| | | | Bob Corker went there on Donald Trump | | Bob Corker is no Donald Trump hater. Which makes what the Tennessee Republican senator said Thursday about the President all the more powerful.
"The President has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful," Corker told reporters after a speech in Chattanooga.
"We should hope that (Trump) aspires, that he does some self-reflection, that he does what is necessary to demonstrate stability, to demonstrate competence, to demonstrate that he understands the character of our nation and works daily to bring out the best of the people in our nation," Corker added.
"Stability." "Competence." "Stability." "Competence."
Words matter in politics. Which is why Corker's repeated emphasis on Trump's "stability" and "competence" matter. (Sidebar: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott told Vice News Thursday that Trump's "moral authority is compromised" after his Tuesday news conference. "There's no question about that," he said.)
Corker is clearly hinting at the possibility that Trump is not simply misguided in some of his policies and pronouncements but that he may be fundamentally unfit for the office he holds. Corker doesn't go all the way there but he is absolutely leading people to ask those questions by choosing the words he did.
In doing so, Corker is raising the stakes in the conversation Republicans are having about what to do about Trump in the wake of his controversial comments about the motivations of the protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.
Condemnation is one thing. We wish Trump hadn't done this, it doesn't represent us and we hope he doesn't do it again.
Questioning competency is something else -- and something far more serious. It takes the question away from what Trump said to why he said it. As in, is he even aware that what he is saying is a total abdication of moral (and political) leadership? And, if not, what, if anything, can be done about it?
That's serious stuff. And Republicans would do well to treat it that way.
-- Chris | | President Donald Trump's fervent base isn't necessarily going anywhere any time soon.
CNN's Ryan Struyk writes:
Most people who are on the Trump train say they are definitely, absolutely never getting off -- no matter what.
Six in 10 people who approve of President Donald Trump (61%) say they cannot think of anything Trump could do that would make them disapprove of his job as president, according to a Monmouth University poll released this week. Interviews for this poll were conducted both before and after protests turned violent in Charlottesville (August 10-14, 2017) and before Trump's press conference on Tuesday doubling down on his comments blaming "both sides" for the clash.
Almost an identical number (57%) who disapprove of Trump say they are never going to change their minds on the President's job performance either. This means a majority of Americans (53%) admit they have their opinion of Trump completely, totally, and irreversibly baked in.
Read Ryan's full story here. | | Tony Schwartz, ghostwriter of Donald Trump's 1987 memoir "Trump: The Art of the Deal," has an interesting forecast for the 45th president.
On Wednesday, Schwartz went on a tweeting spree and predicted Trump's political fate.
"The circle is closing at blinding speed," Schwartz wrote in his first of five tweets. "Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and Congress leave him no choice."
In a follow-up tweet, he wrote: "Trump's presidency is effectively over. Would be amazed if he survives till end of the year. More likely resigns by fall, if not sooner."
This is not the first time Schwartz has vocalized his thoughts on Trump's future in the White House. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper in May, Schwartz said he thinks Trump will resign and then declare victory.
"I surely believe that at some point over the next period of time he's going to have to figure out a way to resign," he said. "The reason he's going to do that as opposed to go through what could be an impeachment process or a continuing humiliation is that he wants to figure out a way, as he has done all his career, to turn a loss into a victory." | | | Riz Ahmed performed a spoken-word poem on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" earlier this week and it's pretty moving. Check out the video here. | | President Donald Trump on Tuesday said removing a Confederate memorial was "changing history." Ryan took a look at the 1,500 symbols of the Confederacy in the United States. Here's what he found, according to 2016 data from the Southern Poverty Law Center: - 718 monuments and statues supporting Confederate causes existed last year.
- Virginia is the state with the most Confederate symbols, with 223.
- Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama have more than 100 Confederate symbols each.
- The list of Confederate symbols also includes 109 public schools, at least 39 of which were built during the civil rights movement.
| | Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is headed to New Hampshire, WMUR reported.
The California Democrat, who was sworn in for his second and final term as mayor in July, has been subject of 2020 presidential speculation before. POLITICO even published a story in May with the headline: "Eric Garcetti isn't running for president (wink, wink)."
In June, he flew to Wisconsin for a Democratic Party gathering to rally the party. In August, Los Angeles won the bid to host the 2028 Olympics, which Garcetti helped push for.
He is heading to the East Coast on August 28 to "help Manchester mayoral candidate Joyce Craig in her challenge to incumbent Mayor Ted Gatsas," WMUR reported. | | | Photo courtesy: The Late Late Show/YouTube/Screenshot | | | James Corden turned the "song of the summer," "Despacito," into the "Song about the Summer." The new lyrics touch on everything that happened in politics and pop culture this summer (ranging from the Russia probe to Snapchat's dancing hot dog) to the tune of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's popular song. Check it out here. | | | Not everything sucks. Malala Yousafzai, a women's rights advocate recognized worldwide for speaking out against inequality, tweeted Thursday that she's headed to Oxford University. Could she be more inspirational? Read more about her journey from near death to the Nobel Peace Prize in this CNN story from 2014. | | | Here's looking at you, kid. We only have eyes for you -- and everyone else you tell to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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