“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was given access to military aircraft for his travels across the country, including as part of Republicans’ push ahead of the midterm elections,” the Washington Post reports.
Trump’s Midterm Convention Speech Bombs in Ratings
Mediaite: “According to data from Nielsen, an audience of 2.50 million viewers tuned in to Fox News from 9-11 p.m. ET Wednesday night, when the president’s address aired…”
“They might have run up the score even further had they just stuck with regular programming. In August, Fox’s Gutfeld pulled in an audience of 2.51 million total viewers.
New York Times: Fox News didn’t see a ratings bump during Trump’s Republican convention speech.
DeSantis Rebukes Trump’s $5,000 Checks
“Gov. Ron DeSantis denounced President Donald Trump’s proposal to deliver $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans hold their ground in the midterm elections, fearing the infusion of cash will only stir more inflation,” Politico reports.
Said DeSantis: “If you are getting surplus revenue, you should cut people’s tax and return it to the people. What I don’t think you want to do is borrow another $1.5 trillion, and then just try to flood that into the economy, because that will lead to more inflation. That will lead to more debt and more inflation.”
How the GOP Is Privately Talking About Their Senate Map
“Top Republicans are scrambling to shore up their Senate map in Alaska, Texas and other red states — and are privately acknowledging they could very well lose in Georgia and North Carolina,” Politico reports.
“As GOP lawmakers, candidates and party officials gather for their midterm convention in Dallas, their conversations reveal how the party is thinking about their chances in the battle for the upper chamber, less than two months from Election Day.”
Some Republicans Balk at Trump’s $5,000 ‘Dividend’
“Republicans spent the first five hours of their midterm convention in Dallas warning about socialism on Wednesday before President Trump surprised many of them with an audacious trillion-dollar proposal to redistribute wealth,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Trump’s call to send $5,000 to every adult American — but only if his party wins in November — was quickly denounced by Democrats, who accused him of trying to buy people’s votes. But it also was panned by some Republican fiscal hawks as a socialist-style giveaway and gimmick that could have harmful economic repercussions.”
CNN: Trump’s pledge for $5K checks catches officials and allies off guard, sparks GOP blowback.
Ted Cruz Assails Democrats at Midterm Convention
“Sen. Ted Cruz gave a red-meat speech at the Republican convention on Thursday in which he accused the Democratic Party of succumbing to ‘communists and Islamists’ who hate Christians, Jews, capitalism and America,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“It carried on a theme that speakers have echoed over the two days of the Dallas event, in which Republicans are looking to paint Democratic candidates as extreme ahead of a tough midterm fight for control of Congress.”
Trump’s Plan if Democrats Win Congress
“President Trump acknowledged on Fox News that he plans to block Democrats’ legislation if they retake the House and Senate after the midterms,” Axios reports.
Said Trump: “I will end up being a blocker — I’ll block all their bad stuff for two years It wont be the same. I’ll be a blocker, what can I tell you?
Then he added: “I’ll probably be able to make deals with them. They are going to want some stuff. You make deals. It’s one of those things.”
Trump Says $5,000 Checks Don’t Need Lawmaker Approval
“President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that his controversial proposal to send a $5,000 check to every American would not need approval from Congress,” Mediaite reports.
Said Trump: “Well, we think not. I think they will do it if we needed it. But we think not. The country is doing so well, we’ve taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things.”
Democrats Hold Wide Lead on the Generic Ballot
A new Cygnal poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 51% to 42%.
Generic Congressional Ballot
Democrats 51%
Republicans 42%
Trump Expands Midterm Spending to $57 Million So Far
“More reinforcements that Republicans have eagerly anticipated from President Donald Trump’s war chest arrived Thursday with additional spending in House and Senate races, bringing the total so far to $57 million,” the Washington Post reports.
Trump Boasts of Packed House at Half-Full Arena
“‘This place is packed,’ President Trump said, looking out at a red-capped and rhinestoned crowd. ‘Not only is this packed, but you have an equal number of people standing outside,'” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“There were no lines outside of American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas on the sweltering first night of the Republican Party’s midterm convention. The arena’s upper deck was nearly empty. The middle tier, only slightly fuller. A frantic energy circulated in the foyers as staff ushered attendees onto the convention floor before the president took the stage.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“I don’t believe in the word regret. You can always question yourself a little bit. And a few people have asked me that. If I had it to do again, I’d do exactly as I did.”
— President Trump, quoted by Axios, when asked if he would have started the Iran war again.
Iran Is Producing Ballistic Missiles Again
“Iran has resumed its production of ballistic missiles using stockpiled components and working in underground facilities, eroding what the U.S. and Israel have touted as a major achievement of the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Unrelenting Bond Selloff Pushes Rates Higher
“A monthslong selloff in government bonds is skidding into dangerous ground, pushing borrowing costs toward levels that some fear will finally damage the stock market and the economy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Yields on U.S. Treasurys, which rise when bond prices fall, surged anew on Thursday, lifted by a new jump in oil prices, a firm wholesale inflation report and President Trump’s promise to send $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans keep control of Congress—a pledge that would add more than $1 trillion to the federal deficit.”
Loyalist Tapped by Trump to Oversee Probe Resigns
“A Trump loyalist who had been tapped to oversee a sprawling and controversial DOJ conspiracy investigation targeting political foes of President Donald Trump abruptly resigned Thursday,” ABC News reports.
“Joe diGenova submitted his resignation to Attorney General Todd Blanche amid what sources described as growing frustrations from Trump and senior DOJ officials regarding his work on the so-called ‘grand conspiracy’ investigation based out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida.”
Dead Heat in Florida’s Senate Race
A new Freedom Project USA/Change Research poll in Florida finds Angie Nixon (D) and Ashley Moody (R) tied in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 47%.
Florida Senate Race
Angie Nixon (D) 47%
Ashley Moody (R) 47%
Talarico Edges Paxton in Texas Senate Race
A new InsiderAdvantage poll in Texas finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 46%.
Texas Senate Race
James Talarico (D) 47%
Ken Paxton (R) 46%
Graham Barely Leads in South Carolina Senate Race
A new InsiderAdvantage poll in South Carolina finds Darline Graham (R) leading Annie Andrews (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 43%.
South Carolina Senate Race
Darline Graham (R) 45%
Annie Andrews (D) 43%
