theguardian--2020-07-14--Roger Stone speaks in Fox News interview after Trump commutation

Donald Trump ’ s longtime confidant Roger Stone gushed over his political allies during an interview on Fox News on Monday , his first major television appearance since the president commuted Stone ’ s prison sentence on Friday .
Stone had been convicted of seven felony counts – including obstruction of justice , lying to Congress and witness tampering in the congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election – and was sentenced to more than three years in prison .
The president , in defending his commutation , said Stone was treated “ very unfairly ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Democrats and several Republicans , including the Pennsylvania senator Pat Toomey and the Utah senator Mitt Romney , who called it an act of “ historic corruption ” .
Stone appeared on the Monday night interview show with Fox News ’ s Sean Hannity alongside his lawyer , David Schoen .
“ I have deep , deep affection for Donald Trump because I ’ ve known him for 40 years , ” Stone said .
“ He ’ s a man of great justice and fairness , he ’ s a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life .
And , at least on paper , he gave me a chance to fight for vindication.
” On Saturday , special counsel Robert Mueller spoke out publicly for the first time in a year to defend his investigation against criticism from Trump and his supporters .
“ We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its activities , ” Mueller wrote .
“ The investigation did , however , establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also established that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.
” Stone has consistently denied any wrongdoing and argued that the investigation was a sham .
“ I had a biased judge , I had a stacked jury , I had a corrupt jury forewoman , ” Stone said , going on to thank Hannity and a host of public conservative figures including Gen Mike Flynn and Tucker Carlson .
“ And also Congressman Matt Gaetz from Florida who I hope to live long enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stone used his interview with Hannity to argue that the prison sentence would have effectively been a death sentence because of his asthma and the multiple inmates with Covid-19 .
“ I ’ m 67 years old , I ’ ve had lifelong respiratory problems , ” Stone said .
At another point in the interview , Stone said prosecutors wanted to use him to fuel an impeachment effort against the president .
“ They wanted me to be the ham in their ham sandwich because they knew the Mueller report , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was a goose egg , ” Stone said .
The Mueller report did not conclude that Trump directly coordinated with Russia or obstructed justice but it did not absolve him completely .
The report argued that Trump may have played a role in Russia ’ s effort to interfere in the 2016 election .
Nevertheless , Trump himself has argued that the fact that the report did not completely implicate him means he is innocent and the investigation is just an effort to undermine his presidency .
Mueller himself has denied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged after he left office .
Schoen spoke only briefly during the interview and , like his client , thanked Trump .
“ This commutation was a great tribute to President Trump , ” Schoen said , adding the president was “ sending the message that the Mueller team was rotten to the core ” .
“ The president saved a life here.
” Trump called Stone on Friday after commuting his sentence , a call Stone told ABC News was a “ normal conversation ” and “ brief ” .
Stone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the president , was due to begin his sentence this week .
The commutation does not erase Stone ’ s felony convictions but allows Stone to avoid setting foot in prison for his crimes .

Donald Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone gushed over his political allies during an interview on Fox News on Monday, his first major television appearance since the president commuted Stone’s prison sentence on Friday.
Stone had been convicted of seven felony counts – including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering in the congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election – and was sentenced to more than three years in prison. The president, in defending his commutation, said Stone was treated “very unfairly”.
The commutation was met with widespread criticism from Democrats and several Republicans, including the Pennsylvania senator Pat Toomey and the Utah senator Mitt Romney, who called it an act of “historic corruption”.
Stone appeared on the Monday night interview show with Fox News’s Sean Hannity alongside his lawyer, David Schoen. “I have deep, deep affection for Donald Trump because I’ve known him for 40 years,” Stone said. “He’s a man of great justice and fairness, he’s a man of enormous courage … He saved my life. And, at least on paper, he gave me a chance to fight for vindication.”
On Saturday, special counsel Robert Mueller spoke out publicly for the first time in a year to defend his investigation against criticism from Trump and his supporters.
“We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its activities,” Mueller wrote. “The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. It also established that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.”
Stone has consistently denied any wrongdoing and argued that the investigation was a sham.
“I had a biased judge, I had a stacked jury, I had a corrupt jury forewoman,” Stone said, going on to thank Hannity and a host of public conservative figures including Gen Mike Flynn and Tucker Carlson. “And also Congressman Matt Gaetz from Florida who I hope to live long enough to see in the White House.”
Stone used his interview with Hannity to argue that the prison sentence would have effectively been a death sentence because of his asthma and the multiple inmates with Covid-19.
“I’m 67 years old, I’ve had lifelong respiratory problems,” Stone said.
At another point in the interview, Stone said prosecutors wanted to use him to fuel an impeachment effort against the president.
“They wanted me to be the ham in their ham sandwich because they knew the Mueller report, particularly on Russia, it was a dud. It was a goose egg,” Stone said.
The Mueller report did not conclude that Trump directly coordinated with Russia or obstructed justice but it did not absolve him completely. The report argued that Trump may have played a role in Russia’s effort to interfere in the 2016 election. Nevertheless, Trump himself has argued that the fact that the report did not completely implicate him means he is innocent and the investigation is just an effort to undermine his presidency. Mueller himself has denied that and noted that Trump could be charged after he left office.
Schoen spoke only briefly during the interview and, like his client, thanked Trump.
“This commutation was a great tribute to President Trump,” Schoen said, adding the president was “sending the message that the Mueller team was rotten to the core”. “The president saved a life here.”
Trump called Stone on Friday after commuting his sentence, a call Stone told ABC News was a “normal conversation” and “brief”.
Stone, a longtime friend and former campaign adviser to the president, was due to begin his sentence this week. The commutation does not erase Stone’s felony convictions but allows Stone to avoid setting foot in prison for his crimes.


theguardian--2020-07-14--Trump may be no good at leading America – but he is really, really good at lying | Richard Wolffe

It ’ s outrageous to say that Donald Trump is good at nothing .
He may be no good at leading the country through a pandemic and recession .
He may be no good at healing a nation that is deeply scarred by racist power .
He may be no good at diplomacy with his allies , or even recognising America ’ s enemies for what they are .
But he is really , really good at lying .
An Olympic-standard , Guinness Book of Records fabricator of falsehoods .
He regurgitates lies as rapidly and copiously as Joey Chestnut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-water mark for verbal cheating , which is surely the only part of his short legacy that will feature in US history exams in 2030 .
According to the exhausted and exhaustive factchecking team at the Washington Post , Trump ’ s rate of lying is shaped remarkably like the country ’ s exponential rise in Covid-19 cases .
It took him 827 days to reach his first 10,000 lies , but just 440 days to reach his second 10,000 lies .
The team ’ s forensic book on the subject calls this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it ’ s really an assault on our ability to understand what truth looks and sounds like .
This is nothing new for Trump , but it is something new for a democratic nation that proudly used to call itself the leader of the free world .
Credibility was one of the most potent weapons in America ’ s arsenal of soft power .
The kind of potency that allowed Kennedy ’ s secretary of state to convince Charles de Gaulle to support his case against the Soviet Union in the Cuban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s word , not the photographic evidence .
Today America ’ s credibility has been contorted to protect the feelings of one man-child , not the security of a nation .
That ’ s why someone like Anthony Fauci is so deeply offensive to the factory of fraud built inside this White House .
Fauci is the most senior expert on Trump ’ s coronavirus task force , but he says he hasn ’ t briefed the president in two months .
In that time , the daily number of new American cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rather than deal with the underlying raging wildfire , Trump ’ s team set about attacking the man best placed to quell the inferno .
According to multiple news organisations , the White House sprayed out its oppo research about all the times Fauci supposedly got things wrong .
It ’ s possible that the captain of the Titanic felt equally aggrieved by the quality of the previous week ’ s shipping forecast .
But history has not looked kindly on his care of human souls nonetheless .
After three decades in charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Infectious Diseases , Fauci is clearly an expert in at least three things : science , politics and the sophisticated art of not giving a flying flask .
Fauci dares to say that America is not , in fact , doing great , even when the red baseball cap claims otherwise .
Even when all of the president ’ s minions tell him he looks awesome in a face mask .
This is not a fair fight .
In the blue corner is a world-renowned scientist whom 67 % of Americans trust for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the red corner is a world-renowned grifter whom 26 % of Americans trust for the same information .
Only one of them suggested injecting disinfectant as a cure for Covid-19 , which would obviously disappear like a miracle , after he protected the nation with a travel ban that was clearly perfect .
He ’ s the one who paid someone to take the SAT exam on his behalf .
It ’ s tempting to blame one sociopathic man for what we ’ re suffering .
But it truly takes a village to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrive .
Kayleigh McEnany , the White House press secretary who promised she would never lie to the press , has spent the past two months , well , lying to the press .
“ There is no opposition research being dumped to reporters , ” she claimed on Monday .
“ We were asked a very specific question by the Washington Post , and that question was President Trump noted that Dr Fauci had made some mistakes , and we provided a direct answer to what was a direct question.
” Kayleigh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In another six months , you ’ ll be looking for a new job .
One of your predecessors is now trying to sell grills on Instagram .
That market is already crowded , and there aren ’ t many other household goods to endorse on social media .
In Trumpland , there is no herd immunity to this disease .
They have been infected for so long , they are happy to sneeze full viral loads in the hope that everyone succumbs to the same lies .
So what if the polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden by such large numbers that they are outside the margin of error ?
The only margin of error that matters is saying something that might break the mirror that Trump stares at every day .
Brad Parscale , Trump ’ s campaign manager , claims that polls are “ the biggest joke in politics ” and “ the fakest thing.
” This is from the genius behind the mostly empty rally in Tulsa that was more effective as a coronavirus comeback than a political one It ’ s that kind of fact-denying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the wrong side of precisely every issue of the day .
On Monday Trump tried yet again to smear Biden by claiming he was on the side of “ radical ” and “ reckless politicians ” who are opposed to what he called “ our law enforcement heroes ” .
This was just the first working day after Trump commuted the sentence of a convicted felon who lied to protect him – in opposition to the career prosecutors who might be considered “ our law enforcement heroes ” .
Irony may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the polling isn ’ t .
While Trump is trying to whip up opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement , the country has already made up its mind .
A clear majority of Americans – 60 % – agree with the ideas of Black Lives Matter , and similar numbers support major reforms to policing .
As it happens , around the same numbers disapprove of Trump ’ s handling of the protests .
Why would anyone campaigning for reelection waste a whole day talking to just 40 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so often , to so many people , that he believes his own version of reality .
It is just one of the multiple truths that is so familiar to anyone living in Putin ’ s Russia .
Restoring sanity and science is impossible inside a White House where Trump ’ s fantasies rule .
We will endure six more months of Fauci-bashing before we can turn the tide on this pandemic .
Fauci will of course survive .
But it will take many more years to restore America ’ s credibility after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

