Can Donald Trump meet raising expectations heading into the Iowa caucuses?

Can Donald Trump meet raising expectations heading into the Iowa caucuses?

Post By World donald trump, Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire caucuses, nikki haley, ron desantis, South Carolina caucuses, US elections 2024, us presidential elections 2024

When Donald Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign after a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, his trajectory was something of a mystery. However, seven days before Iowa’s kick-off caucuses, his standing among the GOP faithful is hardly in doubt.

Voters, campaign operatives and even some of the candidates on the ground overwhelmingly agree that the Republican former President is the prohibitive favourite heading into the January 15 caucuses — whether they like it or not.

“Everybody sees the writing on the wall,” said Angela Roemerman, a 56-year-old Republican from Solon, Iowa, as she waited for former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to arrive for a weekend rally at Field Day Brewing Co. in North Liberty. “It’s a little depressing,” Ms. Roemerman said, as her order of tortilla chips arrived, lamenting “all the drama” surrounding Mr. Trump. “We don’t need another four years. But Mr. Trump’s going to win.”

Just beneath all the perceived certainty about Mr. Trump’s victory, however, lies serious risks for the front-runner. He continues to fuel sky-high expectations, despite questions about the strength of his voter-turnout operation and stormy weather forecasts that could dissuade supporters from showing up.

Few believe such issues will lead to a straight-up loss next week in Iowa, but in the complicated world of presidential politics, a win is not always a win. Should Mr. Trump fail to meet expectations with a resounding victory in Iowa, he would enter New Hampshire and South Carolina much more vulnerable.

Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continue to pour millions of dollars into Iowa advertising as they cross the State, backed by well-funded allies with robust get-out-the-vote operations, in a relentless effort to narrow Mr. Trump’s margin of victory.

At the same time, Mr. Trump’s team privately acknowledges that it has cut back on its door-knocking, get-out-the-vote operation heading into the final week. They insist they can ensure his loyalists show up on caucus day more effectively by relying on rallies, phone calls and a peer-to-peer text message programme. That’s even as allies of DeSantis and Haley push ahead with traditional get-out-the-vote plans at voters’ doorways.

Momentum was building for Haley, says New Hampshire Governor

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who has endorsed Ms. Haley and spent the weekend campaigning with her across Iowa, conceded that “it will be tough” to beat Mr. Trump in the State.

“There’s obviously a strong implication Trump’s gonna likely win the Iowa caucus,” Sununu told The Associated Press, even as he insisted momentum was building for Ms. Haley that will show up more clearly in New Hampshire’s Jan. 23 first-in-the-nation primary. “In New Hampshire, she clearly has a chance to do something no one thought was possible, which was to beat Trump in an early state.”

Aware of the risks, the former President’s team is scrambling to lower expectations for Iowa. In recent days, Mr. Trump’s advisers have been quick to remind reporters — at least privately — that no Republican presidential candidate has won a contested Iowa caucus by more than 12 points since Bob Dole in 1988.

The Trump campaign sees Dole’s margin as the floor for Mr. Trump’s victory, a senior adviser told The Associated Press, requesting anonymity to share internal discussions. The adviser described the mood of the campaign as confident but not comfortable, acknowledging questions about the strength of rival organisations and, as always, the weather, which could affect turnout if there is snow or extreme cold.

Impact of cold weather

Heavy snowfall, blowing and drifting snow and dangerous travel conditions are expected on Monday and Tuesday of this week to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below 0 degrees (-17 degrees Celcius) by caucus day.

The weather has already forced the Trump campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who had been scheduled to court Iowa voters on Mr. Trump’s behalf Monday.

Ever defiant, Mr. Trump projected confidence as he raced across the state for a series of “commit to caucus” rallies over the weekend before returning to his Florida estate. He’s scheduled to return to Iowa on Wednesday for a Fox News town hall.

At every stop over the weekend, he talked about his dominant standing in the polls. He’s also frequently invoked claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him by voter fraud, a claim refuted by the courts and his own administration but one that fuelled a attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Still, weather is the more immediate concern heading into the final full week of campaigning in Iowa.

Mr. Trump told an audience of more than 2,000 in Clinton on Jan. 6 night that his aides told him he shouldn’t worry about cold weather, although his opponents probably should. “The other side will never vote, because they don’t have any enthusiasm,” Mr. Trump said. Stoking the crowd, he added, “We won’t lose one vote, because our people, they’re going to walk on glass.”

That’s not to say there’s no risk. “The biggest risk is you say, you know, ‘We’re winning by so much, darling, let’s stay home and watch television,’” he said the night before in Mason City. “And if enough people do that, it’s not going to be pretty.”

Trump leads, according to poll

Indeed, Mr. Trump has a loyal base of support but he’s also targeting a significant number of first-time caucus participants who don’t necessarily know where to go next Monday or how the complicated caucus process works. The events feature a series of speeches and votes that can span multiple hours, and in many cases, they’re not held at regular polling locations.

A Des Moines Register poll conducted in December found that 63% of likely first-time Republican caucus participants say Mr. Trump is their first choice. One of the first-time participants may be William Caspers, a 37-year-old farmer from Rockwell, Iowa. He said he had never attended a political event of any kind before Mr. Trump’s Mason City event on Jan. 5.

