US election: Champ, Major and other White House pets

 A Joe Biden presidency means the return of a long-held tradition of pets in the White House.

Donald Trump was the first US president in more than 100 years not to have a pet.

Democrat Mr Biden is set to bring his two German Shepherds - Champ and Major - with him to the sprawling residence after the inauguration in January.

The dogs have a big fan base on social media. A Twitter page in their name has tens of thousands of followers.

Here's a look at what we know about the new "First Dogs", and their predecessors.

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Champ and Major

Mr Biden got Champ as a puppy after being elected vice-president in 2008.

His wife, Jill, promised him the post-election pet, and posted pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of him on his campaign plane, according to Politico.

The name, chosen by Mr Biden's grandchildren, had sentimental significance.

In campaign speeches for the 2008 election, he recalled how his father would tell him: "Any time you get knocked down, champ, get up!"

Major was fostered and then adopted in 2018 from the Delaware Humane Association.

In an Instagram post during the campaign, Mr Biden shared a video of Major with the caption: "No ruff days on the trail when I have some Major motivation."

Bo and Sunny

Portuguese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny were residents of the White House during Barack Obama's presidency.

When he declared victory, Mr Obama told his daughters: "You have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House."

Bo was given as a gift to the Obama children from Senator Ted Kennedy in 2009, while Sunny came along in August 2013.

Bo, who has a white chest and front paws, and the all-black Sunny proved popular, even helping with official duties.

The White House

"Everybody wants to see them and take pictures," Michelle Obama said during her husband's presidency.

"I get a memo at the beginning of the month with a request for their schedules, and I have to approve their appearances."

Buddy and Socks

Bill Clinton had a chocolate Labrador called Buddy during his time as president, as well as a cat named Socks.

The pair often fought and the New York Times jokingly called them nemeses.

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Mr Clinton told reporters in 2000 that Buddy would sometimes sleep next to him when his wife was away.

"He's my true friend," he said.

Hillary Clinton even wrote a book about the two pets, called Dear Socks, Dear Buddy, which includes letters from children and details about their rivalry and habits.

Miss Beazley and Barney

Among his pets, George W Bush had two Scottish Terriers called Miss Beazley and Barney while he was president.

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The dogs featured in videos released by the White House such as "A Very Beazley Christmas" and "Barney Cam".

Mr Bush has described Miss Beazley as "a source of joy", and said he and Barney shared a love for the outdoors.

Yuki

President Lyndon B Johnson's favourite dog was a terrier mix named Yuki.

Mr Johnson's daughter, Luci, found Yuki at a petrol station in his home state of Texas on Thanksgiving Day in 1966, according to the Presidential Pet Museum website, which compiles information on the White House pets.

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Luci gave the dog to Mr Johnson as a birthday present the following year.

The pair did everything from attending cabinet meetings to swimming together.

"They shared a very significant bond that personified the American spirit: Only in America could a poor boy from Johnson City end up in the White House," his grandson once said.

Fala

Among the most famous White House dogs is Franklin D Roosevelt's beloved Scottish Terrier Fala.

Fala was given to Mr Roosevelt by his cousin in 1940, and the president named him Murray the Outlaw of Falahill, after a Scottish ancestor.

Fala had a bone brought up on the president's breakfast tray every morning, and even needed a secretary appointed to him to answer his fan mail, according to the Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

The president had the cake pictured below made especially for Fala's birthday.

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In a 1942 campaign, Fala donated toys to promote scrap rubber collections for the war effort.

Films have been made about Fala, and the dog is even memorialised in a statue next to one of Mr Roosevelt at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington DC.

Macaroni

It's not just cats and dogs who have held the esteemed title of "first pet". There have also been birds, hamsters and even ponies.

Macaroni was a gift to John F Kennedy's daughter Caroline from Lyndon B Johnson.

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The pony was usually stabled in Virginia but came frequently to the White House, where it was pictured roaming around the grounds.

According to the Presidential Pet Museum, when Jackie Kennedy was giving a tour to the empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi, Macaroni nuzzled the guest in an apparent bid to eat the daffodils she was carrying.

