Today in Las Vegas, Donald Trump will attempt and fail to paper over his catastrophic anti-worker, anti-union record that let down Nevada’s working families in his first term and try to sell voters on his even more extreme Project 2025 agenda that will decimate the middle class and once again leave Nevadans behind.
Trump’s Project 2025 agenda would raise taxes on Nevada families by more than $2,500 dollars a year and supercharge inflation while giving the ultra-wealthy and corporations additional handouts. Trump has only ever put himself first, and he’ll leave middle-class Nevadans behind once again if he reaches the White House.
“When Donald Trump was in office, he always put the needs and interests of working Nevadans last, and his disastrous Project 2025 economic agenda demonstrates that he’ll continue to only look out for himself and his billionaire friends if elected to office again. Not only does Trump want a repeat of his tax scam that padded the pockets of his billionaire friends, he would enact a middle-class tax hike that will force Nevada families to pay thousands of dollars more in taxes every year,” said DNC Spokesperson Stephanie Justice. “Nevadans know that if Trump gets another term, he’ll rig the economy for the ultra-wealthy again at their expense. Nevada voters are ready to send Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to the White House – the only candidates in this race who are fighting to bolster the middle class, lower costs, and put workers first. Regardless of what lies Donald Trump spews tonight, workers across Nevada will reject him for a third time in November because they deserve real leaders in the White House who will prioritize them every day.”
A new study shows that if Trump forces his Project 2025 agenda on the country, typical Nevada families could see tax increases of over $2,500 a year.
Center for American Progress: “Project 2025 shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto the middle class. Under the plan, the typical family of four in Nevada would see a tax increase of $2,562 per year, while 45,000 households in America reporting more than $10 million in income would each see an average annual tax cut of $1.5 million.”
Trump’s tax scam – which he wants to extend if given a second term – gave the richest 1 percent of Nevadans massive tax giveaways while leaving crumbs for Nevada’s working families.
CBS News: “Two years after Trump tax cuts, middle-class Americans are falling behind”
The Guardian: “They were billed as a ‘middle-class miracle’ but according to a new book Donald Trump’s $1.5tn tax cuts have helped billionaires pay a lower rate than the working class for the first time in history.”
Forbes: “Trump Tax Cuts Helped Billionaires Pay Less Taxes Than The Working Class In 2018”
Economic Policy Institute: “The TCJA overwhelmingly benefited the rich and corporations while overlooking working families”
ProPublica: “In the first year after Trump signed the legislation, just 82 ultra-wealthy households collectively walked away with more than $1 billion in total savings, an analysis of confidential tax records shows.”
Trump wants to enact his extreme Project 2025 agenda that would rig the economy for the ultra-wealthy (again) and risk “supercharging” inflation.
Trump: “You’re all people that have a lot of money … You’re rich as hell. … We’re gonna give you tax cuts.”
Vanity Fair: “Donald Trump Wants to Give His Favorite Corporations Another Giant Tax Cut in a Second Term: Report”
Axios: “Sixteen Nobel prize-winning economists are jumping into the presidential campaign with a stark warning: Former President Trump’s plans would reignite inflation and cause lasting harm to the global economy if he wins in November.”
The Atlantic: “Trump’s Plan to Supercharge Inflation”
Donald Trump made it clear Tuesday night that he owns the 22 extreme abortion bans throughout the country that have left women in perilous medical emergencies and facing mounting barriers to accessing the health care they need. He’s not done yet – when asked multiple times on the debate stage, Trump refused to commit to vetoing a national abortion ban as president. And his running mate, JD Vance, knows that Trump would sign one into law – even if Trump won’t admit it on the debate stage. Vice President Harris made it clear: “If Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban.” Trump can evade, but he intends to ban abortion nationwide, just as he intends to vote to maintain Florida’s extreme abortion ban.
In response to Trump’s refusal to denounce a nationwide abortion ban, DNC Spokesperson Maddy Mundy issued the following statement:
“Tuesday night, Americans heard two starkly different visions for America. Vice President Kamala Harris’ vision will chart a new way forward and protect the freedoms – including reproductive freedoms – of every American. In contrast, Donald Trump peddled a vision that would use his Project 2025 agenda to build on his dangerous repeal of Roe v. Wade. Voters heard Trump again brag about ripping away federal reproductive protections from Americans, while refusing to commit to vetoing an extreme national abortion ban if he reaches the White House. Twenty-two states have Trump abortion bans in effect, and Trump’s Project 2025 agenda will ban abortion nationwide – forcing women across the country to experience the anti-freedom reality Trump made possible in these states since his overturn of Roe. Tuesday night, Trump reaffirmed he is proud of his abortion bans. There is only one candidate in this race who is a clear and vocal champion of women’s reproductive rights: Vice President Harris. As president, she will restore and protect women’s freedoms and their right to make their own personal health care decisions.”
In Tuesday’s debate, Donald Trump refused to commit to vetoing a nationwide abortion ban if elected president.
Wall Street Journal: “Trump Won’t Say Whether He Would Veto a National Abortion Ban”
The Hill: “Trump refuses to say he would veto a national abortion ban”
HuffPost: “Trump Refuses To Answer Whether He’d Veto A National Abortion Ban”
That’s because Trump and Vance’s Project 2025 agenda would rip away Americans’ basic freedoms by banning abortion nationwide and punishing women.
The Guardian: “Project 2025 takes direct aim at abortion pills, indicates that fetuses should have legal rights, and seeks to expand ‘surveillance’ of abortion while eliminating government support for the procedure.”
Rolling Stone:“Inside the MAGA Plan to Attack Birth Control, Surveil Women and Ban the Abortion Pill”
“GOP operatives have already crafted an expansive blueprint, 887 pages long, laying out in painstaking detail how they intend to govern, including plans to leverage virtually every arm, tool and agency of the federal government to attack abortion access.”
Politico: “As president, Trump enacted several policies that made it more difficult for people, particularly the working class and the poor, to obtain contraception … Conservative allies want to reimpose those policies and go further if he wins in November. Their ‘Project 2025’ blueprint includes proposals to require coverage of natural family planning methods and remove requirements that insurance cover certain emergency contraception.”
Rolling Stone: “Trump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report”
Trump: “There of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life. And it’s very important.”