Trump’s campaign machinery

While he’s supporting Mr. Trump “100%” in 2024, he said he was only “pretty sure” he would caucus for him. “Where is it going to be? Where do I go? I’m kind of confused about that,” Mr. Caspers said. He noted that he was in the bathroom when a caucus explainer video played on the big screen at the front of the event hall. Several hundred other voters were still in line outline during the video. “So, the caucus is this Monday?” he asked an AP reporter, who clarified that it was Jan. 15.

Not far away, Jackie Garlock, of nearby Clear Lake, was wearing a white hat indicating her status as one of Mr. Trump’s “caucus captains.” The campaign has promoted its efforts to recruit and train hundreds of such captains, who will represent the campaign within a given precinct on Monday night.

Ms. Garlock said she only briefly attended one virtual training on Zoom, which she described as largely a pep rally. She also said that she’s not particularly good or experienced at political organising. But she’s not worried. “I have a lot of confidence,” she said of Mr. Trump’s chances next week as she scanned the crowded North Iowa Events Center. “I just look at the number of people who are here and I think, how can they all be wrong?”

Big money spent on attack advertisements

Meanwhile, Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis are spending money to attack each other on Iowa television, although Ms. Haley has had a decided spending advantage in the caucus’ final days. Overall, Ms. Haley and her allies are on pace to spend more than $15 million in Iowa television advertising this month alone; while DeSantis’ team is spending less than $5 million, according to an AP analysis of data from the media tracking firm AdImpact.

Virtually none of their attack advertisements are directed at Mr. Trump. That’s even as Ms. Haley’s primary super PAC is running multiple ads describing DeSantis as “a dumpster fire,” and one of Mr. DeSantis’ evolving group of super PACs recently launched an ad campaign calling Ms. Haley “Tricky Nikki.”

Mr. Trump and his allies are spending nearly $10 million this month in Iowa. And he’s shifted some of his attacks away from Mr. DeSantis and toward Ms. Haley. But he’s also investing in ads targeting Democratic President Joe Biden, his likely general election opponent.

Of all the candidates on the ground in Iowa this week, only DeSantis is predicting an outright victory over Mr. Trump. He moved his entire campaign leadership to the state in recent months and visited each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

“You’re going to see an earthquake on Jan. 15,” DeSantis told dozens of supporters at a downtown bar in Dubuque.

Source link

#Donald #Trump #meet #raising #expectations #heading #Iowa #caucuses

Checks & Imbalances: Why Cornel West Is Broke

Post By World Boy Scouts, Charles Koch, Checks & Imbalances, Cornel West, David Boies, joe manchin, Margarita Wilkinson, nikki haley, Trump International Hotel Washington D.C., weed

Today we take a close look at Cornel West, uncovering surprising allegations that help explain why the presidential candidate, who has earned millions of dollars over the years, has hardly anything left.

Why Cornel West Is Broke

ornel West has been a fixture of American society for more than three decades, publishing books, teaching at Ivy League institutions, commenting on cable news, collaborating on music with Prince—even popping up in sequels to the Matrix. Ubiquity provided liquidity, with West earning an estimated $15 million or so over the last 30 years. But oddly, as he mounts an independent run for president, his net worth resembles that of a first-year adjunct professor. “I live paycheck to paycheck,” says West.

A review of federal filings and property records confirms that West’s net worth is near zero. Other outlets have previously reported on his troubles paying taxes over the years. But no one so far has explained how someone so successful became so broke. With West in position to affect who becomes America’s next president, Forbes set out to answer that question, digging into heaps of legal and tax documents filed in various jurisdictions over six decades. Turns out much of the damage was self-inflicted.

West burst onto the national scene in the 1990s with Race Matters, a compilation of essays that sold more than 500,000 copies. He traveled the country to deliver speeches, hauling in more than $500,000 a year. Much of the money flowed to him with no taxes deducted. West blew it—on many things, especially women—leaving little left for Uncle Sam by the time tax season arrived. The liens piled up: $144,000 in 1998, $105,000 in 2000, $205,000 in 2001 and so on. “Almost like a reptile biting its tail,” he says now.

West lived in a Four Seasons condo in Boston, which he later admitted he could not afford, and rode around in a Mercedes or Cadillac. One of his four ex-wives accused West of maintaining a covert apartment in Boston for $5,000 a month to use as a love den. She also alleged that, despite not having any health conditions, he later took a medical leave from his job at Harvard to live a “secret life” with another woman in New Mexico.

From The News Desk

Charles Koch-Backed Super PAC Endorses Nikki Haley For President

Americans for Prosperity Action, the super PAC backed by billionaire Charles Koch, endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president Tuesday, adding to the growing list of influential anti-Trump Republicans rallying around her, reports Sara Dorn.

The group announced the endorsement Tuesday in a tweet that said Haley “represents a new generation of conservative leaders who will solve the tough problems and lead our country forward.”

In a memo to supporters, AFP Action said it believes Haley has the best chance at defeating former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary and President Joe Biden in the general election, while lamenting the “downward spiral” of American politics.

Can David Boies Legalize Weed?

The man who says he will legalize cannabis in America is sitting in his Manhattan corner office on the 20th floor of 55 Hudson Yards, staring at the river below. A wine refrigerator hums in the background and a two-foot-tall bronze statue of a Boy Scout, hat in hand, peeks over his shoulder, reports Will Yakowicz.

