Trump falls back on grievances as he slides in the polls: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.

In today’s edition, top national politics reporters Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen investigate how Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for excuses if he loses the presidential election. Plus, political reporter Allan Smith takes an in-depth look at the contentious relationship between two leading Pennsylvania Democrats.

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As Trump slips in the polls, he steps up bogus attacks on election integrity

By Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen

As Vice President Kamala Harris reverses a Democratic slide in the race for the White House, former President Donald Trump is making preemptive excuses for a possible second defeat. Most are clearly liars.

Trump recently said it was unconstitutional for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race because of concerns that the Democrats would lose. not. The Constitution is silent on the nomination of parties.

He and his allies have accused Harris of using artificial intelligence to create fake images of crowds as a means of bolstering perceptions of his electoral strength. His audience is real.

On Thursday, Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that Judge Juan Merchan was using a partial gag order to prevent him from speaking to reporters in the middle of the campaign. A narrow statute allows him to speak to the media as long as he does not attack the families of court officials.

For example, Trump passed press conference Today at the Bedminster, NJ, golf club after spending one at Mar-a-Lago last week.

Trump’s renewed focus on building a false case that Democrats were trying to deceive him—nearly four years after his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election—ended with supporters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to decertify the Electoral College. voices — speaks to his lack of credibility, according to people familiar with his behavior, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation from the Republican Party’s most powerful figure.

Those uncertainties are less about the integrity of the election and more about his chances of winning — and his frustration at not always being at the center of the national political debate, these people said. Some Republicans worry that he has shied away from issues important to voters, including inflation and immigration, as he pursues grievances that don’t resonate with voters.

“He can never be a loser,” a former top adviser said of the former president’s rush to call the election unfair. “He’s going to do anything he knows how to do,” the former adviser said, explaining that he sees Trump’s media presence as a sign of his political power.

Read more from Matt and Jon →

Inside the cracks that could define the future of Pennsylvania politics

By Allan Smith

John Fetterman was furious.

The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania was on hand to speak at a disaster relief press conference in Bucks County on July 16, 2023, hours after flooding killed seven people in Upper Makefield, Pennsylvania. Local officials spoke for a few minutes to offer an initial update to the assembled press. Then Governor Josh Shapiro gave an update on what his administration is doing to respond to the emergency.

After a few minutes, Shapiro returned the microphone to local responders, not Fetterman. A few minutes later, the event ended without Fetterman speaking.

Fetterman, already deeply suspicious of Shapiro, has vowed to appear at events with the governor, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The episode highlighted what has become an increasingly volatile relationship between two of Pennsylvania’s most ambitious elected officials. This is a Democratic Party rivalry that is suddenly in full view and has the potential to shape state politics and even the national political scene for years to come.

Earlier this month, Harris was wrapping up the search for his runaway wife and He was thinking of Shapiro among his final choices, This was reported by Politico Fetterman’s aides told Harris’ team that the senator was worried about Shapiro.

Days later, at a Philadelphia rally where Harris introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as his No. 2 candidate, Fetterman sat cross-legged as Shapiro gave a rousing speech. , the 6-foot-8 Fetterman stood out as the lone member who cheered and didn’t join in the cheering for Shapiro.

“It’s very well known to most PA politicians that the two collide,” said one Pennsylvania Democrat. “It was clear that these two were always on a collision course, and the only thing that kept them apart was that they went to different offices.”

“Almost airing our dirty laundry,” the person added.

Many people said the standoff had to do with Fetterman taking out his anger on Shapiro, especially since the senator took public steps to express his displeasure when Shapiro did not.

Two unrelated Pennsylvania Democrats have separately compared the trials to a popular meme from the hit TV show Mad Men. Here, a man standing in an elevator criticizes the show’s protagonist, Don Draper, to whom he replies, “I don’t think about that. You usually do.”

Read more from Allan’s exclusive report →

That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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