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A week ago, President Donald Trump appeared to make a tacit endorsement in Arizonas upcoming Senate race when he tweeted his excitement to see former state Sen. Kelli Ward mount a challenge against sitting Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ).

A pro-Trump super PAC quickly followed his lead by putting $20,000 behind Wards challenge soon thereafter.

But by Tuesday night, when the president traveled to Phoenix for a campaign rally, he was already signaling second thoughts over being too closely tied to Wards campaign.

The president huddled with Arizona Treasurer Jeff DeWit, former state GOP Chairman Robert Graham, and Rep. Trent Franks before the rally took place. Part of the conversation was geared toward feeling out whether Graham or DeWit, both early supporters of Trump during his campaign, would mount a challenge in the Republican Senate primary. Ward, notably, was not granted an audience with the president nor was she made a VIP at the event even as DeWit emceed the nights proceedings. And now, Graham is insisting that the presidents keeping his options open.

There was no inclination that he was leaning towards Dr. Ward in any stretch of the imagination, Graham told The Daily Beast in a phone interview. He said he and DeWit talk a lot with people in the White House and the Trump campaign and that theyre leaning on Jeff and I to make a decision.

DeWits office told The Daily Beast that he was not commenting on the race at this time.

The indecision from Trump over how to best approach the suddenly contentious GOP primary in Arizona is a reflection of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants style hes brought to politics in general. The presidents tweet about WardGreat to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. Hes toxic!gave Wards campaign a major boost among pro-Trump media figures and allies like Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity.

It also led conservatives in Arizona to frantically try and pull the president in another direction before it became too late to, or too uncomfortable, to back away from Ward.

Graham said that if DeWit ultimately got into the race, he would support him and vice versa. He also said that Trump seemed primarily concerned about the prospect of losing the seat in next years race.

Look we have two senators in the state of Arizona who have kind of rocked the boat on the presidents agenda. One is in vocal constant opposition, Graham said describing Flake. Our primary is in late August. Whoever decides to get into the race, they have time because the numbers of Jeff Flake are so low.

The White House did not immediately respond to a question from The Daily Beast about the nature of the Ward tweet.

Graham theorizes that should Flake be the GOP nominee, the states Trump-loving Republican base may not show up to vote. One recent survey from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling showed Flake with just a 22 percent job approval among voters who backed Trump in 2016. And while Ward may stand a better chance of animating those particular voters, as she has closely aligned herself with the administration, the concern expressed at the Phoenix rally meeting was that she was not strong enough to win the general election.

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According to Graham, Trump was very clear that he was not endorsing Ward at this time.

A spokesman for Ward did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast about Grahams assertions.

Whats clear, at this juncture, is that Trump is keen on unseating Flake in the primary. He lashed out at the Senator during Tuesdays rally and Flake responded on Thursday by saying that the presidents behavior was inviting a 2020 primary challenger. Less clear is the presidents preferred solution. Wards early entrance into the race drew financial support from some major pro-Trump donors. Robert Mercer, a hedge fund billionaire who has been closely aligned with former White House strategist Steve Bannon, donated $300,000 to a super PAC supportive of Ward.

But its unclear if the White House itself views her as the best candidate, perhaps because other challengers are not earnestly making their cases. Graham said Wards inability to defeat McCain in last years primary showed signs of weakness for her general election prospects next year. Theres no specific message outside of her saying she supports president Trumps agenda, he said. Everybody feels this. And it didnt help that Ward recently made headlines for saying McCain should step aside after his brain cancer diagnosis.

Ward already is the primary target of Flakes supporters. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), released an ad this week saying Ward has crazy ideas and calling her Chemtrail Kelli Ward, in reference to a 2014 town hall Ward held to discuss chemtrails.

Were not willing to throw this Senate seat away to Democrats by nominating a fringe candidate like Kelli Ward, Steven Law, Senate Leadership Funds president and a former McConnell chief of staff told Politico this week.

But there may be a simpler additional reason as to why Trump remains hesitant on Ward, according to Graham. And thats loyalty. Graham and DeWit have been on Trumps side throughout his turbulent campaign and presidency with the former releasing a statement of support in the immediate aftermath of the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape.

The president is incredibly loyal, Graham told The Daily Beast. If you work hard for him and he trusts you, he becomes a fan.

