Bloomberg
"Biden Swipes at Trump’s Personality in ‘Weirdest Campaign’ Yet"
Story by Skylar Woodhouse
3 FEBRUARY 2024
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden took a swipe at his presumptive election opponent Donald Trump, calling his predecessor in the White House “worse in terms of his behavior” than during the 2020 presidential campaign.
With just over nine months to go until the 2024 election, Biden said Saturday that voters are beginning to focus on the contest and expressed confidence about his campaign effort.
“I’m feeling good about where we are,” he told a cheering crowd at his campaign’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden cited several recent polls, including one by Quinnipiac University, that show him leading Trump nationally in a head-to-head matchup.
Biden made his remarks before heading to California and Nevada for Democratic campaign events over the weekend.
For his part, Trump is on track to lock in the Republican Party’s presidential nomination after victories in early nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Bloomberg News/Morning Consult polling shows Biden trailing Trump in each of seven swing states, with a majority saying Biden is responsible for a surge in migrants at the US-Mexico border.
Trump in his campaign has portrayed Biden as weak and mentally fading, while focusing his rhetoric on immigration at the southern border and promising mass deportations if he’s elected a second time.
The White House has dismissed suggestions that Biden, 81, is too old to serve another four years as president.
Trump is 77.
While Biden didn’t mention Trump by name, he has been stepping up his attacks on the former president.
On Saturday, he said “the guy we’re running against” is “even worse in terms of his behavior than the last time in 2020.”
“It’s the weirdest campaign I’ve ever been engaged in,” Biden said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 3ff6&ei=22
THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
THE CAPE CHARLES MIRROR FEBRUARY 8, 2024 AT 10:15 PM
Paul Plante, RVN 1969 says:
And speaking of chaos, which is all Joe Biden has to offer us and the world, according to Rigzone, oil jumped up to $76.22 a barrel in New York today as Joe continues to conduct his air strikes in Iraqinam, making the Middle East even more volatile, prompting major owners of shipping in all sectors to avoid the region, which of course is going to drive up shipping prices, contributing to more BIDENFLATION yet to come as the cost of a gallon of gas where I am jumped up $.10 gallon.
But where I want to go right now isn’t there, but to comments attributed to Joe, a famous SKULKER (someone shirking their duty by feigning illness or incapacity. especially one who tries to evade military service in wartime) during the Viet Nam war in The Independent story titled “Biden says he has to ‘hold my Irish temper’ as he rages at ‘Donald Hoover Trump’ in fiery campaign speech” by Andrew Feinberg on 6 February 2024, as follows:
President Joe Biden told a group of donors to his re-election bid on Sunday that the mere thought of his predecessor’s callous attitude towards the nation’s military veterans and honoured war dead forces him to expend extra energy to keep his anger in check.
Speaking to guests who’d assembled to hear him speak at a Henderson, Nevada fundraiser, Mr Biden was working through what has become a standard recitation of his record since taking office in 2021 when he turned to the matter of former president Donald Trump’s attitude towards men and women who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service of the United States.
He told attendees: “I have to hold my Irish temper” when it comes to that subject.
The matter that so evokes Mr Biden’s anger is a series of comments first reported by The Atlantic regarding Mr Trump’s attitude towards American war dead.
In an October 2020 article, the magazine revealed that the then-president had infamously told his staff that he did not want to make a visit to an American military cemetery outside Paris in 2018 because rain would have caused damage to the byzantine combover he uses to hide his baldness.
He reportedly asked senior staff members: “Why should I go to that cemetery?” and remarked that it was “full of losers”.
He also later disparaged US Marines who lost their lives during the battle that stopped Imperial Germany’s movement towards Paris in the First World War as “losers”.
Mr Biden, whose late son and namesake, Joseph Robinette Biden III – better known as Beau Biden – served overseas during the Iraq war and later died from a brain tumour thought to have come from exposure to toxic burn pits there, told the crowd that he was “glad” he wasn’t with Mr Trump during that 2018 trip because he was not sure what he’d have done had he heard those comments, effectively implying that he might have turned violent.
“I’m glad I wasn’t with him.”
“I’m not sure what I would’ve done.”
“He said they’re all suckers and losers,” he said.
end quotes
EXCEPT, according to Snopes, which is no friend to Trump, there is NO PROOF that Trump actually said those words, nor is there any record that he did, which makes Joe out as the serial liar that he is, and has been, but let's go to Snopes and see what we see, to wit:
Did Trump Call Fallen Soldiers ‘Suckers’ and ‘Losers’?
Nur Ibrahim
Published Oct 4, 2023
In early October 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden and a former member of Donald Trump’s presidential administration resurrected a years-old accusation against Trump that allegedly revealed his true opinion of U.S. military troops.
According to the claim, Trump once called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers” while talking to people in his inner circle.
Trump and his allies have denied the accusation since it first emerged in 2020, shortly before the election between Trump and Biden.
Whether performative or authentic, Trump’s apparent support for soldiers in the U.S. military, both active and veteran members, has been part of his presidential campaigns.
Following a story by The Atlantic, a number of reputable news outlets reported on the alleged comments in 2020, relying entirely on anonymous sources from his administration.
However, there appeared to be no evidence of an audio or video recording of the remarks in question, nor was there any documentation, such as transcripts or presidential notes, to independently confirm or deny the alleged quotes’ authenticity.
Moreover, since Snopes did not witness the in-question comments firsthand, we can’t say for certain whether Trump called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers.”
How the Accusations Emerged
Citing anonymous officials from the administration, the 2020 article by The Atlantic, titled, “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’,” unpacked Trump’s trip to Paris in 2018 when he allegedly did not want to visit a cemetery of American war dead.
The visit was cancelled.
Trump Allies Deny the Claims
The White House blamed the canceled cemetery visit on poor weather.
Responding to The Atlantic’s reporting, Trump said the accusation was “a disgraceful situation” by a “terrible magazine.”
Trump strongly denied calling fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers.”
Speaking to reporters on Sept. 3, 2020, upon returning from a campaign rally to Washington, D.C., just after the report came out, Trump said: “I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes.”
“There is nobody that respects them more.”
“No animal — nobody — what animal would say such a thing?”
Just days later, Zach Fuentes, a former White House aide who left the administration in early 2019 and was with the president on the Paris trip and presumably near him during the in-question conversations about the cemetery visit, stood up for Trump in an interview with Breitbart.
Referring to Gen. John Kelly, who was with Trump during the trip as his chief of staff, he said, “I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather.”
“Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?”
Reporting on Fuentes’ interview with Breitbart, The Washington Post noted that the phrase “I did not hear…” is not the same as “it didn’t happen.”
Furthermore, there was no evidence of Kelly being around Trump to hear the alleged comments.
Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton, who said he was on the trip, also issued a denial to Fox News, days after the article came out, saying it was “simply false.”
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also denied the claims in an interview with Fox News in September 2020.
He said, “I was with him for a good part of that trip, if I’m thinking about this visit and the timing right, and I never heard him use the words that are described in that article.”
“Just, I never saw it.”
How the Claims Resurfaced in 2023
On Oct. 2, 2023, Biden’s official account on X resurfaced the accusation, saying Trump once allegedly “referred to American service members as ‘suckers’ and ‘losers.'”
In sum, the claim stemmed from a story by The Atlantic, which relied on anonymous, second-hand reports of Trump’s alleged words; there was no independent footage or documented proof to substantiate the in-question comments; and Trump vehemently denies that he once called service members “losers” and “suckers.”
