Connect with us

Government

Trump Urges Stimulus Deal Via Tweet As MSM Reports His Condition “Far More Dire” Than White House Says

Trump Urges Stimulus Deal Via Tweet As MSM Reports His Condition "Far More Dire" Than White House Says

Published

3 years ago

on

Trump Urges Stimulus Deal Via Tweet As MSM Reports His Condition "Far More Dire" Than White House Says Tyler Durden Sat, 10/03/2020 - 15:30

Update (1530ET): Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman, best known for breaking the story about the history of sexual abuse allegations against Roger Ailes, has just  launched himself to the front of the pack of left-wing reporters reporting scurrilous rumblings about the president's condition.

The "am I going out like Stan Chera?" line is almost too on the nose; perhaps it was said in jest.

Why is Trump doing all this? He doesn't want to invoke the 25th amendment, which he could do voluntarily, or - if he's incapacitated, like put on a ventilator - could be done by his cabinet working with Pence, without the president's consent.

Such a transfer of power would be perfunctory and impermanent. And at any rate, if Trump's condition truly does worsen to that point, it might become inevitable.

Meanwhile, at CNN.com.

* * *

Update (1420ET): Apparently, the fact that Dr. Conley's memo included a prominent typo (it misspelled the name of the pharma company Regeneron) set off a fact-checking spree that has led Regeneron to issue another correction.

Thanks for clearing that up.

* * *

Update (1400ET): Dr. Conley has unsurprisingly confirmed the White House's claims that he "misspoke" about Trump being 72 hours in, saying that Saturday is the start of Day 3, meaning Trump is 48 hours in.

Dr. Conley also reaffirmed that Trump was diagnosed Thursday night as the MSM continues to speculate that Trump either wasn't tested right away after developing symptoms, or that he had concealed the true timing of his diagnosis until news of Hope Hicks' infection hit.

* * *

Update (1355ET): President Trump is showing the world that the market isn't far from his mind. While some on Wall Street have suggested that Trump's illness could change the calculus for another stimulus deal, Mitch McConnell's decision to shut down floor activity Saturday probably means that stimulus talks are effectively over for now, as the GOP's Congressional leaders focus on their top priority: the Supreme Court.

But in a tweet sent minutes ago, Trump urged both sides to come together and get a deal done.

Expect more tweets like this one between now and 1800ET tomorrow.

* * *

Update (1340ET): Here's the timeline from Dr. Conley's press conference and the comments made yesterday that the White House is now trying to dispute.

We will likely learn more as the weekend drags on.

* * *

Update (1320ET): As the MSM pushes questions about Trump's condition, the president has once again chimed in on Twitter to tweet that he's "feeling well".

Shortly before, CBS's Paula Reid claimed the fact that the White House and Trump's doctors apparently "can't keep their stories straight".

Trump's backers are accusing the media of "sow doubt" about the president's condition, while the press are insisting that the White House is trying to down play the severity of Trump's sickness, and also possibly disguising the timeline of when Trump was infected, and when he first suspected that he might be infected.

* * *

Update (1300ET): The AP has just apparently "confirmed" what Dr. Conley suggested - but didn't confirm ooutright - during this morning's briefing: That Trump received supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday.

  • TRUMP WAS ADMINISTERED SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON FRIDAY BEFORE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL : AP SOURCE

Dr. Conley said during the press briefing that Trump's blood-oxygen level was 96% on Saturday, which is normal.

Here's Ryan Lizza, seemingly confirming it.

Dr. Conley insisted earlier that as of Saturday morning, Trump's oxygen levels were normal and he needed no assistance breathing.

Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that there are "more questions than answers" as Trump's condition "remains unclear".

* * *

Update (1255ET): The "anonymous" source of the note contradicting Dr. Conley's report is suspected to be none other than White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who was caught on video asking that some comments be given "off the record".

LIKELY SOURCE OF THE ANONYMOUS INFO TO THE PRESS POOL ABOUT TRUMP'S CONDITION WAS CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS

Another White House official also reportedly offered some "clarifications" of Dr. Conley's timeline, which suggested that Trump had been diagnosed earlier than he had revealed.