It’s outrageous to say that Donald Trump is good at nothing.
He may be no good at leading the country through a pandemic and recession. He may be no good at healing a nation that is deeply scarred by racist power. He may be no good at diplomacy with his allies, or even recognising America’s enemies for what they are.
But he is really, really good at lying. An Olympic-standard, Guinness Book of Records fabricator of falsehoods. He regurgitates lies as rapidly and copiously as Joey Chestnut swallows hotdogs.
Trump represents the historic high-water mark for verbal cheating, which is surely the only part of his short legacy that will feature in US history exams in 2030.
According to the exhausted and exhaustive factchecking team at the Washington Post, Trump’s rate of lying is shaped remarkably like the country’s exponential rise in Covid-19 cases.
It took him 827 days to reach his first 10,000 lies, but just 440 days to reach his second 10,000 lies.
The team’s forensic book on the subject calls this “his assault on truth”. But it’s really an assault on our ability to understand what truth looks and sounds like.
This is nothing new for Trump, but it is something new for a democratic nation that proudly used to call itself the leader of the free world.
Credibility was one of the most potent weapons in America’s arsenal of soft power. The kind of potency that allowed Kennedy’s secretary of state to convince Charles de Gaulle to support his case against the Soviet Union in the Cuban missile crisis. Based on Kennedy’s word, not the photographic evidence.
Today America’s credibility has been contorted to protect the feelings of one man-child, not the security of a nation. That’s why someone like Anthony Fauci is so deeply offensive to the factory of fraud built inside this White House.
Fauci is the most senior expert on Trump’s coronavirus task force, but he says he hasn’t briefed the president in two months. In that time, the daily number of new American cases has tripled to more than 60,000.
Rather than deal with the underlying raging wildfire, Trump’s team set about attacking the man best placed to quell the inferno. According to multiple news organisations, the White House sprayed out its oppo research about all the times Fauci supposedly got things wrong.
It’s possible that the captain of the Titanic felt equally aggrieved by the quality of the previous week’s shipping forecast. But history has not looked kindly on his care of human souls nonetheless.
After three decades in charge of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, Fauci is clearly an expert in at least three things: science, politics and the sophisticated art of not giving a flying flask.
Fauci dares to say that America is not, in fact, doing great, even when the red baseball cap claims otherwise. Even when all of the president’s minions tell him he looks awesome in a face mask.
This is not a fair fight. In the blue corner is a world-renowned scientist whom 67% of Americans trust for accurate information about the coronavirus. In the red corner is a world-renowned grifter whom 26% of Americans trust for the same information.
Only one of them suggested injecting disinfectant as a cure for Covid-19, which would obviously disappear like a miracle, after he protected the nation with a travel ban that was clearly perfect. He’s the one who paid someone to take the SAT exam on his behalf.
It’s tempting to blame one sociopathic man for what we’re suffering. But it truly takes a village to allow such a spectacular village idiot to thrive.
Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary who promised she would never lie to the press, has spent the past two months, well, lying to the press.
“There is no opposition research being dumped to reporters,” she claimed on Monday. “We were asked a very specific question by the Washington Post, and that question was President Trump noted that Dr Fauci had made some mistakes, and we provided a direct answer to what was a direct question.”
Kayleigh: here’s the thing. In another six months, you’ll be looking for a new job. One of your predecessors is now trying to sell grills on Instagram. That market is already crowded, and there aren’t many other household goods to endorse on social media.
In Trumpland, there is no herd immunity to this disease. They have been infected for so long, they are happy to sneeze full viral loads in the hope that everyone succumbs to the same lies.
So what if the polls consistently show their boss losing to Joe Biden by such large numbers that they are outside the margin of error? The only margin of error that matters is saying something that might break the mirror that Trump stares at every day.
Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, claims that polls are “the biggest joke in politics” and “the fakest thing.” This is from the genius behind the mostly empty rally in Tulsa that was more effective as a coronavirus comeback than a political one
It’s that kind of fact-denying brilliance that leads our antihero to sit on the wrong side of precisely every issue of the day.
On Monday Trump tried yet again to smear Biden by claiming he was on the side of “radical” and “reckless politicians” who are opposed to what he called “our law enforcement heroes”.
This was just the first working day after Trump commuted the sentence of a convicted felon who lied to protect him – in opposition to the career prosecutors who might be considered “our law enforcement heroes”.
Irony may be dead in Trump’s America, but the polling isn’t.
While Trump is trying to whip up opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, the country has already made up its mind. A clear majority of Americans – 60% – agree with the ideas of Black Lives Matter, and similar numbers support major reforms to policing. As it happens, around the same numbers disapprove of Trump’s handling of the protests.
Why would anyone campaigning for reelection waste a whole day talking to just 40% of the country?
Because Donald Trump has lied so often, to so many people, that he believes his own version of reality. It is just one of the multiple truths that is so familiar to anyone living in Putin’s Russia.
Restoring sanity and science is impossible inside a White House where Trump’s fantasies rule. We will endure six more months of Fauci-bashing before we can turn the tide on this pandemic.
Fauci will of course survive. But it will take many more years to restore America’s credibility after this confederacy of dunces is swept out.


theguardian--2020-07-15--Trump targets China with executive order ending Hong Kong's special status

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to Hong Kong ’ s special status under US law to punish China for what he called “ aggressive actions ” against the former British colony .
Citing China ’ s decision to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong , Trump said he signed an executive order that will end the preferential economic treatment Hong Kong has received for years – “ no special privileges , no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies , ” he told a news conference .
Acting on a Tuesday deadline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the US Congress to penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the new security law .
“ Today I signed legislation , and an executive order to hold China accountable for its aggressive actions against the people of Hong Kong , ” Trump said .
“ Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China , ” he added .
According to a White House fact sheet , the executive order includes revoking special treatment for Hong Kong passport holders .
Critics of the security law fear it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997 .
The security law punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion , secession , terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison .
US relations with China have already been strained over the global coronavirus pandemic , China ’ s military buildup in the South China Sea , its treatment of Uighur Muslims and massive trade surpluses .
The former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a law protecting freedoms of speech , assembly and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country-two systems ” .
The legislation Trump signed calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and others who help violate Hong Kong ’ s autonomy , and financial institutions that do business with those found to have participated in any crackdown on the city .
Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has raised doubts about whether he can win re-election on 3 November amid a surge of new infections .
He has attempted to deflect blame onto China .
“ Make no mistake .
We hold China fully responsible for concealing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They could have stopped it , they should have stopped it .
It would have been very easy to do at the source , when it happened , ” he said .
Asked if he planned to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping , Trump said : “ I have no plans to speak to him.
” In rambling remarks , Trump spent much of his Rose Garden appearance criticising Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden .
Both candidates are constrained from active campaign rallies by the virus and fears that participants could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special economic status could be a double-edged sword for the United States .
Hong Kong was the source of the largest bilateral US goods trade surplus last year , at $ 26.1bn , based on US Census Bureau data .
It is also a major destination for US legal and accounting business .
More than 1,300 US firms have offices there .
In May , Trump responded to China ’ s plans for the security law by saying he was initiating a process to eliminate the special economic treatment that has allowed Hong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He stopped short then of calling for an immediate end to privileges , but said the moves would affect the full range of US agreements with Hong Kong , from an extradition treaty to export controls on dual-use technologies .
A US official , speaking on condition of anonymity , said the administration was also preparing sanctions against Chinese officials and entities involved in the Hong Kong crackdown , including further U.S. travel bans and possible Treasury sanctions .

