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‘Extraordinary Weakness’: Trump ‘Pulling Out’ of Debate Shows ‘He’s Afraid’ Buttigieg Says

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Pete Buttigieg says Donald Trump’s decision to “pull out” of a previously agreed presidential debate is an “extraordinary show of weakness,” especially for a candidate whose “calling card” is being a tough guy. The Transportation Secretary also observed the Trump campaign has been unable to adapt to President Joe Biden withdrawing from the race and endorsing his Vice President for the top of the ticket.

“Former President Donald Trump’s campaign on Thursday said it will not commit to a debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, at least until the Democratic Party makes a formal decision on its nominee,” Forbes reports.

Trump earlier this week had said he was uncomfortable with the debate being hosted by ABC News, despite having agreed to it back in May. But late Thursday night the Trump campaign served up a different reason when announcing the ex-president’s decision: “it would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds.”

MSNBC’s Sam Stein Thursday night described it as “backing out.”

“It’s extraordinary,” Buttigieg said on MSNBC Friday (video below), “tough talk is this guy’s calling card and now there’s this extraordinary show of weakness. He agreed to, you know, he said, ‘anytime, anyplace.’ But more than that, he agreed to this specific debate on this specific network on this specific date. And now he’s pulling out, and of course it shows that he’s afraid, it shows that he knows if the two of them are on a stage together, it’s not going to end well for him.”

RELATED: Buttigieg Top Choice for Harris VP Among Available Candidates: Poll

Buttigieg, one of about a dozen candidates being vetted to be Kamala Harris’s vice presidential running mate, added that Trump’s campaign “really has struggled to be about anything but Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and I think that’s the bigger pattern that you’re seeing here and part of why the Trump campaign is having such a hard time adapting.”

“Think about it: just in a matter of two or three days her campaign adapted to literally the biggest possible change, which is a change in the top of the ticket and yet, you know, within a couple of days that support consolidated and that message was clear.”

By comparison, Buttigieg said, the Trump campaign has “been flailing in a way that shows they’re unable to adapt. And to me, it’s not just that their entire strategic apparatus was built around tearing down Joe Biden. I think there’s something deeper, which is Donald Trump cannot conceive of a campaign that isn’t about the candidates.”

Earlier this week, Buttigieg targeted Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, U.S. Senator JD Vance, for his widely-criticized “childless cat ladies” comments from 2021. Vance, in part, had also claimed that the “entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?”

READ MORE: ‘Super Creepy’: Vance and Masters’ Belief Politicians Have to Have Kids Called ‘Repugnant’

Buttigieg had responded, saying, “it’s not about his kids, or my kids, or the vice president’s family. It’s about your family, people’s families, whose well-being will depend on whether we go into a future led by somebody like Kamala Harris, who is focused on expanding the prosperity, the freedom, the well-being of our families.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

RELATED: Trump’s Sudden Debate Withdrawal Linked to Looming Criminal Sentencing: Legal Experts

 

 

 

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Congressman Conway? Top Trump Critic Reportedly Eyeing House Bid

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George Conway, the prominent attorney, Trump critic, and ex-husband of former Trump White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, may be considering a run for Congress.

According to a report at CNN and a post by New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni, Conway is eyeing a run for retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler’s New York district.

CNN reported that Conway, 62, is “actively considering running for Congress from New York City, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.”

Karni reported, “the Conway pitch being — what the House will need next year is an aggressive lawyer with an investigative background just going after Trump.”

READ MORE: Melania Trump to Appear With President as Epstein Files Take Center Stage

Conway is a former Republican who became an independent in 2018. He has a law degree from Yale, and successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, obtaining a unanimous ruling. He is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project and currently co-hosts a podcast at The Bulwark.

Should Democrats retake the majority in the House of Representatives, it’s likely there will be numerous investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration — not to mention possible efforts to impeach the unpopular and controversial Commander in Chief.

Conway would have good company in a primary.

“Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, entered the race this week,” CNN noted.