To sum up: It looks like Trump's inner circle are trying to minimize Trump's condition as much as possible, likely to prevent markets from taking another panicked leg lower. Unfortunately, as we've seen time and time again, these attempts at pumping the market might pan out for a little while - but eventually, that debt to the truth is paid.

* * *

Update (1210ET): Just minutes after Trump's doctors insisted the president is doing well and that his fever had disappeared, while refusing to confirm that Trump had been treated with oxygen (though their refusal to deny it clearly suggested that he had), Reuters led a flurry of anonymously sourced reports claiming the president's condition is much worse than his team is letting on.

Reuters said Trump's vital signs are in reality "very concerning" and that the next 48 hours will be "critical".

CNBC's Eamon Javers confirmed that an "odd note" from an anonymous administration official had been shared with the entire White House press pool. The note claimed Trump was more ill than the doctors had let on.

One Twitter wit noted that these kind of tactics are simply "not acceptible" right now.

Then there was this: White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asking to speak to reporters "off the record" before allegedly giving "an entierly different account".

The report added that the president was still not on the path to a full recovery. In other words, the description of his condition was a gross exaggeration by an administration determined to make the president look "strong" at all costs - because that's clearly what Trump wants.

One reporter also noted that Dr. Conley ended the briefing when a reporter asked whether Trump had been treated with steroids.

Still, this isn't exactly saying much. The White House is trying to make it seem like Trump is completely fine, the reality is probably closer to 'the president is suffering from moderate flu-like symptoms', but that's still a far stretch away from requiring prone positioning and intubation.

* * *

Update (1150ET): Trump's doctors have just concluded a lengthy press briefing offering updates about the president's condition. The takeaway: Trump is doing "very well" and doesn't currently have a fever although it appears he did briefly receive oxygen before he traveled to Walter Reed. Whether that was the catalyst for the decision to send him to the hospital remains to be seen.

CNN and the rest of the mainstream media are also going off about another tacit admission: While Dr. Conley didn't offer many specifics about the timeline of Trump's infection, he let slip that we're approximately 72 hours in, which means Trump may have been infected for an entire day and a half before he informed the public about his condition.

Then again, because of Trump's busy travel schedule, it's possible he may have skipped some tests, like how he wasn't tested before arriving at the debate on Tuesday.

* * *

Update (1130ET): As the press briefing from Trump's medical team began, Chris Christie took to twitter to confirm that he is, in fact, COVID-19 positive. That was after he said so on Fox News earlier, then retracted it.

Will Rick Scott now do the same?

* * *

Update (1125ET): Amazingly, Chris Christie is now saying he "misspoke" during an appearance on Fox, and that he too also tested negative, not positive.

It's the same misstake that Sen. Rick Scott made earlier this am.

* * *

Update (1100ET): Former NJ Gov. Chris Christie, who helped Trump with debate prep before his face off against Biden on Tuesday, has become the 25th person in Trump's orbit to test positive.

A reporter for ABC News just revealed that, according to their anonymous sources, the president is feeling "well rested".

* * *

Update (1100ET): While we await the update from Dr. Conley, here's an update on Fla. Sen. Rick Scott.

If you had Scott under the 'positive' column, please move him over to the 'negative' side.

Here's a recap of all the meds Trump has received, according to his doctor and the White House.

* * *

Update (1050ET): As we await an update from President Trump's doctor, Dr. Sean Conley, anxieties are spreading about Trump's condition - that it might be worse than the White House is letting on - after initial denials about Trump's condition turned out to be false.

In addition to Pence, Don Jr. said he has tested negative again Saturday morning.

Biden fired off another tweet urging Americans to wear their masks.

Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio called for more transparency from the White House to help combat the spread of "conspiracy theories" and misinformation.

Hopefully, the medication and world-class treatment Trump is receiving will help him beat back the virus quickly.

* * *

Update (1015ET): VP Mike Pence (along with his wife, First Lady Karen Pence) has tested negative again Saturday morning, according to his office.

