquely poor one-term president, or will history be kinder to him with time?”

Trump Says He Spoke with China’s President

January 17, 2025 at 1:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President-elect Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, NBC News reports.

Said Trump: “I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”

Pam Bondi Owns $3.9 Million in Truth Social

January 17, 2025 at 12:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President-Elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, disclosed owning more than $3.9 million in stock in Trump’s “Truth Social” platform in December, Business Insider reports.

Her total net worth in December was more than $12.1 million.