Shelby Talcott
@ShelbyTalcott
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Reporting on 2024 for @Semafor // Tips: stalcott @semafor .com
Joined April 2012
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Some professional news: Very excited to be joining
@semafor
, where I'll be covering Trump & national Republicans. Looking forward to this new opportunity with a great group of journalists!
I hope you'll all sign up for our newsletter - we launch soon! ➡️
Thrilled about the team we're building
@semafor
, and just sent this out.
Sign up to be part of the launch.
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NEW: Ginni Thomas has responded to the Jan. 6 committee's official request to testify.
Her lawyer is asking "the Committee to provide a better justification for why" her "testimony is relevant to the Committee's legislative purpose," per the letter. More TK...
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Trump campaign says the former president spent over $20,000 on food donated to fair-goers (10k at the pork tent and 10k at Steer n’ Stein).
Am here at Steer n’ Stein w/
@daveweigel
— bartender confirms the 10k tab.
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“home run,” a Trump advisor texts me after tonight’s CNN town hall.
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Biden, talking about "rational gun laws," says this morning that a "9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body."
"There’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of self protection, hunting," he added, per pool report.
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Biden, asked if Trump is an insurrectionist, tells reporters:
“It's self-evident. You saw it all. Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, I'll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None. Zero.”
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Thomas’s lawyer lays out four arguments in his response. The last one details “perceptions about the Committee’s actions,” which he says “raise serious concerns” —>
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DeSantis on Trump’s recent comment that he doesn’t like the term “woke” —
“Woke is an existential threat to our society … To say it’s not a big deal, that just shows you don’t understand what a lot of these issues are right now.” (Answering a
@PhilipWegmann
question)
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George Santos, in an interview with
@kadiagoba
for
@semafor
, tries to explain another burning question: Where’d all the money come from?
His answer involves landing “million-dollar contracts” after starting a “capital introduction” business in May:
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Trump’s team is giving out these hats at the Iowa state fair ahead of his visit tomorrow:
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NEW: Mike Pence, at the RJC, says he's suspending his presidential campaign.
"I came here to say it's become clear to me: This is not my time."
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Christie responds that everyone “made a strategic error” back in 2016, and that he stayed with Trump back then because he “didn’t want Hillary Clinton be president.”
Christie: “None of us knew what kind of President he really would be or not.”
Attendee: “I did.”
During the Q and A portion, an attendee stands up and says he’s glad Christie is standing up to Trump, but he wishes he’d “fulfilled that promise back in 2016.”
“When the results came in, you jumped ship on us,” the attendee says. “I just hope you will stand through this time.”
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The White House has re-arranged the South Court Auditorium stage, blocking off a large portion of it (and subsequently making it impossible for reporters to even see Biden, who is currently speaking):
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DeSantis just spent about 20 minutes outside the “Roast and Ride” chatting with voters — he also signed the “Never Back Down” bus with the help of his daughter:
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NEW statement from Blinken:
“Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia's forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.”
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Towards the end of this CPAC speech, Trump says Republicans need to be “swamping the left with mail-in votes” and must become “masters of ballot harvesting”
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New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, speaking at the RJC this morning: "Let's stop supporting crazy, unelectable candidates in our primaries, and start supporting winners who can close the deal in November. Holy cow!"
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DeSantis warns that, if Democrats “sweep” in ‘24, they will try to:
- “pack the US Supreme Court”
- “eliminate the electoral college”
- “make Washington, DC a state”
- “eliminate voter ID”
- “make ballot harvesting mandatory”
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*whispers* you do, in fact, get multiple serves
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Chris Christie gets booed right off the bat as he starts his speech here in Florida. He tells the crowd that they “fear the truth” and that they “want to shout down any voice that says anything different than what you want to hear.”
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More here:
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Ron DeSantis defends his team’s “Pride” ad tweet:
“I think identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream, where he was having men compete against women, I think that’s totally fair game.”
