palmerreport--2020-02-03--What Donald Trump doesn’t know

What Donald Trump doesn’t know

I will come clean and confess I ’ m not a football fan .
My sport is athletics , specifically distance and middle distance running , which has the advantage that my wife is in danger of becoming a sports widow only once every couple of years during the World Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games .
Anyway , I didn ’ t even know until Monday morning that the Kansas City Chiefs were in the Super Bowl .
But I had heard of the Chiefs , and I had a pretty good idea that the Kansas City that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Missouri and not the one in Kansas .
Clearly the president of the United States did not .
As many of you know by now , this is what Trump tweeted Sunday night .
Then he deleted it .
“ Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game , and a fantastic comeback , under immense pressure , ” Trump wrote in the since-deleted tweet .
“ You represented the Great State of Kansas and , in fact , the entire USA , so very well .
Our Country is PROUD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been to Kansas City , neither the one in Missouri nor the smaller one in Kansas .
I suspect Trump has , at least the one in Missouri .
But for him to reach the advanced age of 73 and not know there are two of them , and that the one in Missouri is larger than the one in Kansas next door to it and is therefore the likeliest candidate to be home to the Chiefs is shocking ignorance , especially for the Commander-in-Chief , the alleged “ stable genius ” with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurs to me now that when Mike Pompeo screamed at NPR ’ s Mary Louise Kelly and demanded that she find Ukraine on an unlabeled world map he was really , in a Freudian sort of way , expressing angst about the general lack of geographical knowledge around him .
He probably knows as well as anyone just how dim-witted his master is when it comes to geography — and just about everything else .
People who worry about systemic pathologies in their environment often nervously make reference to them .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like Bill Cosby referring to slipping a woman Spanish fly .
There ’ s something odd about how bad people work out what ’ s privately wrong with them and their surroundings , often in a public way .
Trump ’ s ignorance of geography isn ’ t the worst of it , though .
If it were then it would not be held against him except by the most petty partisan .
Abraham Lincoln , for example , naively thought that it was the job of the Secretary of the Treasury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States mint .
But Lincoln was a genius with vast qualities of wit and insight , so we can forgive him for such foibles , and even find them charming .
But Donald Trump is an idiot .
He ’ s even a subpar mediocrity when it comes to his chosen field , real estate , high finance and economics .
Most authentic experts just give up on Trump .
After careful , lucid explanations to him they see he simply hasn ’ t the capacity to grasp anything that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among pundits to proclaim Donald Trump , if not a genius , then a master power broker .
He has , they maintain , single-handedly cowed the majority in the United States Senate into rubber-stamping his every whim .
This is a mistake , I think , and speaks less to Donald Trump ’ s Machiavellian potency and more to the spineless mollusks in Republican politics today .
Like minions in the thrall of a bully they all become emboldened at a safe distance , either in retirement or encroaching death .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as surely as it ’ s true on the playgrounds of grade schools across America , most bullies are stupid cowards , and Donald Trump is no different .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
I will come clean and confess I’m not a football fan. My sport is athletics, specifically distance and middle distance running, which has the advantage that my wife is in danger of becoming a sports widow only once every couple of years during the World Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games. Anyway, I didn’t even know until Monday morning that the Kansas City Chiefs were in the Super Bowl. But I had heard of the Chiefs, and I had a pretty good idea that the Kansas City that the Chiefs were from was the one in Missouri and not the one in Kansas. Clearly the president of the United States did not.
As many of you know by now, this is what Trump tweeted Sunday night. Then he deleted it. “Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game, and a fantastic comeback, under immense pressure,” Trump wrote in the since-deleted tweet. “You represented the Great State of Kansas and, in fact, the entire USA, so very well. Our Country is PROUD OF YOU!
I’ve never been to Kansas City, neither the one in Missouri nor the smaller one in Kansas. I suspect Trump has, at least the one in Missouri. But for him to reach the advanced age of 73 and not know there are two of them, and that the one in Missouri is larger than the one in Kansas next door to it and is therefore the likeliest candidate to be home to the Chiefs is shocking ignorance, especially for the Commander-in-Chief, the alleged “stable genius” with the supposed “perfect memory.”
It occurs to me now that when Mike Pompeo screamed at NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly and demanded that she find Ukraine on an unlabeled world map he was really, in a Freudian sort of way, expressing angst about the general lack of geographical knowledge around him. He probably knows as well as anyone just how dim-witted his master is when it comes to geography — and just about everything else. People who worry about systemic pathologies in their environment often nervously make reference to them. It’s a kind of Freudian nervous tic, like Bill Cosby referring to slipping a woman Spanish fly. There’s something odd about how bad people work out what’s privately wrong with them and their surroundings, often in a public way.
Trump’s ignorance of geography isn’t the worst of it, though. If it were then it would not be held against him except by the most petty partisan. Abraham Lincoln, for example, naively thought that it was the job of the Secretary of the Treasury to personally sign every banknote printed by the United States mint. But Lincoln was a genius with vast qualities of wit and insight, so we can forgive him for such foibles, and even find them charming.
But Donald Trump is an idiot. He’s even a subpar mediocrity when it comes to his chosen field, real estate, high finance and economics. Most authentic experts just give up on Trump. After careful, lucid explanations to him they see he simply hasn’t the capacity to grasp anything that is remotely complicated.
It is still common among pundits to proclaim Donald Trump, if not a genius, then a master power broker. He has, they maintain, single-handedly cowed the majority in the United States Senate into rubber-stamping his every whim. This is a mistake, I think, and speaks less to Donald Trump’s Machiavellian potency and more to the spineless mollusks in Republican politics today. Like minions in the thrall of a bully they all become emboldened at a safe distance, either in retirement or encroaching death. Yet the fact remains true in national politics as surely as it’s true on the playgrounds of grade schools across America, most bullies are stupid cowards, and Donald Trump is no different.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-03--The thing about Donald Trump’s impeachment trial that everybody missed

The Republican Senate has succeeded in giving Donald Trump a witness-free sham impeachment trial and acquittal .
We use the word “ succeeded ” in the sense that they accomplished what they were trying to do .
Whether it ends up being a successful move for them is something that will be decided by the voters when these complicit Republican Senators are up for reelection .
But there ’ s a part to this that everyone missed .
Trump ’ s acquittal was always going to happen , and everyone knew it .
So it ’ s already baked into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see any help with his low approval rating or weak 2020 odds .
But this trial was never about the inevitable acquittal .
It was about what each side was looking to do during the trial .
Democrats and the Resistance clearly didn ’ t get what they were hoping for , as they wanted John Bolton and others to give damaging testimony against Trump during the trial .
Bolton will surely testify to the House soon , but it probably would have had at least a bit more political impact on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the trial instead of afterward .
The thing is , Trump didn ’ t get the trial he wanted either .
He gave away in repeated and obsessive tweets that he wanted to force everyone from Hunter Biden to Adam Schiff to the whistleblower to testify during the trial .
Trump wasn ’ t just blowing smoke either , as he clearly believes that his fake Biden scandal is a winner for him .
But Trump couldn ’ t even get his own Republican Senate to subpoena these people to testify .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course .
The only reason they didn ’ t subpoena these witnesses is that while they were willing to corruptly give Trump a sham acquittal , they were afraid of being dragged further down the rabbit hole of Trump ’ s deranged conspiracy theories and broken mind .
But the bottom line is that Trump didn ’ t get what he was seeking from this trial .
It shows just how crippled he is , and how little influence he has over what ’ s going on .
Yeah , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that ’ s what ’ s best for themselves .
But he couldn ’ t even get them to do what he really wanted .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
The Republican Senate has succeeded in giving Donald Trump a witness-free sham impeachment trial and acquittal. We use the word “succeeded” in the sense that they accomplished what they were trying to do. Whether it ends up being a successful move for them is something that will be decided by the voters when these complicit Republican Senators are up for reelection. But there’s a part to this that everyone missed.
Trump’s acquittal was always going to happen, and everyone knew it. So it’s already baked into the outcome, and Trump won’t see any help with his low approval rating or weak 2020 odds. But this trial was never about the inevitable acquittal. It was about what each side was looking to do during the trial. Democrats and the Resistance clearly didn’t get what they were hoping for, as they wanted John Bolton and others to give damaging testimony against Trump during the trial. Bolton will surely testify to the House soon, but it probably would have had at least a bit more political impact on public opinion it he’d testified during the trial instead of afterward.
The thing is, Trump didn’t get the trial he wanted either. He gave away in repeated and obsessive tweets that he wanted to force everyone from Hunter Biden to Adam Schiff to the whistleblower to testify during the trial. Trump wasn’t just blowing smoke either, as he clearly believes that his fake Biden scandal is a winner for him. But Trump couldn’t even get his own Republican Senate to subpoena these people to testify.
Republican Senators deserve zero points for this, of course. The only reason they didn’t subpoena these witnesses is that while they were willing to corruptly give Trump a sham acquittal, they were afraid of being dragged further down the rabbit hole of Trump’s deranged conspiracy theories and broken mind. But the bottom line is that Trump didn’t get what he was seeking from this trial. It shows just how crippled he is, and how little influence he has over what’s going on. Yeah, the GOP Senate is acquitting him because they think that’s what’s best for themselves. But he couldn’t even get them to do what he really wanted.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-03--This is pathetic, even for Donald Trump and his goons