See original here:
Donald Trump Is Backing Away From Jeff Flake Challenger Kelli Ward - Daily Beast

Win McNamee

The president thinks hes still the victim.

There has been plenty to criticize congressional Republicans over during Donald Trump's term. On the whole, they've been more than happy to talk about how "troubled" they are by President Trump's behavior, but ask them to do anything about said terrible and terrifying behavior, and suddenly the Mitch McConnells and Paul Ryans of the world are nowhere to be found. Why? Because as much as they understand supporting an openly bigoted president is a bad look for them, they also know that torpedoing this presidency could spell doom for all of their pet policy projects (read: giving tax cuts to rich people while screwing over the less fortunate).

So yes, it is absolutely reasonable to be pissed at GOP members of Congress. Considering the scope and depth of the scandals that currently swirl around the president, Donald Trump should be on his knees thanking House and Senate Republicans for mostly giving him a pass on the myriad things they couldnay, shouldbe investigating. But of course Donald Trump is not grateful. No, in fact, he's resentful and angry with this Congress for giving him a hard time.

Imagine being such an egotistical monster that, when it comes out that your son, son-in-law, and campaign manager all met with a Russian lawyer who claimed to be representing the Russian government in its attempt to collude with your campaign against your opponent, you think it's unfair that Congress wants to sanction some Russians. It is beyond insane, and yet according to a new Politico report, that's exactly what happened. Trump, who is the only person in the world who thinks the problem is congressional Republicans being too hard on him, made phone calls to multiple GOP senators (including a public beef with Mitch McConnell) to fight against the need for sanctions.

Trump expressed frustration over a bipartisan bill sanctioning Russia and tried to convince Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that it wasn't good policy, according to three people familiar with the call. Trump argued that the legislation was unconstitutional and said it would damage his presidency. Corker was unrelenting, these people said, and told Trump the bill was going to pass both houses with bipartisan support.

But if that didn't scream, "I'm guilty!" loud enough, he also made calls to protest against a bipartisan bill that would protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by Trump. This would ensure Mueller's investigation isn't stymied by a nervous Trump. If Trump were innocent, this wouldn't be a problem, but apparently it's a problem.

Trump dialed up Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Aug. 7... Tillis is working with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on a bill designed to protect Robert Mueller, the independent counsel investigating the president's Russia connections, from any attempt by Trump to fire him.

The Mueller bill came up during the Tillis-Trump conversation, according to a source briefed on the call the latest signal of the president's impatience with GOP senators' increasing declarations of independence from his White House. Trump was unhappy with the legislation and didn't want it to pass, one person familiar with the call said.

And here's the thing: He doesn't even realize how good he has it! He has so many Republicans in Congress ruining themselves out of fear of upsetting Donald and his base, and instead of recognizing how lucky he is, he has taken to attempting to intimidate those who do LITERALLY THE BARE MINIMUM to hold him accountable. One could hope that this would just make these members harder on Trump, but one might be a naive idiot, if the past seven months are any indication.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONE

Original post:
Donald Trump Is Now Yelling at Republican Senators Over Russia - GQ Magazine

BBC News

Donald Trump softens tone to urge 'a new unity' BBC News US President Donald Trump has called for a "new unity", a day after a campaign-style rally in which he attacked political foes and media. Speaking in Reno, Nevada, Mr Trump said "we are one people with one home and one great flag". "In America, we ... After angry rally, Trump calls for healing in NevadaCNN Donald Trump Talks Love And Unity Hours After Blaming Sick Media For Neo-Nazis At RallyDeadline Donald Trump's Rally in Phoenix Was an Unhinged Nightmare. Here Are the Lowlights.Mother Jones all 215 news articles »

Here is the original post:
Donald Trump softens tone to urge 'a new unity' - BBC News

I went through the transcript of Trump's speech -- all 77 minutes -- and picked out his 57 most outrageous lines, in chronological order. They're below.

1. "And just so you know from the Secret Service, there aren't too many people outside protesting, OK. That I can tell you."

2. "A lot of people in here, a lot of people pouring right now. They can get them in. Whatever you can do, fire marshals, we'll appreciate it."

So many people love me -- it's hard to fit them all in the building! But, try!

3. "You know I'd love it if the cameras could show this crowd, because it is rather incredible. It is incredible."

For the record: The cameras always show the crowd. Have for months and years.

4. "We went to center stage almost from day one in the debates. We love those debates."