Like other presidential pets, Macaroni became famous, receiving fan mail and even appearing on the cover of Life magazine.

(Source: BBC)

Trump called Pence a 'loser' before he joined 2016 ticket, new book claims

 Campaign officials struggled to convince president to tap then-Indiana governor, Rick Gates claims

Donald Trump was reluctant to name Mike Pence his running mate in 2016 because he thought the then-governor of Indiana was a “loser” who didn’t stand a chance to be re-elected in his own state, according to a former campaign official.

Former campaign manager Paul Manafort had suggested Mr Pence as the vice presidential candidate on the ticket, but then-candidate Trump “wanted someone in his mind who was a winner,” according to Mr Manafort’s deputy Rick Gates, whose book Wicked Game: An Insider’s Story on How Trump Won, Mueller Failed and America Lost is set to be published this month.

Mr Gates, in an interview with the Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery, said that Mr Trump had initially suggested his daughter Ivanka Trump as his running mate.

“The important assets to him are family, trust and loyalty,” Mr Gates told Yahoo News.

His children become more engaged with the campaign and attended nearly "every meeting” as the campaign progressed, he said.

Other running-mate suggestions came from within the president’s inner circle and familiar GOP figures who aligned with the president.

Mr Trump, who was provided a list of potential candidates, soured at the idea of tapping Governor Pence, as polling data from the 2016 gubernatorial race revealed that the incumbent was down by 10 points.

Then-candidate Trump “didn’t think he had a chance to win the governor’s race,” Mr Gates told Yahoo News, "which is why he used the term ‘loser,' which he has used with many people, as we know.”

Instead he wanted “someone in his mind who was a winner,” he said.

“Why would I want a guy like that to be my VP?” Mr Trump said, according to Mr Gates’ book.

Following White House turbulence after several positive coronavirus diagnoses among Republican officials, including the president and First Lady Melania Trump, Mr Pence – second in line for the presidency if Mr Trump is not able to serve – has emerged from the president’s shadow into highly scrutinised spotlight of his own.

Should the president win re-election, Mr Pence could face the prospect of a White House run by 74-year-old Trump recovering from the disease and its longer-term impacts.

Mr Pence is set to debate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris on 7 October.

The campaign had struggled to convince Mr Trump to choose the Indiana governor, made more difficult with Mr Pence endorsing Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries.

Mr Gates and Mr Manafort argued that Mr Pence’s candidacy would anchor Mr Trump’s support in the Midwest and avoid the limelight, unlike two other potential running mates under consideration – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Mr Manafort had tried to convince the candidate that his running mate should be “someone different from him, ” Mr Gates said.

“When we told him the role of a vice president and what they’re really supposed to do … we told him the vice president is the pitbull,” said Mr Gates, adding that the VP should serve as a “hatchet candidate” to argue with opponents to insulate the president from criticism.

But Mr Trump “is that individual," Mr Gates said.

According to Mr Gates, Mr Manafort told Mr Trump: "Why would you want someone like you as your VP? You are the hatchet guy."

“It resonated,” Mr Gates said.

Mr Gates also worked under Mr Manafort while he served as a consultant for the Party of Regions in Ukraine. Both men were indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for campaign finance crimes and failure to register as foreign agents during 2016 elections, to which Mr Gates pleaded guilty and served as a cooperating state’s witness in Roger Stone’s trial.

Mr Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US and witness tampering as part of a plea deal and was released from prison in May 2020 to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.

(Source: The Independent)

Trump 'likely shedding virus each time he breathes', says expert

President 'still in the process of clearing his virus’, argues respiratory scientist, as another aide tests positive 

Donald Trump is likely shedding airborne coronavirus particles each time he breathes, an expert in respiratory sciences has said, as the US president continues to recover from his diagnosis last week.

The 74-year-old president, who remained out-of-sight on Tuesday, was discharged having spent as little as three nights at the Walter Reed Medical Centre outside Washington D.C. on Monday.

That followed his coronavirus diagnosis on Thursday night, which his doctors admitted had caused two drops in the president’s oxygen levels over the weekend.