We previously reported on the bizarre and lame positions of Republican Senator Lamar “ the Lame ” Alexander in connection with Donald J. Trump , IMPOTUS the Third , and his impeachment trial .
It appears that Alexander needs to learn that it is better to quit while he ’ s behind than to open his mouth and confirm what a joke he is .
But Lamar the Lame apparently has no such self-awareness .
He decided to go on “ Meet the Press ” with Chuck Todd .
At one point this exchange took place : LAMAR ALEXANDER : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bidens were doing in Ukraine , he should ’ ve called the attorney general CHUCK TODD : Why didn ’ t he then ?
ALEXANDER : Maybe he didn ’ t know to do it .
I dare anyone to try to explain what the hell , how the hell , Lamar could say that Trump “ didn ’ t know to do it.
” That is the weakest defense of corrupt behavior by Team Trump we have seen to date , and that is saying a lot .
At another point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done wrong .
Alexander and Todd had this exchange : SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER : Well , I mean , if you have eight witnesses who say someone left the scene of an accident , why do you need nine ?
I mean , the question for me was : Do I need more evidence to conclude that the president did what he did ?
And I concluded no .
So , I voted we don ’ t — CHUCK TODD : What do you believe he did ?
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER : What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was that he called the president of Ukraine and asked him to become involved in investigating Joe Biden , who was — CHUCK TODD : You believe his wrongdoing began there , not before — SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER : The president admitted that .
He released a transcript , he said on television .
The second thing was , at least in part , he delayed the military and other assistance to Ukraine in order to encourage that investigation .
Those are the two things he did .
I think he shouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was wrong… .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
We previously reported on the bizarre and lame positions of Republican Senator Lamar “the Lame” Alexander in connection with Donald J. Trump, IMPOTUS the Third, and his impeachment trial. It appears that Alexander needs to learn that it is better to quit while he’s behind than to open his mouth and confirm what a joke he is.
But Lamar the Lame apparently has no such self-awareness. He decided to go on “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd. At one point this exchange took place:
LAMAR ALEXANDER: If the president was upset with what the Bidens were doing in Ukraine, he should’ve called the attorney general CHUCK TODD: Why didn’t he then? ALEXANDER: Maybe he didn’t know to do it.
I dare anyone to try to explain what the hell, how the hell, Lamar could say that Trump “didn’t know to do it.” That is the weakest defense of corrupt behavior by Team Trump we have seen to date, and that is saying a lot. At another point, Todd asked Alexander what Trump had done wrong. Alexander and Todd had this exchange:
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER: Well, I mean, if you have eight witnesses who say someone left the scene of an accident, why do you need nine? I mean, the question for me was: Do I need more evidence to conclude that the president did what he did? And I concluded no. So, I voted we don’t — CHUCK TODD: What do you believe he did? SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER: What I believe he did, one, was that he called the president of Ukraine and asked him to become involved in investigating Joe Biden, who was — CHUCK TODD: You believe his wrongdoing began there, not before — SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER: The president admitted that. He released a transcript, he said on television. The second thing was, at least in part, he delayed the military and other assistance to Ukraine in order to encourage that investigation. Those are the two things he did. I think he shouldn’t have done it. I think it was wrong….


palmerreport--2020-02-03--What was Donald Trump even thinking?

What was Donald Trump even thinking?

This past Sunday was several things .
The 54th Super Bowl occurred , it was Groundhog Day , and it was also a day Donald Trump attempted to hide his entire lifetime of racism by airing a thirty second ad .
While most people easily saw through the lies , Trump decided it would benefit him the most by retweeting those who tweeted the video of his lie .
Sure , Trump was mentioned by name in the commercial , and yes he signed off on the criminal reform bill that he has promoted since it became law .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was only due to a bipartisan bill , written and agreed to by both the House and Senate , that allowed the bill to get to his desk .
Trump understands that minority groups realize he ’ s done nothing to advance their interests .
Hell , sane white people know Trump has done nothing to advance their interests unless they ’ re extremely wealthy .
Trump ’ s Super Bowl commercial will likely do nothing to help his support among minorities , but he understands such efforts are the only things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading up to the 2020 election .
Obviously Trump ’ s core support is made up by uneducated white voters .
The previous few years have proved that it ’ s a challenge for Trump to increase his overall support outside of that base .
As we step into the presidential primary season , we will see how the country views Trump ’ s opponents .
But it ’ s also necessary to properly view their opponent , who has spent the previous three years destroying our nation , to determine who best @ @ @ @

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
This past Sunday was several things. The 54th Super Bowl occurred, it was Groundhog Day, and it was also a day Donald Trump attempted to hide his entire lifetime of racism by airing a thirty second ad. While most people easily saw through the lies, Trump decided it would benefit him the most by retweeting those who tweeted the video of his lie.
Sure, Trump was mentioned by name in the commercial, and yes he signed off on the criminal reform bill that he has promoted since it became law. But he continues to ignore the fact that it was only due to a bipartisan bill, written and agreed to by both the House and Senate, that allowed the bill to get to his desk. Trump understands that minority groups realize he’s done nothing to advance their interests. Hell, sane white people know Trump has done nothing to advance their interests unless they’re extremely wealthy.
Trump’s Super Bowl commercial will likely do nothing to help his support among minorities, but he understands such efforts are the only things he can do to increase his chances leading up to the 2020 election.
Obviously Trump’s core support is made up by uneducated white voters. The previous few years have proved that it’s a challenge for Trump to increase his overall support outside of that base. As we step into the presidential primary season, we will see how the country views Trump’s opponents. But it’s also necessary to properly view their opponent, who has spent the previous three years destroying our nation, to determine who best can beat him.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


COVER UP

Donald Trump successfully surrounded himself with complicit criminals who did their jobs for him in his impeachment trial .
They helped him hide evidence of his guilt , and the corrupt Senate took the opportunity and ran , voting against witnesses and additional documents .
Now that the whole thing is effectively over , CNN is reporting that dozens of emails exist that detail the freeze on Ukraine aid , and Trump ’ s role in the freeze .
You can likely guess who ’ s behind holding these emails : Trump ’ s DOJ .
The House earlier subpoenaed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Center for Public Integrity sued for the documents in December , and in a late filing after the Senate vote , the DOJ , responding to a January 31 deadline imposed by the court , acknowledged that it had the information requested by the court .
As CNN details , this is an official acknowledgement by the Trump administration of its obstruction of Congress , not to mention its coverup of Trump ’ s bribery of Ukraine .
Similar to the ridiculous arguments of Trump ’ s legal team , OMB alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain confidential because they “ describe communications by either the President , the Vice President , or the President ’ s immediate advisors ” about their coverup of Trump ’ s illegal hold on Ukraine aid .
The problem with these arguments is that while this information might well be considered confidential , all of this was done with bad intentions .
There was no risk to national security—other than in Trump ’ s feeble mind—and there was no impending threat or other plausible reason for Trump to withhold this aid .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had nothing whatsoever to do with the country or the presidency .
Shouldn ’ t this count for something ?
Apparently not on the Republican side of the planet .
Indeed , it is to their benefit for Trump to cheat his way into another term , as they have all prospered mightily under his “ leadership.
” Chuck Schumer told CNN : “ Every single Republican Senator voted to endorse the White House cover-up of these potentially important truth-revealing emails .
Make no mistake , the full truth will eventually come out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why they were so determined to enable the president to hide it .
”