The VP is ready to take over the president's duties, and according to the most recent statement from the campaign, Pence will take part in Wednesday's VP debate in Salt Lake City.

Meanwhile, the administration's critics insisted that Pence should quarantine and keep testing for at least another few days (though technically the quarantine period is 10 days. Both Pence and AG Bill Barr have tested negative, despite both having attended last Saturday's potential "super spreader" event at the White House.

* * *

Update (1000ET): Trump's doctor, Dr. Sean Conley, will deliver another update on the president's condition at 1100ET, according to Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

* * *

There have been quite a few major developments in the White House COVID-19 outbreak late Friday and into the early hours of Saturday morning. When we last checked in, an anonymously sourced reports from NBC News claimed Trump had developed "shortness of breath" after arriving at Walter Reed.

That news followed reports that Thom Tillis, another member of the group of observers who attended a White House event on Saturday where Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee for the Supreme Court seat left by the deceased Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Photos like this have circulated widely since Tillis became the 6th member of the group to test positive.

As of Saturday morning, 24 people have tested positive in the White House outbreak, as the number of infected staffers who attended the Cleveland debate climbed from 1 to 11.

1+2. President & Melania Trump

3. Bill Stepien, Trump campaign mgr

4. Hope Hicks

5. Kellyanne Conway

6. Sen. Ron Johnson

7. Sen. Mike Lee

8. Sen. Thom Tillis

9. Ronna McDaniel

10. Notre Dame Pres. Jenkins

11-13. Three WH reporters

14-24. Eleven staffers from Cleveland debate

But as the list above also reflects, three additional major figures in TrumpWorld have tested positive: Former White House advisor Kellyanne Conway, Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien, and Sen. Ron Johnson.

Johnson's announcement hit just minutes ago on Saturday morning with a statement from his office.

He is the third GOP senator to test positive, and - like Lee and Tillis - he also attended Saturday's event in the Rose Garden.

Preempted by her teenage daughter Claudia, who made headlines earlier this year by speaking out against both her parents before asking AOC to "adopt" her, Conway announced late Friday evening that she had tested positive, becoming at least the 10th person connected to the White House to contract the virus. Conway left the White House over the summer after her daughter's outbursts created a national scandal. She has apparently become the 7th person to attend that event to also come down with the virus. Three White House reporters have also tested positive.

News of Conway's diagnosis was preempted by her daughter Claudia, who once again took to TikTok to embarrass her mother, claiming in a series of videos that Kellyanne once told her "masks are stupid". Claudia also implied her mother got them all sick "for that stupid Amy Coney Barrett thing".

@claudiamconway

bye i’m done i’ll see you all in two weeks

♬ smack my blank like a drum - andy war
@claudiamconway

##duet with @claudiamconway

♬ original sound - linds
@claudiamconway

 

♬ KC CHIEFS TECH N9NE - TinkGrrl

Meanwhile, George Conway, a longtime critic of Trump and the administration in which his wife serves, tweeted that he was "Livid" about the White House's cavalier attitude toward the virus.

Though the investigation into the origins of the cluster is only just beginning, contact tracers appear to be focusing on Saturday's White House event, which Vox News opined increasingly has the making of a "super spreader" event.

That would at the very least account for why no Democrats have gotten sick in the outbreak, since none of them were invited to the press conference. It would also suggest that Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are probably in the clear. They've both already tested positive as of Friday.

But in a sign that the outbreak might already be spreading beyond Saturday's gathering, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, who announced last night that all Trump campaign events involving the president and the first family would be cancelled, or transitioned to virtual format, has also tested positive. Stepien took the reins over the summer, taking over from Brad Parscale following the Tulsa comeback event disaster. One aide told Politico that Stepien was experiencing "mild flu-like symptoms". They also reported that Stepien plans to quarantine until he recovers. Deputy Campaign Manager Justin Clark is expected to oversee the campaign from its Arlington Va. headquarters while Stepien works remotely.

