Republicans Privately Panicking About Trump’s Revenge Crusade
Republicans Privately Panicking About Trump’s Revenge Crusade
Trump’s focus on getting revenge against his perceived enemies is seriously worrying Republicans ahead of the midterms.
Republicans are realizing most Americans don’t like President Trump using the Justice Department to persecute those he believes have personally wronged him.
In the midst of a contentious midterm cycle, some on the right have politely suggested the man in the Oval Office focus on the issues that got him elected. But Trump isn’t one to take advice from others. On Tuesday, his administration announced it was filing charges against former FBI Director James Comey and an aide of longtime White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci.
With an unpopular Middle East war, deportations continuing to frighten residents, a poor job market, and high gas prices, Trump’s personal revenge tour is unsurprisingly unpopular. In a March CNN survey, two-thirds of Americans said the president hasn’t paid enough attention to the most important issues facing the country, a sharp increase from the 52 percent CNN reported a year prior.
“No Republican wants to run on ‘I stand with Donald Trump’s retribution tour,’” Barrett Marson, a conservative strategist, told The Washington Post.
Another GOP consultant, longtime Trump critic Whit Ayres, went even further. “[It’s] exactly the opposite of what most Americans would like to see the president and the Department of Justice focused on,” Ayres told the Post. “They’re worried about inflation and the economy, and many of them are worried about how the war in Iran will end.”
Even some Senate Republicans have pushed back against Trump’s allocation of resources. North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed skepticism that the DOJ’s case against Comey held water. The case is built on a photo Comey posted on Instagram last year, in which seashells on a beach are arranged to write out “86 47.” While “86” is a term originally used in the restaurant industry to get rid of or cancel a dish, the DOJ is arguing this constitutes a threat to Trump’s life.
“I’ve used ‘86’ a lot of times,” Tillis told the Post. “I’ve never said it with the intent of killing somebody.”
Tillis also said he would rather see U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle prosecute “drug [and] human traffickers” than go after Comey. “I want to make sure Mr. Boyle, when he gets confirmed, is focusing on that sort of stuff,” he said. “Somebody’s going to have to convince me that this rises to the level of that kind of bad.”
In the latest forecasts, Democrats are heavily favored to reclaim a House majority in November, though redistricting could throw a wrench in that. They have about a 50 percent chance to take the Senate, as well. Republicans need every policy win they can get from the White House, but an ailing Trump isn’t giving them much to work with.
New Poll Shows Massive Fracture in Trump’s MAGA Base
Donald Trump’s support continues to drop.
The number of President Donald Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters is dwindling, according to a recent poll.
Only 18 percent of Americans strongly approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 34 percent at the start of his second term, according to an Economist/YouGov poll published Tuesday.
The polls found that just 37 percent of Americans strongly or somewhat approved of Trump’s job handling, while a whopping 59 percent disapproved, matching Trump’s disapproval rating from the beginning of March, which was his highest ever during his second term. Trump’s net approval rating was -22 points, just above the previous low of -23 points at the end of March.
It’s not all that surprising that Trump is falling out of favor as his so-called “Golden Age” falls apart at the seams.
The president’s handling of the economy has left Americans with a historically poor view of the economy. A Gallup poll published Tuesday found that 55 percent of Americans said their finances were getting worse, up 53 percent from the year before and 47 percent from the year before that. While Americans are worried about paying their bills, Trump’s most urgent desire is to construct a gaudy ballroom adjacent to the White House—now using taxpayer dollars.
Gallup found that Americans are also the most concerned about energy prices that they’ve been since 2008, as Trump’s reckless war with Iran has brought global energy trade to a screeching halt. Trump’s extended military campaign in Iran has also proven to be a sticking point for Americans, increasingly so as it nears the 60-day mark.
Trump Threatens Iran With Gun-Toting AI Meme: “No More Mr. Nice Guy!”
The president is back to threatening Iran, as reports indicate officials are looking for a way out of the war.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, President Trump posted a wild threat to Iran on his Truth Social page.
“Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon! President DJT,” the post read, accompanied by a picture of Trump wearing a dark suit and tie, holding a military rifle and standing in front of several explosions on a hill with the text “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!🇺🇲” at the top.
What this means for negotiations or the ceasefire is anyone’s guess, but U.S. intelligence agencies are exploring how Iran would react if the president declared unilateral victory in the two-month war, Reuters reports. Senior administration officials have reportedly asked for the assessment, trying to figure out if it could help the president and his fellow Republicans in the midterms.
Polls indicate that the war is highly unpopular and could contribute to heavy losses in Congress for the GOP. No decision has been made on the “unilateral victory,” according to Reuters, but intelligence reports indicate Iran would consider it a win with no guarantee that it would help Trump and the GOP politically.
Is Trump attempting to look tough with this post, hoping to scare Iran into a deal that makes him look good, or is it a warning that he plans to escalate the conflict? In either case, Trump has backed himself into a corner with no good solutions.
Trump Secretly Admits to Team He’s Nowhere Close to an Iran Deal
Donald Trump is telling his aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
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