The Daily Beast adds that “much of the buzz around Conway stems from his personal life. While he and his 58-year-old ex-wife, Kellyanne, tried to make their marriage work amid his dramatic political realignment, the couple frequently made headlines. As Kellyanne served as senior counselor to Trump from 2017 to 2020, her husband routinely sounded off on her boss and advisers—including Stephen Miller, whom Kellyanne referred to as one of her ‘best friends’ in the current administration earlier this month.”

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

 

Image by Presia Debauch via Flickr and a CC license

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Melania Trump to Appear With President as Epstein Files Take Center Stage

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First Lady Melania Trump will make a rare appearance with President Donald Trump as the Epstein files crisis continues to take center stage.

The President has been all but radio silent for almost a full day, with the exception of a Wednesday Oval Office appearance where he took no questions from reporters.

“President Trump will be joined by First Lady Melania Trump in the East Room for an executive order signing aimed at expanding opportunities for education, career development, housing, and other resources for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said the initiative is “part of the First Lady’s Fostering the Future efforts, which are a Be Best initiative.”

“In May,” Newsmax reported, “Melania Trump announced a $25 million investment from the Trump administration to support youth aging out of foster care.”

Recently, the President and First Lady appeared together in the United Kingdom at state visit events in September. That month they also appeared together at a 9/11 event at the Pentagon. Late last month they hosted a White House Halloween event.

Thursday’s event is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

 

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‘Out of Touch’: Eric Trump Blasted for $500 Million Bitcoin Brag

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Eric Trump, President Donald Trump’s son in charge of the family’s real estate empire, is under fire for bragging about millions of dollars of bitcoin as millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table, after his father urged the Supreme Court to allow him to not fund SNAP during the shutdown.

Millions of Americans found their SNAP accounts unfunded on November 1. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps about 42 million Americans buy groceries. Most people who use SNAP are elderly, children, disabled, or working more than one job.

“There’s no reason, at 5 o’clock, on a Friday afternoon, you should, you know, I should be able to send out a SWIFT wire transfer,” the middle Trump son lamented to Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “You know, right now, you can’t.”

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

“I try and make a transfer every single week, and you’re trying to push before the 5 o’clock deadline to either receive money or to get it out. How is that modern day finance?” he complained.

“You can send $500 million worth of Bitcoin on a Sunday night at, you know, at 11:00 p.m. while having a glass of wine with your wife,” Trump explained. “For virtually zero fees.”

“You know, how is the system this lethargic? Why does it take you 120 days to get a, you know, go through, Know Your Customer with your bank? If you want to get a home mortgage, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Cryptocurrency is gonna fix every single one of these issues, and Bitcoin is digital gold.”

“Bitcoin is going to be one of the greatest stores of value we’ve ever seen,” he concluded.

Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the Trump economy, polls show. Inflation has been on the rise, as have prices at the supermarket. The average cost of a car is now over $50,000. Major corporations have announced or are planning to lay off thousands — or even tens of thousands — of workers. Unemployment is estimated to be up, to a four-year high, per the most recent data. Consumer confidence has dropped to a near-record low. There is a possibility that some parts of the country may already be in a recession, according to one economist.

Critics blasted Trump’s remarks.

READ MORE: ‘Utter Detachment From Reality’: Expert Breaks Down Trump’s Economic Policy Flaws

“Just like every normal American does,” The Bulwark’s Colin Jones sarcastically remarked.

“Is that before or after you figure out how you’re going to feed your family without the SNAP payments his father went to the Supreme Court to suspend? Or pay the health care costs his administration has made sure to skyrocket? I just want to get the sequencing right,” wrote Franklin Leonard, founder of the Black List.

“I’m just like Eric. Except on my Sunday nights I’m trying to order my Instacart for the family while the low grade gummy kicks in,” wrote The Bulwark’s Sam Stein.

“Don’t let anyone tell you the Trumps are out of touch with rising costs,” remarked MSNBC’s Matt Fuller.

“Starting to think they may not understand what families going through with higher prices…” commented communications professional Eddie Vale.

“These are the same people who blast Zohran Mamdani for caring about affordability,” noted The Friendly Atheist’s Hemant Mehta.

READ MORE: Trump Stumbles Over ‘God Bless America’ Lyrics at Veterans Day Ceremony

 

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