After a policy meeting Monday, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to launch a spirited campaign amplifying dozens of posts backing his proposed $400 million White House ballroom — a project Republicans now want to be funded by taxpayers, not by the private donations he promised before demolishing the East Wing months ago.

Among those whose remarks were screenshotted and reposted were acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Democratic U.S. Senator John Fetterman, Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul, Republican U.S. Senator Katie Britt, social media influencer Libs of TikTok, and social media users “MAGA Kitty” and “Comfortably Smug.”

“We were there front and center,” wrote Senator Fetterman, apparently referring to the alleged assassination attempt during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government. After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”

“I’m dropping a bill tomorrow. Let’s build the Ballroom,” wrote Senator Paul.

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“It’s time for the Democrats to show up and start acting like AMERICANS,” wrote U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). “STOP defunding DHS. STOP blocking the White House ballroom. STOP elevating people who call for political violence. Stop letting TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME guide every single decision you make. Enough is enough!”

“I’m working with my team to draft legislation ensuring the White House Ballroom is completed,” U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said. “I don’t believe congressional approval is required for the project, but if it’ll keep activist judges on the sideline, so be it. More to come this week.”

“Ballroom time!” exclaimed MAGA Kitty.

But most Americans are opposed to the ballroom project.

“Americans reject President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll,” the Post reported last week, “and they appear largely unmoved by the intensified calls from the president and his allies in Congress to allow the project to go forward.”

READ MORE: ‘Everybody Is Fighting’: Republicans Fear GOP ‘Dysfunction’ Will Blow the Midterms

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There are several “legally persuasive” reasons to say that former FBI Director James Comey is innocent of charges related to his widely-discussed “86 47” post, argues The Bulwark‘s Jonathan V. Last. But there is only one that matters.

Calling the prosecution a “travesty,” Last says it is important to identify several factors that some have proposed.

“Comey is not innocent because Republicans have spoken the same way about Democrats. His defense is not whataboutism,” writes Last.

“Comey is not innocent because he made a death threat and then claimed to just be joking. His defense is not ‘just kidding,'” he adds. And “Comey is not innocent because he was merely calling for metaphorical violence against the president. His defense is not the First Amendment.”

But Comey is “legally and morally innocent,” posits Last.

Why?

Because, “there is no rational universe in which the phrase ’86 47’ can be taken to mean anything other than a call to retire or get rid of President Trump,” he says. “There is no rational universe in which it is associated—even in an arcane or euphemistic way—with violence of any sort.”

READ MORE: ‘Down He Goes’: CNN Analyst Stunned by Core Trump Group in ‘Absolute Collapse’

Last argues that it would be “bad” had Comey made “allusions to violence,” even if it were not unlawful. “People like Comey,” he says, a former FBI director and officer of the court, have a “civic obligation” to not use violent rhetoric or “speak loosely about encouraging violence,” even if they are within their legal rights to do so.

But Last makes clear — as have others — that what Comey did was use a term, “86” that “comes from the hospitality industry and refers to being out of something—a dish, a beer, wine, breadsticks.”

He suggests that unless the Trump DOJ can come up with “some extremely important facts not in evidence” then what the former FBI chief did was legal, “but also well within the bounds of wisdom and civility.”

Last concludes that Comey “is entirely innocent—legally, morally, and prudentially,” and therefore, the prosecution of Comey is “manifestly totalitarian.”

On Sunday, The New York Times reported that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if others who in some way have promoted the “86 47” phrase would also be prosecuted.

“The ’86 47′ message, Mr. Blanche said, is ‘posted constantly — that phrase is used constantly.'”

“Every one of those statements do not result in indictments,” Blanche said.

But he also argued that “other evidence” has been collected, “which he said he could not describe.”

READ MORE: ‘Everybody Is Fighting’: Republicans Fear GOP ‘Dysfunction’ Will Blow the Midterms

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CNN analyst Harry Enten revealed on Monday support for President Donald Trump is “collapsing” among GOP-leaning independent voters — a core constituency.

“Who are the people who are dragging down President Trump’s approval rating?” Enten asked. “We are talking about a very important bloc for the president of the United States. That is, Republican leaning independents.”

In his first term in office, Trump at this point was at 73 percent support from that core constituency. But that’s changed.

“Down he goes, an absolute collapse,” among those voters, Enten explained. “Now, just 53% of independents who lean Republican now approve of the President of the United States.”

READ MORE: ‘Everybody Is Fighting’: Republicans Fear GOP ‘Dysfunction’ Will Blow the Midterms

Enten also said that during the 2024 election against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump received 91 percent support from those independent GOP-leaning voters.

“But down he goes, down into the deep blue sea,” he said. “Now, at 53% on the job approval rating,” noting the 38-point drop from where Trump was during the 2024 election.

“This is a core group for Donald Trump, and they are waving, ‘Adios, amigos, goodbye.'”

Enten also suggested that Republican members of Congress are saying, “Oh, my God, I hope this doesn’t affect me.” He said, “if it does, a lot of those swing district congressional members, right on the Republican side, will be waving adios, amigos goodbye.”

Enten said what’s going on is GOP-leaning independent voters had supported Republican candidates “by 83 points, but now it’s 68 points — that’s a 15 point drop, again, in only 18 months time.”

“These are not numbers that Republicans win with. These are numbers Republicans lose with,” he warned.

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