Daily Archives: January 9, 2022

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The starting gun in the next White House race doesnt fire for 10 more months, until after the 2022 midterm elections.

But President Bidens most muscular comments to date regarding former President Donald Trump - as Biden gave a much talked-about address inStatuary Hall marking the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol - appeared to serve as a preview for a potential 2024 rematch between the two leaders.

The speech seemed to be a turning point for the president, who during much of his first year in the White House has directly avoided targeting his predecessor in office. But on Thursday, without using Trumps name, the president accused him of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in hopes of disrupting congressional certification of Bidens Electoral College victory in the 2020 election.

2021, THE YEAR THAT THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE IGNITED

"We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie. And here is the truth: The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election," Biden charged, as he pointed to Trump's repeated, unfounded claims that the 2020 election was "RIGGED" and "stolen" due to massive voter fraud.

"Hes done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interests as more important than his countrys interests and Americas interests, and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution," the president argued.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: US President Joe Biden gives remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S Capitol on January 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. One year ago, supporters of then President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building in an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)

And Biden emphasized that Trumps "done what no president in American historyhas ever, ever done: He refused to accept the results of an election and the will of the American people."

Stressing that Trumps "a defeated former president," Biden accused him of "trying to rewrite history." And looking ahead to what sounded like the next presidential election campaign, Biden pledged to "defend this nation. And I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of our democracy."

Trump, who canceled his originally planned news conference on Jan. 6, fired off numerous statements throughout the day.

The former president argued that Biden "used my name today to try to further divide America," labeling it "political theater."

And Trump claimed that the presidents speech was "just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed."

WHAT TRUMP TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT HIS 2024 TIMETABLE

Looking ahead to this Novembers midterms, when the GOP hopes to win back majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump said that "to watch Biden speaking is very hurtful for many peoplethis is an election year and MAGA Republicans should get elected and work with me to fix this horror."

After his address, Biden told reporters that he referred to Trump in his speech as a "former president" rather than directly name him because he "did not want to turn" marking the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol "into a contemporary political battle between me" and Trump.

But in some ways, what Biden said on Thursday sounded like the opening shots in the next White House race.

Georgia PERRY, GA - SEPTEMBER 25: Former US President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on September 25, 2021 in Perry, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Expect Trump to fire back when hes in front of cameras next weekend, as he heads to the crucial battleground state of Arizona to hold his first campaign style rally of 2022.

And then there were four

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has narrowed the list of contenders to host its 2024 presidential nominating convention down to four major cities.

Making the short-list are Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nashville, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are located in crucial general election battleground states, while Nashville and Salt Lake City are located in reliably red states.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

The RNC confirmed to Fox News that staff from their site selection committee will be traveling to the four finalist cities to survey the convention plans. And committee members will discuss the 2024 convention cities, as well as the nominating calendar and presidential primary debates, when the RNC holds its winter meeting, early next month in Salt Lake City.

The news of the four finalists was first reported by Politico.

Were seeing a lot less of Mike Pompeo

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he dropped 90 pounds over the past nine months thanks to exercise and dieting.

Pompeo told the New York Post that he hit a tipping point in June when he stepped on the scale and saw that his weight was nearing 300 lbs. for the first time in his life.

The Fox News contributor, a former congressman from Kansas who served as CIA director and then Americas top diplomat during the Trump administration, traveled to all four of the early voting presidential primary and caucus states last year, sparking plenty of speculation hes mulling a 2024 White House run.

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But the 58-year-old Pompeo said his weight loss isnt about any possible presidential run.

"The truth is, Im really getting ready for 2044 and hoping Ill be around in 2054," he told the New York Post, pointing to potential grandchildren. "My sons getting married in July, and I wanted to be healthier and be around for what I hope the Lord will bless us with as grandkids before too terribly long."

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Game on between Biden and Trump as president appears to give first speech of the 2024 White House race - Fox News

The solemnity of the day was in danger of being undermined by former President My Little Phony. Two weeks ago, he announced that at the time of the Capitol prayer service, he planned to deliver remarks doubling down on the big lie to counterprogram the remembrance events. Yeah, you cant let remembrance events go on without counterprogramming. The same reason at a funeral youve got to bring out an insult comic for the people who are glad the guys dead: [Imitating comic] John looks good. Its the first time Ive seen him stiff in years! Oh! His wife knows what Im talking about. Anyway, thats my time. His, too! Tip your pallbearers. STEPHEN COLBERT

It would be like Judas giving a speech to commemorate Good Friday: [Imitating Judas] Sure, its a sad day, but without me, none of this wouldve happened. The real crucifixion was on Nov. 3 Mary Magdalene knows what Im talkin about. Tip your Pharisees. STEPHEN COLBERT

Donald Trump is canceling an appearance and listening to advice from other people? Im worried about him. JAMES CORDEN

Republican senators said the press conference wasnt a good idea, so instead Trump will just spend a quiet day dancing to Y.M.C.A. at home. JAMES CORDEN

But according to The New York Timess Maggie Haberman, the real, real reason is that it was becoming clear he wasnt likely to get the live TV coverage he was hoping for. Well, that makes sense. Upstaging solemn events rarely gets good ratings. Thats why they canceled Dick Clarks Pearl Harbors Rockin Eve. STEPHEN COLBERT

In his statement regarding the cancellation, Trump referred to the insurrection as a completely unarmed protest and said he was moving the event from Mar-a-Lago to Arizona on Jan. 15.

