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Democrats Seethe Over Trump Impeachment Move

May 14, 2025 at 7:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “Two top Democratic leaders rebuked Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) over his decision to seek a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump during a pivotal legislative week.”

“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Minority Whip Katherine Clark spoke with Thanedar on Tuesday.”

“Thanedar angered Democrats across the caucus because of the timing of his move — in the midst of the reconciliation markups full of hot-button issues like Medicaid and tax. Plus there’s the fact that such a vote could be politically toxic for battleground Democrats who need to court Trump voters.”

Quote of the Day

May 14, 2025 at 7:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“He’s taking a $400 million jet for lifetime use from a foreign government. He’s selling places at a White House dinner for people that buy his memecoin, which goes right into his pocket. And that’s what the tragedy is. That’s what the Democrats need to do, they need to jump on this corruption and never get off of it.”

— James Carville, quoted by the Daily Beast.

Cuomo Holds Commanding Lead in Mayoral Race

May 14, 2025 at 7:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Marist College poll in New York City showed Andrew Cuomo defeating second-place opponent Zohran Mamdani by 24 points in the fifth round of ranked-choice voting, when the ex-governor clears the 50% threshold to win.


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Inside Marco Rubio’s Meteoric — and Precarious — Rise

May 14, 2025 at 7:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Just a few months ago, Beltway Republicans grimly speculated how long Rubio would last in the tempestuous cauldron that is President Donald Trump’s inner circle.”

“Now, the former senator from Florida has become the most powerful U.S. Cabinet member by title since Henry Kissinger — accumulating four positions, including secretary of state, acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and acting archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration…”

“Rubio’s meteoric rise in Trump’s orbit has coincided with his enabling of policies that Democratic and some Republican colleagues say are unrecognizable from those he espoused as a senator and presidential candidate.”

Why Trump Backed Down on China Tariffs

May 14, 2025 at 7:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “By the end of the month, a growing number of blue-collar workers whom Trump saw as part of his political base — including longshoremen and truckers — began warning that tariffs and a near-total cessation of trade with China were hurting them.”

“Behind the scenes, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other aides told Trump that his own voters were in danger if the tariffs did not come down…”

“That gave them a path to initiating negotiations with the Chinese, which culminated this past weekend in Geneva with a partial deal to reduce tariffs between the world’s two biggest economies.“

Mike Johnson Contends With Republican Mistrust

May 14, 2025 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “The relationship between Johnson and rank-and-file lawmakers will be crucial as Republicans look to pass extensions to expiring tax cuts as well as new breaks such as “no taxes on tips” while also pushing through cuts to Medicaid and food aid. Johnson has a razor-thin 220-213 majority in the chamber, and he will have to pass the party-line measure with no help from Democrats. He also will need to persuade House colleagues to get on board even as Senate Republicans could make major changes to the bill.”

“The tensions, which started in the restive conservative wing of the party last year, have now spread more broadly, according to more than 20 House Republicans who recounted episodes or experiences that have led them to be skeptical of what Johnson says. The complaints center on issues related to the current budget negotiations and past votes related to the bill, as well as other incidents involving the speaker and lawmakers.”

Trump Meets With Militant Who Now Leads Syria

May 14, 2025 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump met on Wednesday with the new president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shara, a day after announcing that the United States would lift sanctions on the country in a major shift in U.S. policy,” the New York Times reports.

“It was the first time in 25 years that the leaders of the two countries had met, and another sign that decades of diplomatic isolation for Syria were ending.”

“The encounter represented a stunning turnaround for Mr. al-Shara, who once led a branch of Al Qaeda before he broke ties with the jihadist group and sought to moderate his image.”

What Do Voters Expect in 2026?

May 14, 2025 at 7:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Asking citizens themselves to predict what will happen in elections is an emerging tool in forecasting elections.”

“Despite a usual trend of midterm seat loss for the presidential party, a survey of U.S. adults from April suggested the public was likelier to believe Republicans would win majorities in both chambers next year.”

“This comes despite more respondents believing that President Trump’s approval rating will decline and the economy will worsen in the future.”

China Readies for a Rocky Time With U.S.

May 14, 2025 at 7:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Even as the United States and China take steps to rein in their trade war, Beijing is preparing for broader rivalry with Washington to continue. For China, that means its search for economic and diplomatic opportunities across Asia is unlikely to soften its tough line on its regional territorial claims and military competition,” the New York Times reports.

“Both sides have agreed to temporarily cut the startlingly high tariffs they had imposed on each other’s goods. But the tariff truce will not allay other grievances that Beijing has with Washington, such as over a Pentagon vow to shift military forces to Asia and the Pacific, and the continuing efforts to limit China’s access to advanced technology.”