Forbes: “JD Vance And Project 2025 Want To Use This 19th Century Law To Ban Abortion—Without Congress”
Washington Post: “Vance urged DOJ to enforce Comstock Act, crack down on abortion pills”
Vox: “Vance is on record supporting these [Project 2025] ideas. Last year, he signed a letter demanding that the Justice Department prosecute physicians and pharmacists ‘who break the Federal mail-order abortion laws.’”
CNN: “JD Vance said in 2022 he ‘would like abortion to be illegal nationally’”
Trump’s Project 2025 agenda would even allow states to monitor women’s pregnancies.
HuffPost: “There is evidence that, if elected, Trump and his vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), would permit or even encourage the type of Orwellian surveillance described in Project 2025. For one, Trump has already expressed clear disinterest in preventing conservative states from enacting draconian policies on abortion and pregnancy.”
Rolling Stone: “Elsewhere, [Project 2025 author Roger] Severino complains that the CDC’s ‘abortion surveillance’ system is ‘woefully inadequate,’ and proposes turning the agency into a kind of snitch network that would collect data about who had abortions and where — and punish any states that refuse to share that information. ‘Because liberal states have now become sanctuaries for abortion tourism, HHS should use every available tool, including the cutting of funds, to ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place within its borders, at what gestational age of the child, for what reason, the mother’s state of residence, and by what method,’ Severino writes.”
Donald Trump called the restrictive and cruel patchwork of abortion bans in effect across the country “a beautiful thing to watch.”
The Hill: “Former President Trump on Wednesday said it was ‘a beautiful thing to watch’ as individual states passed patchwork abortion laws, some more restrictive than others, and suggested it could unify the country even as Democrats use the issue to drive turnout in elections.”
“Reproductive rights have been front and center politically in the two years since the conservative Supreme Court majority ended Roe v. Wade, with some states enshrining abortion rights and others enacting restrictive laws that effectively ban the procedure.”
“‘And it’s taken it off the shoulders of the federal government … The people are deciding. And in many ways, it’s a beautiful thing to watch.’
“Trump both took credit for ending Roe v. Wade through the appointment of three conservative justices to the Supreme Court and attacked Democrats as ‘the radicals’ on the issue of abortion for not supporting limits on late-term abortions.
“‘The states are all deciding right now. And I think it’s working the way that people wanted it to work,’ Trump said. ‘And it’s going to bring the country together on an issue that was very, very bad.’”
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison released the following statement on the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001:
“Twenty-three years ago, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 took nearly 3,000 innocent lives and altered the course of history. The devastation is still seared in our memories and left our nation forever changed. On this solemn day, we remember the lives lost, honor the friends and families still dealing with unimaginable grief, and pay tribute to the heroes on Flight 93, at Ground Zero, and at the Pentagon. Their courage, selflessness, and empathy for strangers continue to serve as reminders of the unwavering American spirit and our boundless love for our countrymen and our nation.
“In the face of this attack, Americans nationwide and around the world banded together, exemplifying a shared humanity that still resonates and inspires us today. Though our hearts were broken, we have emerged from tragedy stronger and with a hardened resolve. Attacks against our values, our freedom, and our great nation will never deter us from living out our American Dream. Twenty-three years later, I still see a nation that believes in democracy. I still see a nation whose heart beats for freedom. And I still see a nation that loves its neighbors.
“As we honor the legacies of those lost on September 11, we must promise to remember the full lives they lived, the joy they brought to those they loved, and the bravery they displayed when met with evil. We mourned them then, we mourn them twenty-three years later, and we promise to never forget.”
In response to new reporting that Donald Trump’s MAGA minion Ron DeSantis is using voter intimidation tactics to block an abortion rights measure in Florida, DNC Spokesperson Aida Ross released the following statement:
“Donald Trump’s Republican Party will go to extreme lengths to deny women their reproductive freedoms — even deploying police to intimidate voters and ensure the abortion ban Trump ‘proudly’ made possible stays intact. Meanwhile, countless women across the South are turned away from emergency rooms and denied access to care under cruel bans like in Florida. These draconian tactics are yet another glimpse into what will happen if Trump and JD Vance have the chance to enact their extreme anti-choice Project 2025 agenda and do whatever it takes to rip away our basic rights.”
NEW: Donald Trump’s MAGA minion Ron DeSantis is sending Florida police to question voters about signing an abortion rights ballot petition.
Associated Press: “State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November, and a state health care agency has launched a website targeting the ballot initiative with politically charged language.
“Critics say they’re the latest efforts by Florida’s Republican elected officials to leverage state resources to try to block the abortion rights measure, moves which some Democratic officials argue could violate state laws against voter intimidation.
“Critics say the investigation is a brazen attempt to intimidate voters in the country’s third-largest state from protecting access to abortion — and the latest in a series of efforts by [Governor Ron DeSantis’] administration to target Amendment 4.
“Florida law currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.
“Florida Republicans have been using various other strategies to thwart the state abortion ballot measure. Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody attempted to use the state Supreme Court to keep abortion off the ballot. Later, abortion rights advocates criticized a financial impact statement meant to be placed on the ballot beside the proposed amendment as an attempt to mislead voters. The state Supreme Court ruled in August to allow the language to remain on the ballot.
“Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups and GOP allies across the country are using an array of strategies to counter proposed ballot initiatives aiming to protect reproductive rights. These tactics have included legislative pushes for competing ballot measures that could confuse voters and monthslong delays caused by lawsuits over ballot initiative language.”
Donald Trump recently said he will be voting AGAINST the ballot measure to repeal Florida’s extreme ban on abortion and codify access.
Trump: “…I will be voting no [on Florida’s amendment to codify abortion access]…”
Trump made cruel abortion bans like Florida’s — which he says are “working very brilliantly” — possible by “proudly” overturning Roe v. Wade.
Trump: “I was proudly the person responsible for the ending of Roe v. Wade”
Trump: “For 54 years they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it, and I’m proud to have done it. … Nobody else was going to get that done but me, and we did it, and we did something that was a miracle.”
Trump: “We broke Roe v. Wade and we did something that nobody thought was possible. We gave it back to the states, and the states are working very brilliantly … But they’re working, and it’s working the way it’s supposed to.”
