Political Wire

Trump Ordered Justice Department to Intervene in Alaska

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“President Trump said on Friday that he directed the Justice Department to block certification of the coming Senate election in Alaska if the Republican incumbent were to lose by a narrow margin,” the New York Times reports.

“The highly unusual move heightens concerns from election officials and Democrats about Mr. Trump’s efforts to undermine the midterm elections, and at least one election expert said he expected the courts to reject the lawsuit.”

CNN: Why Trump’s dubious election lawsuit in Alaska should raise eyebrows.

Trump Says Inquiry Into His Top Advisers Is Dead

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“President Donald Trump said Friday that he is no longer looking into the outside consulting work conducted by a pair of his top political advisers after they donated to his presidential library,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Following reports of Chris LaCivita and James Blair’s consulting work for a pro-Russian nationalist government in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Trump vowed to investigate their work for foreign entities — going so far as to suggest that he might ‘terminate them’ if any conflicts of interest were discovered.”

Said Trump: “They took the money and they gave it to essentially a charity. I think it was a very nice thing to do.”

Exchange of the Day

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President Trump took questions from reporters on the controversial ad being run by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R):

REPORTER: But there are very serious sexual abuse allegations.

TRUMP: Quiet!

REPORTER: They make no difference to you?

TRUMP: Isn’t she a fresh person? You’re a horrible little reporter, aren’t you?

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Trump’s Message on the Economy Falls Flat

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“In the final weeks before the midterms, President Trump has been trying to convince voters that the economy is booming on his watch,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Trump: “You’re making more money per individual than at any time in the history of our country.”

“But his message is drawing more criticism than support almost everywhere else, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of thousands of TikTok videos, podcast episodes, cable-news segments and TV ads running in the most competitive congressional races. On the slice of TikTok reviewed by the Journal, videos disputing Trump’s economic claims outnumber supportive ones about 16 to one, and Republican ads in close races barely mention him when they talk about the economy.”

Two Ex-FBI Officials Who Were Targets of Trump Charged

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“Two former FBI officials who have come under withering criticism from allies of President Donald Trump have been charged with allegedly lying to Congress over the investigation into former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden,” NBC News reports.

“A court docket shows that Nikki Floris, the former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and Bradley Benavides, another FBI official, were facing one count of the rarely-charged criminal offense which can be difficult to prosecute.”

CNBC: Two ex-FBI officials charged with allegedly lying about Hunter Biden probe.

Low-Information Voters Turned Hardest Against Trump

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G. Elliot Morris: “Low-knowledge 2024 voters say they backed Trump by 8 points, according to our poll. Today they give him a net job approval of −27, a 35-point shift. Compare that to Trump’s approval rating among voters who got both questions right: These voters backed Harris by 1 point and now give Trump a net −24 approval, a 23-point shift.”

“Low-information voters have moved against Trump at a higher rate than high-information voters, by 12 points.”

White House Expects Press Briefing ‘Soon’

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“The White House’s press secretary vacancy won’t necessarily keep the briefing room closed,” Semafor reports.

“President Donald Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, told Semafor that the next briefing would come ‘soon’ — but if it happens before the midterms, a new press secretary likely won’t be behind the podium.”

“Trump is in no rush to name a replacement after Katie Zacharia’s abrupt exit, and one person familiar with the situation said a new pick will ‘definitely not’ be named before the election.”

Kushner Pushes Back On Report Involving Hacked Phone

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“Jared Kushner is pushing back on a report involving a hacked iPhone, international spies and billion-dollar transfers from foreign governments,” CBS News reports.

“An upcoming book by journalist Matthew Cole claims Kushner, who is President Trump’s son-in-law, had access to more than $2 billion in ‘slush money funds’ from Middle Eastern leaders in an attempt to influence U.S. foreign policy.”