Democrats Seize on Qatar Plane Deal to Galvanize Voters

May 14, 2025 at 7:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Time: “For months, Democrats have been searching for a clear, galvanizing issue following their defeat in the 2024 election. More so than Trump’s deportations or sweeping government cuts, many now believe this could be it…”

“Democrats are betting that voters, fatigued by Trump’s provocations but unsure what line he cannot cross, will see the jet deal as a glaring example of personal enrichment and compromised national interests. Last month, the Trump Organization finalized a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar featuring Trump-branded villas and a course constructed by a Saudi firm—the first such foreign venture since Trump returned to office.”

Bloomberg: Trump’s freebie jet is the stuff of nightmares in spy world.

Wall Street Journal: Republicans raise concerns over Trump’s plane gift as he heads to Qatar.

Aaron Blake: Before Qatar plane controversy, Trump derided foreign gifts — and Qatar.

The World Woos U.S. Researchers Shunned by Trump

May 14, 2025 at 6:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “As President Trump cuts billions of federal dollars from science institutes and universities, restricts what can be studied and pushes out immigrants, rival nations are hoping to pick up talent that has been cast aside or become disenchanted.”

“For decades, trying to compete with American institutions and companies has been difficult. The United States was a magnet for top researchers, scientists and academics. In general, budgets were bigger, pay was bigger, labs and equipment were bigger. So were ambitions.”

Republicans Confront a Senate Primary From Hell

May 14, 2025 at 6:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s challenge of Sen. John Cornyn is turning into a “cash-burning demolition derby” that “threatens to fracture the party, force the White House to intervene and perhaps even put an otherwise safe seat at risk in November,” Politico reports.

Ron Johnson Threatens to Tank the GOP Megabill

May 14, 2025 at 6:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Ron Johnson is no stranger to being a squeaky wheel inside the Senate GOP. Now he’s asking for trillions of dollars worth of grease,” Politico reports.

“The frequently cantankerous Wisconsin senator is pushing his fellow Republicans to deliver huge spending cuts as part of their party-line domestic policy bill — and vowing to block President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority if his demands, which are shared by a small cadre of fiscal hawks, aren’t met.”

What Is President Trump Thinking?

May 14, 2025 at 6:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The New York Post editorial page:

“He’s bragging of winning a $400 million ‘gift’ — a ‘palace in the sky’ Boeing 747-8 jet — from Qatar that, in effect, he’ll eventually own personally.”

“Sorry, this ‘gift’ is far from free; Qatar will surely expect something in return.”

“And the optics are beyond awful, especially as Congress mulls hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts.”

The Elon Effect

May 14, 2025 at 6:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “Sixty-one percent of Democrats now have a negative view of Tesla, a survey by the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report found, while only 17 percent view Tesla in a positive light. By contrast, just over half of Republicans (51 percent) have a positive view of Tesla, compared with 17 percent who view the company negatively. There’s little doubt about what — or rather, who — is driving this extraordinary split.”

“To be clear: Views of car manufacturers do not normally split so completely down partisan lines. In the same survey, only 4 percent of Democrats and 7 percent of Republicans had a negative view of Honda. Because — who really hates Honda, right? It’s just … Honda. But Tesla is not like that. Not any more.”

The Art of the Cave

May 13, 2025 at 11:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has long reveled in his reputation as a maximalist, issuing a huge demand, creating a crisis and setting off a high-pressure negotiation,” the New York Times reports.

“But increasingly often, he ends up backing down and simply declaring a win. His opponents appear to be catching on, sharpening their tactics based on Mr. Trump’s patterns and his unapologetically transactional attitude toward diplomacy.”

“The dynamic has played out repeatedly in recent weeks as Mr. Trump backed off, to varying degrees, on his plans to transform Gaza into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East,’ turn Canada into the 51st state and beat China into submission with tariffs.”

Tiny Company Made Big Purchase of Trump Crypto

May 13, 2025 at 11:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A struggling technology company that has ties to China and relies on TikTok made an unusual announcement this week. It had secured funding to buy as much as $300 million of $TRUMP, the so-called memecoin marketed by President Trump,” the New York Times reports.

“The purchase would create clear ethical conflicts, enriching Mr. Trump’s family at the same time that the president tries to reach a deal that would allow TikTok to keep operating in the United States rather than face a congressionally approved ban.”

Democrats Just Flipped Nebraska’s Biggest City

May 13, 2025 at 11:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Ewing (D) unseated Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert (R) in Tuesday’s officially nonpartisan election, a victory that ends the GOP’s 12-year hold on Nebraska’s largest city, the Downballot reports.

Stothert conceded the race after 9 p.m. local time with Ewing ahead 54% to 46%, though more votes remained to be counted.

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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.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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