Rolling Stone: “Trump Says He’s ‘Proud’ to Have ‘Terminated’ Abortion Rights”
Associated Press: “Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill approved by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy…
“The policy would have wider implications for abortion access throughout the South in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade and leaving decisions about abortion access to states.”
If given the chance, Trump and Vance would ban abortion nationwide with their dangerous Project 2025 agenda.
Rolling Stone: “Trump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report”
Trump: “There of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life. And it’s very important.”
CNN: “JD Vance said in 2022 he ‘would like abortion to be illegal nationally’”
“During a podcast interview in January 2022, then-candidate JD Vance said he ‘certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally’ and was ‘sympathetic’ to the view that a national ban was necessary to stop women from traveling across states to obtain an abortion.”
Newsweek: “J.D. Vance Backs ‘National Standard’ for Abortions”
Daily Beast: “J.D. Vance suggested he would support prohibiting abortion even in cases of rape and incest—and dismissed those catalysts as ‘inconvenient.’”
New Republic: “On January 20, 2025, conservatives plan to resurrect a 150-year-old defunct law to ban abortion across the nation. This is not a secret plan—far from it. It’s part of the 180-Day Playbook produced by Project 2025, detailing priorities for an incoming conservative president on day one. These 900 pages lay out a Christian nationalist vision of the United States, one in which married heterosexuality is the only valid form of sexual expression and identity; all pregnancies would be carried to term, even if that requires coercion or death; and transgender and gender-nonconforming people do not exist…
“The playbook says the president should enforce a 150-year-old law, the Comstock Act, which right-wing groups see as a way to ban abortion nationally because it outlaws the use of the mail for the purposes of sending or receiving any object that could be used for an abortion.”
Vance: “I’ve reviewed a lot of [Project 2025]. There are some good ideas in there.”
Axios: “[Project 2025] is undeniably a Trump-driven operation. The biggest tell: Johnny McEntee — one of Trump’s closest White House aides, and his most fervent internal loyalty enforcer — is a senior adviser to Project 2025. One of the most powerful architects is Stephen Miller, a top West Wing adviser for the Trump administration.”
New York Times: “Roberts told me that he views Heritage’s role today as ‘institutionalizing Trumpism.’ This includes leading Project 2025, a transition blueprint that outlines a plan to consolidate power in the executive branch, dismantle federal agencies and recruit and vet government employees to free the next Republican president from a system that Roberts views as stacked against conservative power. The lesson of Trump’s first year in office, Roberts told me, is that ‘the Trump administration … simply got a slow start. And Heritage and our allies in Project 2025 believe that must never be repeated.’”
REALITY CHECK: Attacks on reproductive rights, like Trump and Vance’s anti-choice Project 2025 agenda to rip away reproductive freedoms, are wildly unpopular.
USA Today: “Americans overwhelmingly oppose the next goal of many anti-abortion activists, to enact a federal law banning abortion nationwide. By 80%-14%, those surveyed opposed that idea, including 65% of Republicans and 83% of independents.”
Axios: “Record share of U.S. voters back abortion rights and will vote on it: Gallup”
NBC News: “Abortion rights have won in every election since Roe v. Wade was overturned”
Axios: “Most Americans support abortion access one year after Roe v. Wade: poll”
CNN Poll: “About two-thirds (65%) oppose the 2022 Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and 34% approve, numbers that have remained effectively unchanged in CNN’s polling across the nearly two years since the ruling. Those who strongly disapprove of the decision continue to outnumber those who strongly approve by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
“A 69% majority who disapprove of overturning Roe, including 82% of those who strongly disapprove, say that federal politicians should work to pass laws ensuring national abortion access.”
Axios: “There’s widespread support for letting women obtain drugs for medication abortion from their doctor or a clinic, with 72% supporting — including half of Republicans.”
As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis uses taxpayer funds to advocate against a grassroots, democratic initiative to restore reproductive rights in Florida after Donald Trump paved the way for them to be ripped away, DNC Spokesperson Maddy Mundy issued the following statement calling DeSantis out for using Trump’s Project 2025 playbook:
“Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda promises to give Trump virtually unchecked power to control our daily lives as he pursues his dangerous, anti-freedom agenda to ban abortion, monitor pregnancies, and rip away access to reproductive care from contraception to reproductive health care. Just last week, Trump, a Florida resident, reaffirmed for voters exactly where he stands – stating he’ll vote against an amendment to repeal Florida’s extreme abortion ban he made possible. Now, MAGA Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a page from Trump’s Project 2025 playbook: attempting to use the power of the state to undermine the pro-reproductive rights initiative altogether by deploying state resources to intimidate ballot petitioners and advocate against reproductive rights. This is Trump and MAGA Republicans’ Project 2025 vision: weaponize the government to attack our most fundamental freedoms. Extremists like Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump aren’t fit to lead. This November, voters will make that clear when they reject Trump’s Project 2025 agenda and elect Vice President Harris and Governor Walz – the only pro-freedom, pro-democracy candidates in this race.”
Ron Desantis is using state resources in an attempt to undermine the passage of Amendment 4, which would restore Floridians’ reproductive rights after Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade.
Axios: “The DeSantis administration is escalating its war on Amendment 4, using state agencies to combat the abortion rights referendum on November’s ballot.”
Tampa Bay Times: “The officer’s visit appears to be part of a broad — and unusual — effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to inspect thousands of already verified and validated petitions for Amendment 4 in the final two months before Election Day.”
Miami Herald: “DeSantis and his allies have also tried to scare voters, claiming Amendment 4 would allow ‘abortions up to the time of birth.’ The measure would only allow abortions after viability ‘when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.’”
Florida Politics: “Is Gov. Ron DeSantis going too far in trying to defeat an amendment to restore abortion access?”
Trump’s Project 2025 agenda would give him unprecedented executive power to implement his extreme, anti-abortion plans and attack those who fight back.
New York Times: “Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands. […]
“Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.”
Washington Post: “Trump says on Univision he could weaponize FBI, DOJ against his enemies”
“In public, Trump has vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to ‘go after’ Biden and his family. The former president has frequently made corruption accusations against them that are not supported by available evidence.
“To facilitate Trump’s ability to direct Justice Department actions, his associates have drafted plans to dispense with 50 years of policy and practice intended to shield criminal prosecutions from political considerations. Critics have called such ideas dangerous and unconstitutional.”
