JUST ANOTHER PANIC PUN-DAY
Disgraced former President Trump is struggling to regain his footing in the presidential race as his opponent surges in the polls. Behind the scenes, his top advisers are reportedly “deeply rattled” by his erratic performance.
- Trump can’t seem to decide how to go after Vice President Kamala Harris these days. Instead, he’s throwing out random attacks, including some that are downright kooky. Over the weekend, he ludicrously claimed that images of a huge crowd greeting her airplane on the tarmac at the Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport were created by artificial intelligence. “There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it,” Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social, in a false claim that was quickly debunked.
- Trump is fuming over the fact that he has to run against Harris, rather than President Joe Biden. In private, Trump has repeatedly referred to Harris as a “bitch,” the New York Times reported, citing two unnamed sources. He’s also recycling some of his greatest conspiratorial hits, like “Stop the Steal,” and doubling down on his unfounded and widely criticized comments that Harris “became Black.” His erratic moves have his top advisors “deeply rattled,” Axios reported.
- On Monday, Trump resorted to his all-time favorite move in a crisis: tweeting through it. He returned to the platform known as X, formerly Twitter, ahead of an interview this evening with X owner and misinformer-in-chief, Elon Musk. (If you recall Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R-FL) hilariously botched campaign launch on X, you’ll know this is obviously a super excellent idea!…) Trump relaunched his X/Twitter account by posting a video centered on the FBI’s raid on his Mar-A-Lago estate. After all, why not post a helpful reminder to everyone that he is a convicted felon accused of stashing classified documents in his bathroom, instead of a campaign ad about, say, the border, or the economy? Not Trump! Secret bathroom docs, all the way!
It’s not hard to understand Trump’s angst, given Harris’ surging poll numbers and enthusiastic crowds.
- Harris has edged out Trump in the critical “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, winning 50 percent to 46 percent in each of the three states in one recent poll. She has also opened up a 6 percentage point lead in Nevada. The Cook Political report shifted, in addition to Nevada, Arizona and Georgia to “toss up” from “lean Republican.” Voters now say they trust Harris more than Trump on one his supposedly signature issues: the economy. The vice president is making inroads with Latino voters. And, notably, Harris’ favorability among voters 18 to 29 has increased by 16 percentage points since July, in one poll.
- Some observers see Trump’s untethered behavior as a clear sign that he’s feeling the heat. “When Donald Trump is at his most vulnerable, when he feels most threatened, he tells fans not to believe their own eyes and ears,” wrote journalist Brian Stelter in the Atlantic, about Trump’s AI crowd conspiracy theory. “Biden’s abrupt departure deeply unsettled Trump,” wrote Peter Wehner in the same magazine. “His entire campaign was built to defeat Biden. Trump survived an assassination attempt, then met a rapturous reception at the Republican National Convention, and concluded that the race was won. And it was, until Biden stepped aside and Harris stepped up.”
On the other hand, maybe Trump’s rocky campaign fortunes have nothing to do with his petulant vibe. Maybe he just heard it was “brat summer,” and he’s going there — his way.
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NEWS NEWS NEWS
The U.S. warned that Iran or its proxies could stage a “significant” attack on Israel this week in response to recent assassinations of top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. An Israeli intelligence assessment also indicated Iran is poised to strike Israel in the coming days, two unnamed sources told Axios.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III recently ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East to serve as a deterrent amid escalating tensions.
A top Ukrainian commander said his country’s forces now hold 1,000 square kilometers (383 square miles) of Russian territory, following a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region days ago. The Ukrainian offensive represents a startling reversal in a conflict that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The F.B.I. launched a probe back in June into alleged hacking attempts on both the Trump and Harris campaigns. Iran is suspected to be behind the efforts, the agency formally acknowledged on Monday. The hackers are said to have successfully compromised one individual: Roger Stone, the longtime Trump adviser and professional “ratfucker.” Nooo not Roger Stone. Anyone but him.
A spokesperson for the Republican ticket refused to deny the authenticity of what appears to be a picture of Sen. J.D. Vance dressed as a woman and wearing a blonde wig, when asked about it by the Daily Beast. Vance has sponsored federal legislation to restrict gender-affirming care for minors, and defended his use of the slur “groomer” against LGBTQ people and their allies.
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