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Donald Trump successfully surrounded himself with complicit criminals who did their jobs for him in his impeachment trial. They helped him hide evidence of his guilt, and the corrupt Senate took the opportunity and ran, voting against witnesses and additional documents. Now that the whole thing is effectively over, CNN is reporting that dozens of emails exist that detail the freeze on Ukraine aid, and Trump’s role in the freeze. You can likely guess who’s behind holding these emails: Trump’s DOJ.
The House earlier subpoenaed these documents, which was ignored. The Center for Public Integrity sued for the documents in December, and in a late filing after the Senate vote, the DOJ, responding to a January 31 deadline imposed by the court, acknowledged that it had the information requested by the court. As CNN details, this is an official acknowledgement by the Trump administration of its obstruction of Congress, not to mention its coverup of Trump’s bribery of Ukraine.
Similar to the ridiculous arguments of Trump’s legal team, OMB alleged to the court that the emails should remain confidential because they “describe communications by either the President, the Vice President, or the President’s immediate advisors” about their coverup of Trump’s illegal hold on Ukraine aid. The problem with these arguments is that while this information might well be considered confidential, all of this was done with bad intentions. There was no risk to national security—other than in Trump’s feeble mind—and there was no impending threat or other plausible reason for Trump to withhold this aid. He did it purely for selfish reasons that had nothing whatsoever to do with the country or the presidency. Shouldn’t this count for something? Apparently not on the Republican side of the planet. Indeed, it is to their benefit for Trump to cheat his way into another term, as they have all prospered mightily under his “leadership.”
Chuck Schumer told CNN: “Every single Republican Senator voted to endorse the White House cover-up of these potentially important truth-revealing emails. Make no mistake, the full truth will eventually come out and Republicans will have to answer for why they were so determined to enable the president to hide it.”
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-03--The gloves are off

The gloves are off

Donald Trump stayed up late on Saturday night , ranting at length on Twitter about Mike Bloomberg , and making up laughably false stories about Bloomberg ’ s height .
Trump then repeated these same lies during his Super Bowl interview on Sunday .
Even though Bloomberg isn ’ t currently in contention for the Democratic nomination , Trump has become obsessed with him .
Here ’ s the intriguing part .
On Sunday , the Mike Bloomberg campaign fired back at Donald Trump in kind , pointing out that Trump has no business making fun of other people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has an obvious hair problem .
This suggests that Bloomberg isn ’ t even trying to win the nomination .
After all , only Republican candidates can get away with hurling these kinds of personal insults , not Democratic candidates .
But the key here is that the gloves are off .
Considering Bloomberg ’ s pledge to spend huge money on advertising in support of whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being , this all suggests that Bloomberg is less interested in winning the presidency , and more interested in simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his share of the credit accordingly .
If this is indeed the case , then we have an asymmetrical battle in which Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg hurl personal insults about each other ’ s physical appearance , and the actual viable Democratic presidential candidates get to remain above the fray , even as Trump is too distracted by Bloomberg to spend as much time attacking them .
You can have whatever opinion you want of the appropriateness of Bloomberg ’ s fighting tactics , but they ’ re clearly getting under Trump @ @ @ @

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Donald Trump stayed up late on Saturday night, ranting at length on Twitter about Mike Bloomberg, and making up laughably false stories about Bloomberg’s height. Trump then repeated these same lies during his Super Bowl interview on Sunday. Even though Bloomberg isn’t currently in contention for the Democratic nomination, Trump has become obsessed with him.
Here’s the intriguing part. On Sunday, the Mike Bloomberg campaign fired back at Donald Trump in kind, pointing out that Trump has no business making fun of other people’s physical attributes because Trump is obese and has an obvious hair problem. This suggests that Bloomberg isn’t even trying to win the nomination. After all, only Republican candidates can get away with hurling these kinds of personal insults, not Democratic candidates. But the key here is that the gloves are off.
Considering Bloomberg’s pledge to spend huge money on advertising in support of whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being, this all suggests that Bloomberg is less interested in winning the presidency, and more interested in simply helping take Trump down – and getting his share of the credit accordingly.
If this is indeed the case, then we have an asymmetrical battle in which Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg hurl personal insults about each other’s physical appearance, and the actual viable Democratic presidential candidates get to remain above the fray, even as Trump is too distracted by Bloomberg to spend as much time attacking them. You can have whatever opinion you want of the appropriateness of Bloomberg’s fighting tactics, but they’re clearly getting under Trump’s skin.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--Donald Trump’s sham acquittal is already blowing up in Senate Republicans’ faces

Even though Donald Trump ’ s sham trial is all but over with the result that many of us were dreading , you might think that Senate Republicans would want to go back to work , even if it means doing despicable things without distraction .
After all , Mitch McConnell claimed that impeachment was the reason Republicans weren ’ t getting anything done – that what was happening in the House was somehow the reason he decided to block 400 bills from even coming up for a vote in the Senate .
Before impeachment was even in the cards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine scandal , Republicans liked to spread around the argument that somehow impeaching Trump would make him more popular .
They were somehow making a parallel to President Clinton ’ s impeachment where Clinton actually did end up being more popular when the trial was over , but that ’ s about the only parallel they paid attention to regarding Clinton ’ s impeachment .
Now Senate Republicans have suddenly changed their tune , with Lindsey Graham going on Fox Business on Sunday to say that “ in the coming weeks , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whistleblower.
” There ’ s a few things going on here .
Graham clearly doesn ’ t have the ability to do this , or he would ’ ve already done it , rather than vote against having witnesses .
He knows that simply blocking witnesses blew up in his face and that Donald Trump wasn ’ t too happy about it either as he wanted a full trial that would confirm his inane conspiracy theories .
This will either overwhelmingly be voted down or only make Trump ’ s corruption more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans wrote the whole thing off as nothing more to see .
It won ’ t compel anyone to vote for Trump who wasn ’ t voting for him already , and maybe that ’ s part of the problem – Graham clearly cares about his own dimming re-election odds and no one else .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Even though Donald Trump’s sham trial is all but over with the result that many of us were dreading, you might think that Senate Republicans would want to go back to work, even if it means doing despicable things without distraction. After all, Mitch McConnell claimed that impeachment was the reason Republicans weren’t getting anything done – that what was happening in the House was somehow the reason he decided to block 400 bills from even coming up for a vote in the Senate.
Before impeachment was even in the cards – before we got news of the Ukraine scandal, Republicans liked to spread around the argument that somehow impeaching Trump would make him more popular. They were somehow making a parallel to President Clinton’s impeachment where Clinton actually did end up being more popular when the trial was over, but that’s about the only parallel they paid attention to regarding Clinton’s impeachment.
Now Senate Republicans have suddenly changed their tune, with Lindsey Graham going on Fox Business on Sunday to say that “in the coming weeks,” the Senate Intelligence Committee “will call the whistleblower.”
There’s a few things going on here. Graham clearly doesn’t have the ability to do this, or he would’ve already done it, rather than vote against having witnesses. He knows that simply blocking witnesses blew up in his face and that Donald Trump wasn’t too happy about it either as he wanted a full trial that would confirm his inane conspiracy theories. This will either overwhelmingly be voted down or only make Trump’s corruption more glaringly obvious, especially after so many Republicans wrote the whole thing off as nothing more to see. It won’t compel anyone to vote for Trump who wasn’t voting for him already, and maybe that’s part of the problem – Graham clearly cares about his own dimming re-election odds and no one else.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--Nancy Pelosi and the House reveal how they’re going to fight back against the sham acquittal vote

On Wednesday the Republican Senate will corruptly vote to acquit Donald Trump in his impeachment trial , without having even called a single witness , despite Trump ’ s obvious guilt .
There Republicans have the majority , so there ’ s nothing any Democrat can do to stop this vote from going the way it ’ s going to go .
But this evening Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats revealed the first portion of their plan to fight back against this vote .
Right now it ’ s all about perception .
Donald Trump is hoping that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the eyes of the average American .
That ’ s not going to happen , because everyone knows this is a sham trial , and everyone outside his crazed base has a problem with that .
The House has decided to make sure the public is reminded that he ’ s guilty .
To that end , the House Judiciary Committee is bringing in FBI Director Christopher Wray to publicly testify this Wednesday .
The hearing will take place at the exact same time that the Senate impeachment acquittal vote is expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainstream media ( Fox News doesn ’ t count ) to split its coverage by reporting on the FBI Director ’ s answers about Trump ’ s criminal scandals , even while reporting that Senate Republicans are giving Trump a free pass .
Some of you are probably asking why Pelosi and the House are calling FBI Director Christopher Wray , as opposed to a witness who ’ s more directly involved in the Ukraine scandal .
The answer is that in his job position , Wray has to show up and testify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to someone like Mick Mulvaney , who would simply refuse to show up .
The timing of the Wray hearing is a strong indicator that it ’ s just a first step , and that the House can be expected to call other willing witnesses like John Bolton and perhaps Lev Parnas thereafter .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
On Wednesday the Republican Senate will corruptly vote to acquit Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, without having even called a single witness, despite Trump’s obvious guilt. There Republicans have the majority, so there’s nothing any Democrat can do to stop this vote from going the way it’s going to go. But this evening Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats revealed the first portion of their plan to fight back against this vote.
Right now it’s all about perception. Donald Trump is hoping that his acquittal will make him look innocent in the eyes of the average American. That’s not going to happen, because everyone knows this is a sham trial, and everyone outside his crazed base has a problem with that. The House has decided to make sure the public is reminded that he’s guilty.
To that end, the House Judiciary Committee is bringing in FBI Director Christopher Wray to publicly testify this Wednesday. The hearing will take place at the exact same time that the Senate impeachment acquittal vote is expected to take place. This will force the mainstream media (Fox News doesn’t count) to split its coverage by reporting on the FBI Director’s answers about Trump’s criminal scandals, even while reporting that Senate Republicans are giving Trump a free pass.
Some of you are probably asking why Pelosi and the House are calling FBI Director Christopher Wray, as opposed to a witness who’s more directly involved in the Ukraine scandal. The answer is that in his job position, Wray has to show up and testify whenever the House asks – as opposed to someone like Mick Mulvaney, who would simply refuse to show up. The timing of the Wray hearing is a strong indicator that it’s just a first step, and that the House can be expected to call other willing witnesses like John Bolton and perhaps Lev Parnas thereafter.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--Here we go again

