Rove and Conway on T—p
Some wandering of the Trump mindset as discussed by Karl Rove and George Conway. No doubt those Tr—pian wanderings are making it easier for Dems to get back at Republicans and T—p.
Karl Rove, “America Gets Trump Fatigue”
We are not 100 days into Donald Trump’s second term and many Americans are already exhausted. They’ve had way too much thrown at them.
Voters made crystal clear what they sought during the 2024 election. They wanted prices to come down and the economy revved up. The Southern border had to be closed, our military strengthened and a strong leader installed in the Oval Office.
Some of that we’re getting, especially regarding the border. Other things—the rebuilding of the military—appear to be in the works.
But on the key issue of the economy? Americans aren’t happy. Mr. T—p’s campaign promise to break inflation has been replaced by a fixation on raising tariffs, which nearly three-quarters of Americans expect to hike prices. We’re also confused: Is the goal getting trading partners to lower their tariffs on U.S. goods and services?
Or replacing our income tax with high tariffs on foreign goods?
It isn’t only inflation and tariffs. Every week the White House throws its weight behind a new issue that went largely or entirely unmentioned during the campaign. Rename the Gulf of Mexico! Acquire Greenland! Take back the Panama Canal! Make Canada the 51st state! Americans find themselves asking,
“Where did that come from?”
Message discipline has never been Mr. T—p’s strength. He doesn’t avoid drama; he relishes creating it. Not a real surprise from the man behind “The Apprentice.” Mr. Trump seems to feel he’s winning only if he dominates the coverage, sets the story line, advances the narrative and pulls a surprise or two.
‘Rue the day’: Karl Rove says Trump paving way for Dems to pursue their own ‘retribution’, AlterNet
Rove criticized the effectiveness of Trump’s over-the-top use of executive orders over traditional legislation because the next president can dismantle each order with an announcement.
“And there’s something shocking about this White House to an old-school politico like me: It doesn’t spend much time drawing attention to the president’s successes. Rather than patiently explaining his actions and why they’re good for Americans, the president and his advisers move from one thing to another, seemingly at random,” said Rove, the former deputy chief of staff for George W. Bush and a protégé of Lee Atwater.
He also noted Trump’s vengeful nature: “There’s way too much retribution. Most of the president’s revenge attempts will end badly for him . . . Republicans could rue the day they set a new justification for retaliation from Democrats.”
George Conway predicts Trump’s ‘inner rage’ will make him ‘lose again and again’ in court, Alternet
Attorney and activist George Conway told MSNBC’s Deadline: White House that the federal judiciary will likely trash President Donald Trump’s legal arguments for withholding tax exemptions from some schools and nonprofits, like Harvard University.
“The whole point of the rule of law is that everything applies both ways. If one party can do something to the other party . . . then when the shoe is on the other foot, the other one can do the same thing,” Conway told anchor Nicolle Wallace.
“But that’s not how a narcissist like Donald Trump thinks. He thinks the law applies in his favor, but against everyone else.”
Federal law prohibits a U.S. president from directing the IRS to conduct an investigation or audit, and no evidence has yet emerged that Harvard has done anything to lose its tax-exempt status, as Trump has ordered.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told reporters: “Any forthcoming actions by the IRS are conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution’s violations of their tax status were initiated prior to” Trump’s public call for tax-exempt status to be revoked.
Trump more recently appeared mindful of not looking like he personally directed the IRS to pull Harvard’s exemptions.
“ . . . I’ve looked at — a lot having to do with it — I’m not involved in it,” Trump stammered during a press conference yesterday. “It’s being handled by lawyers. I’ve read about it, just like you did, but tax-exempt status is a privilege and it’s been abused by a lot more than Harvard.”
Moments earlier in the same interview he’d responded, “Because I think Harvard is a disgrace,” when asked “why are you considering changing the tax status of Harvard?”