“We represented a few gay Boy Scouts—the Boy Scouts is a private organization and they continued to exclude gays from leadership positions,” says David Boies, chairman and managing partner of Boies Schiller Flexner, and one of the country’s most fearsome litigators. “We challenged that under both federal and state law and forced them to change. A couple years afterwards, the Boy Scouts gave me the Franklin Roosevelt Award.”

Self-Funded Candidate For Congress Blows Through Financial Disclosure Filing Deadline

A largely self-funded Republican running for Congress in California has missed a deadline to disclose exactly where her money is coming from. Margarita Wilkinson, the general manager of Univision San Diego, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Aug. 15 to run for the House.

By The Numbers

0

The number of times a government ethics official appeared to consider that the venue was a hotel owned by the president when OK’ing HUD Sec. Ben Carson’s request to accept an invite to Kuwait’s national day celebration at the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. in 2019, according to documents released pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.

$5,895

The amount the campaign for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) disgorged to the U.S. Treasury in September. “The committee disgorged funds for stale or uncleared checks, such as contribution refunds for donors who contributed over limits but never cashed their refund checks,” explained a campaign spokesperson.

$7 billion

The estimated net worth of Terry Gou, the billionaire Foxconn founder, who dropped out of Taiwan’s 2024 presidential race last week.

Road To 2024

Jennifer Franks, chair of The Draft Romney Manchin Committee, joins “Forbes Newsroom” to discuss her committee’s goal of forging a 2024 unity ticket with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

Tracking Trump

Trump’s Social Media Firm Has Lost $31.6 Million Since Its Inception, Filing Shows

The parent company of former President Donald Trump’s social media site, Truth Social, has lost $31.6 million since its inception in 2021, according to a regulatory filing that raises concern about the platform’s financial condition and its ability to continue operations.

Correction: The article, which originally published on Nov. 14, has been corrected to show Truth Social lost $31.6 million since its inception, and had a net profit of $50.5 million in 2022.

Trump Golf Course Keeps Current On Payments For $400,000 Fine After Customer’s Fatal Car Crash

One of Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf courses continues to adhere to its payment schedule for a $400,000 fine it incurred after not contesting charges in 2021 that it violated alcoholic-beverage control laws in connection with a fatal car crash.

After leaving Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck on Aug. 30, 2015, a customer drove his Mini Cooper over a curb, causing it to flip and roll, the Asbury Park Press reported. The accident killed the car’s only other passenger. Police reported that the driver’s blood alcohol content at the time was over the legal limit of .08. In January 2018, the driver pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and was sentenced to three years of probation, 100 hours of community service and ordered to undergo substance-abuse counseling.

Quiz

How much did Cornel West pay in monthly rent in 1999 to maintain an apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts to conduct extramarital affairs, according to a court filing from an ex-wife?

a. $250

b. $1,500

c. $2,500

d. $5,000

Check if you got it right here.

Source link

#Checks #Imbalances #Cornel #West #Broke

Donald Trump’s Republican rivals vow to back Israel, argue over China and Ukraine at 3rd debate

Post By World 2024 us elections, 3rd debate, donald trump, gop debate, nikki haley, Republican Debate, US presidential elections, Vivek Ramaswamy

In their first debate since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Republican presidential candidates all declared support for Israel but squabbled over China and Ukraine as they faced growing pressure to try to catch Donald Trump, who was again absent.

Sparring over several issues were Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who has appeared competitive with Mr. DeSantis’ distant second-place position in some national polls. Much of the debate focused on policy — especially foreign policy issues — rather than Mr. Trump and his record.

Ms. Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, declared she would end trade relations with China “until they stop murdering Americans from fentanyl — something Ron has yet to say that he’s going to do.” In return, the Florida governor said Ms. Haley “welcomed” Chinese investment to her state, referencing a land deal with a Chinese manufacturer while she led South Carolina.

All five candidates face growing urgency, with the leadoff Iowa caucuses just a little more than two months away, to cut into Mr. Trump’s huge margins in the 2024 primary and establish themselves as a clear alternative. But it’s not clear many Republican primary voters want a Trump alternative. And given his dominance in early state and national polls, Mr. Trump again skipped the debate to deprive his rivals of attention.

On beating Trump

Mr. Trump was the subject of the debate’s first question, when moderators asked each candidate to explain why they were the right person to beat him.

Mr. DeSantis said, “He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance.” He suggested Mr. Trump had lost a step since winning the White House in 2016, saying he failed to follow through on his “America First” policies.

Ms. Haley, who is pulling some voter and donor curiosity from Mr. DeSantis, said Mr. Trump “used to be right” on supporting Ukraine but “now he’s getting weak in the knees.”

But the conversation moved on to policy issues with relatively few head-to-head confrontations. The moderators often declined to call on candidates who were mentioned by others onstage, as is normally the custom.

The DeSantis and Haley campaigns for months have attacked each other on China, long a topic of scorn in GOP primaries. Their allied super PACs have run ads in early primary states alleging the other side is soft on Beijing.

Ms. Haley also accused Mr. DeSantis of being a “liberal” on the environment for opposing the extraction of fossil fuels off Florida’s coast — a process known as fracking — and dared him to “just own it.”

“We are absolutely going to frack, but I disagree with Nikki Haley. I don’t think it’s a good idea to drill in the Florida Everglades and I know most Floridians agree with me,” he responded.

Abortion rights

Abortion was also a topic of the debate after Democrats and abortion rights supporters won several statewide races in Tuesday’s elections.