While it was certainly possible that he said those things, Snopes was unable to independently verify the claim.
end quotes
And let me make it clear that I am no fan of Trump’s.
I didn’t support him then, don’t support him now, didn’t vote for him then, and won’t vote for him now BUT I also am not a fan of Joe Biden, and I don’t like getting lied to by him, and I don’t like a liar serving as our Commander-in-Chief, especially a SKULKER like Joe Biden.
How very low we have become as a nation when the very best we can do for our “leader” is a liar like Joe Biden.
And now, definitely time to break for station identification!
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/paul-p ... ent-898355
Paul Plante, RVN 1969 says:
And speaking of chaos, which is all Joe Biden has to offer us and the world, according to Rigzone, oil jumped up to $76.22 a barrel in New York today as Joe continues to conduct his air strikes in Iraqinam, making the Middle East even more volatile, prompting major owners of shipping in all sectors to avoid the region, which of course is going to drive up shipping prices, contributing to more BIDENFLATION yet to come as the cost of a gallon of gas where I am jumped up $.10 gallon.
But where I want to go right now isn’t there, but to comments attributed to Joe, a famous SKULKER (someone shirking their duty by feigning illness or incapacity. especially one who tries to evade military service in wartime) during the Viet Nam war in The Independent story titled “Biden says he has to ‘hold my Irish temper’ as he rages at ‘Donald Hoover Trump’ in fiery campaign speech” by Andrew Feinberg on 6 February 2024, as follows:
President Joe Biden told a group of donors to his re-election bid on Sunday that the mere thought of his predecessor’s callous attitude towards the nation’s military veterans and honoured war dead forces him to expend extra energy to keep his anger in check.
Speaking to guests who’d assembled to hear him speak at a Henderson, Nevada fundraiser, Mr Biden was working through what has become a standard recitation of his record since taking office in 2021 when he turned to the matter of former president Donald Trump’s attitude towards men and women who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service of the United States.
He told attendees: “I have to hold my Irish temper” when it comes to that subject.
The matter that so evokes Mr Biden’s anger is a series of comments first reported by The Atlantic regarding Mr Trump’s attitude towards American war dead.
In an October 2020 article, the magazine revealed that the then-president had infamously told his staff that he did not want to make a visit to an American military cemetery outside Paris in 2018 because rain would have caused damage to the byzantine combover he uses to hide his baldness.
He reportedly asked senior staff members: “Why should I go to that cemetery?” and remarked that it was “full of losers”.
He also later disparaged US Marines who lost their lives during the battle that stopped Imperial Germany’s movement towards Paris in the First World War as “losers”.
Mr Biden, whose late son and namesake, Joseph Robinette Biden III – better known as Beau Biden – served overseas during the Iraq war and later died from a brain tumour thought to have come from exposure to toxic burn pits there, told the crowd that he was “glad” he wasn’t with Mr Trump during that 2018 trip because he was not sure what he’d have done had he heard those comments, effectively implying that he might have turned violent.
“I’m glad I wasn’t with him.”
“I’m not sure what I would’ve done.”
“He said they’re all suckers and losers,” he said.
end quotes
EXCEPT, according to Snopes, which is no friend to Trump, there is NO PROOF that Trump actually said those words, nor is there any record that he did, which makes Joe out as the serial liar that he is, and has been, but let's go to Snopes and see what we see, to wit:
Did Trump Call Fallen Soldiers ‘Suckers’ and ‘Losers’?
Nur Ibrahim
Published Oct 4, 2023
In early October 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden and a former member of Donald Trump’s presidential administration resurrected a years-old accusation against Trump that allegedly revealed his true opinion of U.S. military troops.
According to the claim, Trump once called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers” while talking to people in his inner circle.
Trump and his allies have denied the accusation since it first emerged in 2020, shortly before the election between Trump and Biden.
Whether performative or authentic, Trump’s apparent support for soldiers in the U.S. military, both active and veteran members, has been part of his presidential campaigns.
Following a story by The Atlantic, a number of reputable news outlets reported on the alleged comments in 2020, relying entirely on anonymous sources from his administration.
However, there appeared to be no evidence of an audio or video recording of the remarks in question, nor was there any documentation, such as transcripts or presidential notes, to independently confirm or deny the alleged quotes’ authenticity.
Moreover, since Snopes did not witness the in-question comments firsthand, we can’t say for certain whether Trump called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers.”
How the Accusations Emerged
Citing anonymous officials from the administration, the 2020 article by The Atlantic, titled, “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’,” unpacked Trump’s trip to Paris in 2018 when he allegedly did not want to visit a cemetery of American war dead.
The visit was cancelled.
Trump Allies Deny the Claims
The White House blamed the canceled cemetery visit on poor weather.
Responding to The Atlantic’s reporting, Trump said the accusation was “a disgraceful situation” by a “terrible magazine.”
Trump strongly denied calling fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers.”
Speaking to reporters on Sept. 3, 2020, upon returning from a campaign rally to Washington, D.C., just after the report came out, Trump said: “I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes.”
“There is nobody that respects them more.”
“No animal — nobody — what animal would say such a thing?”
Just days later, Zach Fuentes, a former White House aide who left the administration in early 2019 and was with the president on the Paris trip and presumably near him during the in-question conversations about the cemetery visit, stood up for Trump in an interview with Breitbart.
Referring to Gen. John Kelly, who was with Trump during the trip as his chief of staff, he said, “I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather.”
“Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?”
Reporting on Fuentes’ interview with Breitbart, The Washington Post noted that the phrase “I did not hear…” is not the same as “it didn’t happen.”
Furthermore, there was no evidence of Kelly being around Trump to hear the alleged comments.
Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton, who said he was on the trip, also issued a denial to Fox News, days after the article came out, saying it was “simply false.”
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also denied the claims in an interview with Fox News in September 2020.
He said, “I was with him for a good part of that trip, if I’m thinking about this visit and the timing right, and I never heard him use the words that are described in that article.”
“Just, I never saw it.”
How the Claims Resurfaced in 2023
On Oct. 2, 2023, Biden’s official account on X resurfaced the accusation, saying Trump once allegedly “referred to American service members as ‘suckers’ and ‘losers.'”
In sum, the claim stemmed from a story by The Atlantic, which relied on anonymous, second-hand reports of Trump’s alleged words; there was no independent footage or documented proof to substantiate the in-question comments; and Trump vehemently denies that he once called service members “losers” and “suckers.”
While it was certainly possible that he said those things, Snopes was unable to independently verify the claim.
end quotes
And let me make it clear that I am no fan of Trump’s.
I didn’t support him then, don’t support him now, didn’t vote for him then, and won’t vote for him now BUT I also am not a fan of Joe Biden, and I don’t like getting lied to by him, and I don’t like a liar serving as our Commander-in-Chief, especially a SKULKER like Joe Biden.
How very low we have become as a nation when the very best we can do for our “leader” is a liar like Joe Biden.
And now, definitely time to break for station identification!
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/paul-p ... ent-898355
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
The Associated Press“Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England."
"We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies."
"Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
― Lord Palmerston
"American allies worry the US is growing less dependable, whether Trump or Biden wins"
Story by JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press
11 FEBRUARY 2024
LONDON (AP) — As chances rise of a Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch in the U.S. presidential election race, America’s allies are bracing for a bumpy ride.
Many worry that a second term for Trump would be an earthquake, but tremors already abound — and concerns are rising that the U.S. could grow less dependable regardless of who wins.