China has vowed to retaliate after Donald Trump ordered an end to Hong Kong’s special status under US law to punish China for what he called “aggressive actions” against the former British colony.
Citing China’s decision to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong, the US president said he signed an executive order that will end the preferential economic treatment Hong Kong has received for years. “No special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies”, he told a news conference.
In a strongly worded response, China’s ministry of foreign affairs said no country has the right to interfere in what it deemed “purely China’s internal affairs”.
“US efforts to thwart the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security will never succeed. In order to defend its own legitimate interests, China will respond as necessary and impose sanctions on the relevant American individuals and entities.
“We urge the US to correct its mistakes. If the US stubbornly pursues this path, China will give a firm response.”
Acting on a Tuesday deadline, Trump also signed a bill approved by the US Congress to penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the new security law.
“Today I signed legislation, and an executive order to hold China accountable for its aggressive actions against the people of Hong Kong,” Trump said. “Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China.”
The White House later released the full text of the executive order, outlining the penalties and suspensions, as well as newly reallocated admissions within the US refugee ceiling “to residents of Hong Kong based on humanitarian concerns”.
The order suspended multiple sections of legislation governing US immigration, arms exports and defence production, and eliminated US preference for Hong Kong passport holders as compared to People’s Republic of China passport holders.
It also suspended extradition and prisoner transfer agreements, took steps to end US training of Hong Kong police and security officers, and suspended or terminated academic partnerships with Hong Kong including the Fulbright exchange program.
The order allows for the freezing of US-based property and interests of foreign persons linked to the new national security laws, or found to be involved in international human rights abuses, or in the limiting or penalising of independent media and freedom of expression.
Critics of the security law fear it will crush the wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The security law punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.
US relations with China have already been strained over the global coronavirus pandemic, China’s military buildup in the South China Sea, its treatment of Uighur Muslims and massive trade surpluses.
North Korea’s leadership spoke out in support of China on Wednesday. “It is an extremely sinister act that a non-Asian country across the ocean, not being content with its reckless remarks over the issue of the South China Sea, has hurled abuses at the [Chinese Communist Party],” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Ending Hong Kong’s special economic status could be a double-edged sword for the United States. Hong Kong was the source of the largest bilateral US goods trade surplus last year, at $26.1bn, based on US Census Bureau data. It is also a major destination for US legal and accounting business. More than 1,300 US firms have offices there.
The former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a law protecting freedoms of speech, assembly and the press until 2047 under “one country-two systems”.
The legislation Trump signed calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and others who help violate Hong Kong’s autonomy, and financial institutions that do business with those found to have participated in any crackdown on the city.
Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has raised doubts about whether he can win re-election on 3 November amid a surge of new infections. He has attempted to deflect blame onto China.
“Make no mistake. We hold China fully responsible for concealing the virus and unleashing it upon the world. They could have stopped it, they should have stopped it. It would have been very easy to do at the source, when it happened,” he said.
Asked if he planned to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said: “I have no plans to speak to him.”
In rambling remarks, Trump spent much of his Rose Garden appearance criticising Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden. Both candidates are constrained from active campaign rallies by the virus and fears that participants could be infected.
In May, Trump responded to China’s plans for the security law by saying he was initiating a process to eliminate the special economic treatment that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial centre.
He stopped short then of calling for an immediate end to privileges, but said the moves would affect the full range of US agreements with Hong Kong, from an extradition treaty to export controls on dual-use technologies.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration was also preparing sanctions against Chinese officials and entities involved in the Hong Kong crackdown, including further U.S. travel bans and possible Treasury sanctions.


theguardian--2020-07-14--The Trump supporters who changed their minds: 'I'd rather vote for a tuna fish sandwich'

The anti-Trumpers are at it again – only this time , they ’ re Republicans .
Kevin , a lifelong Republican voter and pastor from Arizona , says he voted for Trump in 2016 “ with high hopes for the future ” .
He knew that Trump didn ’ t have the same political experience as the other contenders , but he was optimistic he could grow into his new role .
Now he says : “ I ’ ve seen how he has tried to divide our country and that is not something I want , nor what our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an absolute danger to our country.
” Kevin ’ s experience – of voting for Trump and then quickly realizing he ’ d made a mistake – is one of many being used by Republican Voters Against Trump ( RVAT ) , which wants to boot Trump out of office later this year .
The group is seeking testimony from former Trump voters through its website , which displays the best quotes so far with pride .
( “ I ’ d vote for a tuna fish sandwich before I vote for Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Sarah Longwell , a Republican consultant who co-founded RVAT , said they have received hundreds of testimonies in recent months .
The group is funded by millionaire neoconservative pundit Bill Kristol , who was formerly chief of staff to the vice-president under George HW Bush , but uses testimony from distinctly non-political voices to make an impact .
“ One of the reasons they are so compelling is because you can tell how authentic they are , how deeply they feel this – a lot of them want to get something off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The testimonies are not scripted or paid for , but they are the result of a lot of workshopping .
Jeffrey Farmer , from Massachussetts , certainly fits the bill of a non-polished but frustrated voice : he is immunocompromised and angered by Trump ’ s response to the pandemic .
And he is certainly the voice of a media-trained , focus-group prepped politico – just a person who formerly backed Trump .
“ I don ’ t even know why I ’ m doing this stupid thing , because this is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t do social media or anything .
But I can ’ t take this any more , ” he says .
Farmer voted for Trump in 2016 because of how much he disliked Hillary Clinton , but describes him as being “ Like a Tasmanian devil , ” who spends all day complaining on Twitter instead of doing his job .
“ This guy couldn ’ t lead his way out of a wet frickin ’ paper bag , ” says Farmer .
Longwell , herself a disgruntled Republican , says she initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidency .
“ I have been alarmed by him from the beginning , ” she says and so , around 2017 , she began to search for answers .
“ I wanted to know how the party got taken over by Donald Trump , ” she says .
She ran focus groups with soft Trump voters – who voted for him 2016 but rated him as doing somewhat badly or very badly – and tried to understand how to persuade them against him .
The key thing , she found , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves .
“ One thing we found is that the cultural aspect played a big role in [ the 2016 election ] , ” she says .
“ You ’ d get women who ’ d say ‘ I voted for him and I cried , ’ or , ‘ I voted for him and then I had to take a shower afterwards ’ .
But they were surrounded by people who talk about how all Democrats are socialists or whatever , ” she says .
As a lifelong supporters of the Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden to win ?
Longwell says that she absolutely , unequivocally does .
“ Donald Trump has a negative impact on the future of the Republican party , ” says Longwell .
“ He has sort of hijacked the party and really poisoned the country , and has turned it into a nationalist populist party .
There ’ s a section of Republicans who do not find that attractive , and I ’ m one of them .
“ The best thing for the party long term is for him to get defeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rethink its direction .
”

The anti-Trumpers are at it again – only this time, they’re Republicans.
Kevin, a lifelong Republican voter and pastor from Arizona, says he voted for Trump in 2016 “with high hopes for the future”. He knew that Trump didn’t have the same political experience as the other contenders, but he was optimistic he could grow into his new role.
Now he says: “I’ve seen how he has tried to divide our country and that is not something I want, nor what our country should have … This man is an absolute danger to our country.”
Kevin’s experience – of voting for Trump and then quickly realizing he’d made a mistake – is one of many being used by Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT), which wants to boot Trump out of office later this year. The group is seeking testimony from former Trump voters through its website, which displays the best quotes so far with pride. (“I’d vote for a tuna fish sandwich before I vote for Donald Trump again,” reads one.)
Kevin is a pastor from AZ who voted Trump in 2016 - here is his case against four more years:
"And when you put all that together, I think this is a man who must, must be removed by voters in November from governing our country." pic.twitter.com/W8FOgVTkc4 — Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) July 14, 2020
Sarah Longwell, a Republican consultant who co-founded RVAT, said they have received hundreds of testimonies in recent months.
The group is funded by millionaire neoconservative pundit Bill Kristol, who was formerly chief of staff to the vice-president under George HW Bush, but uses testimony from distinctly non-political voices to make an impact.
“One of the reasons they are so compelling is because you can tell how authentic they are, how deeply they feel this – a lot of them want to get something off their chest,” says Longwell. The testimonies are not scripted or paid for, but they are the result of a lot of workshopping.
Jeffrey Farmer, from Massachussetts, certainly fits the bill of a non-polished but frustrated voice: he is immunocompromised and angered by Trump’s response to the pandemic. And he is certainly not the voice of a media-trained, focus-group prepped politico – just a person who formerly backed Trump.
“I don’t even know why I’m doing this stupid thing, because this is not what I do. I don’t do social media or anything. But I can’t take this any more,” he says.
Farmer voted for Trump in 2016 because of how much he disliked Hillary Clinton, but describes him as being “Like a Tasmanian devil,” who spends all day complaining on Twitter instead of doing his job.
“This guy couldn’t lead his way out of a wet frickin’ paper bag,” says Farmer.
‼ Jeffrey voted Trump in 2016, and it's safe to say he won't be doing so again.
He takes you on a ride....You gotta watch the whole thing. (Warnings: 1. NSFW 2. Wicked "Good Will Hunting" Energy) pic.twitter.com/foIo4lmaDA — Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) July 13, 2020
Longwell, herself a disgruntled Republican, says she initially started looking for answers after Trump won the presidency.
“I have been alarmed by him from the beginning,” she says and so, around 2017, she began to search for answers. “I wanted to know how the party got taken over by Donald Trump,” she says. She ran focus groups with soft Trump voters – who voted for him in 2016 but rated him as doing somewhat badly or very badly – and tried to understand how to persuade them against him.
The key thing, she found, was for them to hear from people like themselves.
“One thing we found is that the cultural aspect played a big role in [the 2016 election],” she says. “You’d get women who’d say ‘I voted for him and I cried,’ or, ‘I voted for him and then I had to take a shower afterwards’. But they were surrounded by people who talk about how all Democrats are socialists or whatever,” she says.
But as a lifelong supporter of the Republican party, does she really want Biden to win? Longwell says she absolutely, unequivocally does.
“Donald Trump has a negative impact on the future of the Republican party,” says Longwell. “He has sort of hijacked it, and really poisoned the country, and has turned it into a nationalist populist party. There’s a section of Republicans who do not find that attractive, and I’m one of them.
“The best thing for the party long term is for him to get defeated soundly, and for the party to rethink its direction.”


