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Donald Trump Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2016 91 Comments
Donald Trump had a good night, but he's still far from what it takes to win what is required -- a majority of all delegates. Here is the delegate count as of approximately 11:45 p.m. Eastern tonight. It will change somewhat because the delegate allocation calculations are not simple. Republican delegate count 3-15-2016 Trump supporters -- and some in the *conservative* media -- want to pretend that having a plurality of delegates or raw vote entitles Trump to the nomination. But it doesn't.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2016 34 Comments
In assessing why the Michelle Fields - Corey Lewandowski dispute had such media legs, I previously assessed that there was a great dislike of Breitbart News among other media types and bloggers in part because of its treatment of employees, The Michelle Fields controversy is only barely about Michelle Fields:
Breitbart News has a reputation for having particularly sharp elbows as to employees. And many of us know those employees and former employees and have heard stories. That doesn’t mean Breitbart News does anything it’s not legally entitled to do, but, for example, people being locked into strict contracts seems pretty rough in a business where people float around a lot for relatively little pay. The Dana Loesch lawsuit created a lot of ill will among conservative bloggers.
Non-disparagement clauses -- in which parties agree not to criticize each other -- long have been rumored to be part of Breitbart News employee contracts. Indeed, there was a suggestion in the Breitbart News post about Ben Shapiro -- which was taken down with an apology -- that there might be legal action based on contractual provisions:
Shapiro, a Harvard lawyer and member of the State Bar of California, apparently violated virtually every clause in his employment contract during an appearance on The Kelly File last Thursday evening.
Now Politico reports that unnamed former employees have been getting cease and desist letters:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 15, 2016 35 Comments
Well, now we know. Defunct presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson, raised many an eyebrow when he endorsed Donald Trump for president. Of course the assumption was the obvious -- Carson "sold out" for an administrative promise. Those who believed the speculation were less cynical and more right, apparently. Speaking to Newsmax Monday, Carson said he would be joining the Trump administration should it become a reality:
Dr. Ben Carson revealed on Newsmax TV Monday that he will work in Donald Trump's administration — at least in an "advisory capacity" — if the Republican presidential front-runner is elected to the White House.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 14, 2016 15 Comments
It's Super Tuesday (again) Eve! Tomorrow, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio have will hold their primary elections. Florida and Ohio are winner-take-all states; no delegate splitting in either. Here's the latest from the wild world of campaigns:

