Donald Trump is in a pickle. It doesn’t seem to matter what he does or doesn’t do. According to 538’s national polling average tracker, the former president’s share of the electorate was at 43.
5 percent on the day Joe Biden dropped out of the running. Today, in his race against Kamala Harris , his share of the vote is 43.5 percent.
All the new movement, as the pollsters say, has been on the Democratic side. To put this another way, the vice president is the fluid candidate. She can move voters, with good performances and bad.
Trump , however, is the static candidate. He can’t move voters at all (perhaps because most Americans have made up their minds). There was no bump after the Republican National Convention.
There was no bump after his attempted assassination. There was no bump after Biden became the first incumbent in half a century to decline his party’s nomination. What can Trump do? According to Republican strategists and MAGA fans like “ Charles in Charge ” sitcom actor Scott Baio, the solution is “policy, policy, policy.
” “That’s it,” Baio told Fox host Jesse Watters last week. “There’s no name-calling. There’s no making fun of anything.
When he gives a speech at these rallies, policy. Period. Once he goes off the rails, it becomes confusing.
I wish I could talk to him and say stick to policy.” Baio is in good company. Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley said the same thing.
If Trump has any chance of winning over independent voters, wayward Republicans and even conservative Democrats, he has to stick to policy. He has to talk more about the economy, inflation, immigration and other issues that are typically seen as bipartisan. Otherwise, Haley told Fox host Bret Baier, Trump won’t grow his stagnant voter base, and if he can’t do that, he loses.
“I want this campaign to win, but this campaign is not going to win talking about crowd sizes,” Nikki Haley said last week. “It’s not going to win talking about what race Kamala Harris is. It’s not going to win talking about whether she’s dumb.
You can’t win on those things. The American people are smart. Treat them like they’re smart.
” I think the fundamentals here are correct. If Trump does not expand his base to include swing voters and at least some Democrats, he’s not going to win by honest means. So advising him to stick to policy is shrewd.
The voters Trump needs are prudes. Bragging about crowd sizes, calling Harris dumb and other trash-talk is likely to backfire. But the choice between policy-talk and trash-talk might be a false one.
It’s missing something, namely, it does not matter what he’s talking about, whether policy or trash, because he doesn’t make any sense. The next paragraph is a sampling of Trump’s big “economy speech” in North Carolina last night. In it, he appears to “go off the rails,” as if he can’t help but trash-talk his enemies.
That, however, is an interpretation that gives him too much credit. When you read this, resist the temptation to make it make sense. Let it be what it is – total gibberish – to conclude the man is habitually incoherent, so much so that, in practical terms, he’s speaking a language no one understands.
“This isn’t a rally,” he said, “but this is a different type of thing today. We are going to talk about one subject and then we will start going back to the other, because we sort of love that, don’t we? No, it’s important. They say it is the most important subject.
I am not sure it is, but they say it is. Inflation is the most important, but that is part of the economy. Kamala Harris wants to be in charge of the entire US economy, but neither she nor her running mate – another beauty, isn’t he? He signed a bill.
He wants tampons in boys bathrooms. I don’t think so. But they’ve never held a private sector job .
.. It’s no wonder they are both socialists.
They are actually beyond socialists. I think they skipped over socialists. .
.. When people find out who they are, they don’t do well in the election.
They have destroyed this country.” It’s not that he “goes off the rails” and away from policy towards trash. It’s that he “goes off the rails” and away from reality towards la la land.
As Scott Baio said, “it becomes confusing,” and guess what? When Trump goes to la la land, he loses swing voters he must have to defeat Kamala Harris by honest means. He doesn’t need to stick to policy. He needs to stick to coherence – to making sense.
Alienation by gibberish is one of the biggest unexplored facets of the election, but there are signs of it coming to the fore. Frank Luntz, the Republican pollster, was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today. He quoted a Republican participant in his latest focus group, who said, “I just feel like we need to take the party back, and it's not going to happen if Trump or another Republican is in office right this second.
" She said her reasons for voting for Harris included the fact that JD Vance , Trump’s vice presidential pick, is “probably the most unlikable American I can possibly think of to run our country,” that “the RNC looked like a wrestling match,” and that “the debate was a disaster.” That’s it right there. Think about it.
Every time I read about the June 27 debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the assumption is that the event was a disaster for Biden, not Trump. But he was a mess. Now that Biden is out of the picture and the possibility of a second Trump term is clearer in voters’ minds (and Kamala Harris is an appealing alternative), there appears to be room to rethink what happened.
People are ready to admit Trump was a disaster. Every public event since has made the point – Trump’s habitual incoherence is getting worse, and the worse it gets, the more he alienates voters he must have to break through the ceiling of 43.5 percent of the electorate.
His acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, his interview at the meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, his press conference last week at Mar-a-Lago, his “economy speech” last night in North Carolina, and today’s presser at his New Jersey club – all of them featured gibberish so acute that he may as well have been speaking a foreign language. His trash-talk isn’t alienating swing voters. His gibberish is.
