| | | | The case for Donald Trump's mental fitness | | | In the wake of three days of erratic behavior and amid the controversy caused by a book suggesting he is forgetful and dismissed by many who work for him, questions about President Donald Trump's mental competence are everywhere. But Trump is who he has always been.Think about the sorts of behaviors that Trump's critics point to as examples of his lack of mental competence or deteriorating mental state: - He is impetuous
- He is quick to anger
- He appears unengaged in details
- He keeps erratic hours
- He says things that are provably false
- He has an exaggerated -- and grandiose -- vision of his own life
- He punishes enemies
He also did a number of things while a candidate and private citizen, including: Impersonating a young publicist within the Trump Organization to leak flattering details about his own personal life to the New York tabloids and making a series of lewd comments about women caught on tape by "Access Hollywood" (and then argued the tape might be a fake).
There is a clear pattern of behavior there that long predates Trump's time in the White House or even his decision to run for president. Trump is today who he has been the entirety of his adult life. That is a person who many Americans find to be loathsome. Or incompetent. Or mentally unwell.
He is also the person who 62,984,825 people, or 46.09% of US voters in 2016, supported -- and those people happened to live in just the right states for Trump to win the Electoral College even while losing the popular vote by a historic margin.
Given his prominence in the culture and the incredibly high profile of the 2016 presidential race, it's very tough for me to believe the people who voted for Trump did so without knowing who he really was. The Trump on the campaign trail -- full of bravado, fiercely unapologetic, dramatic, obsessed with victimization -- was the Trump of the wheeling-and-dealing 1980s. It was the Trump of the reality TV show years. And it is the Trump of the White House. However, he appears to be acting as President how he has always acted. And that is who got elected President -- like it or, more likely, hate it.
Read my full take here.
--Chris | | "I don't even know why people are saying that. I never had a conversation with the President about that or his family. I'm more focused on my house, Chris, than the White House."
-Anthony Scaramucci on CNN's "New Day," regarding rumors of his possible White House return | | | As CNN's Laura Jarrett reported earlier today: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday rescinded a trio of memos from the Obama administration that had adopted a policy of non-interference with marijuana-friendly state laws. The move essentially shifts federal policy from the hands-off approach adopted under the previous administration to unleashing federal prosecutors across the country to decide individually how to prioritize resources to crack down on pot possession, distribution and cultivation of the drug in states where it is legal."
FYI: Federal law says marijuana is illegal. But eight states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington -- plus the District of Columbia allow recreational sales of marijuana. Another 22 states allow only some form of medical marijuana and 15 allow a lesser medical marijuana extract.
CNN's Ryan Struyk broke down marijuana legalization by the numbers (plus some handy charts, like the one above). Read more in Ryan's story here and more about Sessions' decision in Laura's story here. | | | The new Typhoon album is not not depressing. But it is beautiful. And filled with amazing songwriting. | | CNN's Dana Bash reported Thursday that Rep. Gregg Harper, a Mississippi Republican, is the latest lawmaker who will not seek re-election once his term ends in January 2019.
"We have been contemplating for almost two years when it would be our time not to run again, and after spending time over Christmas and New Year's with my family, we made the very difficult decision to say that 10 years will be long enough," the chairman of the House Administration Committee said in a statement. "I never intended for this to be a career, and it will soon be time for another conservative citizen legislator to represent us."
Harper became the 44th member of the current House -- including more than two dozen Republicans -- to announce that he will retire, campaign for other office or resign by the end of the current term.
In case you need a refresher, CNN keeps a running list of who's announced their plans to resign, retire or run for another office. And read more about Harper's retirement here. | | | CNN's Maegan Vazquez and Betsy Klein report: "The White House is banning the use of personal cellphones within the West Wing, citing security concerns, a move that has prompted widespread frustration among staffers. " 'The security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration and therefore, starting next week, the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Thursday morning.
"Sanders said staff will continue to be able to conduct business on government-issued devices.The ban on personal cellphones does not apply to the President, a person familiar with the decision says."
Read more in CNN's full story here. | | CNN's Brenna Williams threw it back to 1989 in this throwback Thursday feature about then-Vice President George H.W. Bush on the day he got to declare himself elected POTUS. "As the sitting vice president, Bush presided over the electoral vote count. With the certification of those votes, he became the first sitting vice president since Martin Van Buren to be elected president. That happened after the election of 1836, more than 150 years earlier. Note to Mike Pence: It's pretty rare," Brenna writes.
Read more in her full #TBT here. | | THE RESULTS ARE IN (FINALLY) | | From CNN's Eric Bradner:
"GOP incumbent David Yancey won a 'lot draw' in the race for Virginia's House of Delegates on Thursday, giving Republicans control of the chamber. The quirk of democracy came as the Virginia Board of Elections used the procedure laid out in a 1705 law to settle the 11,608-to-11,608 tie between Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simonds for the seat."
Read more in Eric's full story here. | | | Thanks to the "lot draw" we have this GIF. No need for you to point it out on a piece of paper: Just tell people you know 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. | | | | | | |
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