Here’s What You’ll Want to Know About
HUD Secretary Ben Carson will join presidential re-election candidate Donald Trump in Arizona Tuesday night, just 24 hours after President Donald Trump delivered a widely-panned speech that was supposed to inform Americans of the way forward in Afghanistan, but did not.
At 10 PM EDT Tuesday (7 PM local) Trump will hold yet another campaign rally, in Phoenix, after participating in another form of political theater: visiting the Border Patrol.
CNN and NBC News/MSNBC are promoting Trump’s speech tonight as the “unscripted” version of President Trump.
Many on social media are expecting a very different Donald, one who is more like the Trump we saw in Trump Tower one week ago today, the man who insisted “both sides” are to blame for the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville.
Politico’s Alex Isenstadt reports Trump will not be alone. Dr. Ben Carson will join him, presumably on stage.
So, what are we expecting to happen tonight?
First, Trump may pardon “Sheriff” Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County, Arizona law enforcement official who last year was found guilty of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case accusing him of targeting Hispanics. Trump last week said he was thinking about it, and has a lot of support from his base and even from US Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ). Â
Also, Trump may endorse Kelli Ward, a Republican who is challenging GOP Sen. Jeff Flake.
GLAAD in an email to NCRM says “Ward has been a staunch anti-LGBTQ activist. During her time in the Arizona State Senate, Ward pushed for sweeping ‘religious exemptions‘ legislation and even attacked marriage equality. She has also enthusiastically appeared on InfoWars, the debunked conspiracy theory outlet created by Alex Jones, a discredited radio personality who used the website to push countless anti-LGBTQ statements such as claiming the Pulse Nightclub massacre was the LGBTQ community’s fault and promoting defamatory myths about transgender people.”
Expect Trump to revisit his Charlottesville “both sides” remarks, and his tacit endorsement of white supremacists.
Expect Trump to call out what he sees as the “fake news.”
And expect Trump to do or say something provocative to change the conversation away from white supremacism.
(Have you noticed the Russia investigation has not been in the news much the past two weeks?)
According to a White House brief on today’s events:
President Trump is visiting Yuma, Arizona, the main base of operations for the U.S. Border Patrol’s (USBP) Yuma Sector to evaluate results, initiatives, and morale as he seeks to increase support for the USBP.
·         President Trump will meet U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and the state-of-the-art equipment used to secure our border. Equipment being viewed includes:
o   MQ-9 Predator B unmanned aircraft
o   UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter
o   Super King Air 350ER aircraft
·         He will also receive a briefing on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts on the southern border to prevent illegal entry into the country.
UPDATE: 5:04 PM EDT –
Trump Aides have told press pool President will not pardon Arpaio tonight.Â
RELATED STORIES:
In Afghanistan Speech Trump’s Words Are in Direct Opposition to His Military Transgender Ban
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license