And whilst his physician, Sean Conley, reported that the president had “no symptoms” on Monday, it was still not clear whether Mr Trump was still Covid-19 positive – and therefore potentially spreading his infection to White House staff at present.

Studies carried-out on coronavirus patients have so far shown that they typically continue to shed airborne virus particles for up to 10 days from their first symptoms, according to Dr Julian Tang, honorary associate professor in respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester.

Dr Tang argued that the president was likely still shedding virus particles if he was diagnosed on Friday morning.  

“If he was PCR (polymerase chain reaction) positive on Friday with more symptoms developing on Saturday last week, he is likely still infectious and shedding airborne virus each time he breathes,” said the professor.

The president has been widely criticised for ripping off his mask while appearing on the Truman balcony upon his return to the White House on Monday, a stunt described as being reminiscent of Mussolini. 

“We expect most acute Covid-19 cases to be shedding live virus for up to 10 days post-symptom onset,” he added, pointing to the body’s production of antibodies around 10 to 15 days after initial symptoms," Dr Tang added. 

“So, although he has apparently recovered to some extent from his acute Covid-19 phase, he is still in the process of clearing his virus,” Dr Tang said.

That assessment came as another close aide to the president, Stephen Miller, was diagnosed with the virus on Tuesday night.

As that news broke, CNN’s medical analyst and cardiologist, Dr Jonathan Reiner, suggested that Mr Trump was the White House’s so-called coronavirus “superspreader”.

"I think POTUS was infected with coronavirus for at least a week before he was admitted to the hospital ... I think he's the superspreader,” argued Dr Reiner. “And I think the reason the White House will not have the CDC do a formal check ... is they're concerned patient zero might be POTUS."

CNN reported on Tuesday that the White House is refusing the offer of contact tracing assistance from the Centers for Disease Control, amid speculation surrounding the extent of the administration's attempts to isolate potentially infected individuals.

Mr Trump is expected to continue recovering for at least another week from the White House, with less than four weeks to go until election day.

(Source: The Independent)

Trump tests positive for coronavirus – what we know and don't know

The US president and first lady, Melania Trump, have tested positive for coronavirus and will begin quarantine

What we know

• Donald Trump and Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus. The news came after one of the president’s most senior advisers, Hope Hicks, tested positive late on Wednesday. Trump broke the news of the couple’s infection on Twitter.
• Trump canceled travel to Florida for a planned campaign event. The severity of Covid-19 cases varies widely and it was not clear whether the president felt ill.
• The diagnosis left the next steps in the presidential campaign in doubt and led to a scramble for testing on Capitol Hill, where elected officials have been planning confirmation hearings for supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
• If Trump becomes too ill to lead the country, the vice-president, Mike Pence, could be placed in charge under a constitutional provision. Pence and his wife tested negative on Friday, a spokesperson announced.
• The Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, released a statement of support: “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.” Biden was reportedly due to take a Covid-19 test shortly.
• Hicks had flown with the president on Air Force One earlier on Wednesday and accompanied him to the first presidential debate on Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio.
• The CDC guidelines for people who have tested positive state that they should inform all close contacts.
• Pence attended a White House coronavirus taskforce briefing with Trump on Monday. Pence did not attend the presidential debate.
• Hicks is not the only White House staffer to have contracted the virus. Katie Miller, press secretary to the vice-president, who is married to Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller, has recovered from Covid-19. One of Trump’s personal valets also tested positive for coronavirus, in May.

Donald and Melania Trump at the airport in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday. The president and first lady have both tested positive for Covid-19. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

What we don’t know

• How long the virus has been circulating in the White House. Close aides to Trump told Bloomberg he seemed ill as early as Wednesday. According to the World Health Organization, it takes five or six days on average from when someone is infected until symptoms show, but it can take 14 days. It appears Hicks began to feel ill on Wednesday.
• If any of the people Trump came close to in the last week, including Biden at Tuesday’s debate, have become infected. Trump also attended a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday and a fundraiser at his New Jersey golf club on Thursday, the latter after Hicks had begun to show symptoms.