With a divided electorate and gridlock in Congress, the next American president could easily become consumed by manifold challenges at home — before even beginning to address flashpoints around the world from Ukraine to the Middle East.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent verdict was blunt: America’s “first priority is itself.”
The first Trump administration stress-tested the bonds between the U.S. and its allies, particularly in Europe.
Trump derided the leaders of some friendly nations, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and Britain’s Theresa May, while praising authoritarians such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
He has called China’s Xi Jinping “brilliant” and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán “a great leader.”
In campaign speeches, Trump remains skeptical of organizations such as NATO, often lamenting the billions the U.S. spends on the military alliance whose support has been critical to Ukraine’s fight against Russia's invasion.
Biden, in contrast, has made support for Ukraine a key priority and moral imperative.
But Biden’s assertion after his election in 2020 that “America is back” on the global stage has not been entirely borne out.
Congressional Republicans have stalled more military aid for Ukraine, while America's influence has been unable to contain conflict in the Middle East
Thomas Gift, director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, said that whoever wins the presidential race, the direction of travel will be the same – toward a multipolar planet in which the United States is no longer “the indisputable world superpower.”
Most allied leaders refrain from commenting directly on the U.S. election, sticking to the line that it’s for Americans to pick their leader.
They are conscious that they will have to work with the eventual winner, whoever it is — and behind the scenes, governments will be doing the “backroom work” of quietly establishing links with the contenders’ political teams, said Richard Dalton, a former senior British diplomat.
But many of America's European NATO allies are worried that with or without Trump, the U.S. is becoming less reliable.
Some have started to talk openly about the need for members to ramp up military spending, and to plan for an alliance without the United States.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was “currently on the phone a lot with my colleagues and asking them to do more” to support Ukraine.
Germany is the second-largest donor of military aid to Kyiv, behind the U.S., but Scholz recently told Die Zeit that the country couldn’t fill any gap on its own if “the U.S.A. ceased to be a supporter.”
Russia, meanwhile, is busy bolstering ties with China, Iran and North Korea and trying to chip away at Ukraine’s international support.
Macron also suggested American attention was focused far from Europe.
If Washington's top priority is the U.S., he said its second is China.
“This is also why I want a stronger Europe, that knows how to protect itself and isn’t dependent on others,” Macron said at a January news conference.
Trump does have supporters in Europe, notably pro-Russia populists such as Hungary's Orbán.
But former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised some eyebrows when he argued recently that “a Trump presidency could be just what the world needs.”
Johnson is a strong supporter of Ukraine in its struggle against Russian invasion, whereas Trump has frequently praised Putin and said he’d end the war within 24 hours.
However, Johnson said in a Daily Mail column that he didn’t believe Trump would “ditch the Ukrainians,” but instead would help Ukraine win the war, leaving the West stronger “and the world more stable.”
Bronwen Maddox, director of the international affairs think tank Chatham House, said arguments like that underestimate “how destabilizing” Trump has been, and likely would continue to be if reelected.
“For those who say his first term did not do much damage to international order, one answer is that he took the U.S. out of the JCPOA, the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program."
"Iran’s acceleration of its work since then has left it a threshold nuclear weapon state,” she said during a recent speech on the year ahead.
Biden was a critic of Trump's Iran policy but hasn't managed to rebuild bridges with Tehran, which continues to flex its muscles across the region.
Dalton, a former U.K. ambassador to Iran, said prospects for the Middle East would be “slightly worse” under Trump than Biden.
But he said divergence on the region’s main tensions — the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran's ambitions — would be limited.
“No U.S. administration is going to make a serious effort to resolve differences with Iran through diplomacy," Dalton told The Associated Press.
"That ship sailed quite some time ago.”
Palestinians and their supporters, meanwhile, implore Biden to temper U.S. support for Israel as the civilian death toll from the war in Gaza climbs.
But hard-liners in Israel argue the U.S. is already restraining the offensive against Hamas too much.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, recently said Biden was not giving Israel his “full backing” and that “if Trump was in power, the U.S. conduct would be completely different.”
Much like its allies, America's rivals are not openly expressing a preference for the election outcome.
Trump developed a strong rapport with Turkey’s Erdogan, calling them “very good friends” during a 2019 meeting at the White House.
Yet Turkey-U.S. relations were fraught during his tenure.
The Trump administration removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet project over Ankara’s decision to purchase Russian-made missile defense systems, while Trump himself threatened to ruin Turkey’s economy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS in January that he doesn't “believe there will be any difference” between a Trump and a Biden presidency.
He argued that Russia-U.S. relations have been going downhill since George W. Bush's administration.
China, where leaders’ initial warmth toward Trump soured into tit-for-tat tariffs and rising tensions, little changed under Biden, who continued his predecessor’s tough stance toward the United States’ strategic rival.
Zhao Minghao, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, said that for China, the two candidates were like “two ‘bowls of poison.’”
Gift, from University College London, said the move to a more fractured world is "going to happen regardless of whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden is elected.”
“It’s just sort of a reality," he said.
___
Associated Press writers Jiwon Song in Seoul, South Korea, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this story.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-BB1i6f9O
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
State Of The Union
"Democrat Gov. Scrambles to Get Businesses to Stay"
Story by Andrew Rodriguez
23 FEBRUARY 2024
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul faced criticism after a ruling fined former President Donald Trump and his company $355 million for consumer fraud.
The total damages amounted to over $450 million.
The judge banned Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York company for three years and his sons for two years.
The ruling stated that the Trump Organization inflated property values to secure better loan terms.
“I think that this is really an extraordinary, unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about, because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior,” Hochul said.
“By and large, [other business owners] are honest people, and they’re not trying to hide their assets, and they’re following the rules,” she added.
Despite Trump’s claims of innocence, the judge imposed hefty fines.
“The case was brought under a consumer fraud statute that has never ever been used before for this purpose,” Trump said.
“Who suffered here?"
"We haven’t seen a long list of victims,” University of Michigan law professor William Thomas said.
Critics argued that the ruling sets a concerning precedent for New York business owners.
“[T]he court admitted that not a single dollar was lost by the banks from these dealings."
"Indeed, witnesses testified that they wanted to do more business with Trump, who was described as a ‘whale’ client with high yield business opportunities,” George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley said.
“Undervaluing and overvaluing property is a longstanding practice in New York real estate,” he added.
“The impact on New York business is likely to be dire."
"New York is already viewed as a hostile business environment, with the top end of its tax base literally heading south as taxes and crime rises,” Turley said.
“This draconian award is only going to deepen concerns over the arbitrary application of the law.”
“In the name of protecting businesses in New York, you probably just led to hundreds of businesses looking at potential rentals in Florida because they look and they go, ‘Wow, if we fall on the wrong side of the politics in New York, they could sell us off for spare parts,’” he said.
“So unless the appeals process in New York comes to the rescue, New York has become a legal banana republic,” former President George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer said.
“Democratic NY Governor Hochul effectively tells NY businesses not to worry — it was all about getting Trump,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 0d6b&ei=17
"Democrat Gov. Scrambles to Get Businesses to Stay"
Story by Andrew Rodriguez
23 FEBRUARY 2024
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul faced criticism after a ruling fined former President Donald Trump and his company $355 million for consumer fraud.
The total damages amounted to over $450 million.
The judge banned Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York company for three years and his sons for two years.
The ruling stated that the Trump Organization inflated property values to secure better loan terms.
“I think that this is really an extraordinary, unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about, because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior,” Hochul said.
“By and large, [other business owners] are honest people, and they’re not trying to hide their assets, and they’re following the rules,” she added.