Here we go again

Heading into Donald Trump ’ s Senate impeachment trial , Palmer Report warned you that once it became clear the Republicans were going to acquit him , we ’ d see the media start trying to convince us that we ’ re all doomed going forward .
Specifically , we predicted that the media would latch onto whatever outlier poll showed Trump ’ s approval rating skyrocketing , while ignoring any polls that show the opposite , and ignoring the overall polling averages .
Sure enough , that ended up happening today .
Gallup has released its latest presidential approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s approval suddenly spiking all the way to 49 % , an all time high for him .
Naturally , any number of political pundits – particularly on television – seized on this number as validation of their past week ’ s worth of claims that Trump ’ s acquittal is now going to magically get him reelected .
The trouble is , these people are either completely clueless about how polls work , or flat out lying .
The new Reuters poll shows Trump ’ s approval rating at 41 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week ago , and the same as it was two weeks ago .
This poll shows Trump getting no impeachment trial bump at all , and being as unpopular as ever .
But guess which of the two polls the media ran with ?
The shocking spike Trump supposedly received in the Gallup poll , of course .
The only responsible , accurate , and honest way to report the polls is to place them within the context of the polling averages .
Each polling outlet uses a different methodology that produces different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By averaging all of the current polls together , you smooth out any anomalies .
When pundits ignore the polling averages in favor of reporting just one random new poll number , they ’ re reporting the polls inaccurately .
And when the pundits ignore the polling averages in favor of reporting the most suspicious outlier poll they can find , they ’ re being dishonest on purpose .
This can ’ t be stressed enough : the polls themselves are not the problem .
Statistical sampling isn ’ t perfect , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that the final polling averages generally prove to be correct within the margin of error ( even in 2016 , believe it or not ) .
The problem is that the media generally reports on the polls in a highly inaccurate fashion , either due to ignorance of how statistics work , or an intentional attempt at drumming up ratings by only reporting the most shocking statistical outlier available .
You can usually trust the polls .
Sadly , you just can ’ t trust the people on TV to tell you @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Heading into Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, Palmer Report warned you that once it became clear the Republicans were going to acquit him, we’d see the media start trying to convince us that we’re all doomed going forward. Specifically, we predicted that the media would latch onto whatever outlier poll showed Trump’s approval rating skyrocketing, while ignoring any polls that show the opposite, and ignoring the overall polling averages.
Sure enough, that ended up happening today. Gallup has released its latest presidential approval rating poll, and it shows Donald Trump’s approval suddenly spiking all the way to 49%, an all time high for him. Naturally, any number of political pundits – particularly on television – seized on this number as validation of their past week’s worth of claims that Trump’s acquittal is now going to magically get him reelected. The trouble is, these people are either completely clueless about how polls work, or flat out lying.
The new Reuters poll shows Trump’s approval rating at 41%, one point down from a week ago, and the same as it was two weeks ago. This poll shows Trump getting no impeachment trial bump at all, and being as unpopular as ever. But guess which of the two polls the media ran with? The shocking spike Trump supposedly received in the Gallup poll, of course.
The only responsible, accurate, and honest way to report the polls is to place them within the context of the polling averages. Each polling outlet uses a different methodology that produces different, and occasionally gibberish, results. By averaging all of the current polls together, you smooth out any anomalies. When pundits ignore the polling averages in favor of reporting just one random new poll number, they’re reporting the polls inaccurately. And when the pundits ignore the polling averages in favor of reporting the most suspicious outlier poll they can find, they’re being dishonest on purpose.
This can’t be stressed enough: the polls themselves are not the problem. Statistical sampling isn’t perfect, and outlier polls happen. But the reality is that the final polling averages generally prove to be correct within the margin of error (even in 2016, believe it or not). The problem is that the media generally reports on the polls in a highly inaccurate fashion, either due to ignorance of how statistics work, or an intentional attempt at drumming up ratings by only reporting the most shocking statistical outlier available. You can usually trust the polls. Sadly, you just can’t trust the people on TV to tell you what the polls are really said.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--The real trouble with this disastrous Iowa caucus

We ’ re still waiting to get the initial results of the Democratic 2020 Iowa caucus later today , and even then , the first batch of results likely won ’ t be complete or confirm the winner .
This is unfortunate all around .
The winner won ’ t get the full impact of positive media coverage , the Democratic Party looks terrible for not being able to deliver the results , and it all comes amidst a backdrop of Iowa ’ s non-diverse population not being representative of the United States to begin with .
But that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s often been said that you should never assume conspiracy when something can be properly explained by mere incompetence .
The trouble here is that we ’ re in a conspiracy era .
Donald Trump has been involved in so many very real conspiracies , several of his own top political advisers have gone to prison for it .
And the internet is a breeding ground conspiracies in general .
That brings us to last night .
The conspiracy theorists with a rooting interest in the Democratic Iowa caucus results have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolutely be a conspiracy against their candidate .
But in order to legitimately assert conspiracy , you need to have the preponderance of the evidence on your side , and your way of connecting the dots needs to make more logical sense than any other possible explanation .
In the Iowa caucus , the conspiracy theorists are asserting – apparently with a straight face – that Pete Buttigieg somehow bribed a group of people to sabotage their own software app , so that an extra day would go by before it was announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond words .
Even if Buttigieg did resort to this level of villainy , and if he did have this kind of control over the recording of the results , wouldn ’ t he have simply rigged it so he won Iowa ?
Pete Buttigieg wouldn ’ t be capable of the extraordinary level of creative stupidity required to have taken the actions that he ’ s accused of having taken .
That ’ s before getting to the absurd notion that Buttigieg – who has a legitimate if small chance at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheating in a caucus that he might have won anyway .
The unfortunate part here is that the conspiracy theorists have convinced themselves that there ’ s a ( phony , ridiculous , laughably absurd ) conspiracy against their own preferred candidate – and that just gives them an excuse not to support the eventual nominee when it ends up not being their preferred candidate .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
We’re still waiting to get the initial results of the Democratic 2020 Iowa caucus later today, and even then, the first batch of results likely won’t be complete or confirm the winner. This is unfortunate all around. The winner won’t get the full impact of positive media coverage, the Democratic Party looks terrible for not being able to deliver the results, and it all comes amidst a backdrop of Iowa’s non-diverse population not being representative of the United States to begin with. But that’s not the worst of it.
It’s often been said that you should never assume conspiracy when something can be properly explained by mere incompetence. The trouble here is that we’re in a conspiracy era. Donald Trump has been involved in so many very real conspiracies, several of his own top political advisers have gone to prison for it. And the internet is a breeding ground conspiracies in general. That brings us to last night.
The conspiracy theorists with a rooting interest in the Democratic Iowa caucus results have already decided that the delayed results must absolutely be a conspiracy against their candidate. But in order to legitimately assert conspiracy, you need to have the preponderance of the evidence on your side, and your way of connecting the dots needs to make more logical sense than any other possible explanation.
In the Iowa caucus, the conspiracy theorists are asserting – apparently with a straight face – that Pete Buttigieg somehow bribed a group of people to sabotage their own software app, so that an extra day would go by before it was announced that Buttigieg lost. This is absurd beyond words. Even if Buttigieg did resort to this level of villainy, and if he did have this kind of control over the recording of the results, wouldn’t he have simply rigged it so he won Iowa?
Pete Buttigieg wouldn’t be capable of the extraordinary level of creative stupidity required to have taken the actions that he’s accused of having taken. That’s before getting to the absurd notion that Buttigieg – who has a legitimate if small chance at the nomination – would risk it all by cheating in a caucus that he might have won anyway. The unfortunate part here is that the conspiracy theorists have convinced themselves that there’s a (phony, ridiculous, laughably absurd) conspiracy against their own preferred candidate – and that just gives them an excuse not to support the eventual nominee when it ends up not being their preferred candidate.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--Adam Schiff’s big finale

