GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump held a press conference at his Florida residence/resort Mar-a-Lago yesterday and Democratic political pundits including his niece Mary Trump are having a field day criticizing his performance.
Trump falsely said “no one was killed on January 6” and that the ‘Stop the Steal’ crowd he drew that day (before the U.S. Capitol was attacked) was larger than the crowd that gathered for civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. He said it was “The biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken — I’ve spoken to the biggest crowds. Nobody’s spoken to crowds bigger than me.”
Ms. Trump responded to the press conference by writing: “And The New York Times will call for Donald to end his campaign in 3 … 2 … 1.”
(Mary Trump is referring to the Times‘ calls for Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign in the wake of his poor debate, citing a perception that the President did not possess the mental acuity for four more years on the job. Trump has largely escaped similar calls on similar reasoning, despite concerning bouts of incoherence in his speeches.)
And The New York Times will call for Donald to end his campaign in 3 … 2 … 1
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) August 8, 2024
During his presser, Trump referred to his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, as “nasty” and said she “isn’t smart enough” to hold a press conference. Meanwhile, Harris addressed members of the United Auto Workers (UAW), the national union which endorsed Harris, and got the crowd fired up with a positive message. Video below.
Vice President Harris: When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. We stand for the people. We stand for the dignity of work. We stand for justice. We stand for equality. And we will fight for all of it pic.twitter.com/cIflUO6EP8
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 8, 2024
[Trump also tried, without his usual sting, to bring down Harris’s running mate Tim Walz, vaguely criticizing the Minnesota governor for holding “positions that it’s not even possible to believe that they exist” and “going for things that nobody’s ever even heard of.”]
Republicans including Meghan McCain (daughter of the late Senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain) responded to Trump’s press conference by predicting: “Vice President Harris is going to win.”
Vice President Harris is going to win. https://t.co/nvoj5YLksc
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 8, 2024
Another conservative pundit, Jenna Ellis, the former Trump 2020 campaign attorney who is now cooperating with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes in the state’s “fake electors” prosecution, is chiming in with disapproval of the Trump campaign.
NEW: Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds Harris leading Trump by 6 points
If you’re mad about this, direct your ire toward the Trump Campaign.
If you’re in denial about this, direct yourself to a mental institution.https://t.co/WCDET0Pw8N
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) August 8, 2024
Ellis noted that a new Marquette Law School Poll finds Harris leading Trump by 6 points. Ellis wrote: “If you’re mad about this, direct your ire toward the Trump campaign. If you’re in denial about this, direct yourself to a mental institution.”
Why be mad? Libs gonna lib and Trump is ten points ahead wherever he should be right now.
Bush was down like 20 in 1988 at this point before he won that election
— Andrew Kloster (@ARKloster) August 8, 2024
Andrew Kloster, who served in the Trump administration as Associate Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel and as Deputy General Counsel (and later, Acting General Counsel) in the United States Office of Personnel Management, responded to Ellis with what she would characterize as denial: “Why be mad? Libs gonna lib and Trump is ten points ahead wherever he should be right now. Bush was down like 20 in 1988 at this point before he won that election.”