Id like to point out that they were armed. And when did we start having to say unarmed protests? Protests are unarmed by default. Thats like saying: We had a lovely weekend. It was a totally bloodless cotillion. STEPHEN COLBERT

It makes sense that hes moving it from Mar-a-Lago to Arizona, considering their state motto: Arizona: Americas backup Florida. STEPHEN COLBERT

So, no press conference tomorrow, but Trump will speak at an Arizona rally on Jan. 15 instead, just as Martin Luther King Jr. would have wanted. JAMES CORDEN

Theres an update in the world of Covid: Everyone in the world has Covid. STEPHEN COLBERT

Speaking of, the C.D.C. announced that after you isolate for five days with Covid, you should take a rapid test if you have access to one. You can read more about it in this months issue of Unhelpful Advice magazine. JIMMY FALLON

Thats right, another update from the C.D.C. Even Dr. Fauci is like, Oh, I muted those months ago. JIMMY FALLON

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Late Night Is Thrilled Trumps Finally Listening to Someone - The New York Times

WASHINGTON

Lucky countries have celebrations that remind their citizens of what binds them together think Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.

Unlucky countries do the opposite: They commemorate the divisions that drive them apart.

In Northern Ireland, Protestant militants march noisily on July 12 to remind the Catholic minority which side won the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbs march on Jan. 9 to assert their independence from the groups they fought in their countrys war.

After the U.S. Civil War, Southern states celebrated Confederate Memorial Day on a different date than the Norths Decoration Day; the holidays didnt merge until World War I.

Last week, with the anniversary of the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, the United States slipped onto the list of unhappy countries.

The day turned into a festival of national division not a single, unifying commemoration but three very different observances.

President Biden gave an unexpectedly fiery speech, blaming Donald Trump for inciting the mob that attacked the Capitol and for continuing to stoke the poisonous myth that the 2020 election was stolen.

The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies, Biden said. Hes done so because he values power over principle and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy.

Predictably, Trump rose to the bait, issuing four angry statements from his exile in Mar-a-Lago, all renewing his spurious claims.

The Big Lie was the election itself, he wrote. The election outcome was the real insurrection, he said. And he accused the Biden administration of appalling abuse of political prisoners, an apparent reference to defendants held on federal charges after the riot a favorite cause of his fringiest followers, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

Caught in the middle were Republican leaders who know Trump lost the election but dont want to say so because it would enrage the vengeful former president.

They observed Jan. 6 by offering muddled statements that disapproved of the riot but blamed Democrats for politicizing the issue as if there were any way to avoid connecting the invasion of the Capitol to politics.

The actions of that day were lawless and as wrong as wrong can be, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said. The problem now, he complained, is that Democrats are using it as a partisan political weapon.

Its a difficult straddle to execute, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) discovered when he incautiously described the riot as a violent terrorist attack, a phrase he has used in the past.

Heresy! Cruz, who ran against Trump for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, was assailed by Trump supporters and subjected to interrogation by Tucker Carlson of Fox News. It was not a violent terrorist attack, Carlson insisted.

In a scene reminiscent of the show trials of Mao Zedongs China, Cruz promptly recanted his deviation from party doctrine.

It was a mistake, he said, referring to his statement, not the riot.

Lesson to other Republicans who seek reelection: Dont deviate from Trumps views, or you may be a victim of the GOPs own form of cancel culture.

Trump, who gloried in watching the mob rampage through the Capitol, doesnt appear to want the battle to end. And thats the chief obstacle to getting over the division that remains. Its not about whether sacking the Capitol was right or wrong; even McCarthy can answer that question accurately. Its whether the myth Trump used to rile up the mob his infinitely debunked claim that the election was stolen should be embraced or repudiated.

Thats not a debate that offers ground for compromise. Either Trump is right, and the current president of the United States is illegitimate or Trump deliberately set out to overturn a democratic election and is bending the rest of the GOP to his will.

So far, he appears to be succeeding, at least when it comes to radicalizing his party.

Thats why Biden, after months of pretending that Trump was no longer there, escalated last week.

We are in a battle for the soul of America, he said, reviving a slogan from his 2020 campaign. I did not seek this fight but I will not shrink from it, either.

Trumps continuing campaign to deny the presidents legitimacy no ground for compromise there, either left him little choice.

For a few weeks after Jan. 6, 2021, it was possible to hope that the trauma of the day might unify the country. That didnt happen; the ensuing year only confirmed our division.

The lesson of Jan. 6, 2022, is that Jan. 6 isnt over.

