The stories you want. The opinions that matter.
No, thanks
Tag: trump post presidency
Reagan White House Aide ’Thanks God Every Day’ For Biden Presidency

Reagan White House Aide ’Thanks God Every Day’ For Biden Presidency

Although veteran conservative columnist and former Nancy Reagan speechwriter Mona Charen voted for Joe Biden in the United States’ 2020 presidential election and is a scathing critic of former President Donald Trump, she hasn’t been shy about criticizing Biden’s presidency at times. But in an article published by The Bulwark on March 9, Charen praises Biden’s handling of the Ukraine crisis.

The 65 year-old Charen opens her article with some criticisms of Biden, including his decision to “withdraw precipitously from Afghanistan” and his failure to prioritize “the urgent need to reform the Electoral Count Act.” And Charen also criticizes Biden for “devoting most of his first year to assuaging the demands of the progressive wing of his party.”

But Charen adds, “And yet, I thank God every day that Biden is president.”

“The Russian offensive against Ukraine is the first crisis of his presidency other than COVID, which was ongoing when he assumed office,” Charen explains. “And in this emergency, he has redeemed the hopes of those who voted for competence. The (Biden) Administration’s warnings to Moscow were unambiguous without being hysterical. Our revelations of intelligence unmasking Russian disinformation and false flag narratives were on the nose. Biden’s coordination with European allies was neither bullying nor ‘leading from behind,’ but a skillful presentation of unity. Special kudos to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.”

Charen continues, “Biden’s muscular reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to NATO was crucial not just for Europe, but for the world. China is taking notes on how the globe is responding to Putin and perhaps thinking twice about trying to conquer Taiwan. By proclaiming American solidarity with Ukraine and our democratic allies around the world, Biden has restored our equilibrium. If Ronald Reagan were still alive, he’d find little to criticize in the Administration’s approach.”

Thousands of people have been killed since Russian troops, following orders from President Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine on February 24. The Biden Administration and his European NATO allies have responded to the crisis with tough economic sanctions against Russia, although Biden has insisted that U.S. troops will not be offering any “boots on the ground” in Ukraine.

Trump and other MAGA Republicans, including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, “War Room” host Steve Bannon and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have praised Putin in 2022. And Charen makes it clear that she considers Trump one of Putin’s “useful idiots.”

“The Ukraine crisis reminds us that Trump is no run-of-the-mill fool, but a unique combination of stupidity and venality,” Charen writes. “A quick refresher on his relations with Putin and Ukraine leaves little doubt that far from deterring Putin, he was Putin’s most reliable ‘useful idiot’…. Trump was a dupe and a dope…. Trump often repeated Putin’s talking points.”

Charen argues that Trump admires Putin because the Russian president is a strongman.

“Trump is a disturbed human being who is constantly revealing his attraction to violence and ‘strength,’” Charen writes. “Even as Putin was smashing his tanks into Ukraine, Trump fawned over his ‘genius’ and then boasted that ‘I know him very, very well.’ He said it was ‘wonderful.’ He backtracked after a day or two, but doubtless only after being advised that it was politically unwise. But if, God forbid, there were ever a second term, political considerations wouldn’t be dispositive — and the most sinister and credulous man ever to disgrace the Oval Office would be unconstrained. Biden hasn’t been perfect, but he’s a godsend given the alternative.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Former President Trump

Flood Of Scathing New Books  Angers Trump And Unnerves His Aides

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Former President Donald Trump isn't very pleased about the onslaught of harsh new books and memoirs documenting his chaotic presidency, but there is just one problem with his disapproval.

According to Politico, Trump actually conducted interviews for each book being released. The publication noted that Trump agreed to conduct interviews thinking it would put a "positive spin" on the books being developed. In fact, Trump even sat down with the Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender and author Michael Wolff, two authors who have been at the center of scathing reports this week documenting excerpts from their books.

Per Politico:

"Eager to put his own positive spin on the books, Trump agreed to sit down with a parade of reporters at Mar-a-Lago. That included interviews with Bender, author Michael Wolff, ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalists Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, The New York Times' Maggie Haberman, and Jeremy Peters, among others."

While the Trump administration worked tirelessly to keep a lid on some of the fires the former president had caused, all of that is about to change now because books are hitting shelves all across the United States.

However, Trump reportedly is not the only one concerned about the release of the books. His former officials and advisors are also unnerved by what could be divulged in the coming weeks. In particular, many Trump officials have expressed deep concern about the books that will be released by actual members of the Trump administration like Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to the president, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The publication reports: "Fear is mounting, too, about the tea-spilling to come. In particular, Trump officials are anxiously awaiting the books set to be published by actual colleagues, chief among them counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and Jared Kushner, who plan to write their own accounts of the Trump presidency."

"I think it's fraught right now as to who is telling the truth," said a Trump adviser. "They're all trying to go back in time and curate their own images."