theguardian--2020-07-14--Joe Biden unveils aggressive $2tn climate and jobs plan

Joe Biden has unveiled a new , more aggressive climate and jobs plan which advisers say he would take to Congress “ immediately ” , if elected president .
The new proposal outlines $ 2tn for clean energy infrastructure and other climate solutions , to be spent as quickly as possible in the next four years , what would be the Democrat ’ s first term in office .
Last year , he proposed $ 1.7tn in spending over 10 years .
“ Addressing the economic crisis is going to be priority one for a President Biden , ” a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This will be the legislation he goes up to [ Capitol Hill ] immediately to get done .
The reality is we will be facing a country that will be in dire need of these types of investments that are going to be made here.
” Two crises are converging : a devastated economy and high unemployment that could drag on for years as the nation struggles to gain control of the coronavirus pandemic , and a rapidly closing window to significantly cut heat-trapping emissions and lead on global climate action .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of his “ Build Back Better ” proposal , in remarks from Delaware on Tuesday afternoon .
“ When Donald Trump thinks about climate change , the only word he can muster is ‘ hoax ’ , ” Biden said , referring to Trump ’ s previous claims that the crisis is fake .
“ When I think about climate change , the word I think of is ‘ jobs ’ .
” In a detailed climate policy speech , Biden said his proposal would create a million jobs in electric vehicle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a quarter-million cleaning up after extractive industries .
Biden said he would give Americans money back for switching to cleaner cars and making their homes more efficient .
He said he was focusing on his first four years as president because “ science tells us we have nine years before the damage is irreversible ” .
The new goals align Biden more closely with three primary opponents , the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders , the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Jay Inslee .
the Washington governor .
They follow the recommendations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters that was co-chaired by the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , who co-sponsored the Green New Deal .
Biden staffers painted a picture of a modernized America with the “ cleanest , safest , fastest rail system in the world ” , the biggest electric vehicle manufacturing sector , 4m upgraded buildings and 1.5m new sustainable homes and public housing units .
They pitched the spending as a jobs plan as much as a climate program .
The blueprint aims for a clean electricity system including renewable power and nuclear energy by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for natural gas , which would require an act of Congress .
But he would prohibit new fracking on public lands .
Gina McCarthy , the former Environmental Protection Agency administrator who is now president of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund , said the plan was “ by a long shot – the most ambitious we have ever seen from any president in our nation ’ s history ” .
Labor unions and environmental justice communities would be central to climate efforts , campaign staffers said .
Climate change hits low-income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ background document noted .
Biden would create a national crisis strategy to ensure that government responses to disasters are equitable , start a taskforce to decrease climate risks for the most vulnerable , and establish an office of climate change and health equity .
The faster timeline is meant to ensure that no future president can reverse climate gains , in the way Donald Trump ’ s administration has boosted fossil fuels .
Trump plans to exit the Paris climate agreement but Biden has vowed to re-enter it and double down on US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan would require agreement from Congress .
Gaining control of the Senate is critical .
“ He is confident he will be able to work with Congress to get something constructive done , ” the senior campaign official said .
“ He is of course at the same time making sure that he is campaigning in every state needed to make sure that we win every Senate seat we possibly can to further that goal.
” Another Biden official said the program would be funded by tax increases for corporations and “ asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share ” .
The updated climate plan follows Biden ’ s announcement last week of a $ 700bn “ buy American ” proposal to revive US manufacturing .
Varshini Prakash , co-founder of the youth-led Sunrise Movement , said Biden ’ s revised plan responds to many of the group ’ s previous criticisms by “ dramatically increasing the scale and urgency of investments , filling in details on how he ’ d achieve environmental justice and create good union jobs , and promising immediate action — on day 1 , in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term , in the next decade — not just some far off goals ” .
Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley claimed Biden ’ s plan would kill 10m American energy industry jobs and called it a “ socialist manifesto ” .

Joe Biden has unveiled a new, more aggressive climate and jobs plan which advisers say he would take to Congress “immediately”, if elected president.
The new proposal outlines $2tn for clean energy infrastructure and other climate solutions, to be spent as quickly as possible in the next four years, what would be the Democrat’s first term in office. Last year, he proposed $1.7tn in spending over 10 years.
“Addressing the economic crisis is going to be priority one for a President Biden,” a senior campaign official told reporters. “This will be the legislation he goes up to [Capitol Hill] immediately to get done. The reality is we will be facing a country that will be in dire need of these types of investments that are going to be made here.”
Two crises are converging: a devastated economy and high unemployment that could drag on for years as the nation struggles to gain control of the coronavirus pandemic, and a rapidly closing window to significantly cut heat-trapping emissions and lead on global climate action.
Biden unveiled the climate plan, the second part of his “Build Back Better” proposal, in remarks from Delaware on Tuesday afternoon.
“When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, the only word he can muster is ‘hoax’,” Biden said, referring to Trump’s previous claims that the crisis is fake. “When I think about climate change, the word I think of is ‘jobs’.” In a detailed climate policy speech, Biden said his proposal would create a million jobs in electric vehicle manufacturing, a million in upgrading buildings and a quarter-million cleaning up after extractive industries. Biden said he would give Americans money back for switching to cleaner cars and making their homes more efficient.
He said he was focusing on his first four years as president because “science tells us we have nine years before the damage is irreversible”.
The new goals align Biden more closely with three primary opponents, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Jay Inslee. the Washington governor. They follow the recommendations of a unity taskforce of Sanders and Biden supporters that was co-chaired by the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who co-sponsored the Green New Deal.
Biden staffers painted a picture of a modernized America with the “cleanest, safest, fastest rail system in the world”, the biggest electric vehicle manufacturing sector, 4m upgraded buildings and 1.5m new sustainable homes and public housing units. They pitched the spending as a jobs plan as much as a climate program.
The blueprint aims for a clean electricity system including renewable power and nuclear energy by 2035. Biden would not ban fracking for natural gas, which would require an act of Congress. But he would prohibit new fracking on public lands.
Gina McCarthy, the former Environmental Protection Agency administrator who is now president of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, said the plan was “by a long shot – the most ambitious we have ever seen from any president in our nation’s history”.
Labor unions and environmental justice communities would be central to climate efforts, campaign staffers said. Climate change hits low-income and communities of color hardest, a background document noted.
Biden would create a national crisis strategy to ensure that government responses to disasters are equitable, start a taskforce to decrease climate risks for the most vulnerable, and establish an office of climate change and health equity.
The faster timeline is meant to ensure that no future president can reverse climate gains, in the way Donald Trump’s administration has boosted fossil fuels. Trump plans to exit the Paris climate agreement but Biden has vowed to re-enter it and double down on US contributions.
Much of Biden’s plan would require agreement from Congress. Gaining control of the Senate is critical.
“He is confident he will be able to work with Congress to get something constructive done,” the senior campaign official said. “He is of course at the same time making sure that he is campaigning in every state needed to make sure that we win every Senate seat we possibly can to further that goal.”
Another Biden official said the program would be funded by tax increases for corporations and “asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share”.
The updated climate plan follows Biden’s announcement last week of a $700bn “buy American” proposal to revive US manufacturing.
Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the youth-led Sunrise Movement, said Biden’s revised plan responds to many of the group’s previous criticisms by “dramatically increasing the scale and urgency of investments, filling in details on how he’d achieve environmental justice and create good union jobs, and promising immediate action — on day 1, in his first 100 days, in his first term, in the next decade — not just some far off goals”.
Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley claimed Biden’s plan would kill 10m American energy industry jobs and called it a “socialist manifesto”.


theguardian--2020-07-14--Trump aides seek to discredit Fauci over coronavirus crisis as cases surge