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Column: The lesson of Jan. 6: Jan. 6 still isn't over - Los Angeles Times

Tiffany Trump is busy planning her wedding to financier Michael Boulos, but the couple took some time for a little rest and relaxation over the holidays. Instead of a typical Trump celebration with her dad Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the duo decided to head to the French Alps with Michaels parents,Massad and Sarah Boulos, his older brother, Fares Boulos and Tiffanys mom, Marla Maples.

Michael shared a very glam photo of the two of them sitting slopeside at Courchevel, a luxurious French ski resort. Tiffany wore chic black sunglasses and a Tiffany-blue puffy coat with fur trim and a black fur hat (she looked like a ski bunny). Her fianc kept his winter gear simple with an all-black ensemble and reflective sunglasses. It doesnt look like Tiffany hit the slopes, but her mom looked like she had the time of her life with her future son-in-law and his family.

Maples sounded truly moved to be included in their vacation plans. Moments of fun captured in time! Ive learned that joy is the greatest commodity we have to share with others, she wrote in the caption of her photo dump. I am so grateful for this family and the special time of adventure, dreaming, laughing and praying together. Heres to everyone finding reasons to smile and more ways to share love! She even bonded with Michael and Massad for a top-of-the-mountain family picture.

Even though Tiffany made the move to Florida like her Trump siblings, she is rarely seen spending time with them. This holiday vacation with her future in-laws (and missing her dads annual New Years Eve party) might signal that shes ready to identify as a Boulos family member and it looks like shes bringing mom along for the ride.

Before you go, click here to see the net worth of 15 mega-rich celebrity kids.

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Tiffany Trump Skipped Dad Donald Trumps New Years Eve Party For a Ski Vacation With Her In-Laws - SheKnows

Hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence listens after reading the final certification of the Electoral College votes cast in the 2020 presidential election. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

Hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence listens after reading the final certification of the Electoral College votes cast in the 2020 presidential election.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the Democratic-led House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, says members expect this month to ask former Vice President Mike Pence to voluntarily appear.

Pence's role on the day of the siege has drawn close interest from the committee, as it examines then-President Donald Trump's actions that day, as well as in the days leading up to the attack. Trump had been pressuring Pence to step out of his ceremonial role and reject Joe Biden's election results in several key states.

Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, shared the timing plans for the Pence ask in an interview with NPR.

"I think you could expect that before the month's out," Thompson said.

He described Pence's appearance as critical, especially as the former vice president ultimately issued a letter before the Jan. 6 proceedings that said he would not step out of his ceremonial role.

"The vice president was put in a tough spot. The president was putting a lot of pressure on him to break the law, and he stood fast," added Thompson. "And because of his respect for law, there were people who came to the Capitol a year ago wanting to hang him. And so, if for no other reason, our committee really needs to hear what are his opinions about what happened on Jan. 6."

The committee is meeting next week behind closed doors and expects to firm up final plans regarding Pence and the voluntary ask then, Thompson said.

The effort comes as the committee moves into a new phase of its investigation, with a closer look into Donald Trump's inner circle and new public requests for voluntary testimony. In the last several weeks, the committee has asked that Fox News personality Sean Hannity and Republican Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Jim Jordan of Ohio come before the panel.

None has signaled interest in doing so.

Thompson did not rule out more requests for other witnesses in Trump's inner circle, including daughter and former senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump.

"Look, we are absolutely open to anyone coming voluntarily to the committee," Thompson said. "If in fact we think somebody has information that as a committee we need, and getting a subpoena for that person's participation is important, then we will do it."

The committee has obtained information that Ivanka Trump tried to get her father to call off the riot several times that day, Thompson and other members have said.

"We have information that Ivanka did try to get the president to call off what was occurring at the Capitol. We don't have all the information. That's why we would love to have access to it," Thompson said.

Thompson said more details on Ivanka Trump's requests to her father regarding the attack are likely held within White House documents that are the subject of an ongoing legal fight. Donald Trump has lost several rounds in federal courts seeking to block the committee's access to a tranche of those documents and is now asking the Supreme Court to intervene.

"So we think once we have access to that, it will help clear up all the drips and drabbles of the information that we are getting," Thompson said.

The committee has issued more than 50 subpoenas, has interviewed about 350 witnesses, has received more than 45,000 documents and is chasing nearly 350 tips.

The committee is also assessing whether Donald Trump or others should be considered for criminal referrals for their actions tied to the siege. So far, the House has approved the committee's two criminal referrals for ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former strategist Steve Bannon.

Thompson said the committee is also working to issue "significant recommendations" for new legislation. This could include reforms to the Electoral Count Act or new penalties for obstructing an official proceeding, such as the certification of presidential election results.

"Because one of the dangers, as you know, is if the insurrectionists had been successful and gotten their hands on the ballots from the different states and destroyed [them]," Thompson said, "we would have had a constitutional crisis of no end."

The panel is in a race to wrap up its investigation before the November midterm elections this year, as Republicans could take back control of the lower chamber next year and shut down the probe.

Hearings to present those findings could be held by this spring or summer, members have said.

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Jan. 6 panel expects this month to ask Mike Pence to voluntarily appear - NPR