Tag: Presidential Election of 2024

Don’t Be Fooled. Ron DeSantis Is a Bush-Cheney Republican.

One of the strangest ads of the 2022 election cycle was an homage to “Top Gun,” featuring Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida. In it, DeSantis is the “Top Gov,” setting his sights on his political enemies: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is your governor speaking. Today’s training evolution: dogfighting, taking on the corporate […]

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Trump Plans Rally in Waco During Anniversary of Branch Davidian Standoff

In the chapel at Mount Carmel, the longtime home of the Branch Davidian sect outside Waco, Tex., the pastor preaches about the coming apocalypse, as the sect’s doomed charismatic leader David Koresh did three decades ago. But the prophecies offered by the pastor, Charles Pace, are different from Mr. Koresh’s. For one thing, they involve […]

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Ron DeSantis Calls Putin a ‘War Criminal,’ Clarifying Earlier Comment on Ukraine

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida this week clarified his description of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “territorial dispute” and said that Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president, was a “war criminal” who should be “held accountable.” Mr. DeSantis, a Republican who is expected to announce a presidential campaign in the coming months, made […]

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Sex, Lies and … Trump. What More Can You Ask For?

One thing we can be sure of: If this Stormy Daniels thing hurts Donald Trump politically, it will be for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with sex. Nobody cares whether or not the two of them once had an, um, intimate assignation. Although I do enjoy recalling that Daniels has referred to it as […]

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The DeSantis Foreign Policy: Hard Power, but With a High Bar

When Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida made headlines recently by undercutting U.S. support for Ukraine, Republican hawks, many of whom cling to him as their only hope to defeat former President Donald J. Trump, wondered if they had misread him as an ideological ally. Mr. DeSantis ditched his previous backing for Ukraine to align himself […]

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The Politics of a Trump Indictment

If you intend to indict and try a former president of the United States, especially a former president of the United States whose career has benefited from the collapse of public trust in the neutrality of all our institutions, you had better have clear evidence, all-but-obvious guilt and loads of legal precedent behind your case. […]

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DeSantis, Doubling Down, Presses Questions About Trump’s Character

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the closest prospective rival to Donald J. Trump in early polls of the 2024 Republican presidential primary, pressed forward with questions about the former president’s character and pointed to himself as a low-drama “winner” in an interview this week with the British media personality Piers Morgan. The interview, which Mr. […]

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Trump at Mar-a-Lago: Magical Thinking and a Perp-Walk Fixation

Donald J. Trump claims he is ready for his perp walk. Behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago, the former president has told friends and associates that he welcomes the idea of being paraded by the authorities before a throng of reporters and news cameras. He has even mused openly about whether he should smile for the […]

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Trump’s Potential Indictment Could Alienate Some G.O.P. Voters in 2024

Donald J. Trump, the former prime-time reality TV star known for his love of big stages and vast crowds, has embraced a more humbling and traditional style on the campaign trail in recent months. He held intimate events in New Hampshire and South Carolina. He fielded questions from voters in Iowa. And in multiple cities, […]

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House Republicans Target Bragg Ahead of Expected Trump Indictment

ORLANDO, Fla. — House Republicans on Monday rallied around former President Donald J. Trump ahead of his expected indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, using their investigative power to scrutinize criminal inquiries targeting him as at least one other G.O.P. lawmaker endorsed his 2024 presidential campaign. Three Republican committee chairmen demanded on Monday morning that […]

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DeSantis Breaks Silence on Trump and Criticizes Manhattan D.A.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Monday broke his silence about the potential indictment of his state’s most famous resident, former President Donald J. Trump, attacking the Manhattan district attorney pursuing the case but also pointedly noting the personal conduct over which Mr. Trump is being investigated. Mr. DeSantis spoke in response to a reporter’s […]

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Out of Power, Trump Still Exerts It

Since he left office, Democrats and a smaller number of Republicans have vowed to ensure that former President Donald J. Trump never recaptures the White House, where he would regain enormous power over the nation and around the globe. Yet, in his insistence on forging ahead with a campaign while facing multiple criminal investigations, his […]

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Trump Allies Pressure DeSantis to Weigh In on Expected Indictment

Former President Donald J. Trump’s political operation is trying to use the news of his expected indictment by a Manhattan grand jury to turn the strident base of the Republican Party against his expected rival for the 2024 presidential nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Immediately after the former president predicted on Saturday that his […]

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Ron DeSantis Has a Secret Theory of Trump

Rather than question the former president’s actions on Covid, DeSantis goes after Anthony Fauci, “one of the most destructive bureaucrats in American history,” an official whose “intellectual bankruptcy and brazen partisanship” turned major U.S. cities into hollowed-out “Faucivilles.” Fauci is the supervillain of DeSantis’s book, the destroyer of jobs and freedoms, the architect of a […]

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In South Carolina, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott Appeal to the Same Donors, and the Same Voters

“Are they splitting the vote? Yeah, they certainly are,” said Katon Dawson, a former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party who is supporting Ms. Haley. “Are they going to take any from Donald Trump? I don’t know yet.” Mr. Trump still commands a majority share of support among Republican voters in South Carolina. He […]