Despite Trump’s claims of innocence, the judge imposed hefty fines.
“The case was brought under a consumer fraud statute that has never ever been used before for this purpose,” Trump said.
“Who suffered here?"
"We haven’t seen a long list of victims,” University of Michigan law professor William Thomas said.
Critics argued that the ruling sets a concerning precedent for New York business owners.
“[T]he court admitted that not a single dollar was lost by the banks from these dealings."
"Indeed, witnesses testified that they wanted to do more business with Trump, who was described as a ‘whale’ client with high yield business opportunities,” George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley said.
“Undervaluing and overvaluing property is a longstanding practice in New York real estate,” he added.
“The impact on New York business is likely to be dire."
"New York is already viewed as a hostile business environment, with the top end of its tax base literally heading south as taxes and crime rises,” Turley said.
“This draconian award is only going to deepen concerns over the arbitrary application of the law.”
“In the name of protecting businesses in New York, you probably just led to hundreds of businesses looking at potential rentals in Florida because they look and they go, ‘Wow, if we fall on the wrong side of the politics in New York, they could sell us off for spare parts,’” he said.
“So unless the appeals process in New York comes to the rescue, New York has become a legal banana republic,” former President George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer said.
“Democratic NY Governor Hochul effectively tells NY businesses not to worry — it was all about getting Trump,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 0d6b&ei=17
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
State Of The Union
"‘The View’ host warns against President Biden debating Trump"
Story by Ethan Anderson
23 FEBRUARY 2024
A discussion among “The View” co-hosts centered around whether President Biden should debate Donald Trump, with varying opinions on the matter.
Some argued that Biden could lose the debate if he makes a mistake, while others questioned the necessity of a debate given Trump’s actions post-election.
“I disagree with you, actually,” Sara Haines said.
“I say that because normally, my gut would tell me it’s good for democracy."
"I caveat that with, if we do not know these two men as well as we do, it would be more important for them to be debating.”
There are concerns about Trump’s tactics during debates and the potential impact of a debate on undecided voters.
“The problem is, for the reasons you just spelled out, Donald Trump comes on and without – I wish they would put him in phone booths and cut mics after a certain amount of time because, in addition to the fact checking, he overtalks, gaslights, and everything else."
"So oftentimes, the comparison to Donald Trump makes anyone look less-than on some level,” Haines said.
Trump has “done nothing to participate in this democracy since he lost,” she said.
“I don’t need to see someone who has been twice-impeached and is a disgrace and a one-term president with 91 counts facing him. I think it legitimizes him, I don’t need to be gaslit by Trump."
"We all know who he is."
"We know what he stands for, we also know that Biden debated him twice and just, like, sort of mopped the floor with him,” Sunny Hostin said.
“I don’t think you give him that type of platform.”
“What I do know is Joe can stand there and tell people everything he’s done, and he can do it until the cows come home, you know?” Whoopi Goldberg said.
“It’s not going to matter.”
“Biden can lose, he can lose in a debate."
"Trump will not."
"The people supporting Trump will support him whether he’s there or not."
"Biden makes one mistake, and the people who are undecided are out,” Haines said.
Trump has challenged Biden to a debate, but Biden has responded dismissively to the idea.
“I’d like to debate him now because we should debate."
"We should debate for the good of the country,” Trump said.
“Immediately?"
"Well, if I were him, I’d want to debate me, too."
"He’s got nothing else to do,” Biden said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 0d6b&ei=30
"‘The View’ host warns against President Biden debating Trump"
Story by Ethan Anderson
23 FEBRUARY 2024
A discussion among “The View” co-hosts centered around whether President Biden should debate Donald Trump, with varying opinions on the matter.
Some argued that Biden could lose the debate if he makes a mistake, while others questioned the necessity of a debate given Trump’s actions post-election.
“I disagree with you, actually,” Sara Haines said.
“I say that because normally, my gut would tell me it’s good for democracy."
"I caveat that with, if we do not know these two men as well as we do, it would be more important for them to be debating.”
There are concerns about Trump’s tactics during debates and the potential impact of a debate on undecided voters.
“The problem is, for the reasons you just spelled out, Donald Trump comes on and without – I wish they would put him in phone booths and cut mics after a certain amount of time because, in addition to the fact checking, he overtalks, gaslights, and everything else."
"So oftentimes, the comparison to Donald Trump makes anyone look less-than on some level,” Haines said.
Trump has “done nothing to participate in this democracy since he lost,” she said.
“I don’t need to see someone who has been twice-impeached and is a disgrace and a one-term president with 91 counts facing him. I think it legitimizes him, I don’t need to be gaslit by Trump."
"We all know who he is."
"We know what he stands for, we also know that Biden debated him twice and just, like, sort of mopped the floor with him,” Sunny Hostin said.
“I don’t think you give him that type of platform.”
“What I do know is Joe can stand there and tell people everything he’s done, and he can do it until the cows come home, you know?” Whoopi Goldberg said.
“It’s not going to matter.”
“Biden can lose, he can lose in a debate."
"Trump will not."
"The people supporting Trump will support him whether he’s there or not."
"Biden makes one mistake, and the people who are undecided are out,” Haines said.
Trump has challenged Biden to a debate, but Biden has responded dismissively to the idea.
“I’d like to debate him now because we should debate."
"We should debate for the good of the country,” Trump said.
“Immediately?"
"Well, if I were him, I’d want to debate me, too."
"He’s got nothing else to do,” Biden said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 0d6b&ei=30
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
Newsweek
"Letitia James Wants to Block Trump From Leaving New York"
Story by Katherine Fung
23 FEBRUARY 2024
New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a judge to block Donald Trump from changing his business address from New York to Florida, arguing that his executives "carry out the business activities" of the Trump Organization at Manhattan's Trump Tower.
In a Thursday letter, James urged Judge Arthur Engoron to "reject Defendants' attempt to change the business address of the six entity Defendants to Florida as the record establishes those entities are located in Trump Tower at 725 5th Avenue in New York, the office building in which the executives who carry out the business activities of those entities work."
Trump owes New York state almost $454 million, including interest, after a civil fraud trial on charges that he inflated his wealth on financial statements to deceive banks, insurers and others.
Engoron handed down a nearly $355 million verdict last Friday, but that figure goes up $87,502 every day that the former president doesn't cover the bill.
James has said she plans to seize some of Trump's assets if he fails to pay.
"If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets," James told ABC News on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Trump's attorneys had asked Engoron to delay enforcing the multi-million dollar judgment against him for a month, accusing James of an "unseemly rush" by asking the judge to sign off on a proposal judgment just days after the ruling.
Trump has 30 days from when a judgment is entered to post bond and appeal.
His legal team also told the court that several of the addresses for Trump in James' proposed judgment were incorrect and included "proper address" for those entities, all of which were in Florida.
The addresses listed included the Mar-a-Lago estate, the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter and the Trump National Doral Miami.
Engoron's decision not only hit Trump with a $355 million verdict, plus interest but also barred him from acting as an officer of a New York business for three years.
Should Trump appeal the judgment, which he has signaled he plans to do, it is likely to be a costly fight.
Even before he files an appeal, Trump would have to deposit the full amount he's been ordered to pay into a court account under New York law.
Due to the size of the award, he's expected to obtain a bond, which would have him paying somewhere in the $400 million range even before he appeals.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... e50f&ei=73
"Letitia James Wants to Block Trump From Leaving New York"
Story by Katherine Fung
23 FEBRUARY 2024
New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a judge to block Donald Trump from changing his business address from New York to Florida, arguing that his executives "carry out the business activities" of the Trump Organization at Manhattan's Trump Tower.