With Stepien and GOP leader Ronna McDaniel sickened, two key players of Trump's political machine are now out of commission.

Though he didn't attend Saturday's event in the Rose Garden, Stepien traveled to and from Cleveland for Tuesday’s presidential debate, and joined Trump and Hope Hicks aboard Air Force One. The campaign manager was also with the president in the White House on Monday.

Stepien's role as campaign manager means participating in dozens of meetings per day. If he was contagious, then many more may need to quarantine, though top Trump cabinet officials including Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and AG Barr have already said they won't quarantine.

All Trump campaign events through next week, when Trump was supposed to swing through the West, have been cancelled as everybody awaits more information on Trump's condition.

Trump's doctor released a statement late Friday claiming Trump was "doing well" and that he did not require any "supplemental oxygen", though he was being treated with Gilead's remdesivir.

Trump was also treated with a battery of anti-virals and other meds earlier in the evening as well.

Incidentally, the president set off a mini firestorm when he tweeted last night that he was doing "WelI" - with a capital "I" instead of an "L" - spawning a torrent of quasi-serious speculation that the president was sending a secret message by saying he was "going Weli".

Some are going off the "A Beautiful Mind" deep-end.

At any rate, WSJ says White House contact tracers are scrambling to test hundreds of people who may have come into contact with those infected. Trump's doctors insist that his hospital stay will only last "a few days" as a precaution.

Trump walked out of the White House Friday evening wearing a mask and gave a thumbs-up to reporters but did not speak before boarding Marine One at 1816ET and heading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Already, the Washington Post is reporting that Trump's team made the "preemptive" decision so that he could be seen boarding the helicopter while he could still walk - an attempt to present an image of strength to the American people.

Still, White House communications director Alyssa Farah told reporters that there would be no transfer of power with Trump's trip to Walter Reed, and that the presdient would continue to govern remotely. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham, the GOP leader and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, respectively, have said they plan to push ahead with Barrett's nomination proceedings to try and get her on the court before election day, as Dems called for the proceedings to be postponed. It's still not clear how many aides who were with Trump this week are quarantining. CDC guidelines call for an individual to quarantine for up to 14 days after coming into contact with an infected individual. Trump traveled during each of the three days leading up to his diagnosis, dragging countless aides and advisors with him, along with party officials and members of Congress.

As we explained yesteday, if Trump's condition worsens, he could transfer power to VP Mike Pence under the proceedings outlined in the 25th Amendment. That has happened only three times in US history: When Ronald Reagan and George W Bush underwent colonoscopies in the White House. When Reagan was shot in 1981, Power was never formally transferred.

Read More

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

International

United Airlines adds new flights to faraway destinations

The airline said that it has been working hard to "find hidden gem destinations."

Published

38 mins ago

on

March 8, 2024

By

Since countries started opening up after the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, airlines have been seeing demand soar not just for major global cities and popular routes but also for farther-away destinations.

Numerous reports, including a recent TripAdvisor survey of trending destinations, showed that there has been a rise in U.S. traveler interest in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Vietnam as well as growing tourism traction in off-the-beaten-path European countries such as Slovenia, Estonia and Montenegro.

Related: 'No more flying for you': Travel agency sounds alarm over risk of 'carbon passports'

As a result, airlines have been looking at their networks to include more faraway destinations as well as smaller cities that are growing increasingly popular with tourists and may not be served by their competitors.

The Philippines has been popular among tourists in recent years.

Shutterstock

United brings back more routes, says it is committed to 'finding hidden gems'

This week, United Airlines  (UAL)  announced that it will be launching a new route from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Morocco's Marrakesh. While it is only the country's fourth-largest city, Marrakesh is a particularly popular place for tourists to seek out the sights and experiences that many associate with the country — colorful souks, gardens with ornate architecture and mosques from the Moorish period.

More Travel:

"We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad," United's SVP of Global Network Planning Patrick Quayle, said in a press statement.

The new route will launch on Oct. 24 and take place three times a week on a Boeing 767-300ER  (BA)  plane that is equipped with 46 Polaris business class and 22 Premium Plus seats. The plane choice was a way to reach a luxury customer customer looking to start their holiday in Marrakesh in the plane.

