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A NOTE FROM FRED
President Trump has been acting in recent days as a manic, panicked president.
Trump revokes John Brennan’s security clearance in an unprecedented action to punish him, and then says he revoked the clearance because of Brennan's involvement in the Russia investigation. Trump attacks his former White House aide, Omarosa Manigault Newman, with language that is widely interpreted as racist. Trump ups the ante in his attacks on the Mueller investigation as the investigation seems to be closing in on him and his close associates.
A look at Trump’s recent polling numbers may provide part of the explanation for why the President seems to be bouncing off the walls of the White House.
A new Gallup poll found Trump’s job rating at 39% approve, 56% disapprove -- his lowest Gallup approval rating since April.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that 59% of American voters dislike President Trump as a person, while only 31% like him.
That same poll also found that Americans overwhelming reject Trump’s attacks on the media, with 65% of voters saying the news media is an important part of democracy, while 26% buy the Trump line that the media is the enemy of the people.
A new CNN poll finds that 58% of Americans support the Mueller Russia investigation as a serious matter that should be fully investigated, while 37% see it as an effort to discredit Trump. Thus, despite the relentless attacks on the Mueller investigation by President Trump, a significant majority of Americans support the investigation.
Moreover, the CNN poll found that 70% of Americans believe President Trump, if asked, should testify for Mueller’s investigation.
President Trump likes to talk about his base, but the reality is that the President’s base is a distinct minority of Americans.
Eventually this is going to catch up with our aberrational President.
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MUST READS
“TRUMP & FRIENDS”
Former CIA Director John Brennan: “President Trump’s Claims Of No Collusion Are Hogwash.”
“Mr. Trump clearly has become more desperate to protect himself and those close to him, which is why he made the politically motivated decision to revoke my security clearance in an attempt to scare into silence others who might dare to challenge him,” Brennan writes, via The New York Times. Read more
Trump “Has Crossed A Line” In Stripping Brennan Of Security Clearances
John McLaughlin, Acting CIA Director under President George W. Bush: “The President has crossed an important line in seeking to silence a critic through the use of his power,” via National Public Radio. Listen
Trump Is Aggressive In His Use Of Nondisclosure Agreements
“The rampant use of such nondisclosure agreements underscores a culture — fostered by Trump himself — of paranoia, leaks, audio recordings, and infighting that has pervaded his dealings for decades and continues into his presidency,” via The Washington Post. Read more
Ex-Trump Aides Often Find A Soft Landing For Staying Quiet, via Associated Press. Read more
Presidential Pardons And Obstruction Of Justice
Obama Ethics Czar Norm Eisen discusses the law and the “profoundly troubling” issue of President Trump potentially issuing pardons in order to obstruct justice, via Brookings. Read more
With Little Fanfare, Trump And McConnell Reshape The Nation’s Circuit Courts, via The Washington Post. Read more
Trump’s “Dirty War” Attack On Media Spurs #EnemyOfNone Editorials In More Than 300 News Outlets
Report and editorial excerpts, via BBC News. Read more
Trump’s Military Parade Is Estimated To Cost $92 Million – $80 Million More Than Earlier Estimate, via CNBC. Read more
Fox News To White House: Bill Shine Is Trump’s New Image Man, via The Washington Post. Read more
Clearinghouse For Kavanaugh Documents Is A Bush White House Lawyer, Angering Senate Democrats
“How the Republican majority is handling Kavanaugh’s extensive records has infuriated Democrats, who are powerless to change a process likely to set a precedent for the scrutiny of future Supreme Court nominees,” via The Washington Post. Read more
Trump Talks For 28 Minutes On Bill Named For John McCain. Not Mentioned: McCain, via The New York Times. Read more
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FACT OF THE WEEK
At least 125 Republican campaigns and conservative political groups spent more than $3.5M at Trump resorts, hotels, and restaurants since January 2017.
Candidates and political groups spent less than $35,000 at Trump properties during the entire two-year 2014 election cycle.
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THE INVESTIGATIONS…
Mueller Probe Doesn’t Need to Shut Down Before Midterms, Despite Giuliani Deadline Claims, via Bloomberg. Read more
Senate Intel Wants To Follow The Money In The Russia Probe. But Treasury Isn’t Making That Easy.
“Even some of the department’s own personnel have questioned whether Treasury is intentionally hamstringing the investigation,” via Buzzfeed. Read more
The Rise And Fall Of Paul Manafort: Greed, Deception, And Ego, via The New York Times. Read more
Gates Trial Dredges Up Trump Inaugural Spending Mystery
After pushing back last summer on questions about the Trump inaugural committee’s “unprecedented” $107M budget, former Manafort associate Rick Gates “acknowledged that he personally may have pocketed some of the inaugural committee’s money,” via Associated Press. Read more
Trump-Appointed Judge Upholds Special Counsel Mueller’s Authority, via CNN. Read more
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POLL OF THE WEEK
56% of Americans polled “think Trump has attempted to interfere in the [Russia] investigation” and 56% “think Trump’s public statements about the investigation are largely false.”
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82 DAYS TIL THE MIDTERMS
Documents Reveal Successful Cyberattack In California Congressional Race
A series of cyberattacks has targeted “a Democratic opponent of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). Rohrabacher is a 15-term incumbent who is widely seen as the most pro-Russia and pro-Putin Member of Congress,” via Rolling Stone. Read more
ThreatList: Almost All Security Experts Believe Election Systems Are At Risk, via Threatpost. Read more
Voting Rights Advocates Used To Have An Ally In The Government. That’s Changing, via The New York Times. Read more
Republican Candidates Can’t Keep Trump Out of Their Districts
“Ego may be driving the president’s campaign itinerary more than anything else,” via The Atlantic. Read more
Democrats Funding Spike In Gun Control Ads This Election Cycle, via USA Today. Read more
Democratic Women Are Banding Together And Building Momentum For The Midterms, via CNBC. Read more
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