In a Thursday letter, James urged Judge Arthur Engoron to "reject Defendants' attempt to change the business address of the six entity Defendants to Florida as the record establishes those entities are located in Trump Tower at 725 5th Avenue in New York, the office building in which the executives who carry out the business activities of those entities work."
Trump owes New York state almost $454 million, including interest, after a civil fraud trial on charges that he inflated his wealth on financial statements to deceive banks, insurers and others.
Engoron handed down a nearly $355 million verdict last Friday, but that figure goes up $87,502 every day that the former president doesn't cover the bill.
James has said she plans to seize some of Trump's assets if he fails to pay.
"If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets," James told ABC News on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Trump's attorneys had asked Engoron to delay enforcing the multi-million dollar judgment against him for a month, accusing James of an "unseemly rush" by asking the judge to sign off on a proposal judgment just days after the ruling.
Trump has 30 days from when a judgment is entered to post bond and appeal.
His legal team also told the court that several of the addresses for Trump in James' proposed judgment were incorrect and included "proper address" for those entities, all of which were in Florida.
The addresses listed included the Mar-a-Lago estate, the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter and the Trump National Doral Miami.
Engoron's decision not only hit Trump with a $355 million verdict, plus interest but also barred him from acting as an officer of a New York business for three years.
Should Trump appeal the judgment, which he has signaled he plans to do, it is likely to be a costly fight.
Even before he files an appeal, Trump would have to deposit the full amount he's been ordered to pay into a court account under New York law.
Due to the size of the award, he's expected to obtain a bond, which would have him paying somewhere in the $400 million range even before he appeals.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... e50f&ei=73
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
Newsweek
"Court Could Refer Fani Willis for Prosecution After New Evidence: Attorney"
Story by Rachel Dobkin
25 FEBRUARY 2024
Attorney and legal analyst Jonathan Turley warned on Friday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could get referred for prosecution by a Georgia court after new evidence was revealed.
Willis and Nathan Wade, the prosecutor she hired in 2021 to lead the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump, have been under fire for a personal relationship that ended in the summer of 2023.
Trump and 18 co-defendants have been accused of conspiring to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election win in Georgia.
The former president has plead not guilty to all charges and claims that the case is politically motivated as he is the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 election.
In an attempt to disqualify Willis and her team and get his charges dropped, Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer and one of the co-defendants in the case, brought forward allegations of a personal relationship between Willis and Wade in early January.
Roman has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the case, held a series of hearings last week to determine if Willis and her office will be disqualified from the case.
While on the witness stand, Willis was asked if Wade ever visited her home.
Willis then erupted, saying, "So let's be clear 'cause you lied in this" while holding up court documents.
"It is a lie!"
"It is a lie!"
Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School who testified during Bill Clinton's impeachment inquiry in 1998 and at an impeachment hearing for Trump in 2019, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, "We are still awaiting a response from Willis so this is only one side."
"However, it could put Willis's combative testimony into sharp relief as she declared 'It's a lie. It's a lie' on the stand."
Turley was referring to new evidence, including an affidavit from a private investigator who analyzed Wade's cellphone location data, that Trump's lawyers asked McAfee to review in a supplemental brief filed on Friday.
The investigator said the data showed that in 2021, Wade arrived at Willis' home late at night twice and left in the early morning hours, once in September and the other in November.
Newsweek reached out to Willis' office, Trump's lawyer and Trump's campaign via email for comment.
Willis and Wade said that their relationship started in the spring of 2022 after Willis hired Wade.
"If the court believes that Willis and Wade lied on the stand, he could refer the matter for possible prosecution...by some other office."
"He could also consider a referral to the bar."
"Once again, the insistence on Willis and Wade that they remain in the case is troubling," Turley wrote in a follow-up X post.
In another post, he added: "There is clearly a growing appearance of impropriety and possible conflicts of interest."
"It is clear that the continuation in the matter is undermining not just the integrity of the case but that of their office."
"While many praised Willis for her combative testimony, it only magnified the concerns for many about the underlying personal motivations and interests in the hiring of Nathan Wade."
Turley told Newsweek via email on Saturday that Willis and Wade should "step aside" in Trump's Georgia case, adding that their "problems are escalating."
"The response of Willis and Wade is now eclipsing the original allegations."
"They have placed their personal interests before the case and the office."
"Most importantly, they have allowed those interests to transcend the public interest in the case."
"They should clearly step aside," he wrote.
"However, they are now alleging of false filings with the court and even perjury."
"The problems are escalating for both prosecutors."
Meanwhile, it's unclear if the Trump team's new filing will delay or alter McAfee's pending ruling.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 4285&ei=43
"Court Could Refer Fani Willis for Prosecution After New Evidence: Attorney"
Story by Rachel Dobkin
25 FEBRUARY 2024
Attorney and legal analyst Jonathan Turley warned on Friday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could get referred for prosecution by a Georgia court after new evidence was revealed.
Willis and Nathan Wade, the prosecutor she hired in 2021 to lead the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump, have been under fire for a personal relationship that ended in the summer of 2023.
Trump and 18 co-defendants have been accused of conspiring to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election win in Georgia.
The former president has plead not guilty to all charges and claims that the case is politically motivated as he is the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 election.
In an attempt to disqualify Willis and her team and get his charges dropped, Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer and one of the co-defendants in the case, brought forward allegations of a personal relationship between Willis and Wade in early January.
Roman has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the case, held a series of hearings last week to determine if Willis and her office will be disqualified from the case.
While on the witness stand, Willis was asked if Wade ever visited her home.
Willis then erupted, saying, "So let's be clear 'cause you lied in this" while holding up court documents.
"It is a lie!"
"It is a lie!"
Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School who testified during Bill Clinton's impeachment inquiry in 1998 and at an impeachment hearing for Trump in 2019, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, "We are still awaiting a response from Willis so this is only one side."
"However, it could put Willis's combative testimony into sharp relief as she declared 'It's a lie. It's a lie' on the stand."
Turley was referring to new evidence, including an affidavit from a private investigator who analyzed Wade's cellphone location data, that Trump's lawyers asked McAfee to review in a supplemental brief filed on Friday.
The investigator said the data showed that in 2021, Wade arrived at Willis' home late at night twice and left in the early morning hours, once in September and the other in November.
Newsweek reached out to Willis' office, Trump's lawyer and Trump's campaign via email for comment.
Willis and Wade said that their relationship started in the spring of 2022 after Willis hired Wade.
"If the court believes that Willis and Wade lied on the stand, he could refer the matter for possible prosecution...by some other office."
"He could also consider a referral to the bar."
"Once again, the insistence on Willis and Wade that they remain in the case is troubling," Turley wrote in a follow-up X post.
In another post, he added: "There is clearly a growing appearance of impropriety and possible conflicts of interest."
"It is clear that the continuation in the matter is undermining not just the integrity of the case but that of their office."
"While many praised Willis for her combative testimony, it only magnified the concerns for many about the underlying personal motivations and interests in the hiring of Nathan Wade."
Turley told Newsweek via email on Saturday that Willis and Wade should "step aside" in Trump's Georgia case, adding that their "problems are escalating."
"The response of Willis and Wade is now eclipsing the original allegations."
"They have placed their personal interests before the case and the office."
"Most importantly, they have allowed those interests to transcend the public interest in the case."
"They should clearly step aside," he wrote.
"However, they are now alleging of false filings with the court and even perjury."