One former Trump administration official also admitted to being surprised that some of the more interesting details remain unreported until the books are released.

"I know that there are still a lot of major excerpts that will come out in the future," said a former senior administration official who participated in multiple book interviews. "The most interesting thing to me is how much the big scoops actually hold until publication."

Former President Trump

Poll: Even White Republican Men Are Going Sour On Trump

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos

Don't tell the Republican Party, but Donald Trump isn't exactly killing it with one of his most loyal demographics: white men.

Trump's biggest blow, according to Civiqs tracking, has come from white male independents, where his favorables have dropped a solid 10 points since a post-Election Day high of 53 percent in mid-November. Now Trump is six points underwater with the demographic, 43 percent - 49 percent.

But Trump's favorable rating over the past several months also shows him losing steam even faster with white GOP men than with white GOP women. Among white male Republicans, Trump's favorables have dropped six points since Election Day, 91 percent to 85 percent while he only slipped three points among white Republican women, 92 percent to 89 percent. Here's the male side of that equation:

That also means Trump is now doing nearly a handful of points better with conservative white women than with conservative white men.

This whole trend among white men is super interesting, but let's focus on one particular aspect of it—education level. Trump is taking his biggest hit among white male Republicans and independents with higher levels of education. In fact, the more education, the worse it gets for Trump.

To take an extreme example, here's white male independents with postgraduate degrees, where Trump's unfavorables have jumped about 10 points since Election Day to 64 percent now.

And here's white male Republicans with postgraduate degrees, where Trump's favorables have plummeted from 84 percent on Election Day to 71 percent now.

The Trump era has been defined to some extent by Donald Trump's ability to defy political gravity, which makes this relative fall from grace among white men both notable and very interesting in the context of 2022. The Republican Party has doubled down on Trumpism at a time when Trump himself is losing favor with one of his most loyal demographics. And when it comes to winning the suburbs, Republicans don't seem to be doing themselves any favors.

"The Exit Interview": A One-Act Play

"The Exit Interview": A One-Act Play

Donald Trump and Jason Miller, his aide, meet in Trump's office at the Trump National Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey.

TRUMP: Time for the Presidential Daily Brief. Weisselberg show up for work today?

JASON MILLER: Clockwork. Hasn't miss a day. Blue Mercedes, pulled into his spot, Trump Tower private garage. He's at his desk.

TRUMP: And the fake media said I should have had a pet dog. Pence turned on me. He's no Allen Weisselberg. Send someone to wash his car. A nice surprise. He's so grateful for every little thing—the school tuitions, the car, he'll appreciate the car wash.

MILLER: Weisselberg is never late either. Drives himself from Long Island. He's an on-time airline. The daughter-in-law turned. The ex. Bad divorce. Gave Vance a pile of boxes. But Weisselberg is there every morning.

TRUMP: She's out to screw Allen and both sons. Wants her pound of flesh. You could make millions as a bad divorce consultant, Jason.

MILLER: The new social media company I'm setting up will be your new platform.

TRUMP: We'll work on the name. "Make America Something." Fill in the blank for "something." We'll think of it. We got rid of "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump." "Desk" sounded like something from Ikea. Stay tuned. You're the magician. So, here's the question. How do you get away with $500 a month child support? It's magic.

MILLER: Five hundred bucks. That's right.

TRUMP: Let me get this straight on how you did it. It's the night before my last debate in Vegas with Crooked Hillary. I win, of course. You go to a strip club with some reporters and some campaign aide. You knock her up. Your wife is pregnant.

MILLER: I was separated at the time.

TRUMP: I like the talking point. You learn the other woman is pregnant. Two weeks later your wife gives birth. Then the other woman has a baby. Then I read in "Page Six" of the New York Post that you and your wife are quote "excited to welcome" unquote the other woman's baby quote "into our family" unquote. You place the story. "Page Six," my old stomping grounds when I was John Barron. Class act. Then the other woman says it's all "news to me." Do I have this right? She didn't know there'd be a story. And she went to Harvard!

MILLER: Right. Harvard.

TRUMP: And she tweets—I love the tweeting part!—that you didn't send one dollar or even a gift. Smart strategy. But Tucker Carlson sends a gift. The other woman tweets the gift was "very cool." You know what it was?

MILLER: Maybe a signed copy of his book, Ship of Fools.

TRUMP: Should have been The Art of the Deal. The plot thickens. She strikes back. They always do. Some website publishes that you got some stripper pregnant and drugged her and gave her an abortion pill to wash down with a smoothie. And, just like that, no more little Jason, Jr., and the woman almost goes into a coma, no doubt she's faking it.

MILLER: No doubt.

TRUMP: And you sue the website for $100 million. A nice round number. But the judge says it's a quote "fair and true report" unquote. He dismisses your suit. Totally rigged.