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For Trump and His Potential 2024 G.O.P. Rivals, It’s All About Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump was in Iowa on Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida made his first visit last week. Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina have each made recent trips. And on Saturday, former Vice President Mike Pence will be speaking. Even as Democrats have chosen to snub Iowa in […]

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Trump and DeSantis Could Both Lose

There are two different narratives running through the Republican Party right now. The first is the Trumpian populist narrative we’re all familiar with: American carnage … the elites have betrayed us … the left is destroying us … I am your retribution. On the other hand, Republican governors from places like Georgia, Virginia and New […]

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In Iowa, Kamala Harris Says Republicans Won’t Stop at Abortion

DES MOINES — Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday that a lawsuit seeking to overturn federal approval of a widely used abortion pill amounted to an attack on “our public health system as a whole.” During her first trip to Iowa as vice president, Ms. Harris portrayed Republican attempts to impose a nationwide ban […]

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As a Possible Indictment Looms, Trump’s Team Plans to Attack

As former President Donald J. Trump faces likely criminal charges, his campaign is preparing to wage a political war. With an indictment looming from the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, Mr. Trump’s campaign is laying the groundwork for a broad attack on Mr. Bragg, a Democrat. According to two of Mr. Trump’s political allies, the campaign […]

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The Kamala Removal Fantasy

So … it’s pretty clear Joe Biden is going to announce he’s running for re-election. What do you think he should do about Kamala Harris? A) For heaven’s sake, keep her on. B) For heaven’s sake, replace her. C) Shouldn’t we be talking about banks or something? Hey, this discussion is brought to you entirely […]

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Ron DeSantis Says Protecting Ukraine Is Not a Key U.S. Interest

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has sharply broken with Republicans who are determined to defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, saying in a statement made public on Monday night that protecting the European nation’s borders is not a vital U.S. interest and that policymakers should instead focus attention at home. The statement from Mr. DeSantis, who […]

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Trump Will Visit the Same Iowa City on Monday That DeSantis Visited on Friday

Jim Dirk, a 61-year-old dental technician who attended Mr. DeSantis’s event on Friday, said he would support Mr. Trump as the nominee, but was interested in finding another option. “His policies were OK, but he was too flamboyant with his message,” Mr. Dirk said. Steve Crew, who was also at Mr. DeSantis’s event in Davenport, […]

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‘History Will Hold Donald Trump Accountable’ for Jan. 6, Pence Says

Former Vice President Mike Pence, delivering his strongest public rebuke yet to the president who made him his running mate, said on Saturday night “that history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which he called “a disgrace.” The annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington is usually a […]

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Trump Knows How to Make Promises. Do His Rivals?

To understand the resilience of Donald Trump’s influence in the Republican Party, the way he always seems to revive despite scandal, debacle or disgrace, look no further than the contrast between his early policy forays in the 2024 campaign and what two of his prospective challengers are doing. Judging by Trump’s address to the Conservative […]

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Inside Ron DeSantis’s Politicized Removal of an Elected Prosecutor

A memo that Ms. Lopez sent out days later mirrored that plan, saying, “The legislature makes the law and we, as prosecutors, enforce it.” (She testified that she did not recall consulting with anyone other than her chief of staff.) Two aides to the governor were dispatched to the state attorney’s office in Hillsborough to […]

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A Glimpse of DeSantis in Iowa: Awkward, but Still Winning the Crowd

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Suzy Barker, a native Iowan dressed in an orange-and-blue University of Florida hoodie, waited in a crowd of fellow Republicans on Friday morning to meet Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. She smiled widely and pointed to her hoodie as she told the governor that her son attended college in his home state. […]

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Seeking Evangelicals’ Support Again, Trump Confronts a Changed Religious Landscape

Indeed, the Monmouth poll, which was taken before Ms. Haley officially entered the race, found Mr. Pence and Ms. Haley commanding support in the single digits among self-identified evangelical Republican voters. But Mr. DeSantis’s strong showing, with favorable ratings comparable to Mr. Trump’s, suggested that the former president can’t take the constituency’s primary support for […]

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Ron DeSantis Has the Courage to Be Dull

Well, it’s certainly hard to avoid seeing Ron DeSantis these days. He’s all over the place, promoting his new book. Have you been paying attention? Here’s a pop quiz. DeSantis’s tome is called: A. “The Courage to Be Free” B. “From the Panhandle to Pensacola” C. “Available to Speak Is My Middle Name” Yeah, yeah. […]

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When Trump Passes the MAGA Hat, His Aides Clutch Their Wallets

Ms. Conway said she “gave at the office.” “In 2016, I did better than stroke a check — I became Trump’s campaign manager and he won,” she said, adding that she did not contribute to any federal candidates during the four years she worked in the Trump White House. How Times reporters cover politics. We rely […]

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Trump, Vowing ‘Retribution,’ Foretells a Second Term of Spite

Donald J. Trump has for decades trafficked in the language of vengeance, from his days as a New York developer vowing “an eye for an eye” in the real estate business to ticking through an enemies ledger in 2022 as he sought to oust every last Republican who voted for his impeachment. “Four down and […]

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Ron DeSantis’s Rise From Unknown to Heir Apparent

Patricia Mazzei contributed reporting.Fact-checking by Susan Lee.Special thanks to Diane Wong and Dan Powell. The Daily is made by Lisa Tobin, Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, […]

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