New York Times, political correspondent; Author, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost” (Get signed copies from
@politicsprose
)
The response to the release of my book this past week has been an out-of-body experience.
I will never forget how much help I needed—from family, from friends, from colleagues, and from sources—to finish this book, and how lucky I am to have received it.
Thank you so, so much!
Two women at last night's naturalization ceremony said they were never told they would be showcased at a political convention, and no one sought their consent. The Trump campaign declined to comment.
w/
@tparti
:
Zero cable news networks are carrying the Trump rally live. Even Tucker Carlson told Fox News viewers that they'd break in only if there was news. CSPAN has turned away too — it's showing the Utah Senate debate.
White House was completely caught off guard by Romney's vote. And within minutes of Romney's speech, the White House closed a Trump-Guaido meeting in the Oval Office that reporters had been invited to attend.
The fact that the House impeachment was completely partisan was a vital WH talking point. Romney removing Trump's ability to say the same in the Senate is huge, and now very eager to see/read Trump's reaction.
Trump—in the last 2 weeks—delivered a widely criticized debate performance, mixed with donors after a top aide tested Covid+, tested Covid+ himself, sent stocks sliding by halting stimulus talks, restarted talks, pulled out of 2nd debate & attacked his top 2 Cabinet secretaries.
When Stephen Miller told Trump inside the Oval that “cities are burning” during Floyd protests, an infuriated Milley spun around in his seat and pointed a finger directly at Miller.
“Shut the fuck up, Stephen,” Milley snapped.
As the virus spread among Trump's top advisers, the president tried to keep secret who was getting sick: "Don't tell anyone."
w/
@rebeccaballhaus
&
@AndrewRestuccia
:
Day 1 of the Trump convention, so far: DeJoy grilled over Trump mail voting complaints; 2 dozen+ GOPers endorse Biden; Melania reportedly on tape criticizing POTUS; Top Trump evangelical accused of watching his wife—a Women For Trump board member—have sex with another man.
NPR finds 15 Republicans who've denied or cast doubts on the 2020 election results running to be the chief election officer in 12 states—including six of the seven states with Biden's slimmest victory margin.
That's when Kellyanne Conway demanded to know who in the White House would say such a thing. Conway back in March: "That’s highly offensive. So, you should tell us all who it is. I’d like to know who it is.”
Mr. Trump: Who is full of shit?
Mr. Bender: You, sir.
An out-of-context moment in my interview with President Trump last night. Rest of the transcript here:
**Eight times** Trump urged Ukrainian president about eight times to investigate Biden's son during a July phone call that has come under scrutiny in the wake of a whistleblower complaint.
via
@AlanCullison
@rebeccaballhaus
&
@dnvolz
:
Gallup: Trump's approval back to 49%, up from 44% earlier this month and matching the highest rating of his presidency; 60% approve of his handling of coronavirus, 38% disapprove.
White House official says Trump was clearly joking. "He's never advised staff to slow testing. We are extremely proud of the 25 million tests we are conducting at a rapid pace."
“I told my people, ‘Slow the testing down please.'"—President Trump, complaining that covid-19 testing is a "double-edged sword" because it counts cases where young people have the sniffles.
“I’ve done all this stuff for the Blacks—it’s always Jared telling me to do this,” Trump said to one confidante. “And they all fucking hate me, and none of them are going to vote for me.”
Latest from my new book:
Trump to
@WSJ
: Covid testing is "overrated" and some Americans may be wearing masks to signal disapproval of him—not as a preventative measure. “I personally think testing is overrated, even though I created the greatest testing machine in history."
White House clarifies Sarah Sanders’ statement on N Korea that “president will not agree to the meeting without concrete steps and action."
Not so fast: “The invitation has been extended and accepted, and that stands,” WH official tells WSJ.
Trump had a peculiar way of greeting Egypt’s authoritarian president during a private meeting at G7.
“Where’s my favorite dictator,” Trump asked.
Inside the room that was stunned with silence, w/
@nancyayoussef
&
@vmsalama
:
via
@WSJ
When Trump wanted to bring the Cabinet to his June kickoff rally, Mulvaney cautioned about Hatch Act violations.
“I’m in charge of the Hatch Act,” Trump barked, saying his chief was “weak” for making the suggestion.
Trump later backed off the idea.
“The fundamentals in this economy are unbelievable.” —HHS Secretary Azar to reporters just now at the White House.
The Trump admin’s top health officials took no questions, said nothing about the health issues around coronavirus and spoke only about the economy.
