The Trump Card...

[ATeam]

This Sums Things Up Nicely

"... voters have seen Trump’s politics of rage and division before. Given a fresh choice, most Americans are eager for something — anything — new.

"A new crop of national and state-level polls bear out the reality that voters are simply ready to move on from the Trump show, which they’ve now been watching for the better part of a decade.

"Trump’s biggest liability, then, is that voters know him well and don’t trust his policy judgment or his ability to pick a potential successor. Democrats, meanwhile, can credibly run as the party willing to make meaningful reforms while protecting the nation’s core institutions." (Source)

 

[ATeam]

Trump Will Set Things Right Today

Oops. I guess today won't be the day Trump sets things right. His North Carolina event was more of the same before a small crowd in a small arena. Maybe he'll set things right tomorrow.

 

[ATeam]

GOP Pollster Luntz: Trump is Committing Political Suicide

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4828533-luntz-trump-committing-political-suicide-harris-intensity-advantage/

 

[ATeam]

Another Trump Press Conference

Trump will hold a press conference later today in Bedminsister, NJ. By all accounts, the rambling Mar-a-Lago press conference he did last week was a disaster. Seeing that, a number of Harris supporters expressed the wish that Trump would do a press conference every day. If Trump settles into a pattern of weekly press conferences, the Harris camp will be very pleased.

Years ago, some Trump supporters were fond of saying "let Trump be Trump." Now, with Trump's cognitive decline and his unchanging shtick aging faster than he is, it's the Democrats who are saying "let Trump be Trump.

When Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, a fundamental shift happened in the electorate, but Trump has not changed. He continues to run the show he has been running since 2016; and the show is wearing thin. Like a song that was once a big hit, people are tired of hearing it. It does not matter how many times Trump sings his same old song. People are tired of it and they're tuning it out..

 

[ATeam]

The Man Raises a Good Question

Yesterday's Vance "rally" in Michigan was attended by almost no one. I've searched for other photos of the event. I found a few. At most, 200 people showed up to hear Trump's running mate speak less than 90 days ahead Election Day. That's an embarrassing event flop by any measure.

 

[ATeam]

Where are the Trump Coattails?

Trump is on the ballot now. But no positive effect from his coattails is evident. So are Trump's coattails not working? Or are they working exactly as some predicted they would, only in a down direction instead of up? Coattails or no coattails, the Republican down-ballot candidates are on the same trajectory Trump is.

 

[muttly]

Lake is MAGA. It shows she is tied in this poll.
The way coattails works generally is that in a presidential election, a popular presidential candidate will out perform their polling and also help other party candidates outperform. Mainly because as voters are voting for their popular candidate, they will also vote on the rest of the ballot. The more those candidates align with MAGA, the better. Then, very few split ballots occur and lower their vote total.

 

[ATeam]

Contrasting Campaign Activity

Yesterday, in a show of unity and mutual admiration, Harris and Biden appeared together in front of a joyous and enthusiastic crowd of 4,000 people. In addition to showing unity, they touted the Biden/Harris administration accomplishment of defeating big pharma, such that the federal government now has the ability to negotiate drug prices; and such that the prices of 10 widely used drugs is now reduced for medicare patients, and the taxpayers who help pay for them.

Yesterday, in another rambling press conference at one of his properties, Trump appeared alone and served up one sound byte after another that delighted the Harris campaign. He repeatedly demonstrated his inability to stay on script and, often, to maintain a coherent thought for more than a sentence or two.

As with the Mar-a-Lago press conference and Trump's recent North Carolina appearance, the Harris campaign is thrilled to "let Trump be Trump."

Trump shows every sign of accommodating them. Yesterday, he hired Corey Lewandowski to rejoin the Trump Team. Lewandowski is an original champion of "let Trump be Trump." Trump himself said yesterday, "I have to do it my way."

 

[Ragman]

 

[ATeam]

Trump Fills PA Arena

Trump is doing a rally in Wilkes Barre, PA today at the Mohegan Sun Arena, where the seating capacity about 8,000. All seats are filled.

I've been saying America is tired of old Trump's old shtick. Clearly, that's not true for all Americans. I do believe it will prove true for enough Americans to defeat Trump at the polls in November.

Trump is rambling as usual. But that's OK with this crowd. They cut this cognitively diminished man and convicted felon a lot of slack.

 

[muttly]

x.com

x.com

 

[ATeam]

Seats Initially Filled, Then Many Walk Out While Trump is Still Speaking

Above, I said all 8,000 seats were filled at Trump's PA rally, and I still think that's true. But it did not remain true after Trump rambled incoherently for an hour and continued.

Zac Anderson is a USA Today reporter who reported from the rally and supplied this video. On the video, Trump can be heard talking to the half-empty arena as people trickle out.

In response to this video, one Harris supporter said, "we're witnessing the collapse of a cult."

If Trump's most loyal and costumed supporters can't stick with him for more than an hour, Trump is in deep, deep trouble.

x.com

x.com

 

[ATeam]

x.com

x.com

View attachment 23980

Upon review, I find this report to be true. Accordingly, I corrected my previous post where North Carolina was mentioned.

 

[muttly]

Good, good.