The Trump administration is increasingly at war with Anthony Fauci , the federal government ’ s top public health expert , over the handling of the coronavirus crisis , as the US continues to report about 60,000 new cases a day .
On Monday Donald Trump once again sought to downplay the outbreak and erroneously blame extra testing for high numbers of cases , adding that the US was doing a “ great job ” , while Fauci , in an online talk with a Stanford University expert , said : “ We have let the local public health infrastructure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Fauci also warned that some states , in rushing to reopen before coronavirus was under control and on the decline , went “ from shutdown to completely throwing caution to the wind ” and were part of the surge in numbers .
In what had appeared to be a concerted effort to discredit the infectious diseases expert , Trump aides told news outlets over the weekend Fauci , who has become the public face of the government ’ s response , had made a series of “ mistakes ” in his predictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willingness to be blunt in a way that may question or contradict statements by the president have fed reports he has been barred from major media appearances , though he has testified in Congress and continued to speak to the press .
Fauci said last week he had not briefed Trump in months .
The US contributed heavily to 230,000 new cases of Covid-19 being reported to the World Health Organization on Sunday .
Trump has formally started the process of withdrawing the US from the WHO .
Joe Biden , Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has said he will reverse that decision , which will take effect in July 2021 .
States in the American south in particular appear to be suffering from lifting lockdowns too early .
The WHO director general , Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , warned on Monday that those witnessing resurgences of the virus were not following proven methods to reduce risk .
“ Let me blunt , ” he said .
“ Too many countries are headed in the wrong direction .
The virus remains public enemy number one , but the actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reflect this.
” The Trump administration ’ s unseemly effort against Fauci came as doctors warned that hospitals in several large cities across the US south are close to being overrun .
Florida reported 12,264 new cases on Monday , its second-highest total after 15,299 on Sunday .
Just over four months after the first coronavirus death in the US , and as many countries have seemingly managed a decline in cases , the US is still in the grip of the virus .
As of Monday morning , Johns Hopkins University reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Donald Trump wore a mask in public for the first time over the weekend , a long-delayed concession to the importance of face coverings in preventing the spread of Covid-19 .
But the government ’ s predominant focus appeared to be on discrediting the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , a 79-year-old public figure who has served under six presidents .
“ Several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr Fauci has been wrong on things , ” an anonymous Trump aide said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
CNN reported being given bullet points listing statements made by Fauci early in the pandemic , a list which it said “ resembled opposition research on a political opponent ” .
On Monday Trump himself picked up the offensive , retweeting a post from a former TV dating show host which criticized the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
“ Everyone is lying , ” said the post from Chuck Woolery , who hosted the show Love Connection in the 1980s and 90s .
“ The CDC , media , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but most , that we are told to trust.
” Adam Schiff , an influential Democratic congressman , described the president ’ s behaviour as “ atrocious ” , telling CNN it was “ so characteristic of Donald Trump .
He can ’ t stand the fact that the American people trust Dr Fauci and they don ’ t trust Donald Trump – and so he has to tear him down.
” Fauci on Monday warned of the longer-term outlook for the pandemic in the US .
“ We have not even begun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
He also talked about the rush to reopen for business .
“ All you needed to do was look at the films on TV of people in some states who went from shutdown to complete throwing caution to the wind – bars that were crowded , people without masks , ” Fauci said during a Stanford University event .
Fauci said he was confident can control the virus “ if we step back .
You don ’ t necessarily need to shut down again , but pull back a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very prudent way of observing the guidelines , of going from step to step.
” During a so-called “ virtual fireside chat ” with Lloyd Minor , dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine , Fauci added : “ We have let the local public health infrastructure in our country really go into tatters.
” On Monday , Trump ’ s press secretary , Kayleigh McEnany , denied the White House was sending out opposition research on Fauci .
Meanwhile Mick Mulvaney , Trump ’ s ex-acting chief of staff and archconservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We still have a testing problem in this country .
My son was tested recently ; we had to wait five to seven days for results .
My daughter wanted to get tested before visiting her grandparents , but was told she didn ’ t qualify .
That is simply inexcusable at this point in the pandemic.
” Despite the US recording more daily cases than earlier in the pandemic , deaths are yet to hit the highs of April , when Covid-19 ravaged north-eastern areas , especially New York City .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise in the coming weeks .
Florida alone has now recorded 269,811 coronavirus cases , and fatalities there have more than doubled in the last three weeks .
Texas has also set records for cases in recent daysamid warnings that hospitals were struggling to cope .

The Trump administration is increasingly at war with Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top public health expert, over the handling of the coronavirus crisis, as the US continues to report about 60,000 new cases a day.
On Monday Donald Trump once again sought to downplay the outbreak and erroneously blame extra testing for high numbers of cases, adding that the US was doing a “great job”, while Fauci, in an online talk with a Stanford University expert, said: “We have let the local public health infrastructure in our country really go into tatters.”
Fauci also warned that some states, in rushing to reopen before coronavirus was under control and on the decline, went “from shutdown to completely throwing caution to the wind” and were part of the surge in numbers.
In what had appeared to be a concerted effort to discredit the infectious diseases expert, Trump aides told news outlets over the weekend Fauci, who has become the public face of the government’s response, had made a series of “mistakes” in his predictions.
Fauci’s unvarnished manner and willingness to be blunt in a way that may question or contradict statements by the president have fed reports he has been barred from major media appearances, though he has testified in Congress and continued to speak to the press. Fauci said last week he had not briefed Trump in months.
The US contributed heavily to 230,000 new cases of Covid-19 being reported to the World Health Organization on Sunday. Trump has formally started the process of withdrawing the US from the WHO. Joe Biden, Trump’s opponent for the presidency in November, has said he will reverse that decision, which will take effect in July 2021.
States in the American south in particular appear to be suffering from lifting lockdowns too early. The WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned on Monday that those witnessing resurgences of the virus were not following proven methods to reduce risk.
“Let me blunt,” he said. “Too many countries are headed in the wrong direction. The virus remains public enemy number one, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this.”
The Trump administration’s unseemly effort against Fauci came as doctors warned that hospitals in several large cities across the US south are close to being overrun.
Florida reported 12,264 new cases on Monday, its second-highest total after 15,299 on Sunday. Just over four months after the first coronavirus death in the US, and as many countries have seemingly managed a decline in cases, the US is still in the grip of the virus. As of Monday morning, Johns Hopkins University reported more than 3.3m cases and 135,219 deaths.
Donald Trump wore a mask in public for the first time over the weekend, a long-delayed concession to the importance of face coverings in preventing the spread of Covid-19. But the government’s predominant focus appeared to be on discrediting the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a 79-year-old public figure who has served under six presidents.
“Several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr Fauci has been wrong on things,” an anonymous Trump aide said in a statement released to news outlets.
CNN reported being given bullet points listing statements made by Fauci early in the pandemic, a list which it said “resembled opposition research on a political opponent”.
On Monday Trump himself picked up the offensive, retweeting a post from a former TV dating show host which criticized the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Everyone is lying,” said the post from Chuck Woolery, who hosted the show Love Connection in the 1980s and 90s. “The CDC, media, Democrats, our doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust.”
Adam Schiff, an influential Democratic congressman, described the president’s behaviour as “atrocious”, telling CNN it was “so characteristic of Donald Trump. He can’t stand the fact that the American people trust Dr Fauci and they don’t trust Donald Trump – and so he has to tear him down.”
Fauci on Monday warned of the longer-term outlook for the pandemic in the US.
“We have not even begun to see the end of it,” he said.
He also talked about the rush to reopen for business.
“All you needed to do was look at the films on TV of people in some states who went from shutdown to complete throwing caution to the wind – bars that were crowded, people without masks,” Fauci said during a Stanford University event.
Fauci said he was confident can control the virus “if we step back. You don’t necessarily need to shut down again, but pull back a bit, and then proceed in a very prudent way of observing the guidelines, of going from step to step.”
During a so-called “virtual fireside chat” with Lloyd Minor, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, Fauci added: “We have let the local public health infrastructure in our country really go into tatters.”
On Monday, Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, denied the White House was sending out opposition research on Fauci.
Meanwhile Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s ex-acting chief of staff and archconservative, wrote in a CNBC op-ed: “We still have a testing problem in this country. My son was tested recently; we had to wait five to seven days for results. My daughter wanted to get tested before visiting her grandparents, but was told she didn’t qualify. That is simply inexcusable at this point in the pandemic.”
Despite the US recording more daily cases than earlier in the pandemic, deaths are yet to hit the highs of April, when Covid-19 ravaged north-eastern areas, especially New York City.
Experts nonetheless say deaths are likely to rise in the coming weeks. Florida alone has now recorded 269,811 coronavirus cases, and fatalities there have more than doubled in the last three weeks.
Texas has also set records for cases in recent daysamid warnings that hospitals were struggling to cope.


theguardian--2020-07-14--Joe Biden tells Trump to 'listen to your public health experts' – video

The Democrats ' presidential nominee has urged the US president to listen to his public health experts as coronavirus cases @ @ @ @ @ country .
Biden welcomed Trump 's decision to finally wear a mask in public , @ @ @ @ @ ‘ not enough ’ • Trump aides seek to discredit Fauci over coronavirus crisis as @ @

The Democrats' presidential nominee has urged the US president to listen to his public health experts as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the country. Biden welcomed Trump's decision to finally wear a mask in public, but added that it was ‘not enough’


theguardian--2020-07-15--Donald Trump’s niece says president is dangerous and calls on him to resign

Donald Trump ’ s niece Mary Trump called on Wednesday for the president to resign and said her uncle was dangerous for America .
Trump , whose bombshell book about the family was published on Tuesday and trailed in the Guardian and other outlets last week , told ABC that the US is “ on a precipice ” with the November election coming up .
“ He is utterly incapable of leading this country and it ’ s dangerous to allow him to do so , ” Trump told ABC ’ s George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday morning , in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifted a restraining order against her brought by Donald Trump ’ s brother Robert to try to prevent her speaking out .
The family ’ s attempt to block her book also failed .
Trump is the daughter of Donald Trump ’ s late elder brother , Fred Jr. Stephanopoulos asked Mary Trump , if she was in the Oval Office now , what she would say to the president .
Asked why she thought the president was incapable of holding the office , she said : “ Based on what I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added : “ This country is on a precipice and we have a decision to make about who we want to be and where we want to go as a country .
It ’ s hard for me to process just how many awful things are going on simultaneously on a daily basis ” out of the White House .
Donald Trump ’ s extraordinary character and outrageous behavior “ threaten the world ’ s health , economic security and social fabric ” and were shaped by his “ high-functioning sociopath ” father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary Trump has described her grandfather , Fred Trump , Donald ’ s father , as a sociopath who shaped the emotional pattern of those around him .
“ He [ Fred ] had no empathy , he was incredibly driven in a way that turned other people , including his children and his wife , into pawns to be used for his own ends .
“ If someone could be of use to him he would use them , if they were not of use he exiled them , in my father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tragically , he was not of use.
” Fred Jr had an alcohol dependency and died from related illness when Mary was a child .
She said she wrote the book not for her own therapeutic exercise , though it may be an extension of the family ’ s dysfunction , she told ABC , with an ironic laugh .
But she said her motivation was her uncle , the president .
“ I can not let him destroy my country .
There are so many parallels between the circumstances in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country is now operating – focusing on the wrong things , elevating the wrong people , ” she said .
She added that it was the result of “ allowing someone to live their lives without accountability .
“ If I can do anything to change the narrative , to reveal the truth I need to do it.
” The White House has called Trump ’ s book lies .
Donald Trump was tweeting shortly after the first part of the ABC interview aired and touched on several topics but none of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday morning comments .
More of the interview will be shown on Thursday morning .
Trump said Donald Trump ’ s father “ restricted the range ” of his son Donald ’ s emotions that were acceptable to the patriarch .
“ Certain feelings were not allowed .
Sadness , the impulse to be kind , generous , ” she said , adding that Fred Trump thought such emotions were “ superfluous , unmanly ” .
Mary Trump also insisted that her assertion that Donald Trump paid someone to take his high school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prestigious Wharton Business School , at the University of Pennsylvania , is true .

