Biden Would Trounce Trump in Michigan
A new EPIC-MRA poll in Michigan finds Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in a presidential matchup, 52% to 41%.
The Art of the Lie
Andrew Sullivan: “‘I like the truth. I’m actually a very honest guy,’ President Trump told a slightly incredulous George Stephanopoulos this week. Like almost everything Trump says, it was, of course, a lie. But it was a particularly Trumpish kind of lie. It was so staggeringly, self-evidently untrue, and so confidently, breezily said, it was less a statement of nonfact than an expression of pure power.”
“For Trump, lying is central to his disturbed psyche, and to his success. The brazenness of it unbalances and stupefies sane and adjusted people, thereby constantly giving him an edge and a little breathing space while we try to absorb it, during which he proceeds to the next lie. And on it goes. It’s like swimming in choppy water. Just when you get to the surface to breathe, another wave crashes into you.”
Trump Considers Steve Cortes for Press Secretary
Playbook: “After press secretary Sarah Sanders announced her departure Thursday, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s office called Steve Cortes, a President Trump ally and frequent TV surrogate, to talk to him about the job.”
“Cortes, who served on Trump’s Hispanic Advisory Council during the 2016 campaign and is now serving on Trump’s 2020 reelection advisory committee, has been considered for White House communications posts before. He’ll visit the White House next week.”
Ivanka Trump Made $4 Million from Washington Hotel
“Ivanka Trump made $4 million from her investment in her father’s Washington hotel last year,” Bloomberg reports.
“She also made at least $1 million from her line of branded apparel, jewelry and other merchandise, down from at least $5 million in the previous year. Trump, 37, announced in July that she was closing her fashion businesses amid controversies over her role in the White House and after some big-name department stores dropped the brand.”
Lineups Set for First Democratic Debates
NBC News announced the lineups for the first round of the 2020 Democratic debates that will take place on June 26 and 27 in Miami.
The candidates were placed in “purple” and “orange” groups. The “orange” group will be on the first night.
Purple: Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, Bernie Sanders, Eric Swalwell, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang
Orange: Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, and Elizabeth Warren
Trump Says Pelosi Is a ‘Fascist’
President Trump continued to hurl insults at Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a Fox & Friends interview this morning, this time calling her a “fascist.”
Anita Hill Would Still Vote for Biden Over Trump
Anita Hill told NBC News that “of course” she would vote for Joe Biden over President Trump in 2020.
Washington Post: “Hill said her criticisms of Biden do not mean she sees any moral equivalency between him and President Trump, who has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual assault — allegations the president has denied.”
Trump Campaign Seeks Order and Discipline
Wall Street Journal: “Four years ago, Mr. Trump launched a first presidential bid that flouted presidential electioneering norms. His re-election campaign is looking a lot more conventional. It revolves around corporate tactics such as branding and merchandising, a direct-marketing push that relies on collecting supporters’ cellphone numbers and a data-mining operation involving a yet-to-be-released smartphone app.”
“That is the kind of planning, predictability and attention to detail the president eschewed last time around, when his more impromptu and instinctual approach turned him into a political phenomenon and a cultural lightning rod. The challenge for his re-election operation will be reaping benefits from a more professional approach without damping enthusiasm among his supporters or interfering with the kind of seat-of-the-pants campaigning that has proven effective in the past.”
Kellyanne Conway’s Actions ‘Unprecedented’
Special Counsel Henry Kerner told the Washington Post that his recommendation that a political appointee of Kellyanne Conway’s stature be fired was “unprecedented.”
Said Kerner: “You know what else is unprecedented? Kellyanne Conway’s behavior.”
He added: “In interview after interview, she uses her official capacity to disparage announced candidates, which is not allowed. What kind of example does that send to the federal workforce? If you’re high enough up in the White House, you can break the law, but if you’re a postal carrier or a regular federal worker, you lose your job?”
Oil Tanker Owner Disputes U.S. Account of Attack
“The Japanese owner of the Kokuka Courageous, one of two oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, said Friday that sailors on board saw ‘flying objects’ just before it was hit, suggesting the vessel wasn’t damaged by mines,” CBS News reports.
“That account contradicts what the U.S. military said as it released a video Friday it said shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships that were hit.”
Avenatti Sued By Former Client
“Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Trump, has been sued by a paraplegic former client who accused him of siphoning away a $4 million settlement he had won,” Reuters reports.
Clarence Thomas Says Exhibit on His Views Is Not Correct
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas complained at a recent event that a Smithsonian exhibit about him is factually incorrect, the Washington Post reports.
However, the source material is the justice’s own memoir.
Sanders Has Discussed Running for Arkansas Governor
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who is leaving her role at the end of the month, has floated the possibility of running for Arkansas governor in recent private conversations, CNN reports.
“Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was re-elected just last year, so unless he steps down early — or is appointed to something — the governor’s office in Little Rock isn’t open until January 2023.”
Elizabeth Warren Is No Hillary Clinton
Ezra Klein: “I’ve seen a lot of nervous Democrats compare Elizabeth Warren to Hillary Clinton. After all, Clinton had plans too. Clinton was the most prepared candidate on the stage, too. And look how that ended.”
“I think the analogy is flawed. Clinton had a lot of plans but no clear message. Warren’s genius has been to turn a lot of plans into a clear message. Clinton’s plans couldn’t dispel the sense that she was complicit in the status quo. Warren’s plans underscore her longstanding loathing of what American capitalism has curdled into.”
Trump Slams Fed Chairman Again
President Trump “slammed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell again this week, insisting that Powell’s actions have prevented the economy from soaring even higher and declaring he’s out of patience with the man he picked to lead the nation’s central bank,” ABC News reports.
Trump also said he was “allowed” to criticize Powell and claimed it was commonplace in the “old days” for a president to “settle” with the bank’s chairman.
Said Trump: “You know, in the old days, they used to speak to the head of the Federal Reserve often. And it was … very much a part of the administration from the standpoint as they’d talk and they’d really settle. You have no idea how important it is.”
Trump Downplays G-20 Meeting with Chinese President
President Trump appeared to downplay expectations about a possible meeting with Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit later this month, saying “it doesn’t matter” if the Chinese president shows up or not, CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “If he shows up, good, if he doesn’t – in the meantime, we’re taking in billions of dollars a month in tariffs from China.”
Just a few days ago, Trump vowed to immediately slap tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports if Xi didn’t attend the summit.
The Wheel of Outrage
First Read: “This week ends with another outrage: Trump admitting that he’d accept dirt — again — from a foreign government.”
“This controversy-to-controversy-to-controversy cycle has been one of the president’s biggest weaknesses. It’s why, after all, his approval rating is stuck in the low 40’s when the unemployment rate is at 3.6 percent.”
“But it’s also one his strengths: The controversy/outrage always changes, and it becomes easy to forget what last week’s controversy/outrage was.”
“The political world still doesn’t know how to handle this wheel of outrage. And Democrats don’t know, either…”