New · Out October 25, 2026Princes and Thieves
Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East
by Matthew Cole · Atria/One Signal Publishers
Buy on Amazon
HardcoverKindle
More on this book from Political Wire →

Trump Has Just One Option Left On Gas Prices

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“President Donald Trump has just one way left to bring down gas prices: ending the Iran war,” Semafor reports.

“Already, his administration has expanded access to red-dyed diesel; unlocked Russian diesel; waived the Jones Act; and tapped the U.S. strategic reserve in an effort to lower costs. Yet oil prices hit a five-month high today, even as Trump touted that Middle East exports were surpassing pre-war levels.”

Trump Signs Executive Order to Lower Housing Costs

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“President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at bringing down housing costs in a bid to show that his administration is addressing voters’ affordability concerns in the final sprint to the midterm elections,” Bloomberg reports.

“The order would direct the Federal Housing Finance Agency to create a pilot program that would proactively cancel mortgage insurance on certain loans, limited to future mortgages. The move would potentially save some borrowers money in cases where their home values have sufficiently appreciated.”

Trump Aides Donate Consulting Fees to His Library

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“President Trump’s election advisers Chris LaCivita and James Blair have donated their six-figure consulting fees from a controversial side-hustle in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Trump’s presidential library,” the New York Post reports.

“Trump was ‘gloating’ and ‘very braggadocious’ in private conversations this week upon learning the development, a source said — indicating that his initial hard feelings toward LaCivita and Blair over their Eastern European gig had eased.”

Trump Declines to Defend Corey Lewandowski

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“President Donald Trump told reporters that he had ‘heard something about’ the Department of Justice investigating allegations that Corey Lewandowski profited off his past role as an adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, after media reports of an investigation surfaced Thursday,” the Associated Press reports.

“The president notably didn’t defend Lewandowski, who was his first campaign manager in 2016.”

Said Trump: “I don’t know exactly what it is. All I know is, I want my people to be honest. And if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted. I’ll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.”

Ukraine Says Starlink Still Isn’t Working

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“The Starlink system used by Ukraine’s military was suffering from low speeds limits early on Friday, despite President Trump saying that SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk had restored the service,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Ukrainian drone units and government officials said connections with Starshield, a military-grade service using Starlink’s infrastructure, continued to fail in most of the country when drones flew faster than 161 kilometers an hour, equivalent to around 100 miles an hour.”

Bloomberg: Trump called Musk to lift Ukraine Starlink limits.

Trump Claims His Arch Was Approved 100 Years Ago

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“Over the past year, President Trump and his allies have offered a series of explanations for why the nation needs a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch: It will mark 250 years of American independence. It will befit Washington’s place among Western capitals. It will honor the nation’s veterans. It will serve the military, the president added last month, as a platform for snipers,” the New York Times reports.

“But as the mega project planned for Memorial Circle heads to a final vote by the National Capital Planning Commission Nov. 5, the Trump administration has circled around one argument crucial to the project’s legal defense: The arch will at long last bring to life, officials say, a proposal that has languished on hallowed land for a century.”

Trump Turns the GOP’s Ad Headache Into a Migraine

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Aaron Blake: “President Donald Trump has been undermining his own party for months, continuously causing more headaches for Republicans even long after most presidents would’ve taken the Election Day cue to rein themselves in.”

“So why would that stop on the eve of those elections?”

“Trump’s latest move is trying to bully Republicans into embracing a highly controversial political ad that seeks to weaponize a situation involving alleged child sexual abuse. The ad has clearly rubbed many GOP officeholders the wrong way, from both a moral and a political perspective.”

Trump’s Battle with the Media Ramps Up

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“As President Donald Trump barnstorms the country ahead of the midterms, on top of his usual White House events this week, he’s had some pointed exchanges with journalists in his path. He called one reporter a ‘dummy,’ another ‘a stupid person’ and a third ‘a sick person,'” the Washington Sun reports.

“The angry name-calling comes as tensions between the White House and the media have ratcheted up.”

NPR: Trump’s attacks on the press have become a war.

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

More about Taegan Goddard →