Joanna Walters and Lauren Aratani in New York

Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump called on Wednesday for the president to resign and said her uncle was dangerous for America.
Trump, whose bombshell book about her family was published on Tuesday and trailed in the Guardian and other outlets last week, told ABC that the US is “on a precipice” with the November election coming up.
“He is utterly incapable of leading this country and it’s dangerous to allow him to do so,” Trump told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday morning, in her first interview since a court on Monday lifted a restraining order against her brought by Donald Trump’s brother Robert to try to prevent her speaking out.
The family’s attempt to block her book also failed. Mary Trump is the daughter of Donald Trump’s late elder brother, Fred Jr.
Stephanopoulos asked Mary Trump if she were in the Oval Office now, what she would say to the president.
“Resign,” she said.
Asked why she thought the president was incapable of holding the office, she said: “Based on what I have seen my entire adult life.”
She added: “This country is on a precipice and we have a decision to make about who we want to be and where we want to go as a country. It’s hard for me to process just how many awful things are going on simultaneously on a daily basis” out of the White House.
Pres. Trump “is utterly incapable of leading this country, and it’s dangerous to allow him to do so,” Mary Trump says in an exclusive interview with @GStephanopoulos. https://t.co/yXf2Wj1ODT pic.twitter.com/BAJzSQjkEr — Good Morning America (@GMA) July 15, 2020
Donald Trump’s extraordinary character and outrageous behavior “threaten the world’s health, economic security and social fabric” and were shaped by his “high-functioning sociopath” father during childhood, the book reveals.
Mary Trump has described her grandfather, Fred Trump, Donald’s father, as a sociopath who shaped the emotional pattern of those around him.
“He [Fred] had no empathy, he was incredibly driven in a way that turned other people, including his children and his wife, into pawns to be used for his own ends.
“If someone could be of use to him he would use them, if they were not of use he exiled them, in my father’s case [Fred Jr], tragically, he was not of use.”
Fred Jr had an alcohol dependency and died from related illness when Mary was a child.
She said she wrote the book not for her own therapeutic exercise, though it may be an extension of the family’s dysfunction, she told ABC, with an ironic laugh.
But she said her motivation was her uncle, the president.
“I cannot let him destroy my country. There are so many parallels between the circumstances in which my family operated and in which this country is now operating – focusing on the wrong things, elevating the wrong people,” she said.
She added that it was the result of “allowing someone to live their lives without accountability.
“If I can do anything to change the narrative, to reveal the truth I need to do it.”
The White House has called Mary Trump’s book lies. Donald Trump was tweeting shortly after the first part of the ABC interview aired and touched on several topics but none of them on his niece’s book or Wednesday morning comments. More of the interview will be shown on Thursday morning.
Trump said Donald Trump’s father “restricted the range” of his son Donald’s emotions that were acceptable to the patriarch.
“Certain feelings were not allowed. Sadness, the impulse to be kind, generous,” she said, adding that Fred Trump thought such emotions were “superfluous, unmanly”.
Mary Trump also insisted that her assertion that Donald Trump paid someone to take his high school exams so he could qualify for the prestigious Wharton Business School, at the University of Pennsylvania, is true.


theguardian--2020-07-15--Authoritarian voters pushed Trump to victory. Can they do it again?