(Source: The Guardian)

I’ve interviewed Hillary Clinton. Biden is saying everything she wished she could

 When I spoke with Hillary, long after I’d been to her 2016 rallies and followed her on the campaign trail, she made some salient points about what women are allowed to say and do in politics

It’s not a good sign when the best part of a presidential debate is happening off-screen, but given the absolute dumpster fire that was the first showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, it’s also not surprising.

From politicians to pundits, everyone on Twitter had an opinion on the fiery exchange between the pair — which left neither looking particularly electable, never mind presidential.

But one person must have been smiling while watching the clash.

For former presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, Biden was finally getting in the jabs she had so clearly been holding in during her own debates with Trump in 2016.

One can just imagine Secretary Clinton raising a glass of her favorite Chardonnay as Biden told Trump to “shut up, man” — so much so that the writer Jill Filipovic tweeted: “I so feel for Hillary right now because I’m positive she wanted to say that and couldn’t”. Clinton replied: “You have no idea.” It was hands-down the best moment of the night.

Aside from some acerbic comments and well-placed jabs about his experience, Clinton largely shied away from hitting Trump on a personal level during the last election cycle, instead commenting in the October 2016 debate: “I am reminded of what my friend Michelle Obama advised us all. When they go low, you go high.”

Clinton, like all women in politics, didn’t have much choice but to go high. While no one fares well when they attempt to play Trump at his own nickname-giving, insult-driven game, female politicians are routinely painted as emotional, out-of-control, even hysterical if they step into the realm of trading personal blows.

Meanwhile, male politicians can shout, talk over one another, make brash, outlandish comments, and become worked up without anyone suggesting they are hormonal beasts whose decisions are being made by their wombs.

I covered the US election in 2016, reporting from Hillary Clinton rallies — where she was less guarded on home turf. When I interviewed her in 2019 and asked about the future of women in politics, most notably the misogynistic commentary she faced while campaigning, she was pleased there were so many more female candidates in the mix (six initially announced: Kamala Harris — now Biden’s VP pick — as well as Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Marianne Williamson and Tulsi Gabbard). But she was under no illusion that women were viewed as equal to men, explaining they were facing the same worn rhetoric she had seen during her own campaign.

And while Clinton was happy to tackle that sexism head-on, calling it out on numerous occasions, it clearly hampered her battle for the White House.

Despite Trump’s own brash and at times bumbling campaign, he was unapologetically himself. Clinton, meanwhile, was under such scrutiny that one got the feeling she was holding it all in — lest any misstep reveal her as a fallible, human woman.

Since her defeat, Clinton’s critique of the president has become far more outspoken than it was during her campaign. Highlights include her trolling Trump with a fake letter from the JFK archives and responding to the president’s infamous coronavirus bleach comments by telling her Twitter followers: “Please do not take medical advice from a man who looked directly at a solar eclipse”.

Biden may have fulfilled Clinton’s ambition in bluntly showing his frustration with Trump’s steamroller approach to the debate, but it won’t have done him any favors at the polls: Trump long ago proved it is poison to play him at his own game.

The former VP’s appeals to “the folks at home” are likely to have made more of an impact on voters than his dismissal of Trump, despite the transparent intentions, while the passion he showed talking about his sons was more powerful than any zinger.

Biden’s team will likely advise him not to snap back at Trump in future debates, but as a one-off it worked, and as a bonus made some good viewing for Clinton. It’s just a shame she didn’t get to say it herself.

(Source: The Independent)

Hillary Clinton agrees she would have liked to tell Trump to shut up in 2016 debate: 'You have no idea'

 Former nominee said people ‘had no idea’ how much she wanted to react to Mr Trump that way.

Hillary Clinton admitted she would have loved to tell Donald Trump to “shut up” in her 2016 debate with the president.

Ms Clinton told a Twitter follower “You have no idea” when it was suggested the former Democratic nominee would have liked to react angrily like Mr Biden had in the first debate.

 “”Will you shut up, man" is the line of the night. I feel so sorry for Hillary right now because I’m positive she wanted to say that and couldn’t,” Tweeted Jill Filipovic.