Mr. DeSantis, who signed a six-week abortion ban in Florida, said anti-abortion activists were “flat-footed” in mobilising and noted that people who voted for the measures included Republicans who have previously supported GOP candidates.

Ms. Haley, long credited by anti-abortion group leaders for how she talks about the issue, called abortion “a personal issue for every woman and every man” and said she doesn’t “judge anyone for being pro-choice.”

She said Republicans need to acknowledge they don’t have the votes in Congress to pass a national abortion ban but should instead work to find some consensus to “ban late-term abortions,” make contraception available and ensure that states don’t pass laws that punish women for getting abortions.

Ramaswamy chimes in

Also appearing onstage Wednesday were South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Mr. Scott frequently referenced the Bible and appealed to the Christian faith of many Republican primary voters, echoing his campaign themes and his singular focus on Iowa, where white evangelical voters are an influential bloc.

Mr. Christie defended U.S. support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion, saying that for the U.S.: “This is not a choice. This is the price we pay for being the leaders of the free world.”

Mr. Ramaswamy tried several times to push his way into the centre of the debate. Having long styled himself as someone willing to challenge his rivals, Mr. Ramaswamy repeatedly went after other candidates, notably Ms. Haley, who tussled with him in the first two debates.

Ms. Haley seemed to ignore his first barbs, but snapped during a discussion about the social media app TikTok, which many Republicans want banned in the U.S. due to its parent company’s ties to China.

Mr. Ramaswamy accused Haley’s daughter of having had her own TikTok account until recently. Responded Mr. Haley, “Leave my daughter out of your voice!” She then told him, “You’re just scum.”

Backing Israel

All the candidates said they were staunchly behind Israel as it mounts an offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attack that killed more than 1,400 people. The candidates did not discuss humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza as the number of Palestinians killed in the war passed 10,500, including more than 4,300 children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.

Several also said they would pressure college campuses to crack down on antisemitism.

Mr. Trump has retained huge leads despite his efforts to try to overturn his 2020 election loss, his embrace of those jailed for storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his four criminal indictments and a civil fraud case against his businesses, for which he testified in New York this week.

His campaign has worked to overpower Mr. DeSantis in their shared home state and publicly said it wants to score blowout wins in early primary states to seal the nomination.

Mr. Trump held a rally for several thousand people at a stadium in the Cuban American hub of Hialeah that his campaign designed to demonstrate his strength with Latino voters. He was endorsed by his former White House press secretary, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Also speaking at the rally were comedian Roseanne Barr and mixed martial arts fighter Jorge Masvidal.

Mr. Trump claimed no one was watching the debate and said holding a rally was much harder than going on a debate stage.

One attendee, Paul Rodriguez, said: “I go to all Trump events. I hope common sense returns to America. Donald Trump speaks for us, while Democrats do it for corporations and other countries.”

Senior Trump adviser Chris LaCivita issued a statement at the end of the debate calling it a “complete waste of time and money.”

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told reporters after the debate that she’s discussed the upcoming debates with Trump but doesn’t expect him to join.

“I don’t think he’s going to get on the debate stage. He’s made that clear,” she said. “He feels as a former president, he shouldn’t have to be on the debate stage, that he’s going to earn the nomination a different way. We’re going to let the process play out and whoever wins the nomination, we’re all going to get behind.”

Source link

#Donald #Trumps #Republican #rivals #vow #Israel #argue #China #Ukraine #3rd #debate

Indian-American presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy pitches for stronger U.S.-India relationship

Post By World foreign policy, Indian-American presidential candidate, Indian-American Republican presidential candidate, nikki haley, Republican presidential candidate, US India relations, US presidential elections, Vivek Ramaswamy

Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has called for stronger relationships with India, South Korea and Japan to reduce U.S.’ economic dependence on China and Taiwan.

Mr. Ramaswamy, 38, whose poll numbers have surged following the maiden Republican presidential primary debate last week, spelt out his plans and foreign policy views on August 29.

He attacked another Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who had slammed him for his inexperience on foreign policy issues.

“We will enter a stronger partnership with India that involves an Indian commitment to close the Malacca Strait in the event of a near-term conflict with Taiwan, and enter stronger partnerships with other allies including South Korea and Japan to reduce our economic dependence on China and Taiwan,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.

The entrepreneur-turned-politician said he favours strategic clarity and advocated that the U.S. must defend Taiwan vigorously until America achieves semiconductor independence, then resume the posture of strategic ambiguity when the stakes are lower for the U.S..

“The American way of life depends on leading-edge semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan, and we can’t risk China gaining near-total leverage over the entire U.S. economy,” he said.

“By saying that we will defend Taiwan, the U.S. can strongly deter China from blockading or invading the island in the near term. Meantime, Taiwan should more than double its own military expenditures to a more rational level of 4% to 5% of its gross domestic product,” he said.

He said the U.S. should rapidly arm and train Taiwan with Anti-Access/Area Denial weapons while running at least one Destroyer warship through the Taiwan Strait each week.

The U.S. should also fortify its own homeland defence, which is at present dangerously vulnerable to major conflicts with China, he said, adding this includes improving nuclear, super electromagnetic pulse, cyber and space defence capabilities.

His campaign said that Mr. Ramaswamy is the only U.S. Presidential candidate to date who has clearly stated that the U.S. will defend Taiwan.