Economic justice advocates on Thursday applauded the Harris campaign's announcement the Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to unveil a historic ban on food and grocery price gouging amid widespread discontent about costs that have ballooned by 26% in the last five years. The Democratic presidential candidate is expected to unveil the proposal for the first-ever federal price gouging ban at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, detailing plans to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to impose "harsh penalties" on companies that hike food prices to pad their profits. As president, the campaign said late Wednesday, Harris would set "clear rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can't unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits on food and groceries," building on actions President Joe Biden has taken, such as the creation of a Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing and his guidelines aimed at reining in corporate mergers.
The rules would be introduced in Harris' first 100 days in office, should she win the presidential election in November. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Action, said Biden and Harris have set out to correct "decades of failure by federal leaders to tackle food monopolies [that] have sent grocery prices skyrocketing." "President Biden finally turned the corner with real action against ill-advised corporate mergers, and the Harris campaign's signals of intent to work even harder against food profiteering are encouraging," said Hauter.
"We look forward to seeing robust antitrust policy that will make a difference in our wallets, and send the food monopolies packing." Food & Water Action pointed out that the proposal came a day after it was announced that the multinational food company Mars would acquire its competitor, Kellanova, for $36 billion "in a bid to dominate snack market sales at consumers' expense." Such acquisitions have continued, said Food & Water Action, even as the monthly food cost for a family of four sticking to inexpensive groceries to save money increased 50% over the past four years, while the top four grocery companies in the U.
S. saw their revenues go up as much as 36%. "The cost of a whole chicken rose 41%, while poultry giants Tysons Foods and Perdue saw revenue increases of 22.
5% and 54.9%, respectively," said the group. While grocery prices have gone up by just 1% in the past year, costs have not eased since they shot up due to supply chain and labor issues during the coronavirus pandemic.
A Gallup poll in May found that 41% of Americans viewed the high cost of living as the most pressing financial issue for their families, and a survey by public opinion research group Blueprint found in June that penalties for companies that price gouge had the support of 81% of respondents, including 86% of Independent voters. "It's hard to get down an aisle in the grocery store without finding an example of price gouging or price fixing, and it's costing us dearly," Lindsay Owens, executive director of the think tank Groundwork Collaborative , told The Washington Post . "It's wonderful to see the vice president unleash a suite of policy proposals to crack down on these cheaters and protect Americans' pocketbooks.
" On social media on Thursday, Owens exposed "some of the worst offenders" who raise prices with the goal of boosting profits—a major driver of inflation, according to an analysis by Groundwork earlier this year. "Practices like shrinkflation (that half empty bag of chips) and it's evil twin skimpflation (like when Wishbone salad dressing swaps the oil for water), or Walmart rigging the produce scales to charge a little more on a pound of oranges, are everywhere," said Owens. "It's wonderful to see that Harris will address her plans to take on price gouging in the food and grocery sector tomorrow.
She has a strong track record of going after cheaters from her time as California's top lawyer, and through her great work this past four years." As Americans express strong support for price gouging penalties, said David Sirota, founder of The Lever , Harris' proposal will "inevitably" push Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump into defending corporations that willfully force families to pay more for essentials. The proposal will "bait the entire American right into screaming, 'Let them eat cake' as they go on record in support of food conglomerates fleecing the working class," said Sirota.
Pushing back against calls for the media to "refrain from covering mounting authoritarianism" in the United States since the Republican nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump , survived an assassination attempt, a coalition on Thursday urged news outlets "to wholeheartedly reject such a dereliction of journalistic duty, and to rigorously report threats to our democracy.
" "Media coverage shapes both public discourse and people's understanding of events of the day," states the coalition's open letter . "This is particularly critical during contentious and extreme times such as these. Media coverage can invite public engagement and robust participation in the democratic process.
It can also be manipulated to promote falsehoods for political gain, to silence dissent, and stoke racism." Since Trump launched his current presidential bid nearly two years ago, critics—including Vice President Kamala Harris , the Democratic nominee for the November election—have highlighted concerns about his political track record, ongoing criminal cases , promises to those funding his effort to reclaim the White House , fascistic language on the campaign trail, and the Project 2025 agenda crafted by his allies. The media was accused of helping Trump reach the White House for his first term.
One study from Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy found that major U.S. news outlets covered his 2016 presidential campaign in "a way that was unusual given his initial polling numbers.
" As the new letter—signed by over three dozen groups and individuals—details: "Democratic backsliding is rising around the world and the media must take the related threats seriously and place protection of democracy over their own bottom lines," the letter argues. "We urge media executives to pledge that their news companies will adopt the following best practices in covering contentious times—and to safeguard information integrity during moments of crisis, violence, and threats to U.S.
democracy." The coalition's six proposed best practices are: identify and name authoritarian and autocratic rhetoric; cross-check, fact-check, double-check; take seriously and report rigorously on threats to the rule of law and institutions; always give more context for audiences; and provide civic information. "It's only August.
We have months of news coverage and unanticipated events that will unfold before the U.S. elections in November," the letter notes.