And Ms Clinton, who ran against and debated Mr Trump for the White House, immediately responded. 

“You have no idea,” she wrote.

Mr Biden lost patience with the president after being repeatedly interrupted by him during the opening 20 minutes of Tuesday night’s debate.

“Would you shut up, man?” the former vice president eventually told Mr Trump.

Moderator Chris Wallace tried to move onto a new topic as Mr Biden told him they had not achieved anything. 

"That was a really productive segment. Keep yappin', man," said Mr Biden.

A fundraising t-shirt with the slogan is already being sold by a Tennessee candidate for a congressional seat.

Ms Clinton and Mr Trump’s first debate of the 2016 campaign set a new record with  84 million viewers. 

It beat out the1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, which saw 80.2 million viewers tune in.

(Source: The Independent)

Barack Obama to release memoir weeks after US election

 A Promised Land due to be published on 17 November. Obama aims to provide ‘honest accounting of my presidency’

The first of two volumes of Barack Obama’s post-presidential memoirs will be published worldwide on 17 November, two weeks after the US election, Penguin Random House has announced.

A detail from the the cover of A Promised Land, which is the first of two volumes. Obama tweeted: ‘There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one.’ Photograph: Pari Dukovic/Penguin Random House

The publisher described the first volume, which will be issued in 25 languages, as covering the story of “his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world”. It indicated that it would cover his ascendancy to being the first black US president, and his first term in office.

Obama tweeted on Thursday: “There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one.”

He said he tried to “provide an honest accounting of my presidency, the forces we grapple with as a nation, and how we can heal our divisions and make democracy work for everybody”.

There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one. In A Promised Land, I try to provide an honest accounting of my presidency, the forces we grapple with as a nation, and how we can heal our divisions and make democracy work for everybody. pic.twitter.com/T1QSZVDvOm

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 17, 2020

The 768-page book is the most anticipated presidential memoir in living memory, as much for the quality read it promises as for any political gossip or revelations about his time in office. Obama has been called the most literary president since Abraham Lincoln and has written two highly praised, bestselling books – Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Both have been cited as aiding his presidential run in 2008.

Even with a substantial list price of $45 (£35), A Promised Land is virtually guaranteed to sell millions of copies. But it will face challenges far different from most presidential memoirs, and even from former first lady Michelle Obama’s blockbuster book, Becoming, which came out two years ago. As a result of the pandemic, the former president will probably be unable to host the same kind of spectacular arena tour as Michelle Obama.

The former first couple negotiated a package $65m deal for their memoirs – a figure the publisher appears likely to recoup.

Obama may also find his book coming out at a time when the 3 November election is still undecided and the country is far more preoccupied with who the next president will be than with events of the past.

A spokesperson for Obama said the publication date was chosen to avoid the possibility that the book would pull attention from the presidential campaign of Joe Biden, Obama’s vice-president. Obama has endorsed Biden and vowed to campaign for him. It was unclear how prominently Biden figures in the memoir.

The first volume of Obama’s post-White House memoirs concludes with the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden, according to the publisher. A second volume, with an unannounced publication date, is expected to cover the rest of the Obama presidency and beyond.

Penguin Random House said in the book Obama is “frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment”.

Obama added: “I hope more than anything that the book inspires young people across the country – and around the globe – to take up the baton, lift up their voices, and play their part in remaking the world for the better.”

(Source: The Guardian)

Why Black progressive women feel torn about Kamala Harris

We know we will have to defend Harris’s personal identity, while maneuvering against her political one

Vice President Joe Biden has announced that Senator Kamala Harris will join his political pursuit of the White House.

Women of color, particularly progressives, might feel torn. Perhaps even closeted excitement. Senator Harris is sharp, strategic, and witty, undoubtedly qualified to be vice president of the United States. She graduated from a historically Black college and belongs to a prestigious Black sorority. A biracial woman with Jamaican and Indian heritage, we have seen her break color barriers and shatter glass ceilings, even though poor, Black women have felt and swept the falling shards. Thousands celebrated her Senate seat win and even more were captivated when she picked apart presidential candidates at debates - especially Biden. Her one-liners were unforgettable. Until we remembered that she honed those argumentative skills in court as a prosecutor, including during fights to uphold wrongful convictions.

