Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WIN, LOSE, OR BLAH
Even some of Donald Trump’s top allies are admitting he lost this week’s debate — which may be why he just refused to go another round.
- Disgraced former President Trump doesn’t just tell cock-eyed, bald-faced, wackadoo lies — he insists that his whole crew believe in them, or else risk excommunication from the church of MAGA. So it’s kind of a big deal when his own fanclub balks at embracing his latest hallucination. And that’s what many of them are doing this week, in one way or another. This time, Trump keeps insisting that he won the debate, in spite of evidence to the contrary from just about every poll available, which all show viewers think Vice President Kamala Harris walloped him. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), however, called it a “disaster.” MAGA climber Vivek Ramasamy groused: “Harris exceeded the very low expectations that were purposely set for her.” One House Republican told the Hill: “I’m just sad.” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is one of several Senate Republicans who urged Trump to accept a second debate as a do-over, saying: “I believe we missed a lot of opportunities.”
- Even roadkill enthusiast Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a guy Trump literally invited to the debate spin-room as a campaign surrogate — said independent support for the former president could drop after the debate because Trump “got distracted, and it’s unfortunate.” The admission is just the latest sign Trump may not get as much political oomph from RFK Jr.’s endorsement as he’d hoped, a Democratic strategist told What A Day. “He’s such a disaster of a surrogate,” the strategist said. “I feel like they’ll need to pull him, but also who do they have left?”
- Trump, meanwhile, is venting at those who dare to admit reality, including Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, who said Trump “decisively lost.” Trump ranted: “Neil Cavuto, Fox’s Lowest Rated Anchor, is one of the WORST on Television. I actually prefer the losers at CNN and MSDNC!” Trump’s reality-denial and ranting are signs of panic about the election, the Democratic strategist said: “He just doesn’t know how to handle not having momentum.” On Thursday afternoon, Trump announced he won’t participate in another debate.
- The vibes couldn’t be more different in the Harris campaign. To capitalize on the debate victory, Harris and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), her running mate, plan to do more media interviews ahead of the election and push a message about how their administration would benefit the economy — and Trump’s would trash it. If there is a second face-off against Trump in October, Harris will be ready for the KO, Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) told What A Day: “The excitement post-debate is palpable and the momentum continues to build,” said Crow, who was in the spin room for Harris after the debate. “Supporters and dozens of surrogates across the country will come together the next few days to share her vision and plan to bring our country forward.”
I asked one GOP senate aide whether Trump should debate again, and he shrugged. Instead, he pointed me toward a since-deleted tweet from business analyst Darren Rovell: “I feel bad for our country. But this is tremendous content.”
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- Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, talking about Donald Trump on CNN.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
Israel defended its deadly strike on a school compound in Gaza earlier this week, saying that the complex — where many people driven from their homes had taken shelter — was actually a safe haven for Hamas militants. Eighteen people were killed in the attack, including six United Nations workers. It’s the fifth time Israel has struck the compound since October, the U.N. said.
The city hall in Springfield, Ohio, was closed due to a bomb threat on Thursday, after Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans promoted racist conspiracy theories about Haitian migrants eating pets in the area. Spreading hateful bullshit has real-life consequences, people!
The commissioner of New York Police Department resigned on Thursday, one week after federal investigators seized his phone as part of a corruption probe into Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle. What a coincidence! Crooked’s new Empire City podcast dives deep into the dark origins of the NYPD, so you can learn all about how this chaos came to be.
New York’s highest court rejected Donald Trump’s appeal on Thursday to lift the gag order after he was convicted in the hush money trial. It was effectively Trump’s last chance at lifting the order, which prevents him from commenting on prosecutors and court staff until his November sentencing. Can we get a gag order that prevents him from ever talking again, about anything? Can someone look into that?
A judge in Georgia threw out three charges in the state’s election subversion case on Thursday, including two against Trump. Those include one count of conspiring to file false documents, related to the Trump campaign’s efforts to push fake GOP electors in Georgia. The other is one count of filing false documents, stemming from false statements about voter fraud included in Trump’s lawsuits to negate the election results.
The price of rent and utilities last year rose faster than home values for the first time in a decade, according to new data, a sign that the housing market has led to more people renting. That doesn’t mean rent is cheap: Last year, rent rose 3.8 percent compared with a 1.8 percent rise in median home values, adjusted for inflation. No wonder Gen Z (myself included) doesn’t plan to buy a house anytime soon! This market is hell!
Ex-media mogul Harvey Weinstein was indicted on additional sex crimes during a hearing in New York on Thursday. Details weren’t made public, but he could be arraigned on the charges as soon as September 18. The decision come ahead of a retrial in his #MeToo case slated to begin in November.
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