GET THE APP
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Tag: Donald Trump
February 27, 2024
William Upton
Media
Politics

WATCH: NeverTrumper Jonah Goldberg ‘Jokes’ on CNN That He ‘Can’t Stop Cutting’ Himself.

Jonah Goldberg, a CNN commentator and NeverTrumper, made a disturbing and off-color ‘joke’ about committing self-harm on CNN Tuesday morning. Appearing on CNN This Morning, Goldberg suggested the acquiescence of GOP establishment figures to Donald Trump’s nomination as the Republican candidate for President has driven him to engage in “cutting.”

Referencing a New York Times report that former President Trump may be close to securing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (R-KY) endorsement, Goldberg said: “It’s stories like this that are why I can’t stop cutting myself.”

Cutting is considered to be a nonsuicidal form of self-harm, often in response to depression, anger, or stress. The act of cutting can be fatal, though death is often not the intention. Hunt quickly tried to move on from Goldberg’s comments, responding: “Let’s not joke about this.”

Goldberg told Hunt he had “significant respect for McConnell” and had hoped he’d resist backing Trump for the White House after the January 6th, 2021, capitol riots. A former editor with National Review, the neoconservative Goldberg lamented that political pragmatism would likely lead McConnell to endorse Trump despite the alleged animosity between the two political leaders.

“I said earlier just as an aside that politicians will always disappoint you,” Goldberg told Hunt, adding: “This is a perfect example of it.” After departing National Review in 2019 — partly over his NeverTrump views — Goldberg founded the online political blog The Dispatch with several staff from the now-defunct neoconservative Weekly Standard.

Around 17 percent of individuals engage in self-harm in their lifetime, while 45 percent of self-harm incidents take the form of cutting. Self-harm actions are a sign of underlying mental health issues and stresses that need professional attention.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm, call or text the National Alliance on Mental Illness hotline (NAMI) at 800-950-6264 or call or text 988.

show less
Jonah Goldberg, a CNN commentator and NeverTrumper, made a disturbing and off-color 'joke' about committing self-harm on CNN Tuesday morning. Appearing on CNN This Morning, Goldberg suggested the acquiescence of GOP establishment figures to Donald Trump's nomination as the Republican candidate for President has driven him to engage in "cutting." show more
February 27, 2024
Wake Up Right
Data
Politics

NO CAP: Young Voters Turning To Trump.

Donald Trump has closed the gap with Joe Biden among young voters, a group that Biden won overwhelmingly in 2020.

The numbers: According to the latest poll from Axios, which surveyed voters 18 and 34 years old:

  • 48 percent support Trump
  • 52 percent support Biden

Why this matters: This 4-point gap bodes well for Trump because, in 2020, Joe Biden won young voters by 20 points.

What’s driving them? The same poll asked these voters to name the top issues they’ll be voting on.

  • Economy: 39 percent;
  • Abortion: 16 percent;
  • Student debt: 11 percent;
  • Immigration: 11 percent;
  • Climate change: 10 percent;
  • Guns: 7 percent;
  • Other: 7 percent.
Big picture: This poll isn’t an outlier. A similar New York Times poll in December found Trump ahead of Biden with young voters, 49 percent to 43 percent. And in November, an NBC poll had Trump ahead by 4 points.
What to expect from Biden: His handlers will focus on abortion and student debt in the coming months in an attempt to reinvigorate young voters. Last week, he used executive power to try and buy the youth vote by forgiving another $1.2 billion in student loan debt for 3.9 million borrowers.
This article is adapted from the free ‘Wake Up Right’ newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
show less
show more
February 27, 2024
William Upton
Immigration

DATA: Majority of Americans Now Support Building Border Wall.

The crisis at the U.S. southern border continues to be a top concern of voters heading into the 2024 presidential election. A new poll from Monmouth University indicates a majority of Americans now support the construction of a border wall. This is the first time over 50 percent of respondents have supported the wall since Monmouth started asking the question in 2015.

During former President Donald Trump’s term in office, support for the border wall peaked at 44 percent. Until this newest poll, the most support construction of the border wall received was in 2015, with 48 percent. The February 2024 poll, however, now shows support for the wall at 53 percent among Americans.