The election ended 287 days ago, as of last night.

5. "Our movement is a movement built on love."

6. "We all share the same home, the same dreams and the same hopes for a better future. A wound inflicted upon one member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all."

7. "I see all those red hats and white hats. It's all happening very fast. It's called: 'Make America Great Again.'"

Trump conflates a call to unity and an end to divisiveness with supporting him. The country is coming together because lots of people at a campaign rally have "MAGA" hats on!

8. "Just like (the media doesn't) want to report that I spoke out forcefully against hatred, bigotry and violence and strongly condemned the neo-Nazis, the White Supremacists, and the KKK."

9. "So here is my first statement when I heard about Charlottesville -- and I have a home in Charlottesville, a lot of people don't know."

Follow this logic: The media says I didn't condemn the white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. I did -- because I have a house there, which many people don't know.

10. "So here's what I said, really fast, here's what I said on Saturday: 'We're closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia' -- this is me speaking. 'We condemn in the strongest, possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence.' That's me speaking on Saturday."

This is what he actually said (italics/bolding mine): "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It's been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time."

Which is not the same thing. At all.

11. "I think I can't do much better, right?"

No, you could have done much, much better. Just ask your own party -- the vast majority of which condemned your Charlottesville comments. Also, Trump is always doing great!

12. "I hope they're showing how many people are in this room, but they won't"

[narrator voice]: They were.

13. "I call them anarchists. Because, believe me, we have plenty of anarchists. They don't want to talk about the anarchists."

Believe me, I know anarchists. The best anarchists. Bigly.

14. "If you're reading a story about somebody, you don't know. You assume it's honest, because it's like the failing New York Times, which is like so bad. It's so bad."

I have no idea what Trump's point is here. But MAN, the New York Times is failing, right?!?!?

15. "Or the Washington Post, which I call a lobbying tool for Amazon, OK, that's a lobbying tool for Amazon."

Amazon doesn't own the Washington Post. Jeff Bezos does.

16. "Or CNN, which is so bad and so pathetic, and their ratings are going down."

17. "I mean, CNN is really bad, but ABC this morning -- I don't watch it much, but I'm watching in the morning, and they have little George Stephanopoulos talking to Nikki Haley, right? Little George."

A few things: 1. Trump watches TV constantly. 2. "Little George": Trump as bully-in-chief.

18. "I didn't say I love you because you're black, or I love you because you're white, or I love you because you're from Japan, or you're from China, or you're from Kenya, or you're from Scotland or Sweden. I love all the people of our country."

19. "How about -- how about all week they're talking about the massive crowds that are going to be outside. Where are they? Well, it's hot out. It is hot. I think it's too warm."

It was warm! (105 or so.) But, again, multiple media reports -- including CNN's -- show that there were thousands of protesters.

20. "You know, they show up in the helmets and the black masks, and they've got clubs and they've got everything -- Antifa!"

21. "Then I said, racism is evil. Do they report that I said that racism is evil?"

22. "Now they only choose, you know, like a half a sentence here or there and then they just go on this long rampage, or they put on these real lightweights all around a table that nobody ever heard of, and they all say what a bad guy I am."

"Racism is evil -- and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," Trump said in response to the attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.

23. "But, I mean do you ever see anything -- and then you wonder why CNN is doing relatively poorly in the ratings"

See #16.

24. "But with me, they wanted me to say it, and I said it. And I said it very clearly, but they refused to put it on."

The issue was that Trump said -- on Saturday, August 12, and then again on Tuesday, August 15 -- that the violence and hate on display in Charlottesville was "on many sides" and then that "both sides" were responsible for it. And, the news media didn't condemn Trump for that; it was his own party who did that.

25. "I hit him with neo-Nazi. I hit them with everything. I got the white supremacists, the neo-Nazi. I got them all in there, let's say. KKK, we have KKK. I got them all."

This is revealing in a way Trump doesn't mean it to be. He views the naming of the KKK and the neo-Nazis who were responsible for this violence as a box-checking exercise. I said their names -- so what's the problem?! (Of course,Trump didn't call out these groups in his initial statement on Saturday, which was the problem.)

26. "So then the last one, on Tuesday -- Tuesday I did another one: 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence. It has no place in America.'

27. "So that was my words."

Over 2,000 of them in fact. All dedicated to rewriting what he actually said about Charlottesville.