Trump boarded AF1 for three straight days before testing Covid+. Other passengers included Hope Hicks, who fell ill on one trip, plus:
*41 WH aides & family
*9 campaign staffers, GOP officials & political advisers
*5 members of Congress
Full manifest here:
Another long-time Trump aide is out: John McEntee, an original Trumper among w Hope Hicks and Dan Scavino, was escorted out of the White House on Monday
Trump is down in the polls. And he’s spent most of his first TV interview since a Covid+ diagnosis saying he won’t participate in the next debate, relitigating much of his 2016 race, and attacking arguing his two most loyal, highest profile Cabinet members.
The president is taking a break from defending a six-day old mistake about hurricane warnings to complain about this five-day-old story that critics think he spent much of the summer focused on the wrong things:
The Washington Post’s
@PhilipRucker
(Mr. Off the Record) &
@AshleyRParker
, two nasty lightweight reporters, shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE. Also, add the appointment of MANY Federal Judges this Summer!
Milley’s problem was that he had stats showing exactly how many cities had protests—and the proportion of those municipal populations that were protesting.
For Milley, the numbers didn’t approach anywhere near a level that required military intervention—and he told Trump.
Within minutes of Trump saying this, the White House released his public schedule for tomorrow. Trump is not quarantining: He’s attending a fundraiser at his Washington DC hotel, and hosting a rally in Florida.
Trump confirms Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus. He says he and FLOTUS have been tested, but “whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don't know.”
Publication day!!! It’s humbling how much help I’ve needed—and how many people have been so willing to provide it. But no one’s generosity has been as crucial and as constant as
@AshleyRParker
—my best adviser, best editor, best publicist, & best friend. Thank you! ❤️
Trump mentions the “four congresswoman,” and boos erupt.
He mentions Representative Ilhan Omar, and boos erupt as a protestor interrupts the rally.
After pausing for a few moments, Trump continues to rip into Omar as members of the crowd yell “traitor” and “treason."
Donald Trump’s quest to consolidate support among Republicans has instead left him weakened, with nearly half the party’s voters seeking someone different for president and a significant number vowing to abandon him if he wins the nomination.
Harvard public heath prof Mac Lipsitch, on coronavirus: “It is likely we’ll see a global pandemic...If a pandemic happens, 40% to 70% of people world-wide are likely to be infected in the coming year.”
Trump was shouting about sending troops into cities when Milley pointed to a portrait of Lincoln hanging in the Oval.
“That guy had an insurrection,” Milley said. “What we have, Mr. President, is a protest.”
CNN has that detail and more from my new book:
Rep. Katie Porter, a third-term California Democrat who studied under Elizabeth Warren at Harvard University and became a social media darling of liberal Democrats, said Tuesday that she would run in 2024 for the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein.
Brock Long was told not to take a caravan of FEMA staffers home to North Carolina. When he ignored the warnings, he was out under surveillance — the DHS inspector general had him tailed back to Hickory.
Pictures of President Trump and Kim Jong Un in the West Wing of the White House. A few weeks ago, these frames surrounded pics of Trump with Emmanuel Macron, president of France, one of America’s closest allies.
Trump aides told me that his demand to hunt down—and execute—a White House leaker was a sign of panic as his administration went into freefall during its final days.
Latest from my book, out today!
A review of draft copies of Trump's speech shows that instead of saying that the travel ban "will not apply" to trade and cargo," POTUS inserted an extra word, saying the prohibitions “will not *only* apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo.”
In his first rally of his 2024 campaign, Trump spent most of the first 30 minutes attacking the Manhattan district attorney's office and Gov. Ron DeSantis — and not a word on why he wants a second term in office.
The run-up to Trump’s Mexico tariffs: VP was in Canada, his top economic adviser is recovering from surgery, his Secretary of State is out of the country, his senior adviser who worked on Mexico issues was in Israel — and his top trade adviser was opposed.
Navarros tells
@jaketapper
this morning that Trump was "moving mountains" in February to PPE to the frontlines. That is incorrect. At that point, Navarro wasn't allowed into White House meetings on covid relief, PPE or otherwise:
Tapper cuts short the interview with Navarro because he refuses to answer basic questions about Trump misleading the public, then says: "The US has less than 5 percent of the world's population, & the US has more than 20 percent of the world's coronavirus deaths. That is a fact."
Trump said he was reducing additional jobless benefits to $400 from $600 as "an incentive to go back to work." But the executive action only authorizes the feds to pay for $300 in extra benefits—the extra $100 would have to come from states.
Two additional Trump campaign staffers have tested positive for coronavirus, both of whom attended the Tulsa rally while wearing masks. The campaign says it has activated established quarantine and contact tracing protocols.
Trump is putting tweets of polls on the big screen at his rally, including one of a potential 2024 Republican presidential field in which he pointed out he was far ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who he referred to as “Ron De-sanctimonious.”
