NEWS AND OPINION:
Four years ago, the phrase “Never Trump” was a popular mantra among Republicans who would not vote for Donald Trump when he ran for president. They quickly became the “Never Trumpers” in much press coverage at the time.
Now comes a new version of this trend: “The Never Bidens.”
Eli Lake, a columnist for The Free Press, explains the emerging trend. The title of his analysis says all: “The Rise of the ‘Never Bidens’: Donors who once worried more about Donald Trump now see the president’s bid for a second term as the greater threat to America.”
It’s complicated.
“President Joe Biden’s threat last week to freeze arms shipments to Israel along with reports that his administration is withholding intelligence about Hamas leaders’ whereabouts has reverberated throughout U.S. politics. Now, some Never Trump donors say the Biden administration’s policy toward the Jewish state is such a betrayal they’re considering jumping on board the Trump train,” Mr. Lake wrote in an analysis on Wednesday.
“Call it the rise of the Never Bidens, donors who once were more worried about Trump but now see Joe Biden’s bid for a second term the greater threat to America,” he said.
Indeed.
“More positive retrospective assessments of Trump’s record in office are setting off warning flares for Democrats — especially as President Joe Biden’s own approval ratings remain stuck at historically low levels,” wrote CNN’s senior political analyst Ronald Brownstein, also on Wednesday.
THE BIG DEBATE NEWS
News organizations enjoyed a special treat on Wednesday when a long awaited message went public: President Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed on a time and place for an official debate. Those news organizations went right to work. Here’s just a few of the many, many headlines that quickly appeared:
“Trump and Biden upend the presidential debates” (Axios); “Biden challenges Trump to two debates, Trump says he’s ready to rumble” (National Review); “Biden mocked over number of jump cuts in Trump debate challenge video: ‘Like a Claymation film’” (New York Post); “Any time, any place: Biden and Trump agree to June and September debates (Associated Press); and “Biden trolls Trump as he challenges him to debate: ‘I hear you’re free Wednesdays’” (The Independent).
Here’s a few more headlines:
“Make my day pal: First Biden and Trump debate set for June 27 after challenge accepted” (CNBC); “Trump and Biden buck debate commission, agree to June face-off” (USA Today); “Biden challenges Trump to a debate — and he surprisingly accepts” (The New Republic); and “Biden on 2nd debate with Trump: ‘I’ll bring my plane — I plan on keeping it for another four years’” (The Hill).
THE WAY BACK TO PROSPERITY
The Republican National Committee points out that the Consumer Price Index released Wednesday shows year-over-year inflation increased in April by 3.4% – twice the rate when President Biden took office. In addition, inflation has been at or above 3% for 37 straight months, well above the Fed’s average target of 2%. Core consumer prices – stripping out food and energy – rose by 3.6%.
“President Biden can try to gaslight the American people about his failed economy, but Bidenomics has made life for working families harder and unaffordable, with prices up 19.9% since he took office. Everything is more expensive, from groceries and rent to electricity. Americans know the only way back to economic prosperity is re-electing President Donald J. Trump in November,” the Republican National Committee said.
EYE ON DRONES
A New York Republican is concerned about the state of drones in America.
“Rep. Elise Stefanik has introduced the Drones for First Responders (DFR) Act, which would implement a new tariff on Communist Chinese-controlled drones and use the tariff revenue to establish a new grant program to help first responders, critical infrastructure providers, and farmers, purchase secure drones. This legislation will increase the competitiveness of U.S. drone manufacturers and enhance U.S. national security,” the lawmaker’s office said in a statement.
“Currently, 90% of drones operated by U.S. first responders are made in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Communist China has used aggressive subsidies, direct government investment, and favorable regulations to dominate the global drone market and undercut U.S. drone manufacturers. These unfair trade practices have allowed CCP-controlled drone companies to monopolize the U.S. drone market,” the statement explained.
“The Department of Defense has twice certified that PRC-based drone manufacturer, DJI, is actively advancing the PRC military’s capabilities and prohibits the U.S. military from operating PRC-drones. Additionally, a 2017 Homeland Security Intelligence Bulletin and a 2024 CISA industry alert state that PRC drones present significant risks to U.S. critical infrastructure and national security,” the statement noted.
“I am proud to introduce the Drones for First Responders Act to stop the CCP’s influence over our nation and increase the competitiveness of U.S. drone manufacturers by establishing a revenue neutral grant program to help Americans purchase drones securely made by the U.S. and our allies,” Ms. Stefanik said, also in a statement.
“With this legislation, American drone manufacturers will be able to compete with Communist Chinese-controlled drones and enhance U.S. national security,” she said.
POLL DU JOUR
• 31% of U.S adults say they feel “bored” by former President Donald Trump‘s “hush money” trial; 38% of Republicans, 40% of independents and 19% of Democrats agree.
• 27% say they feel “angry” about the trial; 37% of Republicans, 23% of independents and 25% of Democrats agree.
• 26% say they feel “interested”; 15% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 44% of Democrats agree.
• 16% say they feel “confused” by the trial; 20% of Republicans, 15% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.
• 6% feel “enthusiastic” about the trial; 2% of Republicans, 5% of independents and 11% of Democrats agree.
• 21% are not sure how they feel; 16% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 17% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: A Yahoo News Survey of 1,794 U.S. adults conducted online May 10-13. Respondents could select more than one description of their feelings.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.