HuffPost: “There is evidence that, if elected, Trump and his vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), would permit or even encourage the type of Orwellian surveillance described in Project 2025. For one, Trump has already expressed clear disinterest in preventing conservative states from enacting draconian policies on abortion and pregnancy.”
Rolling Stone: “Elsewhere, Severino complains that the CDC’s ‘abortion surveillance’ system is ‘woefully inadequate,’ and proposes turning the agency into a kind of snitch network that would collect data about who had abortions and where — and punish any states that refuse to share that information. ‘Because liberal states have now become sanctuaries for abortion tourism, HHS should use every available tool, including the cutting of funds, to ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place within its borders, at what gestational age of the child, for what reason, the mother’s state of residence, and by what method,’ Severino writes.”
Trump’s Project 2025 agenda would rip away Americans’ basic freedoms by banning abortion nationwide and punishing women who get an abortion.
The Guardian: “Project 2025 takes direct aim at abortion pills, indicates that fetuses should have legal rights, and seeks to expand ‘surveillance’ of abortion while eliminating government support for the procedure.”
Rolling Stone:“Inside the MAGA Plan to Attack Birth Control, Surveil Women and Ban the Abortion Pill”
“GOP operatives have already crafted an expansive blueprint, 887 pages long, laying out in painstaking detail how they intend to govern, including plans to leverage virtually every arm, tool and agency of the federal government to attack abortion access.”
Politico: “As president, Trump enacted several policies that made it more difficult for people, particularly the working class and the poor, to obtain contraception… Conservative allies want to reimpose those policies and go further if he wins in November. Their ‘Project 2025’ blueprint includes proposals to require coverage of natural family planning methods and remove requirements that insurance cover certain emergency contraception.”
Rolling Stone: “Trump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report”
Trump: “There of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life. And it’s very important.”
Forbes: “JD Vance And Project 2025 Want To Use This 19th Century Law To Ban Abortion—Without Congress”
Washington Post: “Vance urged DOJ to enforce Comstock Act, crack down on abortion pills”
Vox: “Vance is on record supporting these [Project 2025] ideas. Last year, he signed a letter demanding that the Justice Department prosecute physicians and pharmacists ‘who break the Federal mail-order abortion laws.’”
CNN: “JD Vance said in 2022 he ‘would like abortion to be illegal nationally’”
In response to Donald Trump’s latest grift – a picture book trying to whitewash January 6 and threatening to jail his opponents – DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:
“While Donald Trump is whining about his January 6 crowd sizes and threatening to jail his opponents, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have been talking about the issues that actually matter to the American people. Trump is a grifter who puts himself first at every turn, attacks our democracy, and disrespects the law enforcement officers who protect our nation’s capital. Voters will show him they’re sick of listening to his endless lies and petty grievances at the ballot box this November.”
NEW: Trump’s latest scam is a picture book that includes him bragging about how many of his supporters violently attacked the Capitol on January 6.
New York Times: “Trump’s Latest Photo Book Offers Gossip, Boasting and a Threat”
“Mr. Trump does allude to the day his supporters stormed the Capitol — but only to make a point about the size of crowds he can command. ‘THIS IS THE REAL JANUARY 6TH,’ he writes, referring to the rally he held before the riot. ‘They never captured the size of the Crowd.’”
Trump also lobs threats in the picture book as he continues to seek power to go after his opponents — as he is vowing to be a dictator on “day one,” won’t stop echoing dictators, and has warned of a “bloodbath” if he loses in November.
New York Times: “The book includes at least one menacing threat. Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, is shown sitting across the Resolute Desk from Mr. Trump, a tall glass of soda in front of him. ‘He told me that there was nobody like Trump on Facebook,’ the former president writes. ‘But at the same time, and for whatever reason, steered it against me. We are watching him closely, and if he does anything illegal this time he will spend the rest of his life in prison.’”
Washington Post: “Trump pledges to jail opponents, baselessly suggests election will be stolen from him”
Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN: “Many people have lost American presidential elections over the last 230 years – Trump is the only one to say about violence if he loses ‘it depends.’”
NBC News: “Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election”
The Atlantic: “Trump Says He’ll Be a Dictator on ‘Day One’”
Trump: “You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what – it will be fixed, it will be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore.”
Vance: “I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is we ought to investigate the prior administration.”
Associated Press: “Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House”
Washington Post: “Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini”
The Guardian: “Donald Trump says he will lock up his political enemies if he is president again.”
REMINDER: Trump is a con artist who loves nothing more than to scam the American people.
Business Insider: “Former President Donald Trump’s campaign might be cash-strapped, but that hasn’t stopped him from hawking merchandise that will benefit him directly.”
Axios: “This evening [Trump is] expected to join supporters who bought at least 47 Trump NFTs (at $99 each), according to copy of the dinner invitation reviewed by Axios. … The NFTs are among an array of items Trump has hawked this campaign cycle. He’s also promoted $59.99 Bibles, $399 ‘Never Surrender’ sneakers and $99 ‘Victory47’ cologne.”
Slate: “Donald Trump, Grifter Extraordinaire, Is Now Selling Bibles”
ABC News: “Trump met with boos and chants while selling sneakers in Philadelphia”
Washington Post: “Around the time Trump unveiled his $399 sneakers, he also began selling ‘Victory 47’ cologne and perfume.”
Trump continues to celebrate and promise pardons for January 6 insurrectionists, who he calls “hostages” and “patriots”…
MSNBC: “Trump vows to pardon Jan. 6 defendants on ‘Day One’ if he wins the presidential election”
Washington Post: “Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected”
Rachel Scott, ABC News: “140 police officers were assaulted [on January 6]. Their injuries included broken bones, at least one officer lost an eye, one had two cracked ribs, two smashed spinal discs, another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted those 140 officers, including those I just mentioned, ‘patriots’ who deserve pardons?”
[Trump refuses to answer]
Scott: “But sir, my question is on those rioters who assaulted officers. Would you pardon those people?”
Donald Trump: “Oh absolutely I would. If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”
Scott: “They’ve been convicted.”
Trump: “Those people were treated very harshly… nobody was killed on January 6. But I think that the people of January 6 were treated very unfairly… they were there to complain about an election, and you know it’s very interesting, the biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken to.”