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Trump, alongside a video depicting himself as a superhero with lasers shooting out of his eyes, says he’s making “a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow”
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Trump spox Steven Cheung says in the last hour, this number has reached over $7 million.
Trump’s campaign says it raised “more than $6.6 million” since the indictment was announced a few days ago. This includes over $4.5 million via digital fundraising and $2.1 raised at his Bedminster event last night.
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Rep. Thomas Massie is endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, per press release from the
@NvrBackDown24
PAC:
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DeSantis tonight says he’ll be at the upcoming debate “regardless” of whether Trump shows up.
“I think it’s an important part of the process,” he adds.
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Trump’s team is out with a lengthy document responding to the Carroll verdict, starting with a statement from a Trump spox:
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DeSantis then meandered over to the ice cream tent with his family before the riders arrived:
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And from a national dem operative: “home run for us too - voters just were reintroduced to same dangerous man trump has always been”
“home run,” a Trump advisor texts me after tonight’s CNN town hall.
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Vivek raps to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” (he told Gov. Reynolds it’s his favorite walk-out song) after his fair side chat here in Iowa:
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Ron DeSantis is at the World Trade Center memorial this morning, speaking with 9/11 family members (he was invited by several families)
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This “Pride” video shared by the DeSantis team appears to have been deleted by the original poster
To wrap up “Pride Month,” let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…
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✨ Tennis beat: DeSantis has sent Biden a letter calling for Novak Djokovic to be allowed into the US to play in the Miami Open. (He’s been denied entry b/c of vaccination status):
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Trump, after leaving the Miami courthouse, has now made a surprise stop at a Cuban cafe (the iconic Versailles Restaurant). Bold move — he’s effectively trying to turn this arrest trip into a campaign stop.
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Trump, in a lengthy statement, says the FBI executed a raid on Mar-a-Lago today:
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Florida lawmakers are playing skee-ball at the state fair as Trump continues his visit:
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"The Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed," Biden said. "I think things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it."
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Wi-Fi password for press covering Mike Pence’s launch today: “KeptHisOath!”
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Ginni Thomas tells me: “I can’t wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them.”
NEW: Jan. 6 Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson says they will request testimony from Ginni Thomas in light of the Eastman emails.
“We think it’s time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee.”
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Trump will be ramping up his focus on culture war issues after seeing the topic get the most applause during his NH and SC speeches. His team is treating the reaction as a sort of live poll to see what messaging resonates with the base:
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Trump has “basically a Praetorian Guard of the conservative media - Fox News, the web sites, all this stuff - they just don't hold him accountable because they're worried about losing viewers & they don’t want to have the ratings go down,” DeSantis tells press in IA.
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.
@ComfortablySmug
asks the
#RJCinVegas
crowd who they want as president in 2024:
- Trump gets a modest round of applause
- DeSantis prompts double the applause and cheers
- Rick Scott gets virtual silence
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"Republicans spent as much time fighting each other as the Democrats. It is time to quit eating our own," Nikki Haley, talking about the midterm results, says.
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Here’s when Ye walked off:
Ye (Kanye West) just stormed out of the Timcast live show after Tim Pool pushed back on his views on Jews/the media
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DeSantis is working the crowd now after wrapping up his speech:
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Someone is flying a “Be Likable, Ron” banner above the Iowa state fair (DeSantis is up next here):
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As Nikki Haley's 2024 announcement event wraps up, Trump's campaign is out with an email titled "The Real Nikki Haley" ⬇️
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DeSantis is putting some work in at the egg on a stick booth inside the Agricultural Building:
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🚨 Trump says his attorneys have been informed that he’s been indicted in the classified documents probe:
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37 Iowa GOP legislators are endorsing Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of his trip to Iowa this weekend, the pro-DeSantis PAC
@NvrBackDown24
announces:
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“I know some in this debate have called the war in a Ukraine a territorial dispute — it’s not. It was a Russian invasion. An unprovoked Russian invasion,” Pence says during the CNN town hall.