“I am the only Presidential candidate willing to state what is necessary: we will defend Taiwan. The U.S. currently doesn’t even recognise Taiwan as a nation. Democrats and Republicans both unquestioningly endorse the ‘one China’ policy and embrace “strategic ambiguity” toward the island,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.

Hitting out at Ms. Haley, Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign in a statement said that in a desperate attempt to raise funds for her languishing establishment campaign, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. was intentionally lying about Mr. Ramaswamy.

Ms. Haley has blasted Mr. Ramaswamy for not backing U.S. allies.

According to his campaign, Ms. Haley flatly lied on Fox News that “Mr. Ramaswamy said he would abandon Israel, those were his words” and that “he wants to go and stop funding Israel”. “This is false,” his campaign asserted in a late-night statement.

“We challenge the failing Ms. Haley campaign and any media outlet to find a single instance where Ramaswamy utters that he would not support Israel. They will not – because Ramaswamy never said it. Instead, they continue to recycle blatantly false headlines that they manufactured,” the statement said.

Mr. Ramaswamy said that if Israel ever gets to the point that it no longer needs U.S. financial support, that would be a mark of achievement – but that the U.S. will never cut off aid to Israel until Israel says they are ready for it, his campaign said.

It all started about a week ago when Ms. Haley at the debate stage accused Mr. Ramaswamy of not having any foreign policy experience.

Since then the Ohio-based Indian-American has been attacked both by the media and his political opponents for his inexperience on foreign policy.

On Tuesday, Mr. Ramaswamy used the ‘Namrata Randhawa’ name of Nikki Ms. Haley on his website.

“I’m not going to get involved in these childish name games. It’s pretty pathetic. First of all, I was born with Nikki on my birth certificate. I was raised as Nikki. I married a Ms. Haley. And so that is what my name is.

“So he can say or misspell or do whatever he wants, but he can’t step away from the fact that, he’s the one that said he was going to abandon Israel,” Ms. Haley told Fox News in response.

“Those were his words. Now he’s wanting to walk it back. And the reality is, you have to understand the importance of our allies and those relationships. We can never be so narcissistic to think that we don’t need friends,” she said.

It is not that Israel needs America. America needs Israel too, Ms. Haley said.

“Israel faces genocidal threats from Hamas, from Hezbollah, from Iran, from Syria. You need a president that understands that that understands that Israel is the front line of defence when it comes to us dealing with Islamic terrorism in Iran,” she claimed.

“And he just doesn’t get it. So, look, I mean, I think you can tell a lot about the kind of leader someone will be based on how they run their campaign. And he’s doing that all on his own,” Ms. Haley said.

Later in the night, Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign issued a statement against Ms. Haley.

“We wish Ambassador Haley and her family well in their future careers in the private sector, noting that they rapidly generated an impressive fortune as military contractors following her short-lived stint as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” the campaign said.

Mr. Ramaswamy said the U.S. relationship with Israel is a model example of how international relationships should work.

Israel spends a greater percentage of its own GDP on defence than any major nation. 70% of the aid the U.S. provides to Israel must be spent in the U.S., and by 2028 the mandate is 100%. This is consistent with ‘America-First’ foreign policy objectives, he said.

“By the end of my first term, our relationship with Israel will be stronger than it has ever been. I will consummate Abraham Accords 2.0 by the end of 2025, adding Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Indonesia to the pact. We will work with Israel to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon that advances U.S. interests,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.

“I won’t end our aid to Israel until the day when Israel tells the U.S. they are ready for it. That’s what true friends do: they speak honestly and openly to one another. I will speak to Bibi and invite him to the White House, something that President Biden is shamefully frightened to do,” he said.

Source link

#IndianAmerican #presidential #aspirant #Vivek #Ramaswamy #pitches #stronger #USIndia #relationship

Here’s How Much 2024 Presidential Candidate Tim Scott Is Worth

Post By World 2024, American Dream, Candidate cash, donald trump, nikki haley, Presidential race, Republican, Senate, south carolina, Tim Scott

Tim Scott’s real estate empire is a speck compared to Donald Trump’s. Given where the South Carolina senator started, that’s still pretty impressive.

Unlike some of his competitors for the presidency, Tim Scott inherited neither a great fortune nor a prominent last name. Instead, he grew up in poverty. Nonetheless, the senator managed to start his own business, build a small real estate portfolio, win elections and become a millionaire—proving that the American Dream is still possible, even for a poor, Black kid from South Carolina.

Scott got his big break in 2010, when he won election to the U.S. House—guaranteeing him a $174,000 annual salary, nearly triple the $60,000 he had paid himself as the owner of an insurance business. He took office in January 2011 and sold his firm for more than $500,000 three months later. Before long, he started writing books, including two alongside former South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, and eventually earned more than $700,000 as an author between 2017 and 2022.

What has Scott done with his money? Worth just over a million dollars today, he completely or partially owns at least five properties: one in D.C. and four in the Palmetto State. That real estate portfolio accounts for the majority of his net worth. He also holds a federal pension that’s worth an estimated $265,000 after 12 years on Capitol Hill. Rounding out his portfolio: a collection of equity holdings, including shares in blue-chip names like Apple, Boeing, Coca-Cola and Target.

It’s a far cry from where he started. Growing up just north of Charleston, South Carolina as the grandson of a cotton picker and son of a single mother, Scott worked at a movie theater and dreamed of becoming a professional football player. But politics also intrigued him, starting with a run for student council in eighth grade and continuing through high school. He was eventually elected student government president, overcoming a more accomplished opponent and what he refers to as his own “impressively prominent” buck teeth.