The Hill: “Trump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as ‘hostages’”
TIME: “Trump has sought to recast the insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. ‘I call them the J-6 patriots,’ Trump tells TIME. When asked whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says: ‘Yes, absolutely.’”
NBC News: “Former President Donald Trump promised Wednesday night that if he is elected he will pardon a ‘large portion’ of the people convicted of federal offenses for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.”
Trump: “January 6, it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. And they were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable — and it was a beautiful day.”
…while his running mate JD Vance downplays the violence on January 6.
The Hill: “JD Vance says he is ‘skeptical’ Pence’s life was in danger on Jan. 6”
Politico: “[Vance] downplayed the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, when Pence was forced to evacuate the building as rioters called for his hanging.”
Trump is still pushing lies about his loss by over 7 million votes in the 2020 election. Vance is right there with him – they are both casting doubt on this November’s results.
New York Times: “[Trump] has baselessly and publicly cast doubt about the fairness of the 2024 election about once a day, on average, since he announced his candidacy for president.”
Associated Press: “[Trump] is flooding the airwaves and his social media platform with distortions, misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories about his defeat.”
NBC News: “Re-litigating the 2020 election, repeating false claims it was stolen and casting aspersions on the security of mail voting remain major fixtures for [Trump] on the stump. … He regularly refers to the 2020 election as ‘rigged’ on his social media channels.”
HuffPost: “[Vance] said he would accept a Biden win only if he considered the election to be legitimate. … Vance’s comments illustrate a new tactic by Republican lawmakers, who are now placing conditions on accepting election results.”
New York Times: “J.D. Vance Says He Would Accept the Election Results, With a Caveat”
Vance: “I think the entire post-2020 thing would have gone a lot better if there had actually been an effort to provide alternative slates of electors, and to force us to have that debate. I think it would’ve been a much better thing for the country. … [Trump] was trying to take a constitutional process to its natural conclusion.
“I think it would’ve been extraordinarily disappointing to a whole host of people that I care a lot about if Trump had just taken it [and conceded the 2020 election before January 6].”
Vance: “No real Republican with any credibility in the party is still blaming [Trump for January 6].”
ABC News: “JD Vance says [he] wouldn’t have certified 2020 race until states submitted pro-Trump electors”
New York Times: “[Vance] has said that, unlike Vice President Mike Pence in 2020, he would have helped Mr. Trump overturn the results, by accepting Trump electors that had not been elected by voters.”
Saturdays are for college football – and meeting voters where they are. Over the weekend, the Democratic National Committee took to the air – literally – with banner messages flown over college stadiums reminding voters of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s ties to their dangerous Project 2025 agenda and also reminding college students and football fans that a vote for Trump is the same as losing the game.
The banner messages, flown over tailgates at the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and Penn State University, all delivered a clear message: Beat Trump and sack his dangerous Project 2025 once and for all.
See below for coverage:
On MSNBC’s Alex Witts Reports: “‘Project 2025’ and ‘beat Trump plus Project 2025.’ It’s gonna happen over a number of college football games today. This may be setting a quippy tone with lines voters are going to remember.”
On Fox News’ Fox News Live: “Speaking of the Texas-Michigan game in Ann Arbor, the DNC plans to fly a banner over the stadium, over the Big House, where over 110,000 people are watching the game to take a shot at JD Vance.”
Here’s what national outlets are saying:
Hollywood Reporter: Planes Targeting Trump Fly Over College Football Stadiums, Telling Voters to Sack Project 2025
[Jackie Strause, 9/7/24]
“On Saturday, the second week of the 2024 college football season, planes carrying banner messages specific for three universities flew across the sky, courtesy of the Democratic National Committee. […]
“‘It’s college football Saturday, and fans are ready to sack the competition and beat Project 2025, which would give Trump unprecedented power, allow Trump to ban abortion nationwide, allow the government to monitor pregnancies, and give tax giveaways for billionaires,’ DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. ‘The DNC is reaching voters where they are in swing states across the country by flying Project 2025 banners over the Big House in Michigan, Sanford Stadium in Georgia, Beaver Stadium at Penn State, and Camp Randall Stadium in Wisconsin.
“‘These banners carry a message that resonates with fans and reminds them that the most important contest is still to come in November,’ Rahman continued. ‘The contrast in this election couldn’t be clearer, and we have a winning playbook: Tackle Project 2025, make a goal-line stand and drive 99 yards the other way towards a more just and equal America for all.’”
CBS News: DNC to fly banners about Trump-Vance ticket, “Project 2025” over battleground state football games
[Aaron Navarro and Anne Bryson, 9/7/24]
“At the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, an aerial banner paid for by the Democratic National Committee will read: ‘JD Vance <3 Ohio State + Project 2025.’ It’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Republican vice presidential nominee, who got his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, and the dense conservative blueprint by the Heritage Foundation for a potential second Trump term. […]
“‘The DNC is reaching voters where they are,’ DNC spokesperson Abhi Rahman told CBS News. ‘These banners carry a message that resonates with fans and reminds them that the most important contest is still to come in November.’”
Associated Press: Democrats take to the skies over college football games to keep the spotlight on Project 2025
[Will Weissert, 9/7/24]
“Democratic National Committee -sponsored banners pulled by small airplanes will fly Saturday over Michigan Stadium, where the defending national champion Wolverines have a marquee matchup against Texas, and at-home games for Penn State, Wisconsin and Georgia.
“‘We want people to know exactly what Project 2025 is, what the ties are to Trump,’ Rahman said. ‘Finding creative avenues to get the message out is something that we’re always trying to do.’”
SB Nation: Democrats to fly Donald Trump and JD Vance banners over College Football games
[James Dator, 9/7/24]
“College football fans at four high-profile games in Week 2 are going to see something very different in the skies over stadiums in key battleground states. The Democratic National Committee will fly planes carrying banners that remind fans of the connection between the Republican presidential ticket and Project 2025, while also making fun of J.D. Vance in Michigan.
“Legal experts have expressed dire concerns with Project 2025 and its overt aim of steering the United States towards authoritarianism. Public outcry over the document led to Donald Trump claiming The Heritage Foundation plan wasn’t representative of his platform, while also saying he knew nothing of Project 2025. This came despite extensive links between Trump and The Heritage Foundation, which was fundamental to his first presidential term.”