Florida's Attorney General endorses Trump

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 14, 2016 16 Comments
I knew that the 2016 election would be filled with black swans, events that deviate beyond what normally occurs during typical campaign seasons. However, the disruption of Donald Trump's rallies is not such a creature. Leftist operators have been a staple at conservative, grassroots events ever since I began organizing tea party rallies with our San Diego group in 2009. During the first year of the Tea Party, for which we obtained all the necessary permits and arranged for top-notch security, among our most consistent attendees were progressive counter-protesters who blasted bullhorns during speeches given by our guests. When Tea Party didn't disappear, anarchists in black coats began mingling with our crowds in search of opportunities to make trouble. Threats of harassment cast a shadow on these events. The direction of the threats were always one way: Toward us, as a group of average citizens who were over-taxed, over-burdened by regulations, and over-tired of being dismissed by the establishment.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 14, 2016 74 Comments
This story continues to get uglier. To catch up on the Michelle Fields/Trump Campaign/Breitbart News saga, see here, here, and here. Sunday night. Breitbart News' editor-at-large, Ben Shapiro, along with reporter, Michelle Fields, resigned. Breitbart's Spokesman resigned last week. Fields alleges that Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's campaign manager, manhandled her after asking Trump a race-related question. Lewandowski and the Trump campaign deny it. Since the allegations were made public, Breitbart News has seen internal turmoil over whether to defend Fields, and if so, to what extent. Buzzfeed broke the story of the resignations Sunday night, including Shapiro's resignation statement, which reads in full:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2016 93 Comments
By now you undoubtedly have heard of the controversy over whether Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski grabbed Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields with sufficient force to cause her bruising on her arm. And whether Breitbart News sacrificed her so as to maintain pro-Trump coverage and good relations with Trump's campaign. If you have not heard of it, welcome back from the rock under which you've been hiding the past few days. I'm not going to rehash the back and forth. Kemberlee has comprehensive coverage of the allegations and counter-allegations in Part 1 and Part 2 of her coverage. I'm going to focus on why it has been such a big deal. I see four main reasons: (1) good faith concern for Michelle Fields' well-being, (2) a desire to defend the freedom of the press, (3) trying to gain political advantage against Trump, and (4) a dislike of Breitbart News.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on March 13, 2016 62 Comments
Protesters have been interrupting quite a few Trump events of late, but none were as "successful" as the one in Chicago.  That multi-pronged, organized and coordinated protest, covered by Professor Jacobson, actually shut down the event.  The progressive left is hailing this as a victory, so we are sure to see more of the same at future Trump events, and because it's perceived as a "victory," at the events of other Republican candidates before too long.  Professor Jacobson also discusses this slippery slope in another post. One report from a Politico writer explains how the organizer and some of his classmates felt in the minutes before the event was cancelled and as the students prepared for their disruption. Politico reports:
Just 50 feet in front of the podium where Trump was scheduled to appear at any moment, Nathaniel Lewis, a 25-year-old African-American graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, had established a beachhead of sorts: a pocket of about three dozen college students and activists. They were ready, too. What Lewis and dozens of his UIC classmates had planned was perhaps bigger—and better organized—than any protest Trump had faced to date. It had been a week in the making, and now everyone was in place: with roughly 2,500 on the street outside and hundreds more inside, including dozens working directly with Lewis. As they waited, the crowd growing loud around them, a few were starting to feel doubts about what they were hoping to do.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 12, 2016 129 Comments
One of the most difficult things in politics is to defend the rights of politicians you otherwise might not want to defend. One of those cases was the defense of Sarah Palin against a vicious left-wing smear machine that targeted even her youngest child, who was mocked not only for having Down Syndrome but for not having been aborted. The sexist distortions and outright lies about Palin reached an apex when she was blamed by left-wing bloggers for the shooting of Gabby Giffords and murder of others by Jared Loughner. The excuse was that Palin allegedly used incendiary words and created a climate of fear; a national electoral map she used which had crosshairs over some districts was blamed directly. In reality, Loughner was a psychotic person who, to the extent his politics were of this world, leaned left. There is no evidence Loughner ever saw the map in question. Loughner was held mentally unfit for trial. Yet Palin was blamed, and even some Republicans joined in the chorus. I wrote at the time that the defense of Palin was not a defense of Palin the person or politician, but of the principle that if Republicans enabled such dishonest tactics against her, then no Republican politician was safe:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 12, 2016 35 Comments
The Breitbart/Michelle Fields/Trump Campaign Manager saga continues. If you're just joining this story, I would suggest beginning with Part 1 as this post picks up where the other left off. Breitbart Reporter and Fox News contributor, Michelle Fields, claimed Donald Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, grabbed her arm, tossing her towards the ground when she asked Trump a race-related question. Breitbart News offered a muddled initial response, suggesting if Lewandowski had in fact grabbed Fields, he should apologize. A Washington Post reporter with Fields at the time of the alleged altercation identified Lewandowski as the individual responsible for grabbing Fields. The Trump campaign denied Lewandowski put his hands on Fields and then proceeded to attack her as "delusional."

Both sides of the argument

Thursday, Breitbart's Editor at Large, Ben Shapiro and Trump supporting defense attorney, David Wohl, joined Megyn Kelly to discuss the alleged altercation:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 11, 2016 159 Comments
This is a developing situation. There were large protests outside a planned Donald Trump rally in Chicago, at the University of Illinois. The event was canceled for security reasons when a large number of protesters got inside, scuffles broke out, and at least one person managed to get on the podium. Large groups of protesters chanted "Bernie, Bernie" and were met with chants of "Trump, Trump" as police moved to separate them. Here is a live stream from earlier INSIDE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVszzOp3iWM Here is a live stream from earier OUTSIDE:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 10, 2016 20 Comments
Welcome to our live coverage of tonight's GOP debate.