Adam Schiff’s big finale

Thomas Jefferson once said of Patrick Henry that he “ spoke as Homer wrote.
” The majestic , epic lines of that Ancient Greek poet have rolled across the centuries in phrases of thunder like the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach – to inspire , astonish and occasionally convict .
No less Homeric were the words of Adam Schiff in summarizing the depredations of the arch villain in the Oval Office .
If Schiff was Homeric we must invent a new word for the Republican Senators – McCarthic .
For it was with the calculating , disparaging , duplicitous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disingenuously advanced the case for the indefensible Donald Trump .
Like McCarthy , Senate Republicans were lazy , and you can decide for yourself the reason .
Was it because they knew they didn ’ t have to work hard to protect their lord and master , or because they knew that their labors could not be inspired by a thing they knew to be fundamentally wrong ?
Whatever the case , Schiff asked , in essence , the same question of senate Republicans that Joseph Nye Welch asked of Joseph McCarthy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left no sense of decency ?
” As with McCarthy , the answer that will come on Wednesday will almost certainly be “ No.
” The final verdict of history on McCarthy took time .
It may surprise some of you to learn that the final institution known as McCarthyism in the form of the House Unamerican Activity Committee ( HUAC ) and its antecedents did not formally pass away until January of 1975 .
From the standpoint of history , justice delayed is not always justice denied .
As Schiff put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Donald Trump .
Not because it will be written by ‘ never Trumpers , ’ but because whenever we have departed from the values of our nation we have come to regret it .
And that regret is written all over the pages of our history.
” Indeed , those pages reek of the blood of Native Americans , they are fouled by the inhumanity of slavery and embarrassed by the unjust persecutions of McCarthyism .
One day , Adam Schiff assures us , history will only remember the Republicans in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday .
“ If you find that the House has proved its case , ” Schiff continued , “ and still vote to acquit , your name will be tied to his with a cord of steal and for all of history .
But if you find the courage to stand up to him , to speak the awful truth to his rank falsehood , your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath .
If only you will say , ‘ Enough !
’ ” From the very start Adam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search for truth .
His position has always been to let the facts speak for themselves , that innocent people are never afraid of truth .
Truth is available and should be obvious to all Senators of either party , and their votes on Wednesday will reflect the true sincerity of that belief .
“ America believes in a thing called Truth , Schiff continued .
“ She does not believe we are entitled to our own ‘ alternate facts.
’ She recoils at those who spread pernicious falsehoods .
To her , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrosive to democracy than the idea that there is no truth.
” So prophesied Adam Schiff of blind justice in the sonorous tones of blind old Homer , that the ineluctable unanimous verdict of history is coming for any Republican Senators who acquit Donald Trump , a judgement against which there can be no rehabilitation .
Some of those Senators are young enough that they will live to see it for themselves , they will see at last that Donald Trump is the Darkness , reaching out for the Darkness , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his sake that their painstakingly-contrived reputations will be shredded to tatters and cast into the wine-dark sea .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Thomas Jefferson once said of Patrick Henry that he “spoke as Homer wrote.” The majestic, epic lines of that Ancient Greek poet have rolled across the centuries in phrases of thunder like the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach – to inspire, astonish and occasionally convict. No less Homeric were the words of Adam Schiff in summarizing the depredations of the arch villain in the Oval Office.
If Schiff was Homeric we must invent a new word for the Republican Senators – McCarthic. For it was with the calculating, disparaging, duplicitous idioms of Joseph McCarthy that Republicans have disingenuously advanced the case for the indefensible Donald Trump. Like McCarthy, Senate Republicans were lazy, and you can decide for yourself the reason. Was it because they knew they didn’t have to work hard to protect their lord and master, or because they knew that their labors could not be inspired by a thing they knew to be fundamentally wrong? Whatever the case, Schiff asked, in essence, the same question of senate Republicans that Joseph Nye Welch asked of Joseph McCarthy, “At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” As with McCarthy, the answer that will come on Wednesday will almost certainly be “No.”
The final verdict of history on McCarthy took time. It may surprise some of you to learn that the final institution known as McCarthyism in the form of the House Unamerican Activity Committee (HUAC) and its antecedents did not formally pass away until January of 1975. From the standpoint of history, justice delayed is not always justice denied. As Schiff put it, “History will not be kind to Donald Trump. Not because it will be written by ‘never Trumpers,’ but because whenever we have departed from the values of our nation we have come to regret it. And that regret is written all over the pages of our history.” Indeed, those pages reek of the blood of Native Americans, they are fouled by the inhumanity of slavery and embarrassed by the unjust persecutions of McCarthyism. One day, Adam Schiff assures us, history will only remember the Republicans in the room by the vote they cast on Wednesday.
“If you find that the House has proved its case,” Schiff continued, “and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history. But if you find the courage to stand up to him, to speak the awful truth to his rank falsehood, your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath. If only you will say, ‘Enough!’”
From the very start Adam Schiff’s odyssey has been a search for truth. His position has always been to let the facts speak for themselves, that innocent people are never afraid of truth. Truth is available and should be obvious to all Senators of either party, and their votes on Wednesday will reflect the true sincerity of that belief. “America believes in a thing called Truth, Schiff continued. “She does not believe we are entitled to our own ‘alternate facts.’ She recoils at those who spread pernicious falsehoods. To her, truth matters, there is nothing more corrosive to democracy than the idea that there is no truth.”
So prophesied Adam Schiff of blind justice in the sonorous tones of blind old Homer, that the ineluctable unanimous verdict of history is coming for any Republican Senators who acquit Donald Trump, a judgement against which there can be no rehabilitation. Some of those Senators are young enough that they will live to see it for themselves, they will see at last that Donald Trump is the Darkness, reaching out for the Darkness, and it will be in his name and for his sake that their painstakingly-contrived reputations will be shredded to tatters and cast into the wine-dark sea.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--Donald Trump’s desperation just keeps growing

With the Iowa caucus being shown for what it is – largely an outdated presidential primary tradition that celebrates voter suppression – we don ’ t know for sure who the Democratic winner is , how much they ’ ll win by , and how much it will ultimately matter in the coming races .
For the Republicans , however , it was always rather obvious that Donald Trump would win , even though he lost the first Iowa caucus he ran in and still managed to clinch the nomination back in 2016 .
And yes , back then pundits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was over for him and he ’ d be out of the race .
Of course , the fact that Trump overwhelmingly won the Republican caucus was a bit of much needed good news for him so he took to Twitter to gloat .
It wasn ’ t enough to have a big win – with over 97 % of the vote , but it had to be an historic victory for him to brag about , even though it actually wasn ’ t .
In 2012 , President Obama managed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Iowa caucus and ran for the nomination unopposed .
Trump , however , has two remaining primary opponents – Bill Weld and Joe Walsh – who finished with just over 1 % of support each .
While defeating an incumbent in a primary election is largely impossible , it goes to show that even with all of the suppression the Republicans are doing to their own primary to ensure Trump keeps the nomination , two opponents who aren ’ t all that well known outside of their own states can still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , in a region he depends upon heavily for re-election .
These are facts he desperately needs to bury even in the face of good news .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
With the Iowa caucus being shown for what it is – largely an outdated presidential primary tradition that celebrates voter suppression – we don’t know for sure who the Democratic winner is, how much they’ll win by, and how much it will ultimately matter in the coming races. For the Republicans, however, it was always rather obvious that Donald Trump would win, even though he lost the first Iowa caucus he ran in and still managed to clinch the nomination back in 2016. And yes, back then pundits were predicting his loss in Iowa meant it was over for him and he’d be out of the race.
Of course, the fact that Trump overwhelmingly won the Republican caucus was a bit of much needed good news for him so he took to Twitter to gloat. It wasn’t enough to have a big win – with over 97% of the vote, but it had to be an historic victory for him to brag about, even though it actually wasn’t. In 2012, President Obama managed to pull off almost 99% of support in the Iowa caucus and ran for the nomination unopposed.
Trump, however, has two remaining primary opponents – Bill Weld and Joe Walsh – who finished with just over 1% of support each. While defeating an incumbent in a primary election is largely impossible, it goes to show that even with all of the suppression the Republicans are doing to their own primary to ensure Trump keeps the nomination, two opponents who aren’t all that well known outside of their own states can still garner some support in a largely rural state, in a region he depends upon heavily for re-election. These are facts he desperately needs to bury even in the face of good news.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


WHAT A RIP-OFF!