Then, there’s the fatigue. Progressives will have to defend the California senator’s personal identity, while maneuvering against her political identity. Political accession and racism go together like stars and stripes. First Lady Michelle Obama was horribly depicted as an ape. President Donald Trump called Congresswoman Maxine Waters a “low IQ individual.” Just weeks ago, a congressman called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez “disgusting” and a “fucking bitch.” 

‘Senator Harris is sharp, strategic, and witty, undoubtedly qualified to be vice-president of the United States.’ Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

Squad members Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Talib regularly experience xenophobic, Islamophobic, and racist attacks, intensified whenever they offer statements around social justice. Like the rest of these women, Senator Harris deserves safety and protection from harm. Black women, especially her sorors, will likely be her first line of defense.

Yet the defense against racist, sexist attacks must not interfere with the necessary offense required to push the Biden-Harris political ticket, for people who choose to play the electoral politics game. 

When activists criticized President Barack Obama, we were scathingly reminded how hard it was for him to be a Black man in the White House. He had significant executive power and influence to shift resources, call for legislation, and even free people from prison (which his own administration seemingly neglected). We were told to wait. Then, after eight years, we were told that too much was at stake to organize for free college, universal healthcare, the end to police and prison violence, and a clean planet. Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam” calls this “do it slow:”

But that’s just the trouble, ‘Do it slow’

Desegregation, ‘Do it slow’

Mass participation, ‘Do it slow’

Reunification, ‘Do it slow’

Do things gradually, Do it slow’

But bring more tragedy, ‘Do it slow’

Since the song’s release, the time seems to never be right to push politicians towards progress.

No more slow. No more imaginary ancestral, postmortem pleas on who died so that we can vote today. People fought and died for lots of reasons alongside voting, but most importantly, for the right of self-determination, which moderates defend for the right and dismiss for the left. No more.

This generational fatigue, from Nina Simone to Nina Turner, from Fannie Lou Hamer to Cori Bush, compounds with the political fatigue of doing progressive work around a party that undermines progressive values. Vice President Biden and Senator Harris will be determined to prove that their party has not been hijacked by “the radical left,” as Vice President Mike Pence described today. He continued, “So given their promises of higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine, and abortion on demand, it’s no surprise that he chose Senator Harris.” This inaccurate characterization is an unfortunate tactic that will push the Biden-Harris ticket further to the right. Together, Biden and Harris might still reject universal healthcare during the deadliest pandemic in recent memory - a death every 80 seconds. Together, they will promise expensive “common sense” police reform to a movement against senseless police spending. And together, they will affirm the power of the Black vote, while daring, do you really think you have any other choice?

I am reluctant to say that Biden and Harris can be pushed. My hope of being wrong is greater than my fear of being right. That hope comes from countless activists who organize across the state and local level, who are vigorously defending democracy on their blocks and creating care in their families and communities. That hope comes from studying Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, who, facing impossible odds and considerable violence and no resources, decided to forge an alternative to the political establishment. Hamer asks, “Is this America, the land of the free and home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?”

If we must support politicians of color seeking office, let’s especially protect the ones in Hamer’s tradition, who risk their lives resisting white supremacy, Republicans, and moderate Democrats. And if we want to truly honor Black women’s labor and fatigue to change this country, the cost will be significantly higher than the price of the ticket to run it.

(Source: The Guardian)

If he wins a second term, Trump's priorities will drastically change. And that's a big problem for all of us

Until now, the president has been focused on re-election. But that won't be the case if he wins in November — instead, he'll take a hard pivot toward protecting his own personal interests

John Bolton’s motivations were clear. He wanted to cash in with his new book and settle many a score. But what his revelations suggest about Donald Trump’s motivations are even more troubling than his own.

The former White House official wrote his former boss was not driven by any world view or philosophy. He warned that policy is made in what White House and across the Trump administration, as anyone paying close attention could discern, in a haphazard and rather sloppy manner.