Along with the new Morocco route, United is also launching a flight between Houston (IAH) and Colombia's Medellín on Oct. 27 as well as a route between Tokyo and Cebu in the Philippines on July 31 — the latter is known as a "fifth freedom" flight in which the airline flies to the larger hub from the mainland U.S. and then goes on to smaller Asian city popular with tourists after some travelers get off (and others get on) in Tokyo.

United's network expansion includes new 'fifth freedom' flight

In the fall of 2023, United became the first U.S. airline to fly to the Philippines with a new Manila-San Francisco flight. It has expanded its service to Asia from different U.S. cities earlier last year. Cebu has been on its radar amid growing tourist interest in the region known for marine parks, rainforests and Spanish-style architecture.

With the summer coming up, United also announced that it plans to run its current flights to Hong Kong, Seoul, and Portugal's Porto more frequently at different points of the week and reach four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai by August 29.

"This is your normal, exciting network planning team back in action," Quayle told travel website The Points Guy of the airline's plans for the new routes.

Read More

Continue Reading

International

Walmart launches clever answer to Target’s new membership program

The retail superstore is adding a new feature to its Walmart+ plan — and customers will be happy.

Published

38 mins ago

on

March 8, 2024

By

It's just been a few days since Target  (TGT)  launched its new Target Circle 360 paid membership plan. 

The plan offers free and fast shipping on many products to customers, initially for $49 a year and then $99 after the initial promotional signup period. It promises to be a success, since many Target customers are loyal to the brand and will go out of their way to shop at one instead of at its two larger peers, Walmart and Amazon.

Related: Walmart makes a major price cut that will delight customers

And stop us if this sounds familiar: Target will rely on its more than 2,000 stores to act as fulfillment hubs. 

This model is a proven winner; Walmart also uses its more than 4,600 stores as fulfillment and shipping locations to get orders to customers as soon as possible.

Sometimes, this means shipping goods from the nearest warehouse. But if a desired product is in-store and closer to a customer, it reduces miles on the road and delivery time. It's a kind of logistical magic that makes any efficiency lover's (or retail nerd's) heart go pitter patter. 

Walmart rolls out answer to Target's new membership tier

Walmart has certainly had more time than Target to develop and work out the kinks in Walmart+. It first launched the paid membership in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when many shoppers sheltered at home but still required many staples they might ordinarily pick up at a Walmart, like cleaning supplies, personal-care products, pantry goods and, of course, toilet paper. 

It also undercut Amazon  (AMZN)  Prime, which costs customers $139 a year for free and fast shipping (plus several other benefits including access to its streaming service, Amazon Prime Video). 

Walmart+ costs $98 a year, which also gets you free and speedy delivery, plus access to a Paramount+ streaming subscription, fuel savings, and more. 

An employee at a Merida, Mexico, Walmart. (Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

If that's not enough to tempt you, however, Walmart+ just added a new benefit to its membership program, ostensibly to compete directly with something Target now has: ultrafast delivery. 

Target Circle 360 particularly attracts customers with free same-day delivery for select orders over $35 and as little as one-hour delivery on select items. Target executes this through its Shipt subsidiary.

We've seen this lightning-fast delivery speed only in snippets from Amazon, the king of delivery efficiency. Who better to take on Target, though, than Walmart, which is using a similar store-as-fulfillment-center model? 

"Walmart is stepping up to save our customers even more time with our latest delivery offering: Express On-Demand Early Morning Delivery," Walmart said in a statement, just a day after Target Circle 360 launched. "Starting at 6 a.m., earlier than ever before, customers can enjoy the convenience of On-Demand delivery."

Walmart  (WMT)  clearly sees consumers' desire for near-instant delivery, which obviously saves time and trips to the store. Rather than waiting a day for your order to show up, it might be on your doorstep when you wake up. 