How to watch:

When and where is the debate? The Republican debate will be held at the University of Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday. How can I watch it? It will be broadcast live on CNN, as well as live-streamed online at CNN.com and across mobile devices for all users without logging in. CNN International and CNN en Espanol will also simulcast the debate. Salem Radio Network will be the exclusive radio provider for the debate. Who will moderate the debate? CNN's Jake Tapper will moderate and CNN's Dana Bash, Salem talk radio host Hugh Hewitt and The Washington Times' Stephen Dinan will join as questioners.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 10, 2016 31 Comments
Since neurosurgeon Ben Carson suspended his presidential campaign, rumors of a looming Trump endorsement have bounced around the poltisphere. The Washington Post reported this evening that Dr. Carson will endorse Donald Trump at a rally Friday morning:
Conservative favorite Ben Carson, who last week suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, plans to endorse Donald Trump on Friday morning, according to two people familiar with his thinking. The endorsement, perhaps the most high-profile nod for Trump since New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie backed him, was finalized Thursday morning when Carson met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the luxury club owned by the Republican front-runner, the people said. The sources requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. Friday’s announcement will also take place at the club in Palm Beach, Fla., where the onetime rivals will appear alongside one another at a news conference.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 10, 2016 136 Comments
As you know, I'm not for Trump for many reasons, including that making big government great again is only a mild improvement over the current situation, and potentially worse. Smaller government and more individual liberty is my benchmark, and I think that's achievable in an election cycle with fundamentally flawed Democrat candidates. But I also hope I have not denigrated Trump voters. There is a real and politically ignored hurting in America that lands a meaningful percentage of Republican voters (so far, 30-40%) comprising many cross-over Democrats into a so far unmovable voting block. I've pointed to the immigration issue and the sense of loss of country. But it may be deeper than than, going to a level I / we can't truly understand. It's summarized in an excellent article in US News, by attorney Michael A. Cooper, Jr. in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, A Message from Trump's America:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 09, 2016 51 Comments
Last night is being hyped as a Yuuuge comeback for Trump. Actually, not much changed other than the media narrative:
Last night's primary and caucus results changed the momentum in both presidential races. But they didn't significantly alter the overall math and trajectory of the two contests. Let's start with the Republican race. Donald Trump headed into last night losing some steam after Ted Cruz's gains over the weekend. And what did Trump do? He won the Michigan and Mississippi primaries by double digits over Cruz, and he even triumphed in Hawaii's caucuses. (Trump's one loss came in Idaho, where Cruz beat him, 45%-28%.) Still, the results don't truly change the overall math for Trump: He still needs to win Florida and/or Ohio to be on a stronger path to the 1,237 delegates needed to capture the GOP nomination. The good news for him: His top competition in Florida (Marco Rubio) and Ohio (John Kasich) certainly don't have the political winds at their backs. Here's the GOP delegate math: Trump currently has a 93-delegate lead over Cruz

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 08, 2016 103 Comments
Here's the primary/caucus schedule today, followed by Real Clear politics poll averages:

Mississippi · 40 delegates

Last poll closes at 8:00 PM ET There's only one recent (2/29) poll, showing Trump ahead by 24 points.  Fair to assume Trump will win, but I doubt it's by 24 points.

Michigan · 59 delegates

Last poll closes at 9:00 PM ET Trump ahead by double digits BUT Kasich surging and Rubio falling: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/mi/michigan_republican_presidential_primary-3933.html

Idaho · 32 delegates

Last poll closes at 11:00 PM ET Only one recent (2/26) poll, showing Trump ahead by 11 points. Hardly enough evidence to predict an outcome.

Hawaii (caucus) · 19 delegates

Last poll closes at 12:00 AM ET No polling. More to follow.

Posted by Jonathan Levin on March 08, 2016 42 Comments
The Rules Of The Republican Party deal with the organization and operation of the Republican Party, including everything from apportioning delegates to the national convention, to how to change the rules themselves. What if I told you that the RNC had a rule that under some circumstances could result in no candidate's name being placed in nomination so that the Republicans had no nominee; or create a convention deadlock because the only candidate whose name could be placed in nomination could not be nominated because he didn't have a majority of delegates as is required under another rule; or in another scenario only one candidate who didn't even have a majority of delegates would claim the nomination over the objection of the majority of delegates. If you didn't know the names of the candidates or which scenario played out, you'd say "that's absurd, change the rule." That latter scenario may very well play out, and hand Donald Trump the nomination (in the view of his supporters) even if he didn't have a majority of delegates, and even if most delegates didn't want him to be the nominee. It's all because of Rule 40(b).  Which is why if the RNC has any sense, it will change the rule as soon as possible to avoid an absurd and the undemocratic (small "d") result.
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