People who still support “ president ” Donald Trump – despite all his criminal activities , cruelty , and downright crass behavior – need to read how he continues to milk all of us for profits .
Not that it would do any good .
They will simply find a way to deny what ’ s going on under their very noses .
Trump continues to make money from his business enterprises on the backs of the American people .
His golf outings alone have cost taxpayers $ 130.4 million .
Adding to his coffers , Trump hosted a Super @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts have predicted , now that Trump has been “ acquitted , ” he will go back to doing what he did before and worse .
This past weekend proves that .
The American taxpayers are on the hook for $ 3.4 million for Trump ’ s members only Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago , which invisible press secretary Stephanie Grisham has the nerve to call the “ Winter White House.
” No , this is a for-profit golf course , which profits are going directly into “ president ” Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ sole beneficiary , ” according to HuffPost .
Not only did Trump collect taxpayer dollars for his little soiree , but he charged $ 75.00 per ticket on top of the initiation fee that has doubled from $ 100,000 to $ 200,000 since he stole the presidency .
No wonder Trump wants to stay in the White House .
He ’ s making a killing .
Be sure to mention this the next time one of your Trump supporter friends tells you he ’ s donating his salary .
What ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can rake in millions ?
The head of Public Citizens jokingly added , “ Well , obviously , there are no TVs in the White House , so what alternative did he have ?
He could have saved money by chartering a plane and flying club members to watch the game at the White House.
” Please .
Trump isn ’ t interested in saving money , especially not ours .
He ’ s trying to rebuild his “ empire ” on our backs .
If disclosure of this type of information doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it certainly should .
And it ’ s only going to get worse until he ’ s booted out .
He did at least have the decency to forego one golfing outing , but before you get too excited , he didn ’ t want to miss a dinner organized by the “ Trumpettes , ” which is what a group of his female supporters call themselves .
This is utterly disgusting .
One reporter was bold enough to ask exactly what type of work Trump undertook while at the “ Winter White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generic response “ calls and meetings with staff.
” Are the Trumpettes now part of the White House staff ?
That would be no surprise , since Trump loves surrounding himself with incompetents .
Among his many broken promises , Trump promised to divest himself from his businesses upon assuming office , which hasn ’ t and never will happen .
Joe Walsh , one of the Republicans running against Trump , explained this phenomenon best : “ Trump is and always has been a con man .
Trump is using taxpayer money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his travel is to Trump properties .
That is the swamp Trump pledged to drain .
Trump is the swamp.
” Well said , Mr. Walsh , well said .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
People who still support “president” Donald Trump – despite all his criminal activities, cruelty, and downright crass behavior – need to read how he continues to milk all of us for profits. Not that it would do any good. They will simply find a way to deny what’s going on under their very noses. Trump continues to make money from his business enterprises on the backs of the American people. His golf outings alone have cost taxpayers $130.4 million. Adding to his coffers, Trump hosted a Super Bowl Party at Mar-a-Lago.
As many experts have predicted, now that Trump has been “acquitted,” he will go back to doing what he did before and worse. This past weekend proves that. The American taxpayers are on the hook for $3.4 million for Trump’s members only Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago, which invisible press secretary Stephanie Grisham has the nerve to call the “Winter White House.” No, this is a for-profit golf course, which profits are going directly into “president” Trump’s pocket via a trust that names him the “sole beneficiary,” according to HuffPost. Not only did Trump collect taxpayer dollars for his little soiree, but he charged $75.00 per ticket on top of the initiation fee that has doubled from $100,000 to $200,000 since he stole the presidency. No wonder Trump wants to stay in the White House. He’s making a killing. Be sure to mention this the next time one of your Trump supporter friends tells you he’s donating his salary. What’s a paltry $400,000 when you can rake in millions?
The head of Public Citizens jokingly added, “Well, obviously, there are no TVs in the White House, so what alternative did he have? He could have saved money by chartering a plane and flying club members to watch the game at the White House.” Please. Trump isn’t interested in saving money, especially not ours. He’s trying to rebuild his “empire” on our backs. If disclosure of this type of information doesn’t make your blood boil, it certainly should. And it’s only going to get worse until he’s booted out. He did at least have the decency to forego one golfing outing, but before you get too excited, he didn’t want to miss a dinner organized by the “Trumpettes,” which is what a group of his female supporters call themselves. This is utterly disgusting.
One reporter was bold enough to ask exactly what type of work Trump undertook while at the “Winter White House” and was met with the generic response “calls and meetings with staff.” Are the Trumpettes now part of the White House staff? That would be no surprise, since Trump loves surrounding himself with incompetents.
Among his many broken promises, Trump promised to divest himself from his businesses upon assuming office, which hasn’t and never will happen. Joe Walsh, one of the Republicans running against Trump, explained this phenomenon best: “Trump is and always has been a con man. Trump is using taxpayer money to personally enrich himself because virtually all of his travel is to Trump properties. That is the swamp Trump pledged to drain. Trump is the swamp.” Well said, Mr. Walsh, well said.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-04--The Iowa caucus just turned into the Iowa cock-up

Going into last night ’ s Iowa Caucus , I laid out the data showing that only once in forty years have the Democratic and Republican nominees both won Iowa and New Hampshire .
In other words , these first two states are essentially preseason football games , where normal rules of winning don ’ t apply , only the enthusiasts even bother getting involved , and the results don ’ t tell us anything about what ’ s going to happen in the ( Super Tuesday ) regular season .
Whoever won Iowa last night , it simply wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even I couldn ’ t have predicted that the results would matter this little .
That ’ s thanks to new Iowa caucus rules requiring that three kinds of results be recorded , and a new app-based vote recording system which wasn ’ t willing to accept all that data , according to several major news outlets .
As a result of this calamity , we still don ’ t know who won Iowa , or by how much .
By the time the results are finally posted , the big narrative coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the screw-ups , and the winner will end up with a much smaller impact .
But then again , what ’ s half of zero ?
If one thing stood out during the extended vamping that the TV pundits had to do while the results were being dragged out , it ’ s that the media really doesn ’ t want to have to admit that the Iowa caucus doesn ’ t count for anything .
MSNBC resorted to logical gymnastics to try to explain why so many candidates have won Iowa over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faded from the race .
The conspiracy theorists on the left are already busy making up elaborate phony stories about how the results are being concealed by the “ Democratic establishment ” just to try to harm the winner .
Of course that ’ s the kind of tinfoil hat nonsense that psychologically stable people merely laugh at .
The bottom line continues to be that until we reach the diverse state of South Carolina , we have no voting data to go on that tells us anything about the overall population .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ frontrunner status will still be determined by the national polling averages .
The Iowa caucus wasn ’ t going to tell us anything anyway , so perhaps it ’ s fitting that it ended up literally not telling us anything .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Going into last night’s Iowa Caucus, I laid out the data showing that only once in forty years have the Democratic and Republican nominees both won Iowa and New Hampshire. In other words, these first two states are essentially preseason football games, where normal rules of winning don’t apply, only the enthusiasts even bother getting involved, and the results don’t tell us anything about what’s going to happen in the (Super Tuesday) regular season. Whoever won Iowa last night, it simply wasn’t going to matter. But even I couldn’t have predicted that the results would matter this little.
That’s thanks to new Iowa caucus rules requiring that three kinds of results be recorded, and a new app-based vote recording system which wasn’t willing to accept all that data, according to several major news outlets. As a result of this calamity, we still don’t know who won Iowa, or by how much. By the time the results are finally posted, the big narrative coming out of Iowa will already be about the screw-ups, and the winner will end up with a much smaller impact.
But then again, what’s half of zero? If one thing stood out during the extended vamping that the TV pundits had to do while the results were being dragged out, it’s that the media really doesn’t want to have to admit that the Iowa caucus doesn’t count for anything. MSNBC resorted to logical gymnastics to try to explain why so many candidates have won Iowa over the past few decades who then quickly faded from the race.
The conspiracy theorists on the left are already busy making up elaborate phony stories about how the results are being concealed by the “Democratic establishment” just to try to harm the winner. Of course that’s the kind of tinfoil hat nonsense that psychologically stable people merely laugh at. The bottom line continues to be that until we reach the diverse state of South Carolina, we have no voting data to go on that tells us anything about the overall population. For the next few weeks, the frontrunner status will still be determined by the national polling averages. The Iowa caucus wasn’t going to tell us anything anyway, so perhaps it’s fitting that it ended up literally not telling us anything.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-30--Donald Trump just got hit with some terrible news

