Our most recent book is Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. Less than 48 hours after Biden's withdrawal, Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. And in just a few weeks, the race has changed. Trump thought the age issue would be his greatest asset. Now that he is facing an opponent 18 years younger and increasingly showing his 78 years, it has become one of his greatest weaknesses.
Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey and Patrick Svitek report on Trump's news conference at WP:Donald Trump defended people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying they had been treated “very unfairly,” and bragged about his crowd size that day. He gave a noncommittal answer when asked if he would rule out restricting medication abortion, rekindling one of Democrats’ top political issues. He repeatedly flashed frustration with early Democratic enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, complaining about coverage of her crowds. He told a reporter it was a “stupid question” to ask why he was not campaigning more....The former president said Jewish people “should have their head examined” if they did not vote for him. He attacked Hillary Clinton and claimed that he told people to “relax” when they wanted to charge her with crimes, even as he led “lock her up” chants at his rallies. He lauded a judge who dismissed a case against him for allegedly mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice; called for more presidential authority over the Federal Reserve; said he was “not a big fan” of Biden’s brain; raised conspiracy theories about the 2020 election; and said mail-in voting should be ended. He labeled Elon Musk a “different kind of guy”; deemed his former strategist Stephen K. Bannon, currently serving prison time for contempt of Congress, a political prisoner; and bragged repeatedly about his crowd sizes, often with false numbers.
William Kristol and Andrew Egger at The Bulwark:
He seemingly forgot the name of Tim Walz, whom he repeatedly referred to as “the gentleman from Minnesota” or “Kamala’s new friend” and described as “heavy into the transgender world, heavy into lots of different worlds having to do with safety.”
The elderly Trump confused Jerry Brown with Willie Brown, who do not look alike. Zoë Richards and Rebecca Shabad at NBC:
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to confuse former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown with former California Gov. Jerry Brown in recounting what he characterized as a near-death experience.
During a news conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he once flew with Willie Brown in a helicopter that "went down" when he was asked about Vice President Kamala Harris' past relationship with the former mayor and whether he thought the relationship had played a role in her career path.
"In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together, and there was an emergency landing. This was not a pleasant landing, and Willie was, he was a little concerned,” Trump said. "So I know him. I know him pretty well."
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle after the news conference, Willie Brown, who dated Harris years ago in San Francisco, denied multiple aspects of Trump's account.
“You would have known if I had gone down on a helicopter with Trump,” he said, according to the newspaper. “I’ve never been on a helicopter with Trump.”
In 2018, Trump was in a helicopter with Jerry Brown and his successor, then Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, on the day they toured Paradise, California, a town that had been ravaged by wildfires.
Donald Trump actually thinks seeking asylum means you're coming from...an insane asylum. Sounds like he's mentally unfit for office idk! pic.twitter.com/MB7nHP5EqP
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 8, 2024