According to the poll, 61 percent of Americans now consider immigration to be a very serious problem. An additional 23 percent of Americans believe immigration to at least be a somewhat serious problem. Among independents, nearly 60 percent say immigration is a very serious problem. The number of Americans concerned about immigration in Monmouth’s polling never crossed 50 percent between 2015 and 2019 — peaking at 49 percent.

“Illegal immigration has taken center stage as a defining issue this presidential election year,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. He added: “Other Monmouth polling found this to be Biden’s weakest policy area, including among his fellow Democrats.”

The border crisis has also been a dominant issue in other recent polling. A YouGov poll from early February shows the issue is even turning Hispanic voters against Biden. Nearly 90 percent of Hispanic voters said they consider the immigration issue to be ‘important’ to them. A Marist poll, also from the same period, indicated 57 percent of Hispanic voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of the border, while only 27 percent approve.

show less
The crisis at the U.S. southern border continues to be a top concern of voters heading into the 2024 presidential election. A new poll from Monmouth University indicates a majority of Americans now support the construction of a border wall. This is the first time over 50 percent of respondents have supported the wall since Monmouth started asking the question in 2015. show more
February 27, 2024
Wake Up Right
Election 2024

Previewing Tonight’s Michigan Primary Elections.

Both Republicans and Democrats head to the polls today for Michigan’s primary elections. And while Joe Biden is the only pony in the Democrat race, there’s serious drama brewing that could preview his challenges in the 2024 general election.

Previewing the Democrat primary: When polls open at 7 AM EST, Democrat voters will get to choose between Joe Biden, Rep. Dean Phillips, and Marianne Williamson or cast an “uncommitted” vote.

  • The latest poll has Joe Biden at 77 percent support, with Phillips a distant second with 7 percent.
  • The ‘uncommitted’ factor: A coalition of Arab and Muslim leaders in Michigan, led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, are urging their fellow Democrats to vote “uncommitted” tonight to protest Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
  • It’s estimated that Arab Americans in Michigan make up 3.1 percent of the population.

Previewing the GOP primary: For once, the Republican primary is the low-drama side of the night, with polling showing Donald Trump holding a dominating 57-point lead (78.7 to 21.8 percent) over his only challenger, Nikki Haley.

2024 implications: According to the official vote tally, Joe Biden won Michigan in 2020 by about 3 points (50.6 to 47.8 percent). But polling at the time had him down by almost 10 points. As we head into 2024, the polling is completely flipped:

  • Trump has led Biden in 7 out 8 of the most recent major polls. The most recent poll has Trump up by 4 points in the state.
This article is adapted from the free ‘Wake Up Right’ newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
show less
show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Remember to sign up for the Wake Up Right newsletter, free, here!
for exclusive members-only insights
Remember to sign up for the Wake Up Right newsletter, free, here! show more
for exclusive members-only insights
trump
February 27, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Election 2024

DATA: Trump Beats Biden Even if Criminally Convicted.

New polling indicates Donald Trump would defeat Joe Biden by a clear eight points even if he was “convicted for inciting the Capitol riots of January 6th,” 54 percent to 46 percent.

Broken down by party affiliation, the poll of 2,022 registered voters had 91 percent of Republicans saying they would vote for Trump in November despite a Jan 6 conviction — undermining the narrative that the GOP base would abandon him post-conviction. Fifty-eight percent of Independents also said they would still vote for the former president.

Pollsters also asked who respondents would vote for if Trump is convicted in embattled Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis’s Georgia election interference case. In this scenario, Trump defeats Biden by four points, 52-48, with GOP support at 93 percent and Independent support at 55 percent.

If convicted in the classified documents case, Trump would tie Biden 50-50, with GOP support at 94 percent and Independent support at 39 percent.

A majority of poll respondents, 54 percent, said they believe the prosecution efforts against Trump are politically motivated.

Meanwhile, 72 percent said Hunter Biden “should serve jail time” if he is convicted of tax evasion, and 71 percent said Joe Biden should be impeached “if [he] was working with his son and brother to help bring in multimillion dollars fees from China, Russia and Ukraine while he was Vice President.”

show less
New polling indicates Donald Trump would defeat Joe Biden by a clear eight points even if he was "convicted for inciting the Capitol riots of January 6th," 54 percent to 46 percent. show more
February 27, 2024
William Upton
Crime

READ: Bizarre ‘Trump Force One’ Death Threat Delivered Alongside White Powder.

