Category: Politics

The Republicans Are Bolting From Trump

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A few tentative displays of independence among Republicans have expanded in recent days into a stampede, as candidates furiously distance themselves from President Trump ahead of the midterm elections. “This is shaping up to be a nightmare political environment for every Republican, everywhere—period, full stop,” one Texas-based political consultant told us, speaking anonymously to provide a frank assessment. Noting that gas prices across the country are on average $ 4.50 a gallon, the consultant described the atmosphere as “a fucking disaster for anyone in a competitive race.” The contrast with…

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The ICE Officer in Austin Wasn’t Wearing a Body Cam

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Sign up for Inside the Trump Presidency, a newsletter featuring coverage of the second Trump term. The ICE officer who shot a Venezuelan man last weekend in Austin was a recent hire who was not wearing his body camera, three officials at the Department of Homeland Security with knowledge of the incident told me. The officer, who has not been publicly identified, was hired last year, according to two of the officials, but he previously worked for another federal law-enforcement agency, one of the officials said. The officials were not…

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Jon Ossoff Is Doing Something Different

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If you’re a Democrat, attending a Jon Ossoff rally feels very good. Therapeutic, even. Many Democrats feel as if every day of the second Trump administration has brought some fresh horror: a discouraging development in the never-ending Iran war; a new vow of retribution from the 80-year-old leader of the free world; or the revelation of yet another money-making venture cooked up by the Trumps. But now, from the South, a young senator has emerged, with a deep voice promising change and a speaking cadence not unlike Barack Obama’s. His…

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Gas Prices Could Cost Republicans the Midterms

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One might expect Donald Trump to be concerned about gas prices. Less than two months out from the midterms, gas costs 37 percent more than it did a year ago. Home-heating oil was up 52 percent as of August, and diesel is up a staggering 69 percent. None of those numbers is likely to go down significantly as long as the Iran war drags on. Meanwhile, just last week, a Saudi oil pipeline that carries about 4 percent of the global oil supply shut down after being bombed. (No one…

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Trump’s Dream World in Dallas

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Photographs by Joseph Rushmore President Trump began his midterm-convention address last night by casting his spell on the crowd in Dallas. “This place is packed,” he announced from the stage, pointing to the back of the American Airlines Center, where everyone could see hundreds of empty seats. Those who looked up saw thousands more, whole sections without any people at all. But the crowd cheered anyway. A deal had been struck. Reality would be ignored.  After more than a decade in politics, Trump is facing his last great electoral test—his…

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The Hasan Piker Question

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Like late-summer humidity, Hasan Piker hangs heavy over the discourse. At a rally on Monday, Vice President Vance brought up the hard-left streamer in an attempt to paint the Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as anti-American. Last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Piker’s recent statements about Jewish Americans  “dangerous and anti-Semitic.” Senators Jon Ossoff, Cory Booker, and Jacky Rosen said much the same. Facing questions about a totally different set of Piker comments, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hustled into an elevator. Some Democrats are trying to dismiss the 35-year-old…

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