As Donald Trump ’ s celebration speeches , tweets , and interviews sound increasingly authoritarian , should we be worried ?
The answer , of course , is yes .
Trump has routinely relied on authoritarian appeals to keep his followers attentive and engaged with his messages .
Those authoritarian appeals – like the rest of his rhetoric – violate democratic norms and endanger democracy .
In 2016 , researchers found that the Republican party had an “ authoritarian voter ” problem that it could not control , even if it had wanted to .
“ Trump , it turns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” wrote Amanda Taub in Vox .
“ The rise of American authoritarianism is transforming the Republican Party and the dynamics of national politics , with profound consequences likely to extend well beyond this election.
” Research found that authoritarian voters tended to support authoritarian leaders “ as a response to experiencing certain kinds of threats ” .
If a political candidate could “ make people believe that the threats exist ” , then they could “ activate their authoritarianism ” .
A Vox/Morning Consult survey found that “ 44 % of white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or ‘ very high ’ authoritarians ” .
There were authoritarian voters in both political parties , but “ more than 65 % of people who scored highest on the authoritarianism questions were GOP voters ” .
They asked respondents what made them fearful and found that they “ most fear threats that come from abroad ” but they also feared internal threats that they viewed as undermining the stability of the social hierarchy .
These internal threats could be “ in the form of rising diversity ” or “ any changes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hierarchies ” or were viewed as threatening authoritarian voters ’ “ status quo as they know it ” .
In response to scary and frustrating instability , authoritarian voters seek “ a strong leader who promises to suppress the scary changes , if necessary by force , and to preserve the status quo ” .
If there was a choice to be made between democracy and the stability of the social hierarchy , authoritarian voters were likely to choose stability over democracy .
Since 2015 Trump has used rhetorical strategies like American exceptionalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument that because many believe something it must be so ] to appeal to these authoritarian voters .
Taken together these appeals created a narrative that told three truths about the relationship between Trump and his followers .
First , Trump loved his people ( who loved each other and loved him ) and his country .
Second , Trump would use his powers to crush their shared enemies , which would restore American greatness and authoritarian voters ’ place in the social hierarchy .
And third , Trump would break the phony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so broken and corrupted that violating the rules was actually more democratic than following the rules .
It was this last bit that most worried scholars of authoritarianism and democratic erosion .
The Harvard professors of government Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt warned the nation in 2016 about Trump ’ s dangerous authoritarianism and how leaders like him had historically eroded democratic norms en route to eroding democracy .
America was at risk , “ not necessarily because Americans have grown more authoritarian ( the United States electorate has always had an authoritarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 December 2016 , “ rather it ’ s because the institutional filters that we assumed would protect us from extremists , like the party nomination system and the news media , failed ” .
Trump was uncontrollable .
He had taken advantage of Americans ’ authoritarian streak and used it to overpower the already weakened democratic gatekeepers .
Trump ’ s most dangerous authoritarianism came from his refusal to honor the democratic norms around the peaceful transition of power .
Therefore , perhaps the most prominent way that Trump ’ s authoritarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to violate democratic norms to elect Trump was in their willingness to stand guard at polling places on election day to prevent “ election rigging ” .
It started on 27 July 2016 – the day after Hillary Clinton ’ s Democratic party nomination acceptance speech – when the Republican “ dirty trickster ” and sometime Trump political adviser Roger Stone appeared with Breitbart News ’ Milo Yiannopoulos for his Milo Show to warn Trump that Clinton was planning to use “ widespread voter fraud ” to steal the election .
Stone advised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constantly ” .
The message to the nation ought to be , “ if there ’ s voter fraud , this election will be illegitimate , we will have a constitutional crisis , widespread civil disobedience , and the government will no longer be the government , ” Stone told Yiannopoulos .
Two days later , the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones posted an “ emergency message to Donald Trump ” on InfoWars which , like Stone had done , warned Trump about Clinton ’ s impending election fraud .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the central issues : if she steals the primary , then she ’ s going to steal the general election , ” advised Jones .
“ I ’ m asking the American people to support you in standing up to this witch , ” Jones concluded , speaking directly to Trump through his InfoWars video .
“ I ’ m asking the American people to take action and really cause a grassroots brushfire … because if you think Hillary ’ s gon na stop with stealing the nomination , if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to steal the general election , I got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.
” On 1 August 2016 Trump told his rally crowd in Columbus , Ohio , that Bernie Sanders ’ s primary “ was rigged .
And I ’ m afraid the election is going to be rigged , I have to be honest , ” Trump said , echoing what he had heard over the previous three days from the conspiracy theorist and dirty trickster .
“ I ’ m telling you November 8 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to be rigged , ” Trump told Sean Hannity that same night , “ and I hope the Republicans are watching closely , or it ’ s going to be taken away from us.
” Within two weeks , Trump ’ s campaign had posted a website to recruit poll watchers to “ watch closely ” so that the election didn ’ t get “ taken away from us ” .
“ BREAKING ” screamed a headline of the Christian Times on 30 September 2016 , “ ‘ Tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Ohio Warehouse ” .
After clicking on the headline to read the story , internet users saw a photo of Hillary Clinton looking forlorn with her head in her hand .
“ They did it once .
They ’ ll do it again ” was written in red next to Clinton ’ s photo .
Beneath her image it read , “ We already know that Hillary stole the primary .
We can ’ t let her steal the presidency .
Join the ‘ Stop the Steal ’ team to find out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what YOU can do to stop her !
” Stop the Steal was Roger Stone ’ s website , active since at least March 2016 , that purported to organize Trump supporters to stop election rigging , first during the primary and then during the general election .
It turned out that the article was written by Cameron Harris , just out of college and hoping to find a break as a political consultant .
He had made up the whole website , the story and the Clinton ballots , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 18 January 2017 , because he wanted to support Trump and also make some money from ad revenue .
Trump ’ s supporters got the message , according to a story by Dana Milbank in the 18 October 2016 Washington Post : “ Retiree Gerald Miller , a volunteer at Donald Trump ’ s rally here [ shared ] Trump ’ s concern that the election may be ‘ rigged ’ by the Clinton campaign .
‘ It is enough to skew the election .
They can swing it either way.
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is going to holler fraud if he doesn ’ t win .
I think we ’ re on the verge of a civil war , a racial war .
This could be the spark that sets it off.
” Many others at Trump ’ s Colorado Springs , Colorado , rally agreed with Miller .
Likewise , on 13 October 2016 , Trump supporters in Cincinnati , Ohio , told the Boston Globe ’ s Matt Viser and Tracy Jan that they had no doubt that Clinton planned to rig the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anger and hostility were the most overwhelming sentiments ” among Trump supporters , along with “ a deep sense of frustration , an us-versus-them mentality , and a belief that they are part of an unstoppable and underestimated movement ” .
Even though Trump supporters felt powerful , Viser and Jan reported that they were “ worried that Democrats will load up buses of minorities and take them to vote several times in different areas of the city .
They ’ ve heard rumors that boxes of Clinton votes are already waiting somewhere.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith worried that “ we ’ re going to have a lot of election fraud .
They are having illegals vote .
In some states , you don ’ t need voter registration to vote.
” Another Trump supporter named Steve Webb told Viser and Jan that “ Trump said to watch your precincts .
I ’ m going to go , for sure .
I ’ ll look for … well , it ’ s called racial profiling .
Mexicans .
Syrians .
People who can ’ t speak American .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind them .
I ’ ll do everything legally .
I want to see if they are accountable .
I ’ m not going to do anything illegal .
I ’ m going to make them a little bit nervous.
” Trump made a big deal out of the election being rigged throughout the last months of the election .
But it turned out that he didn ’ t actually sign up many official poll watchers , even though his loyal followers , like Steve Webb , would have gladly served .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while “ Trump regularly warns his crowds to closely watch polling places to prevent Democrats from stealing the election ” , he had “ failed to enlist many to serve as official poll watchers in major population centers ” .
The AP had done “ spot-checks ” throughout the nation , asking election officials about what the AP had expected would be a surge of Republican poll watcher registrations .
It found that “ Democratic monitors will far outnumber Republicans on election day , ” and that there were even fewer Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections .
“ The Trump team seeks volunteers on his website , ” wrote the AP , but “ it ’ s unclear what the campaign does with its list – voters in Arizona and Virginia who signed up were never contacted.
” The AP wrote that it was “ not clear why there is a discrepancy between Trump ’ s rhetoric urging poll watchers and the lack of signups ” .
Perhaps there was a “ failure by the campaign to organize ” or perhaps trying to prevent election rigging had never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All the AP could conclude was that “ there has been no surge in Trump poll watchers.
” A Pew survey on 27 October 2016 , found that 56 % of registered voters thought that Trump had little or no respect for the “ nation ’ s democratic institutions and traditions ” .
Yet , neither did many of Trump ’ s supporters .
Only 49 % of Trump supporters agreed that the freedom of the press to criticize political leaders was essential to maintaining a strong democracy and only 69 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important that “ people have a right to non-violent protest ” .
Those authoritarian voters who would violate democratic norms to elect Trump won the election , of course .
Trump ’ s authoritarian appeal combined American exceptionalism and ad populum to praise his followers as the best of America .
Trump promised to love them and crush their shared enemies .
He used “ narrative laundering ” to mainstream conspiracies about election rigging to cast doubt on the democratic process .
In so doing Trump catered to his authoritarian followers ’ fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It shouldn ’ t surprise us now , then , to hear Trump making authoritarian appeals to rally his base , attack his opposition , and violate what he calls the phony democratic norms .
But in the end , we see that Trump doesn ’ t really mean it – he doesn ’ t actually sign up poll watchers – he just takes advantage of authoritarian appeals to rally his base .
That ’ s why Trump is America ’ s authoritarian PT Barnum , using authoritarianism to keep his voters attentive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process .
Adapted from Jennifer Mercieca ’ s just published book about Trump ’ s rhetoric : Demagogue For President : The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump , Texas A & M University Press and reprinted with permission