After graduating, Scott worked 70 hours a week at the movie theater, got braces to fix his front teeth and went off to college, where, thanks to a group called the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, “Jesus became everything” to him. His religiosity still shows up today when he delivers scripture-quoting speeches—or even utters his campaign slogan, “Faith in America.” Scott earned a political science degree from Charleston Southern University in 1988.

He started working as a salesman in college and continued after he got his degree, selling increasingly valuable products over time—vacuums, then men’s clothing, then insurance policies. In 1999, at 34 years old, he opened his own Allstate franchise. Shaking off a first week with zero sales, his agency eventually won a Rookie Agency of the Year award for South Carolina. His secret: promising customers a quote within an hour of receiving their request.

Real Estate Riches

After growing up in poverty, Tim Scott acquired his childhood home, in addition to at least four other properties. His mini empire now accounts for the bulk of his million-dollar fortune.

Around this time, he also began selling voters on his ideas. He was first elected to the Charleston County Council in 1995—the first Black Republican elected to any office in South Carolina since Reconstruction. He joined the GOP, he says, because the local Democratic Party told him to “wait my turn and go to the back of the line.”

In the 2000s, Scott began dabbling in South Carolina real estate. Alongside Michael Sally, a realtor who now serves on Hanahan, South Carolina’s city council, he bought two rental properties in 2005, one in Goose Creek and the other in Summerville, for a combined $250,000. The pair barely broke even on the latter, which they sold in 2008, but the Goose Creek house is worth an estimated $270,000 today, more than twice as much as it initially cost, and there is only an estimated $40,000 of debt remaining on the mortgage.

Scott’s political career blossomed just a few years later. He chaired the Charleston County Council in 2007 and 2008, then served two years in the South Carolina House from 2009 to 2011, before making the jump to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2013, he was appointed to a vacant Senate seat by none other than Nikki Haley, then South Carolina’s governor and now a presidential candidate competing against Scott. In just four years, he’d gone from his county council to the U.S. Senate.

Scott and Haley, two rising stars currently battling for the Republican presidential nomination, are pictured here at a 2012 press conference where Scott’s appointment to the Senate was announced.

(AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

Scott, who is not married, ditched his insurance company, freeing him up to focus on his new job—and, eventually, a string of real estate deals. In 2013, he upgraded his personal residence from a 2,300 square foot North Charleston home to a 3,000 square foot Hanahan home, selling the former to longtime aide Joe McKeown. Then in 2017, he upgraded again, paying half a million dollars for 3,400 square feet less than a mile away. Smart move. That home is now worth an estimated $800,000, before subtracting the estimated $440,000 left on the mortgage.

In 2017, Scott also bought a one-bedroom apartment, which he shares with McKeown, just a short walk from the Capitol for $325,000. It still has an estimated $230,000 of debt on it and is worth around $360,000 today. And in 2018, Scott acquired two more rental properties in South Carolina. One he bought with Michael Sally, the realtor and city councilor. The other was his childhood home. Together, the two homes are worth over $400,000 and have an estimated $85,000 of debt on them.

In the last two years, Scott has slowed down his buying spree, instead opting to invest some of his cash in stocks and mutual funds. Some of his investments are in the sorts of companies you might expect a Republican to support, like Palantir Technologies, cofounded by GOP billionaire donor Peter Thiel; and Tesla, the car giant helmed by Elon Musk.

But his most useful asset as a presidential candidate may be his own story, a rags-to-riches tale Scott loves to share with voters. “I am honored to have our stories woven together into the greater story of America,” he wrote in his 2022 memoir. “Though our lives are but a single thread, together we will weave a beautiful tapestry. And I, for one, plan to make my story count!”

MORE FROM FORBES

Source link

#Heres #Presidential #Candidate #Tim #Scott #Worth

Donald Trump Support Slipping After Indictment, But MAGAs Still Love Their Saviour

Post By Politics 2024 presidential election, 2024 presidential election polls, cnn-ssrs poll, donald trump, favorability ratings, mike pence, nikki haley, poll porn, polling, polls, republican bubble, ron desantis, Tim Scott, trump favorability rating, trump indictment

A new poll from CNN and polling firm SSRS suggests that support for Donald Trump may be “softening” a little bit following his indictment and arrest on federal charges of mishandling top-secret documents, but that he remains the top choice for Republican primary voters, who have repeatedly shown their willingness to overlook a little light treason.

CNN says that while Trump is still leading the rest of the Republican primary field “by a large margin,”

the poll suggests that his support has declined, as have positive views of him among Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Nearly a quarter now say they would not consider backing his candidacy under any circumstances. The survey also finds that those GOP-aligned voters not currently backing his 2024 bid have different views on his indictment and behavior than those in his corner.

Still, there’s little sign that Republican-aligned voters who aren’t backing Trump are consolidating behind any one of his rivals. Nor are they unified around wanting Trump out of the race entirely, or in feeling that his primary opponents ought to call him out for his alleged actions in this case.

Translation: Republican-ish folks not already on the MAGA bus aren’t sure they want to hop on, but they aren’t crazy about their other options and are currently standing around hoping maybe Ronald Reagan might be reanimated so they could get behind him before they end up going for Trump or staying home.

