Political Wire

Trump’s Own Polling Shows Him Well Behind

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“President Trump is facing the bleakest outlook for his re-election bid so far, with his polling numbers plunging in both public and private surveys and his campaign beginning to worry about his standing in states like Ohio and Iowa that he carried by wide margins four years ago,” the New York Times reports.

“In private polling conducted by Mr. Trump’s campaign, the president is now well behind Mr. Biden, according to people briefed on the most recent round of results. Several public surveys this week have found Mr. Trump trailing Mr. Biden, the former vice president, by double-digit margins, including a Monmouth University poll published on Wednesday that showed Mr. Biden ahead by 11 percentage points.”

Trump at Odds with Every Living President

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“Four U.S. presidents spoke this week about systemic racism and injustice. They used their platforms to illuminate the humanity in all Americans and to decry the dehumanization of some. And they summoned the nation to confront its failures, make change and come together,” the Washington Post reports.

“A fifth U.S. president spoke instead this week about using military force to dominate Americans who are protesting racial injustice. He declared winners and losers among state and city officials trying to safeguard their streets. And, with his reelection campaign in mind, he sought to apply a partisan political lens to the national reckoning over racial inequities.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“So I think maybe I have, from the standpoint that I see so much that I can do. I’ve done so much for religion.”

— President Trump, in an interview with Newsmax, when asked by Sean Spicer if he prays, if he’s grown in his faith, and what religion means to him.

Bill Would Require Reporting of Foreign Election Help

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“The Senate Intelligence Committee quietly approved on Wednesday a measure that would require presidential campaigns to report offers of foreign election influence to federal authorities, a move taken in response to Russian election interference in 2016 and one that could draw the attention of President Trump,” CNN reports.

Mattis Denounces Trump as Threat to Constitution

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The Atlantic: “James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump’s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump’s performance as president.”

“But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.”

Writes Mattis: “Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”

Virginia Governor to Remove Robert E. Lee Statue

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“Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue,” the AP reports.

“The Democratic governor will direct the statue to be moved off its massive pedestal and put into storage while his administration seeks input on a new location.”

Army Backs Off Plan to Send Home Troops Outside D.C.

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“The Army was making plans to send home active-duty soldiers who were dispatched to the Washington, D.C., area to bolster security amid unrest, but the plan was reversed on Wednesday after a meeting at the White House involving the defense secretary,” the Washington Post reports.

“The meeting occurred after Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a news conference on Wednesday that he did not support invoking a law that would permit President Trump to use active-duty troops on American streets in response to the unrest.”

Trump Was Moved to Bunker After Breach

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“President Trump was rushed to a secure bunker in the White House on Friday evening after a group of protesters hopped over temporary barricades set up near the Treasury Department grounds,” the Washington Post reports.

“Officials familiar with the incident told colleagues that the president, the first lady and their son Barron were rushed to the bunker because of the episode.”

“The events contradict the president’s claim Wednesday that he went to the bunker simply to inspect the secure location.”

‘Send In the Troops’

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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), writing in the New York Times:

“One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers. But local law enforcement in some cities desperately needs backup, while delusional politicians in other cities refuse to do what’s necessary to uphold the rule of law.”

“The pace of looting and disorder may fluctuate from night to night, but it’s past time to support local law enforcement with federal authority. Some governors have mobilized the National Guard, yet others refuse, and in some cases the rioters still outnumber the police and Guard combined. In these circumstances, the Insurrection Act authorizes the president to employ the military ‘or any other means’ in ‘cases of insurrection, or obstruction to the laws.'”

Rand Paul Admits to Blocking Anti-Lynching Bill

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “acknowledged that he is holding up a bill with broad bipartisan support that would make lynching a federal hate crime, saying he fears it could allow enhanced penalties for altercations that result in only ‘minor bruising,'” the Washington Post reports.

“Paul’s objection halted a measure that appeared on the verge of getting to the president’s desk earlier this year after more than a century of stymied attempts by Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation. And it comes amid a nationwide convulsion over the treatment of black Americans by law enforcement officers.”

Quote of the Day

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“If he loses confidence in Secretary Esper, I’m sure you will be the first to know. As of right now, Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper.”

— White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, quoted by ABC News, when asked if President Trump still has confidence in the secretary of defense.

DeSantis Sending 500 National Guard Troops to D.C.

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In his first public appearance since a wave of protests across Florida and the nation, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday condemned people who have caused “rioting, looting or violence,” the Miami Herald reports.

DeSantis said he was sending 500 members of the Florida National Guard to Washington, D.C., in response to a request from the federal government.

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.

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