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Trump and his Florida congressional endorsers are at the Pork Tent at the Iowa state fair. Lawmakers already flipping burgers as Trump slowly makes his way through the crowd:
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New: ABC News/WMUR-TV have cancelled its New Hampshire primary debate after both Haley and Trump declined to take the stage. From an ABC News spox:
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Scoop: DeSantis campaign’s meme-filled videos emerged from a Signal channel overseen by senior aides called “War Room Creative Ideas,” screenshots of which were shared with Semafor and whose authenticity was confirmed by a second source. W/
@daveweigel
:
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Kari Lake is now behind the bar, pouring some beers for people here at the state fair:
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Trump, in a new statement, indicates he invoked the Fifth Amendment during his deposition earlier today with the NY Attorney General’s office:
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Biden continues to test positive for COVID, per latest letter from his doctor:
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CNN reports that “Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment from a Manhattan grand jury, according to two sources familiar with the case.”
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Jack Smith notes that the "indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida" and urges everyone "to read it in full."
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Vivek Ramaswamy is suspending his presidential campaign tonight, his comms director Tricia McLaughlin confirms to me. He called Trump earlier this evening to congratulate him.
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Psaki says they're "certainly not suggesting anyone break any laws" when asked why the White House backed protests outside Supreme Court justices' homes – given there's a federal statute that bans picketing judges' residences "with the intent of influencing any judge"
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How many kids could have been saved had law enforcement immediately breached that classroom door? Tough press conference to watch.
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“At the end of the day, governing is not about entertaining. Governing is not about building a brand or talking on social media and virtue signaling. it's ultimately about winning and about producing results,” DeSantis says here in Iowa.
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Some professional news:
Today was my last day at the Daily Caller! It’s been a wild, awesome few years and I’ll always be grateful they took a chance on a washed up athlete.
As for next steps…stay tuned for more!!
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Ye (Kanye West) just stormed out of the Timcast live show after Tim Pool pushed back on his views on Jews/the media
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Just in: Trump is no longer doing in person rallies this weekend in Iowa due to the blizzard — his campaign just announced its adjusted schedule, which includes a number of telerallies featuring Trump, plus commit to caucus events hosted by his team:
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Over 50 state representatives in New Hampshire are endorsing Ron DeSantis:
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Donald Trump is expected to attend the wake for Officer Jonathan Diller, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop, tomorrow in NYC.
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>> Confirming: Trump called GAETZ and BIGGS ahead of this 15th ballot, per source with knowledge of the situation...Will see how those two vote this time around.
As that commotion was just playing out on the House floor, I am told former President Trump spoke with Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz, placing the calls as it appeared McCarthy was not going to secure the speakership tonight and the House was going to adjourn until Monday.
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New: Adam Laxalt is officially joining
@NvrBackDown24
as its chair, a senior official from the PAC confirms to me — he’s been involved unofficially for weeks now.
Ken Cuccinelli remains in his current role as the PAC’s founder — no changes to his role/responsibilities. More TK…
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Inbox: Rep. Jim Jordan, in a letter to Garland, announces the House Judiciary Committee is “launching an investigation into President Biden’s classified documents scandal.”
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“A ‘standing order’ that former President Donald Trump has claimed authorized him to instantly declassify documents removed from the Oval Office could not be found by either the Justice Department or Office of Director of National Intelligence.”
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There’s also a “MAGA Meal Deal” at the Steer n’ Stein. (This is where Trump spoke earlier.)
“$24 for 2024. Already Fixing Inflation!” the sign says.
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After listening to the *very muffled* audio with
@dhookstead
, it sounds like Biden is referring to a 9mm as a high caliber weapon, as he says: "A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body. So the idea that a high caliber weapon ... there's simply no rational basis for it."