A bizarre terror threat, along with an unidentified white powder, was mailed to the home of Donald Trump, Jr. on Monday. Emergency responders and a hazmat team were seen at Trump Jr.’s home after the former President’s son opened the envelope containing the threatening letter and powder.

Test results for the powder came back inconclusive, but authorities do not believe the substance to be life-threatening, according to a spokesperson for Donald Trump, Jr. The letter in the envelope, however, contained a detailed threat against former President Trump and his family.

“Again, how many lives will be ruined before the psychopath Donald Trump is silenced,” the letter begins, before continuing: “Lee Harvey Oswald’s grandson must complete his contract.” The letter continues making crude references to the members of the Trump family and insists they have applied for citizenship in the “Soviet Union” — which the unknown author insists still exists.

Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963, has two grandsons, though neither appears to be connected in any way with the threat. The descendants of Oswald, including his 82-year-old widow Marina Nikolayevna Oswald Porter, have generally shunned publicity.

The letter also references former President Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump. She has been a frequent and harsh critic of her uncle. “It’s time for Mary to hear that Donald and his family have gone up in smoke when the ‘Trump’ plane dives into the Atlantic Ocean,” the letter reads.

Jupiter, Florida police — along with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s department — said they are working with the U.S. Secret Service regarding the threat. The Secret Service has not provided public comment on whether there are any suspects or leads as to the source of the letter and white powder.

show less
A bizarre terror threat, along with an unidentified white powder, was mailed to the home of Donald Trump, Jr. on Monday. Emergency responders and a hazmat team were seen at Trump Jr.'s home after the former President's son opened the envelope containing the threatening letter and powder. show more
February 27, 2024
Media

WATCH: Biden Wears Ukraine Flag Pin on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers.’

The 81-year-old American President, Joe Biden, appeared on the Late Night With Seth Meyers talk show on Monday night, sporting a Ukraine-U.S. flag pin on his lapel as he took shots as his presumptive opponent Donald Trump, and defended his record on the U.S. southern border.

Attempting to pin the blame on the invasion of the United States on House Republicans, Biden made the claim that Donald Trump was somehow blocking a border funding bill, without addressing why he failed to secure the border when the funding was there over the past three years.

Biden also used the appearance to peddle the false claim that Donald Trump called his wife Melania “Mercedes” during the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. In reality, Trump was addressing Mercedes Schlapp, in the audience, praising her for a testimony towards his wife Melania.

“Mercedes, that’s pretty good!” Trump said in response to Mercedes Schlapp’s organization of the event.

WATCH:

show less
The 81-year-old American President, Joe Biden, appeared on the Late Night With Seth Meyers talk show on Monday night, sporting a Ukraine-U.S. flag pin on his lapel as he took shots as his presumptive opponent Donald Trump, and defended his record on the U.S. southern border. show more
February 27, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024

War & Economy Eroding Biden’s Support Among Gen Z, Millennials.

Former President Donald Trump appears to be closing the gap with Joe Biden among young voters. In 2020, the former President lost millennial and Gen Z voters by around 20 points. However, the Biden government’s hawkish support for Israel, the sluggish domestic economy, and skyrocketing housing prices appear to be driving the youth vote away from the Democratic Party.

A December 2023 New York Times/Siena College poll indicated Trump may be winning the 18 to 29-year-old voter demographic. According to the survey, he leads the age category with 49 percent, compared to Biden’s 43 percent. In the same poll, Biden held only a slight edge among Millennials in the age 30 to 44 demographic. A survey for Axios by Generation Lab of voters between 18 and 34 shows Biden with only a four-point lead over Trump (52 percent to 48 percent).

The cause of youth dissatisfaction with President Biden appears to be driven by a combination of foreign and domestic policy issues. Biden’s support for Israel in the ongoing war with the Hamas terrorist group has undoubtedly played a role in the President’s collapse in support among young voters. However, the weak economy, hot housing market, and Biden’s broken student loan promises may also play significant roles.