But those already on the crazy train are loving the ride and wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else, are you kidding? They’ll love Trump even more if he’s convicted, because that would just prove how much he scares the Deep State.

The poll shows that “47% of Republicans and Republican-leaning registered voters” pick Trump first among the announced primary candidates, which is down from 53 percent in May’s CNN poll. But none of the other Rs are anywhere close, either:

Support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held steady at 26% in the latest poll, with former Vice President Mike Pence at 9%, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley at 5%, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott at 4%, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 3% and the remaining candidates at 1% or less.

The other notable changes were a 10-point slide in Trump’s “favorability” rating among Pubs and Pub-leaning voters, from 77 percent in May to 67 percent in the new poll. There was also an uptick among Rs and R-leans (Arlenes?) who said they would never ever ever support him, no not ever (unless they change their minds) from 16 percent in May to 23 percent now. This is your cue to sing “What, never? No, never! What, never? Hardly ever!” from HMS Pinafore, and to wait to see where that number goes in the next few months. Trump’s overall favorability rating is at 33 percent, which is also where Joe Biden’s is, and if that isn’t enough to drive you to drinkin’, you’d best find yourself a Hot Rod Lincoln.

Also, for a brief chortle, CNN adds that

At the same time, there has been a similar increase in the share saying they would not back DeSantis under any circumstances (up 6 points to 21%), while the shares ruling out other top candidates have held roughly steady.

None of this necessarily means that Trump is any danger in the GOP primary anyway, since a “54% majority of Republican and Republican-leaning voters say that Trump’s conduct doesn’t matter much to them as they consider his candidacy,” because they think a president’s “effectiveness” is more important to them, although we suspect “effectiveness” in this case measures whether they believe Trump still hates the same people they hate.

For the most part, Rs and R-leaners would prefer other Republicans not make too big a fuss about Trump’s little boxes problem, unless it’s to yell at the DOJ and maybe whine about Hunter Biden:

Just 12% say that in responding to the indictment, other Republican candidates for the nomination should focus on publicly condemning Trump’s alleged actions in this case, with 42% saying candidates should do more to publicly condemn the government’s prosecution of Trump, and 45% that they shouldn’t take a stand either way. Even those who do not currently back Trump for the nomination mostly want to see other candidates remain quiet on the indictment (54% say so), with 21% calling for Trump’s rivals to condemn his actions and 25% saying they should condemn the prosecution.

Our analysis is that most Republicans and leaners agree that pollsters should move on to questions that aren’t about the indictment, because they have a vague sense that normies may have problems with it, the fools. Only 26 percent of the faithful and almost-faithful said Trump should drop out of the campaign, and another 16 percent added that well, OK, if he were convicted, he should drop out then. Otherwise, they’re apparently ready for Trump to report to jail and then pardon himself as soon as he’s sworn in, and then the Reaping of the Unfaithful can begin. (We really do expect future polls to ask whether Rs support him governing from prison when he wins, no not if, how dare you?)

Outside the Republican bubble, normal Americans seem to think a former president being accused of federal crimes is bad. Among all Americans, 59 percent say Trump should end his campaign; an additional 11 percent say he should drop out if convicted. That goes to a whopping 85 percent when Republicans and leaners are taken out of the survey. More numbers? Why not?

Most US adults, 55%, say that Trump acted illegally in the situation involving these classified documents, with 30% saying that he acted unethically but not illegally, and just 15% that he did nothing wrong. The partisan divide in views of Trump’s actions has widened since earlier this year. Compared with a January survey, more Democrats (up 10 points to 89%) and independents (up 7 points to 59%) now say they believe Trump acted illegally, but the share of Republicans who feel that way has dropped (down 7 points to 18%).

Oh, come and see the polarization, what a shame, etc.

There’s more, but we are disappointed that CNN and SSRS did not ask respondents if they thought their mental health would be significantly better if Trump had never been born, which seems like a gap in the data.

[CNN / CNN/SSRS poll (PDF file) / Image generated using Stable Diffusion AI 2.1 and tweaked in photoshoop. Thanks also to the gentleman we met at the crossroads at midnight who volunteered his help.]

Yr Wonkette is funded entirely by reader donations. If you can, please give $5 or $10 monthly to help us keep bringing you all the numbers, then making fun of them.

Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons.

Source link

#Donald #Trump #Support #Slipping #Indictment #MAGAs #Love #Saviour

2024 U.S. presidential campaign | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launches bid to challenge Donald Trump

Post By World 2024 us presidential campaign, donald trump, Elon Musk, Federal Election Commission, florida, fox news, Joe Biden, nikki haley, ron desantis, ron desantis presidential nomination, trump, trump rival

Florida Guv. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on May 24, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test both his national appeal as an outspoken cultural conservative and the GOP’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump.

The 44-year-old Republican revealed his decision in a Federal Election Commission filing before an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk.

It marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term Governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion and other divisive issues. Mr. DeSantis is considered to be Mr. Trump’s strongest Republican rival even as the Governor faces questions about his readiness for the national stage.

Mr. DeSantis’ audio-only announcement was to be streamed on Twitter Spaces beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. He was following up with prime-time appearances on conservative programs, including Fox News and Mark Levin’s radio show.