"The problems are escalating for both prosecutors."
Meanwhile, it's unclear if the Trump team's new filing will delay or alter McAfee's pending ruling.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 4285&ei=43
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
State Of The Union
"Major investor abandons NYC over Trump verdict"
Story by Joseph Ellis
25 FEBRUARY 2024
Real estate investor Grant Cardone and other financial experts are reevaluating their investment strategies in New York following the outcome of former President Trump’s fraud trial.
Cardone expressed concerns about the risks outweighing the opportunities in New York real estate, leading his firm to halt underwriting in the city and focus on markets like Texas and Florida.
“We thought this year was the opportunity to come into Chicago, California and New York City."
"I’ve been waiting for 40 years now to invest in that marketplace."
"I was completely confident this was the year to come,” Cardone said.
“And when that ruling happened, it was like, pencils down."
"Don’t touch it."
"Don’t go there.”
The aftermath of the trial has raised financial uncertainties in New York, with potential implications for property values and loan defaults.
“We invest for 14,000 investors at Cardone Capital that depend on cash flow."
"And if I can’t predict the cash flow because of some ruling, or because of the migrants, or because I can’t evict people, New York City just keeps doing every single thing they can to sell real estate in Florida, not sell real estate in New York,” Cardone said.
“Loan proceeds are based on the value of the property."
"They’re going to require me to actually underwrite my property on the cash flow, the income of the property and what valuation I believe that property’s worth."
"The broker also put a valuation on it,” he added, “and then the bank is also going to use at least one other appraisal, maybe two, or independent of me.”
“There could be as many as five appraisals on that."
"The value that I’m going to put on the property."
"Keep in mind, when I’m buying something, I’m not thinking about selling it the next day."
"In the case of Trump, he’s not selling any of this stuff,” Cardone said.
“We want the property for the cash flow… every seller is always going to push the price value up based on the future, not based on fraud.”
Kevin O’Leary also echoed concerns about investing in New York post-trial, highlighting policy issues and high taxes.
Cardone warned of a business ripple effect, with a reluctance among investors to commit significant funds to New York in the near future.
“New York was already a loser state, like California is a loser state."
"There are many loser states because of policy, high taxes on competitive regulation,” O’Leary said.
“I would never invest in New York now."
"And I’m not the only person saying that.”
“We were going to put $1 billion in New York City this year."
"We were going to put $1 billion in Chicago and maybe another billion in Los Angeles."
"And we won’t touch any of them now,” he said.
“Texas, Florida, Arizona: go hard, go big and go long.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realest ... 4285&ei=73
"Major investor abandons NYC over Trump verdict"
Story by Joseph Ellis
25 FEBRUARY 2024
Real estate investor Grant Cardone and other financial experts are reevaluating their investment strategies in New York following the outcome of former President Trump’s fraud trial.
Cardone expressed concerns about the risks outweighing the opportunities in New York real estate, leading his firm to halt underwriting in the city and focus on markets like Texas and Florida.
“We thought this year was the opportunity to come into Chicago, California and New York City."
"I’ve been waiting for 40 years now to invest in that marketplace."
"I was completely confident this was the year to come,” Cardone said.
“And when that ruling happened, it was like, pencils down."
"Don’t touch it."
"Don’t go there.”
The aftermath of the trial has raised financial uncertainties in New York, with potential implications for property values and loan defaults.
“We invest for 14,000 investors at Cardone Capital that depend on cash flow."
"And if I can’t predict the cash flow because of some ruling, or because of the migrants, or because I can’t evict people, New York City just keeps doing every single thing they can to sell real estate in Florida, not sell real estate in New York,” Cardone said.
“Loan proceeds are based on the value of the property."
"They’re going to require me to actually underwrite my property on the cash flow, the income of the property and what valuation I believe that property’s worth."
"The broker also put a valuation on it,” he added, “and then the bank is also going to use at least one other appraisal, maybe two, or independent of me.”
“There could be as many as five appraisals on that."
"The value that I’m going to put on the property."
"Keep in mind, when I’m buying something, I’m not thinking about selling it the next day."
"In the case of Trump, he’s not selling any of this stuff,” Cardone said.
“We want the property for the cash flow… every seller is always going to push the price value up based on the future, not based on fraud.”
Kevin O’Leary also echoed concerns about investing in New York post-trial, highlighting policy issues and high taxes.
Cardone warned of a business ripple effect, with a reluctance among investors to commit significant funds to New York in the near future.
“New York was already a loser state, like California is a loser state."
"There are many loser states because of policy, high taxes on competitive regulation,” O’Leary said.
“I would never invest in New York now."
"And I’m not the only person saying that.”
“We were going to put $1 billion in New York City this year."
"We were going to put $1 billion in Chicago and maybe another billion in Los Angeles."
"And we won’t touch any of them now,” he said.
“Texas, Florida, Arizona: go hard, go big and go long.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realest ... 4285&ei=73
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
The Hill
"Opinion: Fumble in the Bronx: Democrats’ unlikely loss shows where Biden is bleeding"
Opinion by John William Schiffbauer, Opinion Contributor
26 FEBRUARY 2024
Joe Biden has a Bronx problem.
Last November, Republican Kristy Marmorato, an Italian Gen Xer, defeated incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velazquez, a Millennial of Puerto Rican descent, by just over three percentage points in a 69 percent majority-minority Bronx-based New York City Council district.
In this district, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans four to one.
Sure, it was an off-year redistricting election.
But according to recent battleground state polling from Siena College Research Institute, guess which demographics President Joe Biden is currently bleeding support from?
Hint: It ain’t elderly Caucasians.
Millennials and Hispanics have both started to sour on Biden for the same reasons Biden has been trailing his inevitable Republican opponent, Donald Trump, in nearly every public poll for the past few months: the perception of a flagging economy.
College-aged Gen Z still overwhelmingly trends Democratic, but they’re also the least likely to vote.
Older Millennials are now halfway to turning 50.
Younger Millennials have experienced the job market for going on a decade.
We are starting families and struggling to pay off debt or afford quality health care.
The cost of living has gone up significantly.
The average Millennial is buying his or her first home at age 36, between three to eight years later than members of previous generations did.
In that environment, Siena’s battleground state survey of 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada from October gave Trump a slight edge of 46 percent over Biden’s 45 percent with “likely” voters aged 30-44.
Trump led 47 to 43 percent among “registered” voters in that group.
Bear in mind, this is a group that Biden carried by six points in his narrow 2020 victory.
Meanwhile, Pew Research Center reports, “Latinos have grown at the second-fastest rate of any major racial and ethnic group in the U.S. electorate since the last presidential election."
"An estimated 36.2 million are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020."
"This represents 50 percent of the total growth in eligible voters during this time.”
And now, the leading Republican candidate for president is winning these voters over in droves.
Increasingly, Latino voters see the twice-impeached, twice-divorced, four-times-indicted Trump as morally upright, successful in business, and sharing their values.
USA Today-Suffolk University data released last month show Biden trailing his repeat rival among Hispanic voters, 39 percent to 34 percent nationally.
That is similar to Siena’s battleground state survey from last October, which measured Trump’s support at 40 percent.
The recent CBS/YouGov poll revealed Hispanic voter preference for Trump has inched up to an eye-popping 45 percent.
Although that leaves him trailing Biden overall among Hispanic voters, that tally surpasses even George W. Bush’s peak performance in 2004.
For the record, Trump won just 32 percent of Latino voters in 2020.
While polling results vary based on methodology and sample size, the underlying trends remain indisputable.