Donald Trump is in the worst reelection position that any incumbent U.S. President has ever faced .
His approval rating is untenably low .
He ’ s largely seen as having recklessly and dishonestly botched a deadly crisis .
The economy is collapsing .
Trump has only had one thing up his sleeve .
Even as Trump faces his own ugly reelection prospects , the Democratic side has been seen as a mess as well .
Joe Biden is hugely popular .
But the Democrats are stuck in limbo with a primary race that realistically ended a long time ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to formally conclude because Biden ’ s defeated opponent Sanders is egomaniacally refusing to drop out .
There ’ s been a lot of fear that Sanders , and the toxicity of some of his supporters , could ruin things for the Democrats for the second election in a row .
But the new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll out today shows that despite all the perceived troubles on the Democratic side , Joe Biden now leads Donald Trump by a full ten points .
In presidential election terms , ten points is a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to look at the averages , and when you place this Harvard poll within the averages , you see that Biden ’ s lead over Trump is an average of about seven points .
That ’ s still impressive .
Here ’ s the kicker , though .
The Harvard poll says that Joe Biden has 96 % support within the Democratic Party .
That ’ s the kind of number you don ’ t generally see for a nominee until after every other candidate has dropped out and the primary race has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means that the vast , vast , vast majority of Democrats see this primary race as already being over , and that the games Sanders is playing are only for the benefit of a segment of people who aren ’ t Democrats anyway .
This is great news for Biden and terrible news for Trump .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Donald Trump is in the worst reelection position that any incumbent U.S. President has ever faced. His approval rating is untenably low. He’s largely seen as having recklessly and dishonestly botched a deadly crisis. The economy is collapsing. Trump has only had one thing up his sleeve.
Even as Trump faces his own ugly reelection prospects, the Democratic side has been seen as a mess as well. Joe Biden is hugely popular. But the Democrats are stuck in limbo with a primary race that realistically ended a long time ago, but hasn’t been able to formally conclude because Biden’s defeated opponent Sanders is egomaniacally refusing to drop out. There’s been a lot of fear that Sanders, and the toxicity of some of his supporters, could ruin things for the Democrats for the second election in a row.
But the new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll out today shows that despite all the perceived troubles on the Democratic side, Joe Biden now leads Donald Trump by a full ten points. In presidential election terms, ten points is a massive historic blowout. Palmer Report always preaches to look at the averages, and when you place this Harvard poll within the averages, you see that Biden’s lead over Trump is an average of about seven points. That’s still impressive. Here’s the kicker, though.
The Harvard poll says that Joe Biden has 96% support within the Democratic Party. That’s the kind of number you don’t generally see for a nominee until after every other candidate has dropped out and the primary race has officially been put to bed. This means that the vast, vast, vast majority of Democrats see this primary race as already being over, and that the games Sanders is playing are only for the benefit of a segment of people who aren’t Democrats anyway. This is great news for Biden and terrible news for Trump.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-30--What truly makes this all so dangerous

What truly makes this all so dangerous

When Vladimir Putin murdered my neighbor with a deadly binary agent called novichok in 2018 , a conspiracy theory grew up around the tragedy that the killing wasn ’ t Putin ’ s doing at all but British prime minister Theresa May ’ s .
The reason ?
Well , the original assault happened in Salisbury , right ?
Subsequent novichok traces were found in the immediate surrounding areas , right ?
And what do we find squatting ominously in the thick of this bioweapons attack in the sleepy county of Wiltshire in the verdant south of England ?
Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Technology Laboratory for the Ministry of Defence , that ’ s what !
In other words , what ’ s the use of having a bioweapons research facility so conveniently situated if you don ’ t use it on your own citizens and then blame the Russians ?
Forgetting the sleight-of-hand that the bioweapons research part of Porton Down was closed in the 1950s , the conspiracy theorist offers no evidence whatsoever for this cockamamie theory apart from one of geographic , if not temporal , convenience .
As if we don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which to transport the stuff ?
This is how conspiracy theories start and this is how stupid they can get .
And by the way , when I say “ conspiracy theories ” I mean speculations asserted without evidence positing “ explanations ” for events based on coincidence or the notion that someone stands to gain .
In other words , when your friend inherited a few thousand dollars from his widowed aunt it was because he murdered her , obviously .
He stood to gain and there can be no other possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other excuse for it .
He ’ s a murderer , deal with it .
All this conspiracy nonsense , nonsense that all of us on the internet these days must constantly endure , from the notion that the DNC “ robbed ” Bernie of the nomination in 2016 to 9/11 Trutherism to Deep State QAnon , etc.
, comes down to a confusion , it seems to me , between two words : possible and plausible .
A theory is possible when it is backed by evidence , facts or a reasonable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is plausible , on the other hand , if it would make a decent plot for a novel and there is a connectivity , however strained , from one feature of the theory to another .
Human beings like patterns , and as human beings we are notorious for discerning patterns where none exist .
We don ’ t like not knowing , so we prefer a plausible bad theory to no theory at all .
This is a tendency that needs to be actively resisted , and this seems a good time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good time to summon quotes from two brilliant but lamentably deceased thinkers to help us resist it .
Christopher Hitchens put it this way , “ What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.
” Carl Sagan put it even better , “ Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
” There is no evidence whatsoever , extraordinary or otherwise , that the coronavirus COVID-19 was secretly invented in the United States and is now being used by the Deep State in order to destroy Donald Trump .
There is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoax that the Democrats are using to get rid of Trump .
There is no evidence whatsoever that Dr. Anthony Fauci is telling lies in an underhanded effort to humiliate Donald Trump .
These are all conspiracy theories and they underscore why conspiracy theories are deadly dangerous .
These theories have and will cost American lives , and they will continue to do so .
That is a sadly unavoidable tragedy .
It ’ s a tragedy that stems from another deadly pandemic , the mistrust and denial of science .
Mistrust and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous things , like the notion that global warming is a hoax .
While such ignorance is common among Republicans , I ’ m sorry to say it ’ s not unheard of on the left and among Democrats .
We need to set the example and lead the way forward .
We need to resist this ugly , anti-science tendency amongst ourselves .
I think it ’ s sad that Dr. Fauci is now receiving death threats because people are unhappy that he makes Donald Trump look stupid and silly .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s a much simpler explanation : Donald Trump looks stupid and silly all by himself without any help , because Donald Trump is stupid and silly .
See how easy that is ?
I have near the limit of Facebook friends , and while that ’ s a pleasure on one hand it ’ s a burden on another .
Hardly a day goes by that I don ’ t receive some frantic message that I simply must pass along that is pure , unadulterated rubbish .
Anything from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) to a breathless proclamation about the new proposed 28th amendment ( there is none ) to a claim that someone named Andrea has hijacked my account ( no such thing has happened and , as far as I know , Andrea is a fiction ) .
All of which was a mere thirty second google away from refutation , but my messenger in each instance was too hastily frantic to bother .
This is why fake news is a thing , and I don ’ t mean the kind Donald Trump talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is why we are so misinformed .
How quick we are to believe and how reluctant we are to google what we believe !
It is a shame because , yes , there really are reliable resources out there on the internet , resources like the World Health Organization , like the Centers for Disease Control , like WebMD , like the Washington Post and the New York Times .
Things really can be knowable , and what we can not know we must be content to not know until better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as long as it faithfully remains labelled as such .
But speculation has a funny habit of transforming into absolute truth , These are dangerous times .
People ’ s lives are at stake and bad information can kill them .
We all need to be responsible and very careful about what we pass on .
We need to diligently practice social distancing from bad ideas , and constantly and thoroughly wash our hands of them .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
When Vladimir Putin murdered my neighbor with a deadly binary agent called novichok in 2018, a conspiracy theory grew up around the tragedy that the killing wasn’t Putin’s doing at all but British prime minister Theresa May’s. The reason? Well, the original assault happened in Salisbury, right? Subsequent novichok traces were found in the immediate surrounding areas, right? And what do we find squatting ominously in the thick of this bioweapons attack in the sleepy county of Wiltshire in the verdant south of England? Why, Porton Down, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory for the Ministry of Defence, that’s what! In other words, what’s the use of having a bioweapons research facility so conveniently situated if you don’t use it on your own citizens and then blame the Russians?
Forgetting the sleight-of-hand that the bioweapons research part of Porton Down was closed in the 1950s, the conspiracy theorist offers no evidence whatsoever for this cockamamie theory apart from one of geographic, if not temporal, convenience. As if we don’t have cars and airplanes with which to transport the stuff?
This is how conspiracy theories start and this is how stupid they can get. And by the way, when I say “conspiracy theories” I mean speculations asserted without evidence positing “explanations” for events based on coincidence or the notion that someone stands to gain. In other words, when your friend inherited a few thousand dollars from his widowed aunt it was because he murdered her, obviously. He stood to gain and there can be no other possibility and I won’t hear any other excuse for it. He’s a murderer, deal with it.
All this conspiracy nonsense, nonsense that all of us on the internet these days must constantly endure, from the notion that the DNC “robbed” Bernie of the nomination in 2016 to 9/11 Trutherism to Deep State QAnon, etc., comes down to a confusion, it seems to me, between two words: possible and plausible. A theory is possible when it is backed by evidence, facts or a reasonable conjecture based in logic. A theory is plausible, on the other hand, if it would make a decent plot for a novel and there is a connectivity, however strained, from one feature of the theory to another.
Human beings like patterns, and as human beings we are notorious for discerning patterns where none exist. We don’t like not knowing, so we prefer a plausible bad theory to no theory at all. This is a tendency that needs to be actively resisted, and this seems a good time to resist that tendency, and a good time to summon quotes from two brilliant but lamentably deceased thinkers to help us resist it. Christopher Hitchens put it this way, “What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.” Carl Sagan put it even better, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
There is no evidence whatsoever, extraordinary or otherwise, that the coronavirus COVID-19 was secretly invented in the United States and is now being used by the Deep State in order to destroy Donald Trump. There is no evidence whatsoever that the coronavirus is a hoax that the Democrats are using to get rid of Trump. There is no evidence whatsoever that Dr. Anthony Fauci is telling lies in an underhanded effort to humiliate Donald Trump. These are all conspiracy theories and they underscore why conspiracy theories are deadly dangerous. These theories have and will cost American lives, and they will continue to do so. That is a sadly unavoidable tragedy.
It’s a tragedy that stems from another deadly pandemic, the mistrust and denial of science. Mistrust and denial of science leads to silly and dangerous things, like the notion that global warming is a hoax. While such ignorance is common among Republicans, I’m sorry to say it’s not unheard of on the left and among Democrats. We need to set the example and lead the way forward. We need to resist this ugly, anti-science tendency amongst ourselves.
I think it’s sad that Dr. Fauci is now receiving death threats because people are unhappy that he makes Donald Trump look stupid and silly. But that’s just a conspiracy theory. There’s a much simpler explanation: Donald Trump looks stupid and silly all by himself without any help, because Donald Trump is stupid and silly. See how easy that is?
I have near the limit of Facebook friends, and while that’s a pleasure on one hand it’s a burden on another. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t receive some frantic message that I simply must pass along that is pure, unadulterated rubbish. Anything from a coronavirus self test (there is none) to a breathless proclamation about the new proposed 28th amendment (there is none) to a claim that someone named Andrea has hijacked my account (no such thing has happened and, as far as I know, Andrea is a fiction). All of which was a mere thirty second google away from refutation, but my messenger in each instance was too hastily frantic to bother.
This is why fake news is a thing, and I don’t mean the kind Donald Trump talks about. I mean actual fake news. This is why we are so misinformed. How quick we are to believe and how reluctant we are to google what we believe! It is a shame because, yes, there really are reliable resources out there on the internet, resources like the World Health Organization, like the Centers for Disease Control, like WebMD, like the Washington Post and the New York Times. Things really can be knowable, and what we cannot know we must be content to not know until better information comes available. Speculation is okay as long as it faithfully remains labelled as such. But speculation has a funny habit of transforming into absolute truth,
These are dangerous times. People’s lives are at stake and bad information can kill them. We all need to be responsible and very careful about what we pass on. We need to diligently practice social distancing from bad ideas, and constantly and thoroughly wash our hands of them.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-30--We told you not to worry about Donald Trump’s crisis approval rating