Consumers also tend to spend more money when they shop online, and they remain stickier as paying annual members. So, to a growing number of retail giants, almost instant gratification like this seems like something worth striving for.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

Read More

Continue Reading

International

President Biden Delivers The “Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President”

President Biden Delivers The "Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President"

Having successfully raged, ranted, lied, and yelled through…

Published

3 hours ago

on

March 8, 2024

By

President Biden Delivers The "Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President"

Having successfully raged, ranted, lied, and yelled through the State of The Union, President Biden can go back to his crypt now.

Whatever 'they' gave Biden, every American man, woman, and the other should be allowed to take it - though it seems the cocktail brings out 'dark Brandon'?

Tl;dw: Biden's Speech tonight ...

  • Fund Ukraine.

  • Trump is threat to democracy and America itself.

  • Abortion is good.

  • American Economy is stronger than ever.

  • Inflation wasn't Biden's fault.

  • Illegals are Americans too.

  • Republicans are responsible for the border crisis.

  • Trump is bad.

  • Biden stands with trans-children.

  • J6 was the worst insurrection since the Civil War.

(h/t @TCDMS99)

Tucker Carlson's response sums it all up perfectly:

"that was possibly the darkest, most un-American speech given by an American president. It wasn't a speech, it was a rant..."

Carlson continued: "The true measure of a nation's greatness lies within its capacity to control borders, yet Bid refuses to do it."

"In a fair election, Joe Biden cannot win"

And concluded:

“There was not a meaningful word for the entire duration about the things that actually matter to people who live here.”

Victor Davis Hanson added some excellent color, but this was probably the best line on Biden:

"he doesn't care... he lives in an alternative reality."

*  *  *

Watch SOTU Live here...

*   *   *

Mises' Connor O'Keeffe, warns: "Be on the Lookout for These Lies in Biden's State of the Union Address." 

On Thursday evening, President Joe Biden is set to give his third State of the Union address. The political press has been buzzing with speculation over what the president will say. That speculation, however, is focused more on how Biden will perform, and which issues he will prioritize. Much of the speech is expected to be familiar.

The story Biden will tell about what he has done as president and where the country finds itself as a result will be the same dishonest story he's been telling since at least the summer.

He'll cite government statistics to say the economy is growing, unemployment is low, and inflation is down.

Something that has been frustrating Biden, his team, and his allies in the media is that the American people do not feel as economically well off as the official data says they are. Despite what the White House and establishment-friendly journalists say, the problem lies with the data, not the American people's ability to perceive their own well-being.

As I wrote back in January, the reason for the discrepancy is the lack of distinction made between private economic activity and government spending in the most frequently cited economic indicators. There is an important difference between the two:

  • Government, unlike any other entity in the economy, can simply take money and resources from others to spend on things and hire people. Whether or not the spending brings people value is irrelevant

  • It's the private sector that's responsible for producing goods and services that actually meet people's needs and wants. So, the private components of the economy have the most significant effect on people's economic well-being.

Recently, government spending and hiring has accounted for a larger than normal share of both economic activity and employment. This means the government is propping up these traditional measures, making the economy appear better than it actually is. Also, many of the jobs Biden and his allies take credit for creating will quickly go away once it becomes clear that consumers don't actually want whatever the government encouraged these companies to produce.

On top of all that, the administration is dealing with the consequences of their chosen inflation rhetoric.

Since its peak in the summer of 2022, the president's team has talked about inflation "coming back down," which can easily give the impression that it's prices that will eventually come back down.

But that's not what that phrase means. It would be more honest to say that price increases are slowing down.

Americans are finally waking up to the fact that the cost of living will not return to prepandemic levels, and they're not happy about it.

The president has made some clumsy attempts at damage control, such as a Super Bowl Sunday video attacking food companies for "shrinkflation"—selling smaller portions at the same price instead of simply raising prices.

In his speech Thursday, Biden is expected to play up his desire to crack down on the "corporate greed" he's blaming for high prices.