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Trump Super PAC has created a “VP Presidential Debate” website ahead of Wednesday’s debate — complete w/ a bobble-head looking image of each candidate and an option to “vote” for who Trump should pick as his VP (plus some trolling “fast facts”)
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Sen. Lindsey Graham gets heckled by some attendees after saying Trump “did it once and he can do it again” — they shout that he won “twice!”
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Team Trump says more receipts are coming on all this:
In an incredible update to this... one of the women on both the DeSantis and Trump endorsement lists has now come out and said she's 100% with Trump and not DeSantis. What is happening?!
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“The politicians are gonna have to learn to talk about this issue … I believe the greatest progress for pro-life is now being made in the states, where everyone wanted it to be,” Trump says, noting he supports exceptions & also believes there’s a federal role re: abortion issue.
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New: Trump breaks his silence and calls on the “Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF.”
“We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!” he writes on Truth Social.
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CBS is reporting that the Defense Department memo on Iran (at the heart of the now-public audio that we questioned Trump on today) “is not part of the 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information” in the Trump indictment:
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Nikki Haley responds to Tucker’s Ukraine questions — argues opposing Russia in Ukraine *is* a vital American national strategic interest, that the US shouldn’t support regime change in Russia, and more:
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A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Biden administration from ending Title 42 (which was set to expire just days from now).
Via
@JennieSTaer
:
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“We’re leading by a lot. I mean, I’d have to work really hard to blow this one,” Trump tells the crowd here in New Hampshire.
He adds that people are backing him because they know he’s “the only one we know that can take” the attacks against him.
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New: Pompeo, in his upcoming book, says Trump told him to “shut the hell up for a while” about criticisms of China at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in order to avoid angering Xi Jinping.
w/
@daveweigel
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Trump team sent out a memo to DeSantis donors today recapping his recent stumbles & listing "relevant questions considering the current circumstances:"
"If you still collectively pour millions of dollars into the failing Ron DeSantis campaign, you can't say you weren't warned."
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During the Q and A portion, an attendee stands up and says he’s glad Christie is standing up to Trump, but he wishes he’d “fulfilled that promise back in 2016.”
“When the results came in, you jumped ship on us,” the attendee says. “I just hope you will stand through this time.”
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DeSantis tells
@jaketapper
that "it's wrong to have men compete in women's sports," and adds:
"I would respect everybody. But what I wouldn't do is turn society upside down to be able to accommodate – which is a very, very small percentage of the population."
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From ‘Russian Disinformation’ To ‘We Don’t Comment On The Laptop’: White House’s Messaging On Hunter Biden’s Laptop Quietly Shifts
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Biden’s doctor says the president tested positive for COVID again (after testing negative for several days in a row):
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Trump describes Washington, D.C. as “a rat infested, a graffiti infested shithole” and promises to take control away from the mayor.
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Manhattan DA office statement:
“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
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My take: Smart move by Trump’s team to end today with a campaign stop. No video allowed in the courtroom, so the main footage of the former president today is now this: Trump, moments after a historic arrest, surrounded by supporters at an iconic Cuban spot.
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Tucker asks DeSantis what the goal is in Ukraine and when we'll know we've achieved it:
"I think the goal should be to have a sustainable peace in Europe ... My fear right now is they're basically doing an open-ended conflict. This is going to be a multi-year quagmire."
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During this DeSantis event, the Trump campaign has been sending out a number of press releases targeting DeSantis – everything from Iowa and farmers to being "the wrong choice for New Hampshire"
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Trump says the nickname Ron DeSanctimonious is “officially retired” after he dropped out earlier today and endorsed him:
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Vivek tells CNN what he told me this evening: That the 9/11 quote in The Atlantic wasn’t “exactly what I said” & that he “was referring to Jan. 6, not 9/11.”
(Atlantic spox says quotes are accurate, and that their interview was recorded and fact-checked.)
Pressed on his 9/11 comments, Vivek Ramaswamy’s response:
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Via CBS: "The FBI search of the think tank was not previously disclosed by the White House, Mr. Biden's personal attorneys, or the Department of Justice."
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