NEWS AND OPINION:
So will he run again in 2024 — or not?
Discussions continue among the friends and foes of former President Donald Trump, who all wonder whether his name will appear on the presidential ballot when the time comes. Some say such a move would weaken the Republican Party, others insist that Mr. Trump could shore up the GOP and even garner newfound appreciation from voters who have become weary of President Biden and progressive Democrats.
“Former President Trump is the clear favorite to win the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination if he decides to mount another bid for the White House, according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey,” reports The Hill, which had exclusive access to the poll’s findings.
“Nearly 6 in 10 Republican voters surveyed — 58% — say they would vote to put the former president back on the ballot in 2024, suggesting the party is ready and willing to give Trump another chance after his 2020 loss to President Biden,” wrote Max Greenwood, who covers politics for the news organization.
Former Vice President Mike Pence remains in distant second place with 13% support among GOP voters, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis only managed to rack up 9% support. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, are tied for fourth place, with a mere 3% support each.
“While defeated candidates rarely come back, Trump has a strong lead in the Republican primary especially among the most dedicated Republicans,” said Mark Penn, co-director of the survey.
The poll of 1,578 U.S. registered voters, including 490 Republicans, was conducted Sept. 15-16.
WAIT, STOP THE PRESSES
A rarity? Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” appears to agree with some Daily Caller coverage of the recent Metropolitan Gala in New York City and the Emmy Awards in Hollywood.
“Double-standard-style behavior by Democratic politicians and vaguely defined members of ‘the elite’ is a daily theme of right-wing media coverage. Here’s an example from Monday’s Daily Caller homepage: ‘Elites attend galas and award shows unmasked while servants have to cover their faces.’ I understand all the context for these scenes, but the photos still make me squeamish. This should not just be a ‘right-wing media’ issue. It’s an ‘everybody with common sense’ issue,” Mr. Stelter wrote in his analysis of the phenomenon.
He also cited CNN coverage of San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who was “partying, maskless” in a video.
“These politicians should follow the rules or change the rules. If they don’t have the authority, they should pressure those who do. If it’s too complicated, they should push to make it simpler,” Mr. Stelter said.
A THIRD PARTY ON THE MOVE
The Unity Party of America advises Inside the Beltway that it has expanded into 46 states after the organization established a foothold in Stark County, North Dakota, on Sept. 9.
The party itself was established in 2004 as a home for those who want to “move forward together as a nation to create a better country for current and future generations of Americans,” the organization says in its mission statement.
Delaware, Montana, Rhode Island and Vermont are the only states without Unity party members, says chairman Bill Hammons. It also doesn’t have any District of Columbia presence.
“As the son of a recently deceased Vietnam veteran, I wish our growth wasn’t being further accelerated by the Democratic Party debacle in Afghanistan and the festering divisions in this country, but it is what it is — and we’ll just keep a steady course,” he notes.
SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE
Here’s a few thoughts for the White House to mull over as border troubles escalate.
“In President Biden’s America, illegal border crossings are soaring and Americans are less safe because of the president’s actions. On day one of Biden’s term, he made it his priority to immediately erase years of progress made by former President Trump’s pro-America, anti-illegal immigration policies. As a result, illegal immigrant encounters exceeded 200,000 for the second month in a row during August, up 317% increase from August 2020, and over 12,000 illegal immigrants are now massed at the southern border,” Heritage Action executive director Jessica Anderson tells Inside the Beltway.
“If President Biden wants to defend America and stop the humanitarian crisis at our southern border, his administration should immediately reimplement the full Remain in Mexico policy, prioritize deporting illegal immigrants, and resume border wall construction. Until then, President Biden is complicit in this shocking border crisis,” she says.
Heritage Action for America is a conservative-advocacy nonprofit group and the sister organization of the Heritage Foundation.
FOXIFIED
During the week of Sept. 13-19, Fox News was the most watched network in the entire cable realm with 2.7 million prime-time viewers — more than the audiences of CNN (799,000 viewers) and MSNBC (1.4 million viewers) combined.
This is the fifth straight week that Fox News has scored such an imposing victory. “Fox & Friends” performed a similar feat, drawing 1.3 million viewers compared to CNN’s “New Day” (454,000 viewers) and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” (842,000).
The network also aired 72 of the top 100 cable telecasts overall.
POLL DU JOUR
• 69% of U.S. adults say restrictions on public activities due to COVID-19 have hurt businesses and economic activity “a lot,” 26% say restrictions hurt the activity “some.”
• 58% say restrictions kept people from living their lives the way they want “a lot,” 31% say restrictions hurt the lifestyles “some.”
• 32% restrictions helped prevent hospitalizations and death from coronavirus “a lot,” 41% say restrictions helped prevent those results “some.”
• 31% say restrictions helped slow the spread of coronavirus “a lot,” 41% say they helped slow the virus “some.”
SOURCE: A Pew Research Center survey of 10,348 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 23-29 and released Sept. 15. Respondents who gave other responses or did not give a response were not shown in the poll.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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