Trump tells
@WSJ
that some people may get sick after attending his Tulsa rally, but that he would be ok if Ivanka wanted to sit in the crowd. “First all she’s young,” he said, adding that elderly Americans were more likely to become severely ill.
At about 2pm today in the White House, Trump told reporters that John Kelly & Jim Mattis statements that disputed quotes in Woodward book were released "without my even knowing about it."
Two hours later, Trump told reporters Mattis personally offered to write the statement.
"This is turmoil, it's chaos, it's confusion—it's not good for anything. We always believe that there should be an orderly process, and of course government is not clean or orderly ever, but this seems to be beyond normal."—Ted Olson re: the Trump White House, on
@mitchellreports
Seems like a good time to re-up this impeachment detail from two days ago: "Senior White House officials said they have to follow news reports after the hearing to find out what was said in the private meetings."
Several senior Trump officials have been hardened by interactions with China. John Kelly got into a physical altercation in Beijing over the nuclear football, and told colleagues he’d only accept an apology standing under the US flag in Washington
Just now in the Oval: Trump just ignored multiple Qs about McCain, including four from
@jonkarl
who stood about 6 feet away from the president and asked if he had anything to say about the late senator and whether he believed McCain was a hero. The president stared straight ahead
Inside the West Wing, aides canceled meetings & huddled behind closed doors to strategize about how to expose the author. Some called reporters to ask who may be behind the op-ed — whether it came from inside the White House or a cabinet-level agency.
Milley’s outburst suggested to others in the room that he thought Miller was out of his lane. And inside the Oval Office, America’s top general protected his turf as vigorously as anyone in the Trump administration.
Order the book now for other examples:
First nugget from my new book, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost,” via
@PunchbowlNews
:
Sean Hannity scripted a TV ad for Trump in final weeks of the race & the campaign paid $1.5 million to air it on his Fox show.
All bars and restaurants in Ohio will be indefinitely closed starting at 9pm tonight, Gov. DeWines just annnounced, adding that carry-out and delivery can continue. "Delay means more people will die," DeWine said.
Biden was up, 52-44, over Trump on Feb. 29. Then covid spread, lockdowns started, and everything changed…except for how we view the 2020 race.
Biden up, 51-43, in latest WSJ/NBC poll our this morning.
More here from
@learyreports
:
Concerned about that joint statement today from the White House and the Kremlin was odd? So were officials inside the Trump administration. More here from the Gordon gang:
A frustrated Mr. Trump put his hands in the air—two open palms on either side of his face—and said, “Bye-bye,” and left the room, according to people familiar with the meeting
via
@WSJ
To keep social distance, House lawmakers to vote on latest relief package in eight separate, alphabetical groups of 60. They’ve been asked to avoid elevators and remain in office until their group is called. Via
@kristinapet
:
In some of his first public remarks on coronavirus—Jan. 22 in Davos—Trump said “we’ve already handled it very well” when asked if he had a plan. “We’re in very good shape."
The U.S. reported its first confirmed case that week, and now has more than 1,600.
New: Trump canceled plans for a Doral-based G7 after hearing from Republican lawmakers that they were unable to defend the move, especially after having fielding questions about Ukraine dealings and Syria decision. w/
@vmsalama
:
The president's re-election campaign has ordered red, Trump-branded face masks for supporters. Campaign officials have discussed giving away the masks at events or in return for donations.
w/
@KThomasDC
:
Mulvaney was caught flatfooted by the blowback after his news conference
He left the podium & walked into Stephanie Grisham's office. “How’d it go?” Mulvaney asked.
“There’s a couple things we’re going to have to clean up,” Ms. Grisham told him.
The White House covid tests return results within about 15 minutes. But most public health experts, like MIT Medical below, recommend waiting at least 5 days after a potential exposure because of the high likelihood of false negatives before then.
Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!
At St. John’s on Monday, Ivanka Trump handed her father the Bible to hold as media cameras were escorted from across the street. She brought it from the White House in the white MaxMara handbag she was carrying, officials said.
Trump pulled up to his golf course in Virginia moments ago. It's his first golf outing since quarantine started in March and comes as he positions himself as the face of the effort to reopen the economy.
The president headed out of the White House today. Seen here as he put on his glasses. Secret Service wearing masks. Credit to my colleague, photographer Joe Martin.
My favorite detail in
@JonLemire
's new book: Trump's top Russia adviser, Fiona Hill, ***thought about faking a heart attack*** during the infamous Helsinki news conference to get Trump to stop talking about how he believed Putin that Russia wasn't interfering in elections.
In private conversations, Trump has expressed satisfaction in having acting Cabinet members, saying interim leaders are more beholden to him. Shanahan’s extended try-out as Defsec may soon include forking over Pentagon cash to build POTUS’s border wall