28. "Now, you know, I was a good student. I always hear about the elite. You know, the elite. They're elite? I went to better schools than they did. I was a better student than they were. I live in a bigger, more beautiful apartment, and I live in the White House, too, which is really great."

29. "The words were perfect. They only take out anything they can think of, and for the most part, all they do is complain. But they don't put on those words. And they don't put on me saying those words."

Trump is not sorry. Not ever. He has convinced himself that what he said initially about Charlottesville was "perfect." And, I realize this may be getting repetitive, but the media reported every word Trump said about Charlottesville. Period. The end.

30. "And yes, by the way -- and yes, by the way, they are trying to take away our history and our heritage. You see that."

This is demagogic language from Trump about the media. "They" are trying to rob us of "our history and our heritage." You don't have to look very hard to see racial and ethnic coding in that language.

31. "I really think they don't like our country. I really believe that."

Trump's claim that the media doesn't "like" America is hugely offensive. Offensive and dangerous. Imagine ANY other president saying anything close to this -- and what the reaction would be.

32. "Look back there, the live red lights. They're turning those suckers off fast out there. They're turning those lights off fast."

33. "CNN does not want its falling viewership to watch what I'm saying tonight, I can tell you."

See #16.

34. "If I don't have social media, I probably would not be standing."

Same.

35. "They'll say, 'Donald Trump is in a Twitter-storm.' These are sick people."

Your guess is as good as mine.

36. "You would think -- you would think they'd want to make our country great again, and I honestly believe they don't. I honestly believe it." The media, in Trump's telling, is rooting against the country. Let me say again: Rhetoric like this is offensive, dishonest and dangerous.

37. "The New York Times essentially apologized after I won the election, because their coverage was so bad, and it was so wrong, and they were losing so many subscribers that they practically apologized."

38. "I must tell you, Fox has treated me fairly. Fox treated me fairly."

39. "How good is Hannity? How good is Hannity? And he's a great guy, and he's an honest guy. And 'Fox and Friends in the Morning' is the best show, and it's the absolute, most honest show, and it's the show I watch."

40. "Oh, those cameras are going off. Wow. That's the one thing, they're very nervous to have me on live television."

41. "I'm a person that wants to tell the truth. I'm an honest person, and what I'm saying, you know is exactly right."

42. "You've got people outside, but not very many."

He is obsessed with crowd size. Obsessed.

43. "So, was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job?"

44. "He should have had a jury, but you know what? I'll make a prediction. I think he's going to be just fine, OK?"

The "pardon" tease! Make sure to stay tuned for next week's episode!

45. "It was like 115 degrees. I'm out signing autographs for an hour. I was there. That was a hot day."

It was hot. But I am still very popular. Extremely popular. Believe me.

(And for what it's worth, CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak emails: "It was 106 degrees and he spent no more than 25 minutes shaking hands.")

46. "But believe me, if we have to close down our government, we're building that wall."

47. "'Extreme vetting' -- I came up with that term."

...he says proudly.

48. "And we have to speak to Mitch and we have to speak to everybody."

49. "But, you know, they all said, Mr. President, your speech was so good last night, please, please, Mr. President don't mention any names. So I won't. I won't. No I won't vote -- one vote away, I will not mention any names. Very presidential, isn't' it? Very presidential."

This is Trump taking a shot at John McCain, who is currently battling brain cancer, for voting against the repeal and replace health care legislation. It's also Trump showing how closely he reads press coverage and how he likes to openly flout suggestions of being more "presidential."

50. "And nobody wants me to talk about your other senator, who's weak on borders, weak on crime, so I won't talk about him. Nobody wants me to talk about him. Nobody knows who the hell he is."

Jeff Flake is a sitting Republican senator. Trump is running him down in his home state at a campaign rally less than a week removed from touting one of his primary challengers on Twitter.

51. "Did you see Gruber got fired yesterday? He got fired because he defrauded somebody or something. Something very bad happened. Check it out. Something happened."

52. "One vote -- speak to your senator, please. Speak to your senator."

53. "I think we've gotten more than anybody, including Harry Truman, who was number one, but they will tell you we've got none."

54. "But Kim Jong Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us. I respect that fact very much. Respect that fact."

Respect. That. Fact.

