“Some people still think, you know, Trump is like the devil, basically. And, I mean, I think, I think Trump actually is not perfect, but, but he’s not evil. Trump is not evil. I spent a lot of time with, with him, and he’s, I mean, he’s a product of his time, but he is not, he’s not evil.”
— Elon Musk, on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
“Jay Jones, the embattled Democratic nominee for attorney general in Virginia, made a surprise appearance at a major Democratic campaign rally Saturday aimed at revving up the party faithful ahead of the high-stakes statewide elections Tuesday,” Politico reports.
“Jones — whose years-old violent text messages triggered a nationwide GOP backlash and a steady drumbeat of calls for Democrats to push him off the ticket — opened the event, where headliner former President Barack Obama energized voters in support of Abigail Spanberger, the party’s gubernatorial nominee.”
Andrew Cuomo said that in New York, “diversity is our strength, but it can also be a weakness,” the New York Times reports.
Said Cuomo: “You have to work very, very hard to make sure you’re always keeping people united, and there’s always flare-ups among different races, religions, creeds for one reason or another.”
“President Trump’s aides have promised transparency about the funding of a new ballroom, but the White House withheld the identities of several donors to the project, including some with business before the administration,” the New York Times reports.
“The Democrats running for governor in Virginia and New Jersey have brought in scores of high-profile lawmakers and potential 2028 presidential contenders to campaign for them in the run-up to Tuesday’s elections,” Axios reports.
“But they pointedly haven’t invited progressive leaders Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who are two of the most popular figures among Democrats and attract big crowds across the country.”
“President Trump’s political operation is digging into its massive war chest to bankroll a multimillion-dollar voter turnout effort in the final days of the New Jersey and Virginia governor races,” Axios reports.
“Each state is getting a $1 million-plus microtargeting effort aimed at Trump supporters and other Republicans who usually skip off-year races.”
“Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly said that it would be difficult for him to win with Curtis Sliwa in the race. Sliwa, the Republican candidate, said in an interview that he was not going anywhere and was not interested in meeting with Cuomo or talking to him,” the New York Times reports.
Said Sliwa: “I would impale myself before I’d meet with him. If I saw him on the corner, I’d walk the other way. If he called me, I’d hang up.”
Bloomberg: “November 4 effectively marks the unofficial kick-off to the 2026 election season. That’s when three states and the biggest city in the US will go to the polls for the first major ballots since Trump was elected.”
“Together, they’ll form an early referendum on the president’s second-term, and a test of what campaign messages are moving voters in Trump’s second term when he isn’t on the ballot. Midterm elections historically tend to favor the party out of power, and polls entering the final weekend showed Democrats ahead in the night’s marquee elections.”
Punchbowl News: “It was subtle, and it’s not clear that anyone is any closer to getting to a resolution, but after weeks of groundhog days, we’ll take any signs of movement we can get.”
“So, what changed? We saw some bipartisan conversations over appropriations spark to life. Senators suddenly seemed more optimistic that they could find an off-ramp to this shutdown. Democrats ran a hotline on several appropriations bills, which was the first movement we saw on funding bills in a long time.”
“Still, none of that means we’re getting out of this shutdown soon. Lawmakers are on track to set the infamous record of the longest shutdown ever. Republicans and Democrats aren’t closer to a deal on the expiring Obamacare subsidies, which have been at the crux of the shutdown fight.”
Wall Street Journal: Trump’s demands throw wrench into delicate shutdown talks.
“Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said on Saturday that he had apologized this week to President Trump for an anti-tariff television ad from a Canadian province that led the American leader to abruptly cut off talks about U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and other products from Canada,” the New York Times reports.
“Former President Barack Obama is expected to join Representative Mikie Sherrill Saturday night in Newark, the latest in a string of visits by Democratic Party leaders as New Jersey’s hotly contested governor’s race enters its closing stretch,” the New York Times reports.
“Three Democratic governors — Wes Moore of Maryland, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan — also swept into the state over the past several weeks, as did Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota…”
“The Republican nominee, Jack Ciattarelli, has had fewer reinforcements from his party show up, although several big names have jumped in to support his campaign in the final sprint before Election Day on Tuesday.”
Jonathan Martin: “The most revealing element of next week’s election is that President Donald Trump is all but ensuring defeat for Republicans, and his party is doing next to nothing about it.”
“The mere fact of his election last year handed Democrats a powerful turnout lever in blue-leaning New Jersey and Virginia, but Trump has further undermined GOP hopes in the two states with his conduct and has seemingly abandoned California Republicans.”
“President Trump on Friday said he isn’t considering ordering military attacks in Venezuela, two weeks after suggesting ground strikes were possible,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
New York Times: “The pain of the government shutdown is growing more acute as it grinds toward the five-week mark, with Congress showing little movement toward a resolution. But President Trump has been attending to other matters.”
New York Times: “It was 2013, and conservative Republicans in the House and Senate pushed their leaders to block legislation to extend government spending unless it also repealed the Affordable Care Act. The result was a 16-day shutdown that produced no changes to the sweeping law.”
“While some of the characters are the same, the dynamic of today’s shutdown is the complete opposite. This time, it is Democrats using their leverage to try to fortify Obamacare by extending tax credits for rising premiums, while Republicans assail them for the hardships mounting from the cutoff of government services.”
“The 2013 case ended as a debacle for Republicans as they tried and failed to kill President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement while Democrats controlled the Senate. It was never going to happen.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) went after “pathetic Republican men” after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) implored people to ignore her, arguing that such directives were misogynistic, The Wrap reports.
Sid Greene: “Sorry I’m not sorry I don’t obey Republican men’s demands that I, as a woman, don’t remain seen but not heard.”
President Trump sat down with Norah O’Donnell on Friday for an exclusive interview airing Sunday on 60 Minutes, CBS News reports.
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.