Yahoo! Sports: Politics invades college football via skies above stadiums in battle ground states
[Dan Wetzel, 9/7/24]
“Saturday, the Democratic National Committee planned to extend the battle from the airwaves to the actual air around select stadiums, using banner messaging pulled behind airplanes to make their case, DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman told Yahoo Sports.
“The DNC sponsored banners to fly above four college football stadiums on Saturday — Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor; Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia; Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania; and Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.”
The Hill: Democrats fly anti-Trump banners over football games in latest appeal to college voters
[Tara Suter, 9/7/24]
“Democrats seemingly played into the college rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University Saturday, in their latest appeal to young voters.
“The committee flew planes with banners targeting former President Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) over football stadiums including Michigan and Pennsylvania State University. The DNC noted in a press release that one will also fly over the University of Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium later Saturday.”
Washington Post: DNC trolls Trump and Vance with banners over college football games
[Azi Paybarah, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee said it is flying banners over three major college football games on Saturday in important, battleground states.”
Daily Beast: Planes Targeting Trump, Project 2025 Fly Over Football Games
[Owen Lavine, 9/7/24]
“‘The DNC is reaching voters where they are,’ DNC spokesperson Abhi Rahman told CBS News on Saturday, of the campaign’s innovative strategy of flying planes with anti-Project 2025 banners over college football games.
“At the University of Wisconsin vs. South Dakota game on Saturday, tailgaters, cheeseheads and voters will be able to see a plane with a banner that reads ‘Jump Around! Beat Trump + Project 2025,’ in reference to the end of the third-quarter tradition when Wisconsin fans begin jumping up and down in the stands.
“Eastward, at the Michigan vs. Ohio State game a banner reading ‘JD Vance ‘hearts’ Ohio State + Project 2025,’ will also fly over.
Meidas News: DNC Trolls Trump and Vance With Plane Banners Over College Football Games
[Troy Matthews, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee will welcome the start the college football season by trolling Donald Trump and JD Vance with plane banners over the biggest games on Saturday.
“Banners will fly over the home games at University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium, the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, and Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin. The signs encourage fans to ‘sack’ Trump and Project 2025.”
“Planes commissioned by the Democratic Party flew anti-Trump banners over tailgaters at the country’s two largest college football stadiums, Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan and Beaver Stadium at Penn State, on Saturday morning, according to the Democratic National Committee. Both schools, in battleground states, have noon football games. ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ is at Michigan Stadium for a tilt between Michigan and Texas.”
CNN: DNC flies ads tying Trump to Project 2025 over college football games in Midwest battleground states
[Aaron Pellish, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee is flying planes over college football games in Midwestern battleground states featuring banners linking former President Donald Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance to the conservative policy proposal Project 2025.”
Mediaite: DNC Flies Aerial Trump/Vance Bashing Banners Over Marquee College Football Games Saturday in ‘Sack Project 2025’
[Kipp Jones, 9/7/24]
“According to multiple reports, Democrats saw a chance to blast messages connecting former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) to the much-maligned and very conservative Project 2025 White House blueprint and ran with it. CNN reported:
“The Democratic National Committee is flying planes over college football games in Midwestern battleground states featuring banners linking former President Donald Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance to the conservative policy proposal Project 2025.The DNC banners flew over home football games at the University of Michigan and Pennsylvania State University, and are planning to fly an additional advertisement over University of Wisconsin’s stadium later today. The banners are the latest effort by Democrats to tie Trump to the controversial conservative policy platform Project 2025.”
Washington Times: Harris campaign rushes for college voters by flying anti-Trump banners over football games
[Alex Miller, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee announced that on Saturday, it’s flying banners before the Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin kickoffs.
“The DNC said the move is ‘to remind college students and football fans that a vote for Trump is the same as losing the game, thanks to his dangerous and extreme Project 2025 plans.’”
Washington Examiner: Democrats fly Project 2025 banners over college football games in effort to troll Trump
[Ross O’Keefe, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee has paid for banners pulled by small airplanes with an assortment of messages relating to Project 2025 in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.”
Fox News: DNC fly anti-Trump banners over college football games in key swing states as Harris slips in polls
[Jackson Thompson, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee flew four planes carrying banners with anti-Trump messaging over college football games in four major swing states in the upcoming election on Saturday, it announced.”
The Spun: Democratic National Committee Targeted 4 College Football Stadiums Saturday
[Andrew Holleran, 9/8/24]
“The Democratic National Committee flew anti-Trump banners outside four college football stadiums on Saturday.
“Four stadiums were targeted by the DNC on Saturday: Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan, Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia, Beaver Stadium at Pennsylvania State University and Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin.”
And take a look at some of the local coverage below:
Badger Herald: DNC to fly campaign banner over UW campus Saturday
[Anna Kristoff, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Convention will be flying a campaign banner during the University of Wisconsin football game on Saturday, according to DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman.
“The banner will be attached to a plane that will circle campus and then fly over Camp Randall Stadium, Rahman said. The banner will read ‘Jump around! Beat Trump + Project 2025,’ he said.
“‘It’s [the banner] kind of a major push for us to try to reach people — especially young voters on the dangers of Project 2025,’ Rahman said. ‘And to really show people that if you don’t want this to be your future, you have to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in November.’”
PennLive: Banner urging Penn State fans to ‘Beat Trump, Sack Project 2025′ to fly over Beaver Stadium
[J.D. Prose, 9/7/24]
“‘Penn St: Beat Trump, Sack Project 2025’ reads the banner from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that will be flown over Beaver Stadium until the noon kickoff.
“A statement heavy on football puns from the DNC said that voting for Trump would be ‘a game-losing turnover’ and that students at the university known as ‘Linebacker U’ can vote to ensure that Project 2025 is ‘sacked once and for all.’
“‘It’s college football Saturday and Democrats are making sure Penn State students and Pennsylvanians know that we need to leave it all on the field this November 5 to beat Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s extreme agenda,’ said Addy Toevs, a DNC spokesperson. ‘That’s why we’re blanketing the sky to call out Project 2025 with banners from tailgate until kickoff over Beaver Stadium.’”
Detroit News: Democrats to fly banner at UM game tying JD Vance to Ohio State
[Craig Mauger, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee plans to fly a banner that tells University of Michigan fans that Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance loves Ohio State University above tailgates ahead of a football game in Ann Arbor Saturday.