MILLER: Totally.

TRUMP: And you appeal. Good move. Then Teneo, that corporate consulting outfit where you worked, fires you for supposedly hiding income to avoid child support.

MILLER: It was mutual consent. They signed me to a consultant contract. Optics.

TRUMP: This is what I'm getting at, you're terrific as a consultant. And CNN fires you as a commentator. Just an excuse. They don't want anyone to defend me.

MILLER: You got that right.

TRUMP: And the other woman drags you for a deposition and they ask about hookers and rub and tug parlors. And you testify they were "Asian themed." And you say, quote, "I know I am an imperfect person and have made a number of mistakes in my life" unquote. Perfect. All purpose. But you lose the appeal. And the court orders you to pay the fake media company $42,000 in expenses. And you threaten some moron blogger who reports that. And that phony Jake Tapper tweets—he tweets!—and I can't even tweet!—and he tweets that you don't pay your child support. And you tweet that he's a quote "fake news pussy" unquote. Love that, but you had me at hello. What kind of smoothie was it?

MILLER: Fruit.

TRUMP: And you hid payments to your consultant firm and another consultant firm you worked for. Am I keeping track of all this?

MILLER: There was also a group Steve Bannon operated, a nonprofit called Citizens for the American Republic.

TRUMP: Like the name. Make America A Republic Again? What do you think? Nah. We'll come up with something else. And you're still only paying $500 a month. You're a genius. There should be a statue of you in my National Garden of American Heroes. That phony Biden revoked it. Would have been as big as Disney World.

MILLER: Founding Fathers, Dr. Seuss, Whittaker Chambers, Bob Hope, Tecumseh, Alex Trebek, Davy Crockett, John Wayne…

TRUMP: Wayne played Crockett at the Alamo. Now they want to cancel the Alamo.

MILLER: Shirley Temple, Paul Revere, Nat King Cole, Julia Child, Humphrey Bogart, Sacagawea…

TRUMP: And Jason Miller.

MILLER: It's an honor just to serve.

TRUMP: Jason, let's bring in your replacement again. A little twirl. She was the host of The War Room, a podcast for Steve Bannon. Should I have given him the pardon? Not grateful enough.

MILLER: Mr. President, I hosted that podcast first, brought her in to replace me there.

TRUMP: She's always replacing you. Your apprentice.

(Enter Liz Harrington, a young blonde woman)

MILLER: Mr. President, Liz Harrington. Liz, tell the president the title of your best article when you wrote for the Washington Free Beacon.

HARRINGTON: "Libs: Sex Change at 9, Vote at 16, No Smoking Until 21." That's intersectionality.

TRUMP: Jason told you there's no smoking here?

HARRINGTON: I don't smoke, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Intersectionality and no smoking, I like that. Liz, who stole the election?

HARRINGTON: Communists.

TRUMP: Correct.

MILLER: (To Trump) Mr. President, see, what did I tell you?

TRUMP: Who won?

HARRINGTON: You did, in a landslide.

TRUMP: How big?

HARRINGTON: Overwhelming.

TRUMP: Also correct. Philadelphia?

HARRINGTON: Stuffed ballots.

TRUMP: Georgia.

HARRINGTON: Stuffed ballots.

TRUMP: Right and right.

HARRINGTON: And underage voters.

TRUMP: Even better. Who's guilty?

HARRINGTON: The real insurrection was the election officials.

TRUMP: She's brilliant.

HARRINGTON: Systemic fraud.

TRUMP: Systemic! Why didn't you think of that, Jason? Intersectionality and systemic. No smoking.

HARRINGTON: I don't smoke, Mr. President.

TRUMP: I'd avoid the smoothies, too. Jason, tell Liz how many books are going to be published about me.

MILLER: Seventeen.

TRUMP: They all got an exclusive. Whatever I say is an exclusive. Doesn't matter what they say, positive, negative. This is a case of all publicity is good publicity. They're all working for me. That's the scoop they won't print. You'll keep it going, Liz. If you're lucky Tucker will send you a very cool gift.

HARRINGTON: I'll get him on the line for you, Mr. President.

TRUMP: A little later. Tomorrow we'll work on the plans for the reinstatement in August.

HARRINGTON: I can't wait for the Arizona audit to show you won.

TRUMP: Just the start.

(Harrington exits)

TRUMP: One more thing, Jason, check to see if Weisselberg came back to the office after his coffee break.

***

Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln:A Self-Made Man,Wrestling With His AngelandAll the Powers of Earth. His play This Town, about a scandalous White House dog, was produced in 1995 by LA TheatreWorks. This is the eighth in his "Trump Cycle" series of one-act plays published in The National Memo, including The Pardon, Epstein's Ghost, Ivanka's Choice, Sunset Boulevard, The Exclusive, The Role Model, and A Modest Proposal.