If you ’ re like anyone who doesn ’ t care much for Donald Trump , you might be in despair over how his approval rating seems to be surging , even while hardly a day goes by where Trump doesn ’ t prove to be a malevolent buffoon who either doesn ’ t seem to grasp that he ’ s killing more American citizens by the day , or that he doesn ’ t have any qualms about doing it .
A popular reason attributed to his rising approval ratings is a “ rally round the flag effect ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , people are more likely to be supportive of their leader , or at least to hope for the best , even though Trump has gone from inaction to what seems like sabotage .
Palmer Report stated previously that presidents besides Donald Trump managed to score a few extra points when the country fell into a time of crisis on their watch – and usually polled better than Trump , but they also would take a bit more initiative in actually leading the country through dark times – or reassuring people that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two things that Trump has been an abject failure at .
Not only was the approval rating bump not that big , it was also fairly temporary .
As the United States now leads the rest of the world in new cases of COVID-19 , the drop in Trump ’ s approval rating is pretty visible .
In just a week , according to a new poll by Navigator Research , Trump ’ s approval rating plummeted by 13 points – with more Americans disapproving of how he ’ s handling the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ universal support for social distancing measures and only 5 % approving of Trump ’ s plan to restart the economy early .
Both Democrats and Republicans largely support social distancing for however long it takes , and as the crisis worsens , Trump ’ s approval rating is likely to only get even worse .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
If you’re like anyone who doesn’t care much for Donald Trump, you might be in despair over how his approval rating seems to be surging, even while hardly a day goes by where Trump doesn’t prove to be a malevolent buffoon who either doesn’t seem to grasp that he’s killing more American citizens by the day, or that he doesn’t have any qualms about doing it. A popular reason attributed to his rising approval ratings is a “rally round the flag effect” – that in a time of crisis, people are more likely to be supportive of their leader, or at least to hope for the best, even though Trump has gone from inaction to what seems like sabotage.
Palmer Report stated previously that presidents besides Donald Trump managed to score a few extra points when the country fell into a time of crisis on their watch – and usually polled better than Trump, but they also would take a bit more initiative in actually leading the country through dark times – or reassuring people that they were capable of leading. These are two things that Trump has been an abject failure at.
Not only was the approval rating bump not that big, it was also fairly temporary. As the United States now leads the rest of the world in new cases of COVID-19, the drop in Trump’s approval rating is pretty visible. In just a week, according to a new poll by Navigator Research, Trump’s approval rating plummeted by 13 points – with more Americans disapproving of how he’s handling the crisis. The same poll also showed nearly universal support for social distancing measures and only 5% approving of Trump’s plan to restart the economy early. Both Democrats and Republicans largely support social distancing for however long it takes, and as the crisis worsens, Trump’s approval rating is likely to only get even worse.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-30--This can’t possibly be Donald Trump’s 2020 strategy

Considering that Donald Trump yelled “ you people ” at a black woman yesterday , and brag-tweeted about how his pandemic press conferences are getting higher ratings than The Bachelor , there ’ s really no reason to think he ’ s working with any viable or coherent 2020 strategy at all .
That said , if he ’ s settled on a campaign message , it appears to be “ I ’ m doing great because only hundreds of thousands of Americans will die in this pandemic instead of millions of Americans.
” If this is what he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m so horrified from a human perspective , I want to throw up .
But even from a strictly political perspective , I don ’ t see how he can make this work .
Yes , Presidents can see a lot of death on their watch and , under the right circumstances , come out ahead for it .
Abraham Lincoln lost plenty of Americans in the Civil War .
Franklin Roosevelt lost plenty of Americans in the Depression , and again in World War II .
They ’ re both on monuments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of people believed that A ) the deaths were necessary , and B ) the President did everything possible to keep them to a minimum .
When the death toll in the United States starts reaching five and six figures , are the majority of Americans really going to look back at how Donald Trump has handled this and conclude that having him as President resulted in fewer deaths than there otherwise would have been ?
That ’ s an awfully tough sell .
We ’ ve all seen the inaction , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His base may or may not stick with him , but they ’ re the minority to begin with .
What ’ s always mattered is how the average American sees this .
His approval rating saw a rather small crisis spike , and is already falling .
Now that the death toll is rapidly reaching horrifying proportions , most Americans will look back critically at Trump ’ s handling of this and conclude that he screwed it up in every way possible .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Considering that Donald Trump yelled “you people” at a black woman yesterday, and brag-tweeted about how his pandemic press conferences are getting higher ratings than The Bachelor, there’s really no reason to think he’s working with any viable or coherent 2020 strategy at all.
That said, if he’s settled on a campaign message, it appears to be “I’m doing great because only hundreds of thousands of Americans will die in this pandemic instead of millions of Americans.” If this is what he’s really going with, I’m so horrified from a human perspective, I want to throw up. But even from a strictly political perspective, I don’t see how he can make this work.
Yes, Presidents can see a lot of death on their watch and, under the right circumstances, come out ahead for it. Abraham Lincoln lost plenty of Americans in the Civil War. Franklin Roosevelt lost plenty of Americans in the Depression, and again in World War II. They’re both on monuments. But in both instances, the majority of people believed that A) the deaths were necessary, and B) the President did everything possible to keep them to a minimum.
When the death toll in the United States starts reaching five and six figures, are the majority of Americans really going to look back at how Donald Trump has handled this and conclude that having him as President resulted in fewer deaths than there otherwise would have been? That’s an awfully tough sell.
We’ve all seen the inaction, the incoherency, the psychopathy on display. His base may or may not stick with him, but they’re the minority to begin with. What’s always mattered is how the average American sees this. His approval rating saw a rather small crisis spike, and is already falling. Now that the death toll is rapidly reaching horrifying proportions, most Americans will look back critically at Trump’s handling of this and conclude that he screwed it up in every way possible.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.