 

[ATeam]

This is Not Cool

Last night, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Democratic National Committee used a high-powered projector to project unwelcome and unauthorized images on Trump's skyscraper in Chicago. While I understand the DNC's impulse to annoy Trump in this way, and get some free media coverage, it's a counterproductive move.

Trump owns the surface of his building and the Democrats have no right to appropriate it for their use in this fashion. I don't know what the laws are that apply here. There is no trespassing as the projector is located in a hotel room across the street. There is no property damage as Trump's building is not damaged in any way. I know of no law that prohibits such activity, and it may well be that the law has not yet caught up with this new technology.

But as a matter of simple ethics, this behavior is wrong. It's Trump's building, not the DNC's. They have no right to appropriate it for their use in this way. Just as they would not be permitted to mount a physical sign or banner on the building without Trump's permission, and without the city permit which would be required for a sign or banner, they should not be permitted to project images like these.

It's not even a matter of what is permitted. Common respect for property right should have kept the DNC from doing this. The behavior is adolescent and petty.

Not right and not cool.

Democrats Troll Trump on His Own Building in Chicago

The DNC confirmed it was responsible for the brash move—with a spokesperson saying: “He’s a grifter and nothing we said wasn’t the truth!”

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[ATeam]

Trump Too

Above, I condemned the Democrat's improperly using the surface of one of Trump's buildings to troll Trump and communicate certain messages. I condemned it because it was a violation of Trump's property rights. Later that same day, I read of Trump doing essentially the same thing. Without her knowledge or consent, Trump appropriated Taylor Swift's name and image to lie about her. He implied he had her endorsement when, in fact, he did not.

Property rights should be respected in all cases by all campaigns. Also, how weak and desperate do you have to feel to lie about support you do not have?

Trump Promotes A.I. Images to Falsely Suggest Taylor Swift Endorsed Him

The former president has been preoccupied with the popularity of the pop music megastar, who endorsed Joseph R. Biden Jr. over him during the 2020 election.

www.nytimes.com

 

[ATeam]

Trump Media Stock Review

The chart says it all. The significant approaching event is Sept. 20, when the lockout period ends. This is the day the insiders will be allowed to sell their shares on the open market to cash in. They may sell heavily on that day or sell very little. Either way, there will be enormous downward pressure on the stock price because a vast quantity of shares can now be sold that could not be sold when the lockout was in effect.

There is no telling what the price will be on Sept. 20 or after. But it is evident that everyone who bought the stock after it went public in March, and held onto it, is underwater on the investment.

Notice the pattern: News event, price plunge, price rallies to a lower high on the next news event, price plunges, repeat.

 

[muttly]

According to sources, RFK jr. set to exit his presidential run and will join the Trump campaign. Being considered for job in a Trump administration.
Good, good.

 

[ATeam]

Trump Has Far Less Campaign Money & Infrastructure Than Harris

"Boosted by record fundraising, the [Harris] campaign reported nearly $220 million in cash on hand at the end of July, compared to $151 million for Trump."

"[Trump's] campaign is significantly smaller than it was at this time four years ago by several measures, including total spending and personnel, according to a POLITICO analysis of FEC filings. And Trump has far less campaign infrastructure at his disposal than Harris, who inherited Biden’s massive operation."

"Trump continued to be massively outspent in July: His campaign reported spending $24.3 million, compared to $80.7 million in spending from the Biden-turned-Harris campaign committee."

"This July, the Trump campaign and the RNC had just over 300 staffers on payroll, FEC filings show. Meanwhile, the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee had a combined roughly 1,100 staffers last month." (Source)

One of the big differences is field offices. Why does Harris have so many staffers? Many of them are in local field offices organizing phone banks, neighborhood canvassing, local events and local get out the vote efforts. Trump is running an air war. With her funding, Harris has both air superiority and an army of ground troops.

While there are a lot of voters there with red hats, they are disorganized and angry. MAGA watches their TVs and attends the occasional Trump rally. Harris volunteers are organized and optimistic. They're knocking on doors and working the phones.

Supporters of both campaigns contribute money. Harris contributors are contributing far more than MAGA contributors are.

That's not the whole story.

"And even as Trump’s campaign spending has lagged, he has benefited from massive spending from outside groups that have taken up some of the functions that traditionally would have fallen to the campaign. One pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC, has spent nearly $20 million on canvassing since June, according to FEC records. Another, Make America Great Again Inc., is spending $100 million on advertising going into Labor Day."

"As super PACs, those groups can accept unlimited donations, with MAGA Inc. getting a massive $50 million contribution from a single GOP megadonor in July. Those funds could help counter Harris’ cash advantage."

But there is a downside. Trump does not have direct control over these organizations. We know they have made pledges but we do not know if they will actually deliver. And if they try to deliver, the efforts are uncoordinated. Trump does not have control over the message and activities Harris does. Many of the Trump ground workers will be paid canvassers. They'll work for the money, not because they believe in the message like the Harris volunteers do. That matters.

 

[muttly]

So what? Trump has always been outspent in elections. There are also outside groups picking up the slack in the “ground game”.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/11/ralph-reed-army-spending-trump-00146170

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/15/turning-point-trump-battleground-states-00163563