“‘The Big House will be rocking today and fans from all over the world will be reminded that Donald Trump and Ohio’s own JD Vance want to move this country backwards through Project 2025,’ said Abhi Rahman, the DNC’s deputy communications director. ‘Michigan will be a major reason why Donald Trump and JD Vance will never see the White House and Kamala Harris and Coach Tim Walz will win in November.’
“‘The words ‘Go Blue’ have never meant more than they do right now,’ Rahman added.”
Detroit Free Press: DNC flies plane over Michigan Stadium with banner blasting Ohio State fan JD Vance
[Clara Hendrickson and Liam Rappleye, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee flew a plane to take its anti-Vance message to the skies over the Michigan Stadium for four hours during fans’ tailgate before the 12 p.m. kickoff at the U-M game against Texas. In addition to noting Vance’s support for Ohio State, the banner in a few words tries to attach Vance to Project 2025, the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation’s playbook for the next Republican presidential administration.”
Michigan Live: Democrats flying banner over Michigan game that targets JD Vance
[Rose White, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee is flying a banner over the Big House that targets Republican Vice Presidential Candidate JD Vance, saying ‘JD Vance loves Ohio State + Project 2025.’ It was scheduled to fly for four hours during the tailgate in Ann Arbor and leading up to the kickoff at noon.”
WLWT: DNC uses Vance’s Ohio State roots against him in highly unconventional banner ad displayed at the University of Michigan’s football game
[Kurt Knue, 9/7/24]
“The Democratic National Committee used Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s alma mater of Ohio State against him in a highly unconventional campaign ad on Saturday.
“The DNC flew a plane with a banner around Michigan’s football stadium as the team was gearing up to play against the University of Texas.
“The banner read ‘JD Vance ❤️ Ohio State + Project 2025.’”
As JD Vance fundraises with extremists like RFK Jr. and ultra-wealthy megadonors in California this weekend,DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:
“JD Vance is striking out with the voters that the GOP will need to win in November and continuing to drag down the Trump ticket with the lowest approval ratings of any VP candidate in recent history. He’s more comfortable spending time with Trump’s inner circle of extremists and weirdos like RFK Jr. who want to carry water for the Trump-Vance ticket’s radical Project 2025 agenda to rig the economy for billionaires and big corporations, give Trump unprecedented power over our lives, and gut our basic freedoms. But the American people aren’t fooled – Vance is running to his extremist buddies because he can’t talk to voters about issues that actually matter to them.”
THIS WEEKEND: JD Vance is fundraising in California with ultra-wealthy and special interest megadonors and dangerous extremists like RFK Jr.
Sunday: Vance will fundraise with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Long Beach Press-Telegram: “JD Vance to stump for Trump at fundraisers in Los Angeles and San Diego County”
“Sacks, one of the hosts of the upcoming Los Angeles event, is a close friend of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and part of a growing group of Silicon Valley executives backing the Trump campaign.
“Vance also has a strong connection to the tech community and previously worked in San Francisco as a venture capitalist. During this time, Vance became a protégé of Peter Thiel, who helped found and lead PayPal alongside Musk and Sacks.
Forbes: “’He’s A Smart Guy’: JD Vance Expresses Interest In Having RFK Jr Play A Role In Trump Administration”
Vance on if he has any hesitation accepting RFK Jr.’s endorsement: “I don’t.”
Vance also has deep ties to other extremists, including architects of Project 2025, Tucker Carlson, and Steve Bannon.
The Guardian: “Revealed: top Vance aide worked for far-right consultancy with extremist links”
Vox: “Kevin Roberts, the president of the right-wing Heritage Foundation and the driving force behind Project 2025, told Ward that ‘[Vance] is absolutely going to be one of the leaders — if not the leader — of our movement.’”
New York Times: “For years, Mr. Vance has appeared entirely comfortable in far-out-there corners of his party, embracing thinkers and proposals on the so-called New Right…
“People whom Mr. Vance has cited to explain his worldview or detail who helped shape his thinking include Patrick Deneen, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who has suggested that conservatives must harness the power of the state to counter “liberal totalitarianism”; Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist for whom Mr. Vance worked; and Curtis Yarvin, a prominent voice on the New Right who has argued that American democracy has devolved to the point that the country needs a monarchical leader.”
CNN: “A day before Donald Trump’s deadline to pick a running mate… the former president took a call from a new voice.
“That person, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, was one of several people urging Trump in the final moments to select Ohio Sen. JD Vance.”
Salon: “JD Vance will join Tucker Carlson on stage after the ex-Fox News anchor hosted a pro-Nazi historian”
Politico: “Vance’s inner circle already bears the imprint of Trump’s influence, with a handful of advisers and staffers who have one foot in Vance’s camp and one foot in Trump world…
“[Project 2025 architect Russell Vought] told POLITICO Magazine that he is in ‘regular contact’ with Vance’s Hill office and that ‘we probably have one of the closest relationships with [Vance’s] office that we do with any Hill office.’ …
“The former Fox News superstar [Tucker Carlson] used his prime-time show to promote Vance’s Senate candidacy in 2022 and has remained one of his most ardent public supporters. Vance is a regular guest on Carlson’s new platform… and Carlson reportedly personally lobbied Trump to pick Vance as his vice presidential candidate in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention…
“The former Trump strategist [Steve Bannon] is another of Vance’s key allies in the conservative media ecosphere, frequently hosting Vance on his show, War Room, and promoting him to his sizable social media following.”
The Trump-Vance ticket is pushing an extreme Project 2025 agenda that would rig the economy for billionaires and big corporations on the backs of working families, explode the deficit, and risk supercharging inflation.
Vance on Trump’s plan that would raise tariffs and raise costs for hardworking Americans: “This is a fascinating proposal and we could talk for a while about it.”
New York Times: “Senator JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald J. Trump’s running mate, denied in an interview with NBC News on Sunday that tariffs had caused higher costs for Americans, as economists have documented.”
Center for American Progress: “Former President Trump Proposes an Up to $3,900 Tax Increase for a Typical Family”
CBS News: “Millions of low- and middle-class households would likely face significantly higher taxes under the Project 2025’s proposals.”