Bolton concluded that, as always, the lone philosophy driving the president was Trumpism. Translation: Win at all costs.

“I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn’t driven by re-election calculations,” Bolton wrote.

Bolton wrote that many of the president’s discussions with other foreign leaders were mostly about his own re-election. To that end, he claims Trump “pleaded” with Chinese president Xi Jinping to help him win re-election in 2020 by purchasing more US farm products.

At a one-on-one meeting during a global summit in Japan in the summer of 2019, Xi expressed his dissatisfaction with some critics of China within the United States. Trump mistakenly assumed Xi was talking about Democratic lawmakers, according to his then-national security adviser.

The thought pattern is vintage Trump. The president thinks about the politics of just about everything first, second and third, meaning how a decision or policy move might impact his own political future.

“Trump immediately assumed Xi meant the Democrats. Trump said approvingly that there was great hostility among the Democrats,” Bolton writes. “He then, stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election, alluding to China’s economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns, pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win.”

What, then, if Trump, as he did facing similar national poll numbers four years ago, defies expectations on Election Day and wins another term?

Republicans, just about every serious political prognosticator is predicting, would fall well short of the votes needed in Congress to change federal law to allow the president to seek a third term.

That would remove re-election from Trump’s mind as he makes all kinds of decisions about policy, foreign and domestic.

We have enough evidence, mostly drawn from the president’s own words and actions, to make educated guesses that his businesses and his post-presidency legal status would become paramount.

He has never really stopped worrying about the former. And he went a long way towards confirming the latter last Friday night.

That’s when Trump approved the firing of a key US attorney believed to be investigating him and some of his associates. His top spokeswoman confirmed the president’s involvement, but only after yet another confusing few days at the White House.

Attorney General William Barr said Saturday that, with Mr Trump’s approval he had fired Geoffrey Berman as the US attorney for Manhattan, a post that saw him oversee the Southern District of New York. The powerful branch of the Justice Department has been investigating a list of things Trump, which has reportedly angered the president.

After a back-and-forth between Barr and Berman that remains murky, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday said Berman “decided not to leave” his post in New York and take a desk job in Washington, prompting Barr to seek permission to fire him.

“At that point, that's when the president agreed with the attorney general,” she said. “He was involved in a sign-off capacity.”

It took the presidency two days to come clean about his role in moving out of the way yet another senior Justice Department official who has been examining Trump World. Whether the murkiness and confusion are intentional – designed to obfuscate the reality of a president Democrats and some Republicans say sees himself as above the law – or merely another product of a White House that has never figured out how to get its story straight.

But the president’s willingness to paint himself as innocent in the Berman affair only makes images of a second term focused on protecting his own hide legally more troubling.

“Well, that’s all up to the Attorney General,” Trump said. “Attorney General Barr is working on that. That’s his department, not my department. But we have a very capable attorney general. So that’s really up to him. I’m not involved.”

But the president has told us over and over that he – not the FBI director and not the attorney general – is the country’s “top law enforcement officer.” And current and former Justice Department officials told a House committee this week that Trump is very much involved, pressuring Barr to help his friends and help his political prospects.

Aaron Zelinsky, a former lawyer on Mueller’s team who worked on the DOJ’s criminal case against former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone, told the panel that the president’s longtime adviser and friend received “unprecedentedly favourable treatment because he was ‘afraid of the president.’”

A Justice Department that fears a second-term president motivated by what federal prosecutors might have unearthed about him, his family and close associates? It is not difficult to image Mr Trump, angered by news reports about what the Southern District of New York (SDNY) might have found, firing all the Bermans that come along.

His requests of other world leaders likely would grow more and more bold and self-focused. Whether the Justice Department could resist Mr Trump’s every bout of rage-watching cable news seems unlikely, especially with an AG like Barr at its helm.

“Everything, every last thing Trump does, serves Trump's own interests. Who leads SDNY is no exception,” Walter Shaub, a former White House ethics chief, tweeted amid the chaos on Saturday. “The only unknown is how big a price America will pay as a result.”

Your move, voters.

(Source: Independent)