Tag: Trump ego

As Trump’s latest effort for new FBI headquarters falls flat, Shelby moves parts of the bureau to Alabama

Washington Post logoAt least 1,500 workers will relocate to $1.1 billion Huntsville campus, with thousands more expected to follow

Three years after President Trump canceled a decade-long plan to build an FBI headquarters in the Washington suburbs, the bureau’s effort at securing a new home remains mired in uncertainty, with no active plan or funding source and thousands of agents still working at the crumbling and poorly secured J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington.

But there is ample financial support and a clear plan for another FBI headquarters project, one in Huntsville, Ala., that will welcome 1,500 of the bureau’s headquarters staff from the Washington region next year and probably thousands more in coming years.

The principal architect of the flow of FBI staff to Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal complex is Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), the powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee who has shepherded the project through approvals and secured $1.1 billion in funding for it over the past four years. Continue reading.

5 takeaways from Trump’s return to the coronavirus briefing stage

Washington Post logoPresident Trump has brought back the White House coronavirus briefing as the disease continues to run rampant in much of the nation.

The decision to bring back the briefings carries political risks for Trump, given the last iteration of briefings ended about two months ago, after he mused about injecting disinfectant to cure patients.

We didn’t see that version of Trump at Tuesday’s briefing, but there was plenty of evidence that these briefings are geared toward reversing Americans’ widespread disapproval of his handling of the pandemic. Here are five takeaways from the return of the briefing: Continue reading.

Amid concerns over coronavirus, Trump turns to ‘tele-rallies’ to drive support

The Hill logoPresident Trump held his first “tele-rallies” over the weekend, signaling a shift in campaigning as the coronavirus pandemic has rendered his signature large gatherings impractical.

Trump held virtual rallies targeted at supporters in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina across three days, speaking over the phone for roughly 25 minutes in each case. The events were broadcast live on Facebook as the president attempts to reach voters in new ways while in-person campaigning is put on hold.

The president has pushed for a return to normalcy across the country even as the United States recently recorded more than 70,000 new coronavirus cases in one day. But with his shift to virtual campaign events, Trump acknowledged that the rallies were not feasible as many Americans remain cautious about venturing out into large crowds. Continue reading.

Tulsa health official: Trump rally ‘likely’ source of virus surge

“In the past few days, we’ve seen almost 500 new cases,” Dr. Bruce Dart said.

OKLAHOMA CITY — President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa in late June that drew thousands of participants and large protests “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said Wednesday.

Tulsa County reported 261 confirmed new cases on Monday, a one-day record high, and another 206 cases on Tuesday. By comparison, during the week before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 76 cases on Monday and 96 on Tuesday.

Although the health department’s policy is to not publicly identify individual settings where people may have contracted the virus, Dart said those large gatherings “more than likely” contributed to the spike. Continue reading.

What Will Trump’s Rally in New Hampshire Be Like? It’s Anyone’s Guess

New York Times logoThe governor, a Republican, isn’t attending. It isn’t clear how many other G.O.P. elected officials will come. The turnout could be low, or expansive. And fears of the virus hang over the event.

Three days before President Trump’s latest rally, in a state that Hillary Clinton narrowly won in 2016, the only thing that seems clear is that the president’s team has no idea what to expect.

Mr. Trump’s campaign is planning an event at an airport hangar in Portsmouth, N.H. But the state’s governor, Chris Sununu, a Republican, has said he will not be attending. It isn’t clear how many other Republican elected officials will come. The number of attendees could be low, or it could be expansive. There could be lots of people drifting in from Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts.

Campaign officials believe they will be able to prevent the kind of ticket prank that helped turn Mr. Trump’s rally last month in Tulsa, Okla., into a far smaller event than expected — but they still cannot say for sure. And most significantly, there is the looming threat of the coronavirus spreading in a crowd where attendees will be in relatively close quarters, despite being mostly outdoors. Continue reading.

How the Republican Convention Created Money Woes in Two Cities

New York Times logoDonors are wondering why they gave to a Charlotte event that has mostly been scrapped. And Jacksonville fund-raisers find money is on hold because of concerns about the surge in virus cases.

WASHINGTON — The abrupt uprooting of the Republican National Convention from Charlotte to Jacksonville has created a tangled financial predicament for party officials as they effectively try to pay for two big events instead of one.

Tens of millions of dollars have already been spent in a city that will now host little more than a G.O.P. business meeting, and donors are wary of opening their wallets again to bankroll a Jacksonville gathering thrown into uncertainty by a surge in coronavirus cases.

Organizers are trying to assuage vexed Republicans who collectively gave millions of dollars for a Charlotte event that has mostly been scrapped. The host committee there has spent virtually all of the $38 million it raised before the convention was moved, leaving almost nothing to return to donors, or to pass on to the new host city. Continue reading.

Trump’s ‘I alone can fix it’ campaign collides with a changed public moodTrump’s ‘I alone can fix it’ campaign collides with a changed public mood

Washington Post logoPresident Trump will celebrate American independence Friday in his signature self-aggrandizing style, staging a fireworks show that frames him before a granite mountain carved with four of the nation’s most celebrated presidents.

But Democrats are hoping that the latest display of self-flattery by Trump at Mount Rushmore will have a different effect than similar efforts in the past, following a shift in public sentiment that suggests the 2020 presidential race is being fought on different terrain than Trump’s first campaign for the White House.

“In 2016, Trump’s buffoonery was held up by some as a refreshing rejection of an ineffectual status quo. He would step up to the plate eventually, they thought,” said former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, explaining the thinking that now dominates his party’s strategists. “Today, it’s the same buffoonery, except it is killing people.” Continue reading.

Trump’s 2019 July Fourth Bash Cost Twice As Much As Previous Celebrations: GAO

Trump’s 2019 July Fourth Bash Cost Twice As Much As Previous Celebrations: GAO

Last year’s July Fourth celebration on the National Mall with headliner Donald Trump cost American taxpayers twice as much as similar events did in previous years, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

The event racked up $13 million in costs, compared to totals between $6 million and $7 million in the three previous years.

This year, Trump’s celebration will be held on the South Lawn of the White House with a speech and a fireworks display over the National Mall. Some 1,700 service members will also take part in his “2020 Salute to America.” Continue reading.

Workers removed thousands of social distancing stickers before Trump’s Tulsa rally, according to video and a person familiar with the set-up

1,700 troops will support Trump’s 4th of July celebration plans, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon announced Friday that for the second year in a row, the Department of Defense will provide troops and substantial support to President Donald Trump’s expanded Independence Day celebrations.

About 1,700 troops will provide support to the Department of the Interior with “Salute to America” celebrations in Washington, D.C., as well as flyovers of other cities, including New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

“The highlight of this year’s celebration will be our salute to the Great Cities of the American Revolution.,” Mitchell said. “The flyovers will begin in Boston and proceed to New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore. From there they will join other Department of Defense and heritage aircraft in the Salute to America over our nation’s capital.” Continue reading.