Center for American Progress: “Project 2025’s Tax Plan Would Raise Taxes on the Middle Class and Cut Taxes for the Wealthy”
Bloomberg: “The combined cost of the Trump plans is so big that if Congress were to try to pass the tax cut proposals and keep spending flat, it means they could continue to fund the military, federal benefit programs, like Social Security, pay interest on the debt — and nothing else.That means eliminating major federal agencies that handle duties such as law enforcement, border security, air traffic control, tax collection and international relations.”
Axios: “Sixteen Nobel prize-winning economists are jumping into the presidential campaign with a stark warning: Former President Trump’s plans would reignite inflation and cause lasting harm to the global economy if he wins in November.”
Wall Street Journal: “A drumbeat of reports from Wall Street economists have warned that Trump’s plans could substantially slow economic growth while driving up consumer prices.”
The Atlantic: “Trump’s Plan to Supercharge Inflation”
Axios: “Trump plans would add $5.8 trillion to national debt”
Washington Post: “Trump and his advisers have discussed deeper cuts to both individual and corporate tax rates that would build on his controversial 2017 tax law … Further cutting corporate taxes … would primarily benefit large firms.”
Project 2025: “The corporate income tax rate should be reduced to 18 percent.”
Vance: “I’ve reviewed a lot of [Project 2025]. There are some good ideas in there.”
Vance has praised Trump’s failed tax scam even though it gave massive handouts to billionaires at the expense of working families, caused the deficit to skyrocket, and created new incentives for companies to ship jobs overseas.
Vance: “The left attacked Donald Trump for those tax cuts said they would make the deficit worse when in reality we took in more revenue because the government got out of the way on the regulatory side and the tax cuts spurred a lot of growth which means more people working, which meant more economic production which meant the entire economy was healthier … I think we have a pretty common sense regulatory and tax agenda.”
New York Times: “The 2017 corporate tax cuts signed into law by Mr. Trump have not increased government revenue … In fact, they have had the opposite effect.”
Washington Post: “For the first time in history, U.S. billionaires paid a lower tax rate than the working class last year”
CBS News: “Two years after Trump tax cuts, middle-class Americans are falling behind”
The Guardian: “Donald Trump’s $1.5tn tax cuts have helped billionaires pay a lower rate than the working class for the first time in history.”
Washington Post Analysis: “One of President Donald Trump’s lesser-known but profoundly damaging legacies will be the explosive rise in the national debt that occurred on his watch. The financial burden that he’s inflicted on our government will wreak havoc for decades, saddling our kids and grandkids with debt. The national debt has risen by almost $7.8 trillion during Trump’s time in office.
Washington Post: “Trump promised ‘America First’ would keep jobs here. But the tax plan might push them overseas.”
Vance has opposed legislation to protect unions and defended Trump’s comments about firing striking workers, standing firmly against working people.
Politico: “Vance has consistently opposed the PRO Act, the ‘holy grail of pro-union labor reform’ that organized labor and its allies on the Hill have been fighting for over two years to get passed. … Vance’s skepticism of the PRO Act is part of a more fundamental skepticism that he harbors toward organized labor.”
Fast Company: “Vance also voted in favor of a resolution to strike down the NLRB’s updated joint-employer rule, which would have given workers more leverage when organizing at companies—like Amazon—that rely heavily on third-party contractors, by forcing both employers to participate in labor negotiations.”
Politico: “Vice presidential candidate JD Vance defended Donald Trump’s comments about firing striking workers during a rally in Michigan.”
Key Point: “…lead pastor, Ryan Visconti, has a history of anti-gay comments on social media….Visconti wrote that in order for ‘America to be ‘great again,’ we need to go back to opposing the abomination of gay mirage [sic] & abortion as we did before.’ A separate post from the fall of 2023 features Visconti saying that in ‘God’s eyes, there’s no such thing as ‘gay marriage,’ and argued in a lengthy thread posted earlier that year that ‘God wants homosexuals to repent and change.’”
NBC News: Vance to speak at event hosted in part by pastor with history of homophobic remarks
By: Alec Hernández
As Vance heads out west through the weekend for a mix of campaigning and fundraising, his first stop of the multi-day swing features remarks with conservative media personality Charlie Kirk as a part of Turning Point Action’s “Chase the Vote at the Church” event.
The gathering is set to take place at the Generation Church in Mesa, Arizona, where lead pastor, Ryan Visconti, has a history of anti-gay comments on social media.
In one post on his X account from July of this year, Visconti wrote that in order for “America to be ‘great again,’ we need to go back to opposing the abomination of gay mirage [sic] & abortion as we did before.” A separate post from the fall of 2023 features Visconti saying that in “God’s eyes, there’s no such thing as ‘gay marriage,’ and argued in a lengthy thread posted earlier that year that “God wants homosexuals to repent and change.”
In a post on Instagram last week, Visconti wrote that he is “honored” to host Vance as a part of the Turning Point event.
President Biden’s approval rating is soaring as Americans reflect on his historic accomplishments – leading the world’s strongest economic recovery, defending our freedoms at home and our alliances abroad, and opening the door for future generations to lead for years to come.
Fox News: “Biden approval rating jumps 13 points while Harris leads Trump: poll”
HuffPost: “David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said the 48% approval Biden reached in a poll he conducted for USA Today last week was the highest mark Suffolk had recorded during the Democrat’s presidency. … Biden’s net approval in FiveThirtyEight’s average is now as high as it’s been since May 14, 2023, only a few weeks after he announced he would run for reelection.”
“Paleologos pointed to Biden’s gains with independent women, who have tilted increasingly Democratic since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Biden went from 47% approval to 58% approval with the group in Suffolk’s polling. … Biden’s increased popularity could also help Harris down the stretch of the campaign.”
“Those are Biden’s best numbers in Suffolk polling since he was inaugurated in January 2021. … it’s not the first poll to suggest he’s rising and seeing some of his best numbers in years:
“A Quinnipiac University poll last week featured Biden’s best numbers since the summer of 2021. … Gallup showed his best numbers since August 2022. … An NPR/PBS/Marist College poll in early August showed Biden’s best numbers since March 2022. … A Wall Street Journal poll last week also showed his numbers improving since dropping out.
“As Trump’s campaign makes clear that one of their top strategies is to tie Harris tighter to Biden, it’s looking like less of a potent strategy.”