Despite the lowest unemployment in over fifty years; despite real GDP growth of 3.1 percent last year; despite last month’s Commerce Department report indicating that inflation is on the wane; and despite all signs pointing away from a possible future recession, Joe Biden is still overwhelmingly perceived as weak on handling the economy.
Never mind the 2017 Trump tax cuts that added over $8 trillion to the national debt.
Never mind Trump’s disastrous handling of a COVID-19 pandemic that cost over 22 million American jobs along with 350,000 American lives.
Never mind the 91 felony charges against Trump, or his role in encouraging rioters to storm the Capitol Building in January 2021 after he lost the election.
Never mind his disparagement of Mexicans eight years ago in his 2016 campaign launch.
If Democrats’ recent bloodletting in the Bronx hasn’t served as a wake-up call for Biden headquarters, I don’t know what will.
If they can’t turn things around and quick, they’ll soon find themselves handing over the reins of power to the most dangerous, unqualified individual ever to ever sit behind the Resolute Desk.
It’s not the economy.
It’s the messaging, stupid.
John William Schiffbauer is a political consultant and a former deputy communications director for the New York Republican State Committee.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-BB1iRzZM
"Opinion: Fumble in the Bronx: Democrats’ unlikely loss shows where Biden is bleeding"
Opinion by John William Schiffbauer, Opinion Contributor
26 FEBRUARY 2024
Joe Biden has a Bronx problem.
Last November, Republican Kristy Marmorato, an Italian Gen Xer, defeated incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velazquez, a Millennial of Puerto Rican descent, by just over three percentage points in a 69 percent majority-minority Bronx-based New York City Council district.
In this district, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans four to one.
Sure, it was an off-year redistricting election.
But according to recent battleground state polling from Siena College Research Institute, guess which demographics President Joe Biden is currently bleeding support from?
Hint: It ain’t elderly Caucasians.
Millennials and Hispanics have both started to sour on Biden for the same reasons Biden has been trailing his inevitable Republican opponent, Donald Trump, in nearly every public poll for the past few months: the perception of a flagging economy.
College-aged Gen Z still overwhelmingly trends Democratic, but they’re also the least likely to vote.
Older Millennials are now halfway to turning 50.
Younger Millennials have experienced the job market for going on a decade.
We are starting families and struggling to pay off debt or afford quality health care.
The cost of living has gone up significantly.
The average Millennial is buying his or her first home at age 36, between three to eight years later than members of previous generations did.
In that environment, Siena’s battleground state survey of 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada from October gave Trump a slight edge of 46 percent over Biden’s 45 percent with “likely” voters aged 30-44.
Trump led 47 to 43 percent among “registered” voters in that group.
Bear in mind, this is a group that Biden carried by six points in his narrow 2020 victory.
Meanwhile, Pew Research Center reports, “Latinos have grown at the second-fastest rate of any major racial and ethnic group in the U.S. electorate since the last presidential election."
"An estimated 36.2 million are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020."
"This represents 50 percent of the total growth in eligible voters during this time.”
And now, the leading Republican candidate for president is winning these voters over in droves.
Increasingly, Latino voters see the twice-impeached, twice-divorced, four-times-indicted Trump as morally upright, successful in business, and sharing their values.
USA Today-Suffolk University data released last month show Biden trailing his repeat rival among Hispanic voters, 39 percent to 34 percent nationally.
That is similar to Siena’s battleground state survey from last October, which measured Trump’s support at 40 percent.
The recent CBS/YouGov poll revealed Hispanic voter preference for Trump has inched up to an eye-popping 45 percent.
Although that leaves him trailing Biden overall among Hispanic voters, that tally surpasses even George W. Bush’s peak performance in 2004.
For the record, Trump won just 32 percent of Latino voters in 2020.
While polling results vary based on methodology and sample size, the underlying trends remain indisputable.
Despite the lowest unemployment in over fifty years; despite real GDP growth of 3.1 percent last year; despite last month’s Commerce Department report indicating that inflation is on the wane; and despite all signs pointing away from a possible future recession, Joe Biden is still overwhelmingly perceived as weak on handling the economy.
Never mind the 2017 Trump tax cuts that added over $8 trillion to the national debt.
Never mind Trump’s disastrous handling of a COVID-19 pandemic that cost over 22 million American jobs along with 350,000 American lives.
Never mind the 91 felony charges against Trump, or his role in encouraging rioters to storm the Capitol Building in January 2021 after he lost the election.
Never mind his disparagement of Mexicans eight years ago in his 2016 campaign launch.
If Democrats’ recent bloodletting in the Bronx hasn’t served as a wake-up call for Biden headquarters, I don’t know what will.
If they can’t turn things around and quick, they’ll soon find themselves handing over the reins of power to the most dangerous, unqualified individual ever to ever sit behind the Resolute Desk.
It’s not the economy.
It’s the messaging, stupid.
John William Schiffbauer is a political consultant and a former deputy communications director for the New York Republican State Committee.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-BB1iRzZM
Re: THE MAGA-MAN DONALD TRUMP
The Daily Mail
"Biden campaign says it's 'racist' to suggest migrant crime is rising after the murder of Laken Riley and slams Trump for his 'poisoning the blood of this country' claims ahead of president's Texas border trip"
* Biden campaign blasts Trump's attacks on migrant accused of killing Riley
* President Biden will be in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday to visit border
By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS
PUBLISHED: 05:01 EST, 29 February 2024 | UPDATED: 06:54 EST, 29 February 2024
President Joe Biden's campaign said it was 'racist' to suggest migrant crime is rising after the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and slammed Donald Trump for 'poisoning the blood of the country' with his rhetoric.
Illegal Venezuelan immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested for the murder of the 22-year-old nursing student.
Trump referred to him as a 'monster.'
The Biden campaign said, despite high-profile cases like Riley's, the suggestion of a 'migrant crime wave' doesn't bare out.
'This immigrant crime narrative is racist,' said Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California on a press briefing call Wednesday organized by Biden's re-election campaign.
'It's not true.'
'Donald Trump is out here saying that we're poisoning the blood of this country, and the facts actually don't bear that out.'
'Immigrants, by and large, are committing less crime.'
'So whenever this narrative comes forward, you know, it's just it's just an untrue narrative,' he added.
A recent Pew poll found that 57% of Americans say the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime.
Charis Kubrin, the co-author of Immigration and Crime: Taking Stock, told CNN that the statistics just don't bare out when it comes to tying more immigration to higher crime rates.
'The most common finding across all these different kinds of studies is that immigration to an area is either not associated with crime in that area, or is negatively associated with crime in that area,' he said.
'Meaning more immigration equals less crime.'
'It's rare to find studies that show crime following increases in immigration or with larger percentage of the population that are immigrants.'
The Biden campaign defended migrants ahead of Biden's second trip to the border on Thursday.
Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, on the same day Donald Trump will be in Eagle Pass, Texas.
The cities are about 300 miles apart and the two men are not expected to interact.
While there, Biden will 'meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, frontline personnel, and local leaders to discuss the urgent need to pass the Senate bipartisan border security agreement,' a White House official said.
The president will be joined by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Vincente Gonzalez, local elected officials, as well as personnel from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Biden will be briefed on border security operations and then he will make public remarks on the need for House Republicans to pass a bipartisan border package already approved by the Senate.
Conservatives argue the legislation is not strong enough to combat illegal immigration.
The bill included over $20 billion for border security that would add new Customs and Border Patrol agents, add more asylum officers to increase that process time, and add more immigration judges.