Editorial | Second innings hopes: On Biden announcement and repeat U.S. presidential candidates

Mr. DeSantis’ entry into the Republican field has been rumoured for months and he is considered one of the party’s strongest candidates in the quest to retake the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden. The 80-year-old incumbent, Republicans say, has pushed the nation too far left while failing to address inflation, immigration and crime.

The Republican nominee will face Biden on the general election ballot in November 2024.

He joins a field that already includes: Mr. Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also considered a likely presidential candidate but has not yet announced a bid.

Mr. DeSantis begins his campaign in the top tier of two alongside Mr. Trump based on early public polling, fundraising and campaign infrastructure.

The two GOP powerhouses have much in common.

Mr. DeSantis, who likely would not have become the Florida governor without Mr. Trump’s endorsement, has adopted the former President’s fiery personality, his populist policies and even some of his rhetoric and mannerisms.

Yet Mr. DeSantis has one thing Mr. Trump does not: a credible claim that he may be more electable in a general election than Mr. Trump, who faces multiple legal threats and presided over Republican losses in three consecutive national elections.

Mr. DeSantis, just six months ago, won his reelection in Florida by a stunning 19 percentage points— even as Republicans in many other states struggled. He also scored several major policy victories during the Republican-controlled Legislature’s spring session.

Aware of Mr. DeSantis’ draw, Mr. Trump has been almost singularly focused on undermining Mr. DeSantis’ political appeal for months. Mr. Trump and his team believe that Mr. DeSantis may be Trump’s only legitimate threat for the nomination.

Hours before the announcement, Mr. Trump argued in a social media post that “Ron DeSanctus” cannot win the general election or the GOP primary because of his previous votes in Congress on Social Security and Medicare.

“He was and is, a disciple of horrible RINO Paul Ryan, and others too many to mention,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Also, he desperately needs a personality transplant and, to the best of my knowledge, they are not medically available yet. A disloyal person!” “RINO” stands for Republican In Name Only.

Mr. Trump’s kitchen-sink attacks and nicknames won’t be Mr. DeSantis’s only hurdle.

Mr. DeSantis may be a political heavyweight in Florida and a regular on Fox News, but allies acknowledge that most primary voters in other States don’t know him well.

A Florida native with family roots in the Midwest, Mr. DeSantis studied at Yale University, where he played baseball. He would go on to Harvard Law School and become a Navy Judge Advocate General officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

He ran for Congress in 2012 and won an Orlando-area district, becoming a founding member of the far-right Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill.

Despite his lengthy resume, friends and foes alike note that Mr. DeSantis struggles to display the campaign-trail charisma and quick-on-your-feet thinking that often defines successful candidates at the national level. He has gone to great lengths to avoid unscripted public appearances and media scrutiny while governor, which is difficult, if not impossible, as a presidential contender.

Would-be supporters also worry that Mr. DeSantis has refused to invest in relationships with party leaders or fellow elected officials, raising questions about his ability to build the coalition he will ultimately need to beat Trump. By contrast, the more personable Mr. Trump has already scooped up an army of endorsements in key states, including Florida.

Beyond the primary, Mr. DeSantis’ greatest longer-term challenge may rest with the far-right policies he enacted as governor as an unapologetic leader in what he calls his war on “woke.”

The Florida Governor sent dozens of immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast to draw attention to the influx of Latin American immigrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. He signed and then expanded the Parental Rights in Education bill— known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans instruction or classroom discussion of LGBTQ issues in Florida public schools for all grades.

More recently, he signed a law banning abortions at six weeks, which is before most women realize they’re pregnant. And he single-handedly removed an elected prosecutor who vowed not to charge people under Florida’s new abortion restrictions or doctors who provide gender-affirming care.

Mr. DeSantis also signed a law this year allowing Florida residents to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. He pushed new measures that experts warn would weaken press freedoms. He also took control of a liberal arts college that he believed was indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.

The Governor’s highest-profile political fight, however, has come against the beloved Florida-based entertainment giant Disney, which publicly opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” law. In retaliation, Mr. DeSantis seized control of Disney World’s governing body and installed loyalists who are threatening to take over park planning, among other extraordinary measures.

Mr. DeSantis himself has threatened to build a State prison on park property.

The dispute has drawn condemnation from business leaders and his Republican rivals, who said the moves are at odds with small-government conservatism.

Mr. DeSantis delayed his announcement until Florida’s legislative session was over. But for much of the year, he has been courting primary voters in key States and using an allied super political action committee to build out a large political organization that is essentially a campaign in waiting and already claims at least $30 million in the bank.

More than any of his opponents, except perhaps Mr. Trump, Mr. DeSantis is positioned to hit the ground running thanks to the super PAC’s months-long efforts to install campaign infrastructure across Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which will host the first four contests on the GOP’s primary calendar early next year.

The super PAC also established more than 30 Students for Mr. DeSantis chapters across at least 18 States.

Mr. DeSantis gave no hint as to his plans during a meeting of the State clemency board in Tallahassee on Wednesday morning, where he granted several pardons to former prisoners charged mostly with drug-related crimes decades ago.

“You are what the country needs,” one man said after getting his pardon.

A smiling Mr. DeSantis chuckled and thanked him.

Source link

#presidential #campaign #Florida #Governor #Ron #DeSantis #launches #bid #challenge #Donald #Trump

2024 U.S. presidential campaign | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launches bid to challenge Donald Trump

Post By World donald trump, Elon Musk, Federal Election Commission, florida, fox news, Joe Biden, nikki haley, ron desantis, trump