As Donald Trump’s celebration speeches, tweets, and interviews sound increasingly authoritarian, should we be worried?
The answer, of course, is yes.
Trump has routinely relied on authoritarian appeals to keep his followers attentive and engaged with his messages. Those authoritarian appeals – like the rest of his rhetoric – violate democratic norms and endanger democracy.
In 2016, researchers found that the Republican party had an “authoritarian voter” problem that it could not control, even if it had wanted to. “Trump, it turns out, is just the symptom,” wrote Amanda Taub in Vox. “The rise of American authoritarianism is transforming the Republican Party and the dynamics of national politics, with profound consequences likely to extend well beyond this election.”
Research found that authoritarian voters tended to support authoritarian leaders “as a response to experiencing certain kinds of threats”. If a political candidate could “make people believe that the threats exist”, then they could “activate their authoritarianism”.
A Vox/Morning Consult survey found that “44% of white respondents nationwide scored as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ authoritarians”. There were authoritarian voters in both political parties, but “more than 65% of people who scored highest on the authoritarianism questions were GOP voters”. They asked respondents what made them fearful and found that they “most fear threats that come from abroad” but they also feared internal threats that they viewed as undermining the stability of the social hierarchy. These internal threats could be “in the form of rising diversity” or “any changes, political or economic, that disrupt social hierarchies” or were viewed as threatening authoritarian voters’ “status quo as they know it”.
In response to scary and frustrating instability, authoritarian voters seek “a strong leader who promises to suppress the scary changes, if necessary by force, and to preserve the status quo”. If there was a choice to be made between democracy and the stability of the social hierarchy, authoritarian voters were likely to choose stability over democracy.
Since 2015 Trump has used rhetorical strategies like American exceptionalism and ad populum [essentially, the argument that because many believe something it must be so] to appeal to these authoritarian voters. Taken together these appeals created a narrative that told three truths about the relationship between Trump and his followers. First, Trump loved his people (who loved each other and loved him) and his country. Second, Trump would use his powers to crush their shared enemies, which would restore American greatness and authoritarian voters’ place in the social hierarchy. And third, Trump would break the phony political rules because the system itself was so broken and corrupted that violating the rules was actually more democratic than following the rules.
President Donald Trump walks past police in Lafayette Park after posing with a Bible outside St John’s Church across from the White House on 1 June 2020. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP
It was this last bit that most worried scholars of authoritarianism and democratic erosion. The Harvard professors of government Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt warned the nation in 2016 about Trump’s dangerous authoritarianism and how leaders like him had historically eroded democratic norms en route to eroding democracy. America was at risk, “not necessarily because Americans have grown more authoritarian (the United States electorate has always had an authoritarian streak)”, they wrote on 16 December 2016, “rather it’s because the institutional filters that we assumed would protect us from extremists, like the party nomination system and the news media, failed”. Trump was uncontrollable. He had taken advantage of Americans’ authoritarian streak and used it to overpower the already weakened democratic gatekeepers.
Trump’s most dangerous authoritarianism came from his refusal to honor the democratic norms around the peaceful transition of power. Therefore, perhaps the most prominent way that Trump’s authoritarian voters demonstrated their loyalty and their willingness to violate democratic norms to elect Trump was in their willingness to stand guard at polling places on election day to prevent “election rigging”.
It started on 27 July 2016 – the day after Hillary Clinton’s Democratic party nomination acceptance speech – when the Republican “dirty trickster” and sometime Trump political adviser Roger Stone appeared with Breitbart News’ Milo Yiannopoulos for his Milo Show to warn Trump that Clinton was planning to use “widespread voter fraud” to steal the election. Stone advised Trump to “begin talking about it constantly”. The message to the nation ought to be, “if there’s voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government,” Stone told Yiannopoulos.
Two days later, the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones posted an “emergency message to Donald Trump” on InfoWars which, like Stone had done, warned Trump about Clinton’s impending election fraud. “It’s imperative that the Trump campaign make this one of the central issues: if she steals the primary, then she’s going to steal the general election,” advised Jones. “I’m asking the American people to support you in standing up to this witch,” Jones concluded, speaking directly to Trump through his InfoWars video. “I’m asking the American people to take action and really cause a grassroots brushfire … because if you think Hillary’s gonna stop with stealing the nomination, if you think she’s not going to try to steal the general election, I got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.”
On 1 August 2016 Trump told his rally crowd in Columbus, Ohio, that Bernie Sanders’s primary “was rigged. And I’m afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest,” Trump said, echoing what he had heard over the previous three days from the conspiracy theorist and dirty trickster.
“I’m telling you November 8, we better be careful because that election’s going to be rigged,” Trump told Sean Hannity that same night, “and I hope the Republicans are watching closely, or it’s going to be taken away from us.” Within two weeks, Trump’s campaign had posted a website to recruit poll watchers to “watch closely” so that the election didn’t get “taken away from us”.
Donald Trump addresses a supportive crowd in Columbus, Ohio, on 1 August 2016: ‘I’m telling you November 8, we better be careful because that election’s going to be rigged.’ Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
“BREAKING” screamed a headline of the Christian Times on 30 September 2016, “‘Tens of Thousands’ of Fraudulent Clinton Votes Found in Ohio Warehouse”. After clicking on the headline to read the story, internet users saw a photo of Hillary Clinton looking forlorn with her head in her hand. “They did it once. They’ll do it again” was written in red next to Clinton’s photo. Beneath her image it read, “We already know that Hillary stole the primary. We can’t let her steal the presidency. Join the ‘Stop the Steal’ team to find out HOW Hillary plans to steal the election and what YOU can do to stop her!” Stop the Steal was Roger Stone’s website, active since at least March 2016, that purported to organize Trump supporters to stop election rigging, first during the primary and then during the general election.
It turned out that the article was written by Cameron Harris, just out of college and hoping to find a break as a political consultant. He had made up the whole website, the story and the Clinton ballots, according to what he told the New York Times on 18 January 2017, because he wanted to support Trump and also make some money from ad revenue.
Trump’s supporters got the message, according to a story by Dana Milbank in the 18 October 2016 Washington Post: “Retiree Gerald Miller, a volunteer at Donald Trump’s rally here [shared] Trump’s concern that the election may be ‘rigged’ by the Clinton campaign. ‘It is enough to skew the election. They can swing it either way.’” He told Milbank that “Donald Trump is going to holler fraud if he doesn’t win. I think we’re on the verge of a civil war, a racial war. This could be the spark that sets it off.”
Many others at Trump’s Colorado Springs, Colorado, rally agreed with Miller. Likewise, on 13 October 2016, Trump supporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, told the Boston Globe’s Matt Viser and Tracy Jan that they had no doubt that Clinton planned to rig the election. Viser and Jan reported that “anger and hostility were the most overwhelming sentiments” among Trump supporters, along with “a deep sense of frustration, an us-versus-them mentality, and a belief that they are part of an unstoppable and underestimated movement”.
Even though Trump supporters felt powerful, Viser and Jan reported that they were “worried that Democrats will load up buses of minorities and take them to vote several times in different areas of the city. They’ve heard rumors that boxes of Clinton votes are already waiting somewhere.” A Trump supporter named Jeannine Bell Smith worried that “we’re going to have a lot of election fraud. They are having illegals vote. In some states, you don’t need voter registration to vote.” Another Trump supporter named Steve Webb told Viser and Jan that “Trump said to watch your precincts. I’m going to go, for sure. I’ll look for … well, it’s called racial profiling. Mexicans. Syrians. People who can’t speak American. I’m going to go right up behind them. I’ll do everything legally. I want to see if they are accountable. I’m not going to do anything illegal. I’m going to make them a little bit nervous.”
Trump made a big deal out of the election being rigged throughout the last months of the election. But it turned out that he didn’t actually sign up many official poll watchers, even though his loyal followers, like Steve Webb, would have gladly served. A 3 November 2016 Associated Press investigation found that while “Trump regularly warns his crowds to closely watch polling places to prevent Democrats from stealing the election”, he had “failed to enlist many to serve as official poll watchers in major population centers”.
The AP had done “spot-checks” throughout the nation, asking election officials about what the AP had expected would be a surge of Republican poll watcher registrations. It found that “Democratic monitors will far outnumber Republicans on election day,” and that there were even fewer Republican poll watchers signed up compared with previous elections. “The Trump team seeks volunteers on his website,” wrote the AP, but “it’s unclear what the campaign does with its list – voters in Arizona and Virginia who signed up were never contacted.” The AP wrote that it was “not clear why there is a discrepancy between Trump’s rhetoric urging poll watchers and the lack of signups”. Perhaps there was a “failure by the campaign to organize” or perhaps trying to prevent election rigging had never been “a true campaign priority”. All the AP could conclude was that “there has been no surge in Trump poll watchers.”
A Pew survey on 27 October 2016, found that 56% of registered voters thought that Trump had little or no respect for the “nation’s democratic institutions and traditions”. Yet, neither did many of Trump’s supporters. Only 49% of Trump supporters agreed that the freedom of the press to criticize political leaders was essential to maintaining a strong democracy and only 69% of Trump supporters thought it was very important that “people have a right to non-violent protest”.
Those authoritarian voters who would violate democratic norms to elect Trump won the election, of course. Trump’s authoritarian appeal combined American exceptionalism and ad populum to praise his followers as the best of America. Trump promised to love them and crush their shared enemies. He used “narrative laundering” to mainstream conspiracies about election rigging to cast doubt on the democratic process. In so doing Trump catered to his authoritarian followers’ fears and maintained his base of support. It shouldn’t surprise us now, then, to hear Trump making authoritarian appeals to rally his base, attack his opposition, and violate what he calls the phony democratic norms.
But in the end, we see that Trump doesn’t really mean it – he doesn’t actually sign up poll watchers – he just takes advantage of authoritarian appeals to rally his base. That’s why Trump is America’s authoritarian PT Barnum, using authoritarianism to keep his voters attentive and engaged – and eroding democracy in the process.
Adapted from Jennifer Mercieca’s just published book about Trump’s rhetoric: Demagogue For President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, Texas A&M University Press and reprinted with permission


theguardian--2020-07-15--China promises 'firm response' to Trump's order ending Hong Kong's special status

China has vowed to retaliate after Donald Trump ordered an end to Hong Kong ’ s special status under US law to punish China for what he called “ aggressive actions ” against the former British colony .
Citing China ’ s decision to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong , the US president said he signed an executive order that will end the preferential economic treatment Hong Kong has received for years .
“ No special privileges , no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies ” , he told a news conference .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ministry of foreign affairs said no country has the right to interfere in what it deemed “ purely China ’ s internal affairs ” .
“ US efforts to thwart the implementation of Hong Kong ’ s national security will never succeed .
In order to defend its own legitimate interests , China will respond as necessary and impose sanctions on the relevant American individuals and entities .
“ We urge the US to correct its mistakes .
If the US stubbornly pursues this path , China will give a firm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump also signed a bill approved by the US Congress to penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the new security law .
“ Today I signed legislation , and an executive order to hold China accountable for its aggressive actions against the people of Hong Kong , ” Trump said .
“ Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China.
” The White House later released the full text of the executive order , outlining the penalties and suspensions , as well as newly reallocated admissions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents of Hong Kong based on humanitarian concerns ” .
The order suspended multiple sections of legislation governing US immigration , arms exports and defence production , and eliminated US preference for Hong Kong passport holders as compared to People ’ s Republic of China passport holders .
It also suspended extradition and prisoner transfer agreements , took steps to end US training of Hong Kong police and security officers , and suspended or terminated academic partnerships with Hong Kong including the Fulbright exchange program .
The order allows for the freezing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ linked to the new national security laws , or found to be involved in international human rights abuses , or in the limiting or penalising of independent media and freedom of expression .
Critics of the security law fear it will crush the wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997 .
The security law punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion , secession , terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison .
US relations with China have already been strained over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s military buildup in the South China Sea , its treatment of Uighur Muslims and massive trade surpluses .
North Korea ’ s leadership spoke out in support of China on Wednesday .
“ It is an extremely sinister act that a non-Asian country across the ocean , not being content with its reckless remarks over the issue of the South China Sea , has hurled abuses at the [ Chinese Communist Party ] , ” a foreign ministry spokesperson said .
Ending Hong Kong ’ s special economic status could be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong was the source of the largest bilateral US goods trade surplus last year , at $ 26.1bn , based on US Census Bureau data .
It is also a major destination for US legal and accounting business .
More than 1,300 US firms have offices there .
The former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a law protecting freedoms of speech , assembly and the press until 2047 under “ one country-two systems ” .
The legislation Trump signed calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ autonomy , and financial institutions that do business with those found to have participated in any crackdown on the city .
Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has raised doubts about whether he can win re-election on 3 November amid a surge of new infections .
He has attempted to deflect blame onto China .
“ Make no mistake .
We hold China fully responsible for concealing the virus and unleashing it upon the world .
They could have stopped it , they should have stopped it .
It would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source , when it happened , ” he said .
Asked if he planned to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping , Trump said : “ I have no plans to speak to him.
” In rambling remarks , Trump spent much of his Rose Garden appearance criticising Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden .
Both candidates are constrained from active campaign rallies by the virus and fears that participants could be infected .
In May , Trump responded to China ’ s plans for the security law by saying he was initiating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial centre .
He stopped short then of calling for an immediate end to privileges , but said the moves would affect the full range of US agreements with Hong Kong , from an extradition treaty to export controls on dual-use technologies .
A US official , speaking on condition of anonymity , said the administration was also preparing sanctions against Chinese officials and entities involved in the Hong Kong crackdown , including further U.S. travel bans and possible Treasury sanctions .