Democrats accuse the GOP of election year politics.
Trump, who is Biden's likely rival in the 2024 presidential election, has come out against the legislation.
The former president, while he is in Eagle Pass, will blast Biden on the record high number of illegal crossings and Riley's murder, the latest high-profile case involving a migrant.
Riley, a nursing student, was found dead by police last Thursday after she failed to return from her morning jog.
University of Georgia police found her near where she'd been jogging through the campus intramural fields with 'visible injuries.'
'Crooked Joe Biden's Border INVASION is destroying our country and killing our citizens!'
'The horrible murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley at the University of Georgia should have NEVER happened!'
'The monster who took her life illegally entered our Country in 2022…and then was released AGAIN by Radical Democrats in New York after injuring a CHILD!!,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
'When I am your President, we will immediately Seal the Border, Stop the Invasion, and on Day One, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American History!'
'May God Bless Laken Riley and her family!!!'
'Our prayers are with you!'
Riley was killed by 'blunt force trauma,' police confirmed.
The White House has expressed sympathy for her family but has indicated Biden has not contacted them.
'I do want to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Laken Riley,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.
'Given this is an active case, I'm going to be really careful about speaking to that case more specifically,' she added.
'I don't have anything regarding to the President's speaking to the family, but it is heartbreaking.'
'I can't even imagine what the family is going through.'
Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, concealing the death of another and failure to appear for a finger printable charge.
The 26-year-old crossed into El Paso, Texas in September 2022 but had been released from a detention center due to a lack of space.
His illegal status prompted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to publicly fault the Biden administration for its immigration policies.
Ibarra was arrested in 2022 after entering the US illegally and was 'paroled and released for further processing,' according to a statement from ICE.
He was also arrested last September by New York City police and charged with 'acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation,' but police released him 'before a detainer could be issued,' ICE said.
Cops said that he did not know the victim and the crime was a 'random, solo act.'
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a press conference Thursday that officers have searched Ibarra's apartment in Athens and evidence shows that he acted alone.
'He did not know her at all.'
'I think this is a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened,' Clark said.
'The evidence is robust.'
'It is supported by key input by the community, physical evidence and expert police work.'
'Importantly, we were assisted by video footage from our campus security cameras network.'
Since Biden took office in 2021, over 7.2 million migrants have entered the U.S. through the southern border.
That's more people than the population of 36 states.
Arizona, for example, had 7.1 million residents according to the 2020 census.
Trump has promised the ' largest deportation' in U.S. history of illegal immigrants if he becomes president again in 2024.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... crime.html
"Biden campaign says it's 'racist' to suggest migrant crime is rising after the murder of Laken Riley and slams Trump for his 'poisoning the blood of this country' claims ahead of president's Texas border trip"
* Biden campaign blasts Trump's attacks on migrant accused of killing Riley
* President Biden will be in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday to visit border
By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS
PUBLISHED: 05:01 EST, 29 February 2024 | UPDATED: 06:54 EST, 29 February 2024
President Joe Biden's campaign said it was 'racist' to suggest migrant crime is rising after the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and slammed Donald Trump for 'poisoning the blood of the country' with his rhetoric.
Illegal Venezuelan immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested for the murder of the 22-year-old nursing student.
Trump referred to him as a 'monster.'
The Biden campaign said, despite high-profile cases like Riley's, the suggestion of a 'migrant crime wave' doesn't bare out.
'This immigrant crime narrative is racist,' said Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California on a press briefing call Wednesday organized by Biden's re-election campaign.
'It's not true.'
'Donald Trump is out here saying that we're poisoning the blood of this country, and the facts actually don't bear that out.'
'Immigrants, by and large, are committing less crime.'
'So whenever this narrative comes forward, you know, it's just it's just an untrue narrative,' he added.
A recent Pew poll found that 57% of Americans say the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime.
Charis Kubrin, the co-author of Immigration and Crime: Taking Stock, told CNN that the statistics just don't bare out when it comes to tying more immigration to higher crime rates.
'The most common finding across all these different kinds of studies is that immigration to an area is either not associated with crime in that area, or is negatively associated with crime in that area,' he said.
'Meaning more immigration equals less crime.'
'It's rare to find studies that show crime following increases in immigration or with larger percentage of the population that are immigrants.'
The Biden campaign defended migrants ahead of Biden's second trip to the border on Thursday.
Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, on the same day Donald Trump will be in Eagle Pass, Texas.
The cities are about 300 miles apart and the two men are not expected to interact.
While there, Biden will 'meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, frontline personnel, and local leaders to discuss the urgent need to pass the Senate bipartisan border security agreement,' a White House official said.
The president will be joined by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Vincente Gonzalez, local elected officials, as well as personnel from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Biden will be briefed on border security operations and then he will make public remarks on the need for House Republicans to pass a bipartisan border package already approved by the Senate.
Conservatives argue the legislation is not strong enough to combat illegal immigration.
The bill included over $20 billion for border security that would add new Customs and Border Patrol agents, add more asylum officers to increase that process time, and add more immigration judges.
Democrats accuse the GOP of election year politics.
Trump, who is Biden's likely rival in the 2024 presidential election, has come out against the legislation.
The former president, while he is in Eagle Pass, will blast Biden on the record high number of illegal crossings and Riley's murder, the latest high-profile case involving a migrant.
Riley, a nursing student, was found dead by police last Thursday after she failed to return from her morning jog.
University of Georgia police found her near where she'd been jogging through the campus intramural fields with 'visible injuries.'
'Crooked Joe Biden's Border INVASION is destroying our country and killing our citizens!'
'The horrible murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley at the University of Georgia should have NEVER happened!'
'The monster who took her life illegally entered our Country in 2022…and then was released AGAIN by Radical Democrats in New York after injuring a CHILD!!,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
'When I am your President, we will immediately Seal the Border, Stop the Invasion, and on Day One, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American History!'
'May God Bless Laken Riley and her family!!!'
'Our prayers are with you!'
Riley was killed by 'blunt force trauma,' police confirmed.
The White House has expressed sympathy for her family but has indicated Biden has not contacted them.
'I do want to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Laken Riley,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.
'Given this is an active case, I'm going to be really careful about speaking to that case more specifically,' she added.
'I don't have anything regarding to the President's speaking to the family, but it is heartbreaking.'
'I can't even imagine what the family is going through.'
Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, concealing the death of another and failure to appear for a finger printable charge.
The 26-year-old crossed into El Paso, Texas in September 2022 but had been released from a detention center due to a lack of space.
His illegal status prompted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to publicly fault the Biden administration for its immigration policies.
Ibarra was arrested in 2022 after entering the US illegally and was 'paroled and released for further processing,' according to a statement from ICE.
He was also arrested last September by New York City police and charged with 'acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation,' but police released him 'before a detainer could be issued,' ICE said.
Cops said that he did not know the victim and the crime was a 'random, solo act.'
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a press conference Thursday that officers have searched Ibarra's apartment in Athens and evidence shows that he acted alone.
'He did not know her at all.'
'I think this is a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened,' Clark said.
'The evidence is robust.'
'It is supported by key input by the community, physical evidence and expert police work.'
'Importantly, we were assisted by video footage from our campus security cameras network.'
Since Biden took office in 2021, over 7.2 million migrants have entered the U.S. through the southern border.
That's more people than the population of 36 states.
Arizona, for example, had 7.1 million residents according to the 2020 census.
Trump has promised the ' largest deportation' in U.S. history of illegal immigrants if he becomes president again in 2024.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... crime.html