Housing affordability in the United States has hit an all-time low. The monthly mortgage payment shot up nearly 20 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, hitting an average of $2,600. Additionally, continued economic recession fears have likely played a role in Biden’s low approvals across all voter demographics.

show less
Former President Donald Trump appears to be closing the gap with Joe Biden among young voters. In 2020, the former President lost millennial and Gen Z voters by around 20 points. However, the Biden government's hawkish support for Israel, the sluggish domestic economy, and skyrocketing housing prices appear to be driving the youth vote away from the Democratic Party. show more
February 27, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Politics

WSJ Begs Haley to Stay in GOP Race Despite Trump’s ‘Easy Victory’ in Her Home State.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board has acknowledged Donald Trump won an “easy victory” over Nimarata ‘Nikki’ Haley in her home state of South Carolina but is urging her to remain in the race regardless.

“Ms. Haley won nearly 40 percent of the vote, which as she said in remarks Saturday evening ‘is not some tiny group,'” the WSJ board insisted — while admitting “Democrats could vote” in the primary.

All indications are that Barack Obama-linked operatives turned out leftists to boost Haley, who still lost by over 20 points.

“[A]s in New Hampshire, the size of her vote shows that millions in the [Republican] party don’t want Mr. Trump back in the White House,” the board continued, not acknowledging that New Hampshire was also a state where Democrats could vote. Seventy percent of Haley voters there were not registered Republicans.

The WSJ also stressed that a share of Haley voters claim they will not back Trump in the general election. They failed to acknowledge that a share of Haley voters in South Carolina were Democrats. They also failed to recognize the far greater risk that Trump Republicans, who are a much greater share of the Republican base than Haley voters, would not back her in the general.

“Ms. Haley is telling voters she can be the alternative as a uniter that millions of them seem to want. It’s a message worth staying in the race for,” the board concluded.

So far, polls suggest Haley has only been able to unite 18 percent of the GOP behind her nationally, indicating she is significantly less likely to be able to unite the party at large behind her than Trump.

The WSJ also cited Haley’s enthusiasm for U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war as a point in her favor.

show less
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board has acknowledged Donald Trump won an "easy victory" over Nimarata 'Nikki' Haley in her home state of South Carolina but is urging her to remain in the race regardless. show more
February 26, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024

REPORT: DeSantis Still Running Shadow Campaign.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may be positioning himself to jump back into the 2024 Republican presidential primary should former President Donald Trump — the presumptive nominee — be forced out of the race. Over the past several weeks, DeSantis has held several events nationwide supporting an Article V constitutional convention to institute term limits. Additionally, the Florida Governor has renewed his attacks on Trump and continued to blame conservative media for the collapse of his presidential primary bid in January.

The DeSantis presidential campaign has continued to hold delegate calls and huddles with political allies, even after the primary bid was suspended following his loss in Iowa in January. According to POLITICO, a political operative who has been privy to the calls believes DeSantis is still trying to present himself as an alternative to Trump and would reenter the race should the former President face a felony conviction.

“I believe everything you’re seeing is part of a concerted effort by DeSantis world to keep the door open in the event that something in the race changes in the coming weeks that takes Trump out — like a criminal conviction and jail or prison sentence,” the operative allegedly claimed.

Despite having endorsed Trump after the Iowa Republican Caucus, DeSantis has continued to take potshots at the former President. DeSantis’s criticism of Trump, combined with his continued out-of-state travel, has left some with the impression he’s continuing a shadow campaign for the 2024 or at least the 2028 election. Others, however, liken DeSantis’s action to being more akin to therapy. Rob Stutzman, a former adviser on the 2008 Mitt Romney presidential campaign, questions the moves by DeSantis. “I question how strategic he’s being,” Stutzman said, adding: “I’d lean towards catharsis. Cheaper than therapy.”

show less
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may be positioning himself to jump back into the 2024 Republican presidential primary should former President Donald Trump — the presumptive nominee — be forced out of the race. Over the past several weeks, DeSantis has held several events nationwide supporting an Article V constitutional convention to institute term limits. Additionally, the Florida Governor has renewed his attacks on Trump and continued to blame conservative media for the collapse of his presidential primary bid in January. show more