In the name of "bringing down costs for Americans," the administration wants to implement targeted price ceilings - something anyone who has taken even a single economics class could tell you does more harm than good. Biden would never place the blame for the dramatic price increases we've experienced during his term where it actually belongs—on all the government spending that he and President Donald Trump oversaw during the pandemic, funded by the creation of $6 trillion out of thin air - because that kind of spending is precisely what he hopes to kick back up in a second term.

If reelected, the president wants to "revive" parts of his so-called Build Back Better agenda, which he tried and failed to pass in his first year. That would bring a significant expansion of domestic spending. And Biden remains committed to the idea that Americans must be forced to continue funding the war in Ukraine. That's another topic Biden is expected to highlight in the State of the Union, likely accompanied by the lie that Ukraine spending is good for the American economy. It isn't.

It's not possible to predict all the ways President Biden will exaggerate, mislead, and outright lie in his speech on Thursday. But we can be sure of two things. The "state of the Union" is not as strong as Biden will say it is. And his policy ambitions risk making it much worse.

*  *  *

The American people will be tuning in on their smartphones, laptops, and televisions on Thursday evening to see if 'sloppy joe' 81-year-old President Joe Biden can coherently put together more than two sentences (even with a teleprompter) as he gives his third State of the Union in front of a divided Congress. 

President Biden will speak on various topics to convince voters why he shouldn't be sent to a retirement home.

According to CNN sources, here are some of the topics Biden will discuss tonight:

  • Economic issues: Biden and his team have been drafting a speech heavy on economic populism, aides said, with calls for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy – an attempt to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans and their likely presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

  • Health care expenses: Biden will also push for lowering health care costs and discuss his efforts to go after drug manufacturers to lower the cost of prescription medications — all issues his advisers believe can help buoy what have been sagging economic approval ratings.

  • Israel's war with Hamas: Also looming large over Biden's primetime address is the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has consumed much of the president's time and attention over the past few months. The president's top national security advisers have been working around the clock to try to finalize a ceasefire-hostages release deal by Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins next week.

  • An argument for reelection: Aides view Thursday's speech as a critical opportunity for the president to tout his accomplishments in office and lay out his plans for another four years in the nation's top job. Even though viewership has declined over the years, the yearly speech reliably draws tens of millions of households.

Sources provided more color on Biden's SOTU address: 

The speech is expected to be heavy on economic populism. The president will talk about raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy. He'll highlight efforts to cut costs for the American people, including pushing Congress to help make prescription drugs more affordable.

Biden will talk about the need to preserve democracy and freedom, a cornerstone of his re-election bid. That includes protecting and bolstering reproductive rights, an issue Democrats believe will energize voters in November. Biden is also expected to promote his unity agenda, a key feature of each of his addresses to Congress while in office.

Biden is also expected to give remarks on border security while the invasion of illegals has become one of the most heated topics among American voters. A majority of voters are frustrated with radical progressives in the White House facilitating the illegal migrant invasion. 

It is probable that the president will attribute the failure of the Senate border bill to the Republicans, a claim many voters view as unfounded. This is because the White House has the option to issue an executive order to restore border security, yet opts not to do so

Maybe this is why? 

While Biden addresses the nation, the Biden administration will be armed with a social media team to pump propaganda to at least 100 million Americans. 

"The White House hosted about 70 creators, digital publishers, and influencers across three separate events" on Wednesday and Thursday, a White House official told CNN. 

Not a very capable social media team... 

The administration's move to ramp up social media operations comes as users on X are mostly free from government censorship with Elon Musk at the helm. This infuriates Democrats, who can no longer censor their political enemies on X. 

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers tell Axios that the president's SOTU performance will be critical as he tries to dispel voter concerns about his elderly age. The address reached as many as 27 million people in 2023. 

"We are all nervous," said one House Democrat, citing concerns about the president's "ability to speak without blowing things."

The SOTU address comes as Biden's polling data is in the dumps. 

BetOnline has created several money-making opportunities for gamblers tonight, such as betting on what word Biden mentions the most. 

As well as...

We will update you when Tucker Carlson's live feed of SOTU is published. 

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/08/2024 - 07:44

Read More

Continue Reading

Trending