"Now is the time to refuse to cover politics with soundbites that place profit over people's understanding of the stakes. Media must be a watchdog for the people right now. Media must hold itself to the highest pro-democracy standards.
" Coalition members include the Abortion Care Network, Center on Race & Digital Justice, Free Press, Friends of the Earth Action, GLAAD, Media Matters for America, PEN America, the Sparrow Project, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, United We Dream, and over 20 other groups. The individual signatories are journalist Joe Amditis, activist Andrea Figueroa, journalism professor Jeff Jarvis, columnist Brian Karem, writer Elad Nehorai, and editor Damaso Reyes. "Now is the time for news outlets to rise to the occasion," said Free Press senior counsel and director of digital justice and civil rights Nora Benavidez in a statement Thursday.
"Left unchecked by the press, the rhetoric and actions of authoritarian leaders delegitimize the democratic process." "Political leaders are dehumanizing minority groups, flouting the rule of law, and supporting violence or retribution against critics," Benavidez stressed. "Communities deserve to learn about the stakes facing our country and the implications of rising autocracy on all of our lives.
" "As so many hardworking journalists cover the threats to our democracy this election season, all news outlets must hold themselves to the highest pro-democracy standards," she added. "Clearly call a lie a lie. If a political candidate, party, or other influential platform applauds illegal activity or rejects the rule of law, reporters and other media professionals must take these threats seriously as they are overt attacks on a functional democracy.
" In his second visit to Pennsylvania since becoming the GOP nominee for vice president, U.S. Sen.
J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) on Thursday continued his criticism of Minnesota Gov.
Tim Walz’s military record at a VFW hall in Westmoreland County. “We’re not attacking his honorable service,” Vance told the invitation-only gathering at VFW Post 92 in Lower Burrell. “We’re attacking the dishonesty about that service that is not honorable, that is the height of dishonor, and Tim Walz should not be the vice president of the United States because of it.
” Walz, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president, served 24 years in the National Guard. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said Aug. 10 that Walz “misspoke” in a 2018 video when he said he had handled guns “in war.
” Vance, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has since accused Walz of “stolen valor,” during campaign events, a charge he repeated Thursday.
Walz defended his military record during remarks at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union convention in Los Angeles earlier this week, saying he was “damn proud” of his service. “I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record,” Walz said Tuesday. “Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country — including my opponent — I just have a few simple words: ‘Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
’” The Harris campaign released a statement ahead of Vance’s visit arguing that the policies of former President Donald Trump , the 2024 GOP nominee for president, would have a negative impact on veterans. “Trump and Vance’s extreme Project 2025 agenda would slash veterans’ hard-earned benefits and health care,” the Harris-Walz campaign said in a statement earlier this week. “Vice President Harris and Gov.
Walz believe we should thank those who served our country, not belittle them – that’s why they’ll always fight to make sure our veterans and military families get the benefits and respect they have earned and deserve.” Vance also criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for the U.S.
2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. During the evacuation of American citizens and allies, a terrorist attack at the airport in Kabul killed 13 American service members and dozens of Afghans. “We lost 13 brave service members we didn’t need to lose,” Vance said.
Democrats held a press conference in Pittsburgh on Thursday to push back on Vance’s criticism of Walz. Former Democratic U.S.
Rep. Conor Lamb said he served with Walz, who represented Minnesota in the U.S.
House from 2017 to 2019, on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. “The guy knows veterans’ issues and he fights for veterans,” Lamb said. Walz joined the Veterans Affairs Committee to develop legislation to help veterans, Lamb added, which he said was a “clear contrast” to Vance.
“J.D. Vance has been a senator for a year and a half.
I couldn’t tell you a single piece of legislation that he has introduced to help our veterans, much less pass,” Lamb added. “I think he spends his time working on cryptocurrency and going on podcasts. So the question in this election coming up, it’s not who was GI Joe in the war, it’s who’s going to fight for the GI Bill? What are you going to do for veterans tomorrow and next year and five years from now?” Despite losing Pennsylvania in 2020, Trump won Westmoreland County, where Lower Burrell is located, by 28 points over the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket.
A Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters released Wednesday found the Harris-Walz ticket with a slight edge over Trump-Vance in Pennsylvania, at 48% to 45%. The poll also found Gov. Josh Shapiro , who had been a contender to be Harris’ running mate, with a 59% approval rating.
On the topic of running mates, the Quinnipiac poll found 59% of likely voters who support Harris said her pick of Walz made them “more enthusiastic” about her candidacy, with 43% of likely voters who support Trump saying his selection of Vance made them more enthusiastic. Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a press release of the poll results that “The long-term impact is speculation, but the math is clear: Walz helps Harris a lot more than Vance helps Trump.” Trump will be in Pennsylvania on Saturday for a rally in Wilkes-Barre, and Harris and Walz are kicking off a Pennsylvania bus tour in Pittsburgh on Sunday, a day before the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
This article was updated at 5:40 p.m. Aug.
15, 2024 to add comment from former U.S. Rep.
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