In professional wrestling, there’s a concept called “kayfabe.” It’s what describes the staged fights and beefs between different performers. These staged fights are the lifeblood of the genre.
Continue reading “Trump Addresses The RNC, With Pro-Wrestling Figures Amping Up The Crowd”Usual Cast Of Far-Right Extremists Goes Into Racist Tailspin Over JD Vance’s Wife
While most Trump fans have spent the week fawning over Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and his transformation from a never-Trump cable news star to a darling of the fever swamps, some denizens of the vilest corners of the right-wing internet have been criticizing the former president for his VP pick. Not because he isn’t anti-trans enough or anti-abortion enough, nor because he hasn’t done enough to display his undying fealty to Trump.
They don’t like his wife.
Continue reading “Usual Cast Of Far-Right Extremists Goes Into Racist Tailspin Over JD Vance’s Wife”150: We Need Your Help With This One
We’re on day two of this year’s TPM Journalism Fund drive. In our fifth year with the Fund we know there are key benchmarks we need to hit on certain days to be able to meet our goal. A really big one is hitting $150,000 by the end of today. We’re currently just over $130k $139k $147k. If you’re planning on contributing to the drive this year it would be great if you could make today the moment. Our new payment system makes it super easy. No more than a minute or two tops. Just take a few moments out from your browsing routine and click right here. We thank you.
A Couple More Thoughts On What Might Be Coming
This is a two-part post, with two related but very distinct topics.
It looks like there’s a really good chance we’re going to get a change at the top of the ticket. Big, unprecedented, historic development. This isn’t to advocate a point or change anyone’s mind. I simply think it’s important to say this so everyone understands it. We have a lot of assumptions about the November election, we have a lot of gut instincts, certainly, since the debate. But the only thing we have that is somewhat objective is polling data. I think a lot of people have this idea that Biden is dead in the water and basically can’t win and that is the backdrop for their thinking about changing candidates. That may be true. But by the data there’s really little to no evidence for that. Biden’s behind, but not by much. He’s the underdog, certainly. But the most decisive part of the election season hasn’t even happened yet. When Adam Schiff or some backbencher in the House says they’ve determined Biden has no path to the presidency or cannot win, that is their hunch and they have no more insight into the matter than you, a close follower of politics, does. That is a fact.
Continue reading “A Couple More Thoughts On What Might Be Coming”Making A Messiah: Allies Cast Trump As Divine Commander Following Assassination Attempt
Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump survived an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, Jack Posobiec, the far-right conspiracy theorist and MAGA rabble-rouser, tweeted a Bible verse. “The bullets were fired at 6:11pm,” Posobiec, who is Catholic, wrote. “Ephesians 6:11.” The Bible verse, which reads, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes,” is key to the spiritual warfare that Christian nationalists have made the centerpiece of Trumpian politics. They pit Trumpism against democracy in a cosmic showdown between the godly and the demonic, believing they are on a divine mission to save a debased America from the evil left, with Trump as God’s battle commander.
Continue reading “Making A Messiah: Allies Cast Trump As Divine Commander Following Assassination Attempt”Thank You, and We Need To Keep This Going
We’re off to a solid start to this year’s TPM Journalism Fund drive. We just hit $122,000 toward our goal of $500,000. We’ve got a ton of news today and I want to get back to that. So I’ll try to keep it brief. The drive is super important. It is. It’s a critical part of what keeps us going. If you value what we do and it’s important to you that we keep doing it please consider contributing today. The link is right here. If you want more information about why it’s important click here. It matters a lot and we really appreciate all those who’ve contributed over the first 24 hours.
Listen To This: Shot’s Fired
A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Kate and Josh discuss the Trump assassination attempt over the weekend, Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance and where things stand now on Joe Biden’s candidacy.
You can listen to the new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast here.
Forget Election Day: Trump Campaign Senior Adviser Says It’s Not Over ‘Til Inauguration Day
One of the top officials on former President Donald Trump’s campaign let slip during the Republican National Convention on Thursday that 2024 may bring another attempt by his side to contest the results. The result of a presidential election can be challenged and changed up until Inauguration Day, Trump campaign senior advisor Chris LaCivita suggested.
“It’s not over on Election Day. It’s over on Inauguration Day,” LaCivita told Politico’s Jonathan Martin during a Thursday interview at the RNC.
The statement came as Martin asked a question, saying, “One of the things that I’ve said is that, at this point, perhaps the Democrats can’t win the election any longer.”
LaCivita interrupted Martin.
“We don’t even think that way,” LaCivita said. “The way we’re structured, the way we are made … we grind every single day. I mean its not over until he puts his hand on the Bible and takes the oath. It’s not over til then. It’s not over on Election Day. It’s over on Inauguration Day. Cause I wouldn’t put anything past anybody.”
“What do you mean?” Martin asked.
“There is a well-documented report that talks about all of the efforts that the Democrats had in place in 2020 … about ways to prevent if Donald Trump had quote on quote won. So, like I said we plan for every worse case scenario. That way we are ready for it,” LaCivita said.
Listeners to the interview could be forgiven for hearing in LaCivita’s rhetoric echoes of the Stop The Steal movement, which culminated in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to convince then Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the election results on Jan. 6, 2021.
It could also be understood as an attempt to normalize the events that took place before and after the 2020 election, and to prepare the country for what might happen if Trump does not win in November.
Inside TPM: Kate Riga
For the second installment of Inside TPM, I spoke with Kate Riga, who, like many at TPM, wears many hats. As podcaster/Capitol Hill reporter/Supreme Court reporter/(possible author???), she is a true multihypenate. Kate talked about how TPM chooses the Supreme Court cases it covers and how she prepares for the unique challenges involved in covering Supreme Court oral arguments and decision days. She also gives some book recommendations and her take on the state of the WNBA (at 6-19, her Washington Mystics are struggling just as much as everyone else in DC these days).
Two other things real quick. First, if you missed the last episode with Josh Kovensky, check it out here. Also, if you haven’t seen, we launched our TPM Journalism Fund drive. Our goal is to get to $150k today. If you can contribute, we’d greatly appreciate it!
President Biden
I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about the current state of things with President Biden’s candidacy. See it more as comparing notes with you than reporting, per se.
Yesterday there was a frenzy when President Biden’s interview with BET was released and he said that he would leave the race if doctors told him he had some medical condition or illness that made it necessary. Was this planting the seed? Was this how it was going to happen? When it was reported a couple hours later that Biden had COVID, I thought to myself: Are we going full Aaron Sorkin here? Is this really happening? It was one of those few moments when I literally couldn’t figure out what was going on. Is this for real? Are we saying the interview was a cue up for the COVID? Does he really have COVID? Are the writers just pushing the bounds of realism?
But as I alluded to yesterday afternoon there are other things happening that are not cinematic. Random backbenchers telling Biden he should end his candidacy was never going to do it. As we’ve said from the beginning, the people who can deliver that message to the President are Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, perhaps Barack Obama, though that last one is a lot less clear to me. Starting yesterday it became clear that all three congressional leaders either had or were in the process of doing that. That matters, in ways that all the other stuff does not.
Continue reading “President Biden”