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Trump 2.0 Is in Trouble

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From the Wall Street Journal editorial board:

“Presidential second terms are rarely successful, and on the evidence of his first 100 days Donald Trump’s won’t be different. The President needs a major reset if he wants to rescue his final years from the economic and foreign-policy shocks he has unleashed.”

Dan Pfeiffer: “Substantively and politically, his presidency has been a disaster. He hasn’t passed a single consequential bill. Most of his executive orders are currently entangled in litigation; his approval rating is the lowest for a modern president at the 100-day mark.”

Liberal Party Wins in Canada

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“The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projects that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has won Canada’s federal election,” the AP reports.

New York Times: “The full results should be available later Monday or early Tuesday. But the voters’ decision sealed a stunning turnaround for the Liberal Party that just months ago seemed all but certain to lose to the Conservative Party, led by the career politician Pierre Poilievre.”

“The election has been remarkable in many ways, with candidates and many voters describing it as the most important vote in their lifetimes.”

Politico: “The win shows that voters rejected Trump’s brand of populism — which Liberals argued Poilievre had come to represent.”

Wall Street Journal: “Poilievre suffered for rhetoric too similar to Trump’s, pollsters said.”


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Trump Officials Using Polygraphs to Find Leakers

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“National security agencies across the Trump administration are ramping up investigations into alleged leaks to the news media, in some cases using polygraph tests that current and former officials say are creating a climate of fear and intimidation,” the Washington Post reports.

Said one official: “It’s a toxic environment. First you’ve got the insecurity of not knowing whether you’re going to get fired or not. Then there’s the witch hunt to find the whistleblowers who are exposing the ineptitude and bad management of agencies. They’re trying to silence those who do not follow the party line.”

Trump to Soften Blow of Automotive Tariffs

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“President Trump is expected to soften the impact of his automotive tariffs, preventing duties on foreign-made cars from stacking on top of other tariffs he has imposed and easing some levies on foreign parts used to manufacture cars in the U.S.,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The decision will mean that automakers paying Trump’s automotive tariffs won’t also be charged for other duties, such as those on steel and aluminum.”

Stephen Lynch to Pursue Top House Oversight Post

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“Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) said he will seek to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee after ranking member Gerry Connolly suddenly announced Monday he would step aside,” Politico reports.

“But it’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez whom many Democrats are watching. The New York progressive could shake up the field if she chooses to run after losing to Connolly last year in the last race to lead Democrats on the panel.”

House Tax Writers Close to Wrapping Up

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“The House Ways and Means Committee has largely settled on a suite of tax policies to include in its portion of the GOP megabill,” Politico reports.

“But tax writers are still waiting on other committees to make key decisions before making final adjustments affecting the cost of those policies.”

“One of their biggest fears is that they’ll roll out the massive bill — which will also include border, energy and defense provisions — and Trump will balk. Republicans are relying on the president to muscle through the legislation if necessary, so his support throughout the process is critical.”

Bessent Wants Trump to Sign Tax Bill by July 4

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Punchbowl News: “Republicans’ goal is to get the reconciliation bill to the president’s desk by July 4, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after huddling with congressional leaders Monday afternoon.”

“That’s still quite ambitious. But House Republican leaders view this as a more realistic timeline.”

“House GOP leaders are trying to jam the reconciliation package through the chamber by Memorial Day. So Bessent’s timetable would leave another month for the Senate to work through the bill and for it to go back through the House if necessary.”

Civil Rights Lawyers Leave En Masse

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“The new head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division is dramatically reshaping the office to propel President Donald Trump’s social agenda, prompting the departure of about half of the division’s lawyers in recent weeks,” the Washington Post reports.

“Since being sworn in this month, civil rights director Harmeet Dhillon has redirected her staff to focus on combating antisemitism, anti-Christian bias, the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, and what Trump and his allies have described as Democrat’s ‘woke ideology.'”

Big Majority Says Trump Has Made Economy Worse

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A new CNN poll finds a 59% majority of the public now says President Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions and a 55% majority say that Trump’s tariffs have been bad policy.

Overall, 69% of the public considers an economic recession in the next year to be at least somewhat likely, including 32% who say that’s very likely.

Karl Rove Says Trump Is In ‘Very Bad Shape’

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Karl Rove tore into President Trump, saying the president was in political trouble after his tariffs upended the economy, the Daily Beast reports.

Said Rove: “When it gets to the economy, he is in very bad shape. And it’s not only that he’s in the short term in bad shape, there’s also evidence in the poll that no matter—even if he gets his way on certain things like tariffs, that he’s not good in the long run.”

Exchange of the Day

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President Trump was interviewed by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic:

TRUMP: I think maybe one of the things I’ve been most successful with is foreign relations.

GOLDBERG: I think the Canadians would disagree.

TRUMP: Well, the Canadians. Here’s the problem I have with Canada: We’re subsidizing them to the tune of $200 billion a year. And we don’t need their gasoline; we don’t need their oil; we don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy of any type. We don’t need anything they have. I say it would make a great 51st state. I love other nations. I love Canada. I have great friends. Wayne Gretzky’s a friend of mine. I mean, I have great friends. I said to Wayne, “I’m gonna give you a pass, Wayne.” I don’t want to ruin his reputation in Canada. I said, “Just pretend you don’t know me.” But they’re great people.

You know, they do 95 percent of their business with us. Remember, if they’re a state, there’s no tariffs. They have lower taxes. We have to guard them militarily.

GOLDBERG: You seriously want them to become a state?

TRUMP: I think it would be great. 

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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