Emphasis on the uncritically! 
It’s bad enough millions of Americans have no problem embracing an autocrat. But for that autocrat to be a weak crybaby like Trump is just plain embarrassing.
Yeah … but he lists a lot of factors (well, 13 by my count), 12 of which are not general-election polling numbers. Even if you think several of them are dodgy, that’s still a lot in Harris’ favor.
I read the column, and I didn’t see anything too kooky in it. He sounds like a lot of the other positive pundits I read/watch and mentions some of the same factors.
Another thorn in Trump’s side: Over a third of Republican & independent Nikki Haley primary voters aren’t coming home to Trump for the general election.
I saw this earlier and yes, it is indeed a head-scratcher. Surely they don’t have internal polling data showing California, Illinois, Colorado and New York are trending red? It looks like a fools errand to me but hey, if they want to waste time and money I’m not going to discourage them.
It creates headlines and makes it more likely to have national media run a live feed from a rally at MSG than if he does another one from Bumflick, MI.
It’s just a way to raise money. Lots of Trump supporters are happy to cough up cash in California and New York. There’s more Trumpists in California than in almost any state he’s actually gonna win.
Another thing I was wrong about is that I thought that Trump’s physical and mental decline would progress at a faster rate. Now, he is in terrible shape. I doubt he would last a year as president, certainly not a full term. But, like a Sith Lord, his evil seems to preserve him in an unnatural way. (Didn’t help him much in the debate, however…)
Funny you should mention Madison Square Garden, as he’s planning a reenactment of that big Bund rally: Trump plan for Madison Square Garden rally compared to infamous Nazi event | US elections 2024 | The Guardian
This, exactly.
Also, California was the birthplace of Stephen Miller, Tucker Carlson, and Andrew Breitbart.
This. I visit Orange County, CA about every month to surf and visit the folks and there seems to be a Trump rally in Newport Beach every time I’m down there.
My only guess to Trump’s logic is that he’s figured that he can win swing state voters without physically being in that state, due to TV/media visibility. A rally held in downtown Manhattan will still be viewed online by plenty of voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, etc. In fact, it may even be more heavily covered in the media than if such a rally had been held in Lansing or Green Bay. So Trump is figuring that what matters more is getting eyeballs on his rallies, not where the rallies are held.
It will be an interesting test. In 2016 and 2020 they were pretty laser-focused on swing states and GOTV efforts. This cycle seems to much more media-focused (and, of course, fundraising/grift focused). Either they are convinced that their voters will come out to vote come hell or high water (literally in NC and LF) or they are making the same mistake Clinton did going to FL and TX near the end of the 2016 campaign.
Or maybe Trump just really loves the rallies and knows that after this election cycle, win or lose, he won’t be able to do them anymore. Particularly at places like MSG. Actually that probably makes the most sense - he just really wants to do it and nobody can tell him no.
I have no doubt there will be plenty of Trump rallies after the election no matter the outcome.
Seriously, there are three possibilities here:
- He knows he will win
B. He knows he can’t win
- He’s an idiot
I wish I knew which was the correct one
Agreed.
But I also doubt they have internal polling data showing that having a rally in a state increases the candidate’s chances of winning the state.
Trump is continuing, Huey Long-style, to outpromise his opponent:
Trump courts auto workers with car loan tax break
Will uncertain voters see through this? Maybrvnot.
Of course, only taxpayers who itemize will be able to deduct interest on an auto loan. According to this article on MSN, by a reporter from the Detroit Free Press, only 10% of taxpayers itemized last year. Even if the 2017 tax breaks are allowed to expire, the percentage of itemized filers is still only about 30%. And, of course, there is this tidbit:
It’s also key to note the dollar value of the deduction would be bigger for someone who makes more money and pays a higher tax rate. It would be smaller for someone who earns less money and pays a lower tax rate.
It is a typical Right Wing Populist tactic, and trump used it in 2026, and people bought his promises. He only kept two- he got rid of Roe (something he never promised as such, IIRC) and lowered taxes on millionaires. he lost in 2020 as people saw that. Have they forgotten?