55. "I don't believe that any president has accomplished as much as this president in the first six or seven months. I really don't believe it." Trump believes that by saying things, he wills them into existence and truth.

He doesn't.

56. "They're trying to take away our culture. They are trying to take away our history."

[dog whistle]

57. "So I think we'll end up probably terminating NAFTA at some point, OK? Probably." Way to throw a major policy pronouncement into the end of a speech while negotiations are ongoing!

View post:
Donald Trump's 57 most outrageous quotes from his Arizona speech - CNN

President Trump speaks with newly sworn-in White House chief of staff John Kelly at the White House on July 31. Kelly is one of four former generals who were appointed to top administration positions. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

President Trump speaks with newly sworn-in White House chief of staff John Kelly at the White House on July 31. Kelly is one of four former generals who were appointed to top administration positions.

When White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was pushed out of his job last week, it underscored the growing clout of President Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general.

And when Trump announced he was increasing U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Monday, after suggesting for years that he wouldn't, administration officials were quick to note that he was heeding the advice of "the generals."

Trump, who attended the New York Military Academy as a teenager, has made clear he admires the toughness and discipline of military life and has appointed four former generals to top administration positions.

"I think that he likes the idea of military leadership, because military leadership is very decisive and audacious at times, and general officers are very good at simplifying problems and then getting the job done," said Thomas Kolditz, a retired brigadier general and the director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University.

While other administration figures have come and gone, Kelly, Defense Secretary James Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster are still on the job, with varying degrees of power and influence. (A fourth general, Michael Flynn, held a brief, stormy tenure as national security adviser.)

But as much as Trump reveres the military, his own management style could put him in conflict with the very generals he has appointed.

Leadership is a core part of military service, and promising recruits are taught from the beginning how to inspire and command respect.

"The heart and soul of who we are in the military is about leadership, and leadership on a day-to-day basis but very importantly leadership in combat," said retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen.

"So recruiting young men and women who have those skills early in their lives and then working hard to foster and nurture those skills are very important," he added.

Those qualities can make a big difference later on, when those men and women leave the military and venture into public life or the corporate world.

Former Procter & Gamble Chief Executive Robert McDonald attended West Point as a young man and later served five years in the Army, before leaving for a corporate job.

He had to make certain adjustments, he recalls. Because people in the Army move around so much, they're provided with manuals telling them how to do everything.

"So when I got to the Procter & Gamble Co., I went to my boss and I said, 'Where's the field manual that tells you how to organize your desk?' And of course they thought I was crazy," McDonald said.

But the leadership skills he learned in the military stayed with him throughout his career. McDonald likes to cite some words from the West Point Cadet Prayer.

"Those words are, 'Help me to choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong.' And it's remarkable, but in business as in life, the easier thing is usually the wrong thing to do," he said.

Carola Frydman and Efraim Benmelech, professors of finance at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, have studied the track records of chief executives who served in the military.

Among their findings: CEOs who are also vets are more cautious about spending money on research and development, and they tend to commit less corporate fraud.

They also don't tend to do any better than other chief executives, the research suggests.

But Frydman and Benmelech say CEOs who are also vets do tend to perform better during economic downturns. They can be good in a crisis.

"They bring the capacity to operate under stress, and in so many cases, this stress has been tempered in the hot flame of war. And you just can't pay enough for that kind of experience," Allen said.

That may be one of the qualities that appeal to Trump, whose administration has been plagued by leaks, aborted policy initiatives and high-level staff defections.

But Kolditz notes that Trump may not fully grasp the ethos of public service and loyalty to the country that military officers are brought up in.

"Donald Trump's grown up in a scrappier place, where it was pretty much about making money for yourself, and he is brand new to public service," Kolditz said.

"Many of the things that Donald Trump expects from his people require [their ideas about public service] to be set aside for personal loyalty to Donald Trump. And so we're going to see this meeting of the minds, and I think it will be a process of consistent negotiation in how things happen," Kolditz added.

"What he's looking for is success," Allen said. "And so in his mind it would seem he has concluded that among the many other people that might come into the administration, retired generals offer perhaps a time-tried and battle-proven executive who can come into the administration and provide critical leadership in key positions.

"And with Kelly, Mattis and McMaster, he has certainly found three of the best and he has placed them I think in three pretty critical positions," Allen said.

Read more from the original source:
Why Donald Trump Likes To Surround Himself With Generals - NPR