Donald Trump went to Capitol Hill on Thursday, his first visit since some of his supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6 three years ago.
A packed room full of House Republicans sang “Happy Birthday” to the former president, who turns seventy-eight today.
Trump pleaded with members for a change in tone on abortion, calling on the issue to be left to the states. This comes after a record number of voters, 32 percent, said in a Gallup poll that they would only vote for candidates in major races who share their views on abortion. He also reportedly floated the idea of eliminating the income tax in favor of higher tariffs and referred to Milwaukee, the locale for the upcoming Republican National Convention, as a “horrible city” for election integrity and crime.
Trump made a more unorthodox stop earlier this week when he joined YouTuber and professional wrestler Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast. During the forty-five-minute-long episode, Trump talked about how he’d end wars and tackle inflation. But he also showcased his knowledge of sports, and answered questions about artificial intelligence and UFOs. His Impaulsive appearance follows an appearance last year on the Nelk Boys’ Full Send podcast and comes at a time when his numbers with young voters are improving — with Trump joking about how Biden wouldn’t do the pods like he does.
-Juan P. Villasmil
Barbed Wire
The revolving door is spinning at upstart conservative media company the Daily Wire. In the months since shy and retiring host Candace Owens left so amicably, employees from several departments have followed her toward the exits.
Cockburn understands that staff from the editorial, legal and production departments have chosen to move onto pastures new. The Wire’s website currently lists vacancies for three legal roles, CFO and two positions in the talent department, among others.
Candace meanwhile launched her new show this week — and it’s currently nestled in the #2 spot in the News category on Apple Podcasts, behind only The Daily from the New York Times. Meanwhile Ben Shapiro’s show currently sits at #6, with the Morning Wire at #11…
–Cockburn
On our radar
JOE ON THE GO President Joe Biden appeared to wander off during a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit to give a thumbs up to a parachutist, before being pulled back by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. The president cast an infirm figure alongside the other world leaders at the conference, with one diplomatic source saying “it’s the worst he has ever been.”
SHOT DOWN The Supreme Court ended a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, ruling 6-3 along ideological lines that an ATF rule went too far when it reclassified firearms equipped with bump stocks as machine guns.
MASTER AND COMMANDER New documents from watchdog group Judicial Watch reveal that President Joe Biden watched as his dog, Commander, bit Secret Service agents. The dog was removed from the White House after reportedly biting agents at least twenty-four times.
GOP infighting over Intelligence Committee
Speaker Mike Johnson’s picks to fill gaps on the House’s Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence are placing him, once again, in a difficult position with his conference.
Republicans aren’t only angry at who Johnson picked, but how he picked them. His selections of Representatives Ronny Jackson and Scott Perry, allegedly at the behest of Trumpworld, ticked off some Republicans who were upset about their elevation over more traditional options. The fact that he reportedly did not tell the committee’s chairman, Representative Mike Turner, maddened even more.
“It upends the meritocracy that has long been the defining practice on Intel,” Representative Dan Crenshaw said, adding a threat of sorts to Johnson’s leadership. “The speaker needs to remember that there isn’t only one group that can threaten [him]… do not teach the lesson that the only way for us to be effective here is threatening, because I’ll take the lesson and I’ll do it.”
Some House Republicans tell Cockburn that Perry’s selection is particularly troubling. While Trump’s orbit seems to believe that Perry will help them take on the intelligence community, others note that the former Freedom Caucus chairman fails to donate regularly to the NRCC, is currently under investigation, and opposed the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which sailed through the Intel Committee earlier this year.
Perry, for his part, responded to critics by saying that his “forty-four years of experience and service to our Nation speaks for itself.” One Hill vet said that whether Turner knew about the appointments ahead of time or not is irrelevant — and that he should be more of a team player. “Turner should have endorsed the selections, resigned or been fired,” he told Cockburn.
Johnson’s moves come amid a wider breakdown of traditional incentive structures that govern the body. Some House Republicans have regularly teamed up with Democrats to tank House rules — a previously unthinkable concept that could become increasingly common as the speaker loses control of what few carrots he possesses. Elsewhere, there are still top Republicans who are not up to date on their dues to organizations like the NRCC.
“Johnson is acting like a caretaker” with these moves and this chaos, a senior Hill staffer quipped to Cockburn.
–Cockburn
