If the Oval Office showdown taught us anything, it’s that President Trump is desperate.
55% of respondents in a recent Fox News poll said that—if the 2020 presidential election were held today—they would definitely or probably vote for someone other than Trump. Now, an agitated Trump is trying to salvage some semblance of credibility.
The story of Trump’s 2016 campaign was false promises. As CAP Action’s VP of Communications, Jesse Lee, points out, Trump “had a nasty habit of making a lot fast promises – sweeping, huge, enormous false promises,” he never intended to keep and is going to have to answer for:
- Most obvious: The wall. He promised his base an expensive, wasteful, and unnecessary border wall, and now he’s failing to deliver. He also (falsely) promised that Mexico would pay for it.
- He promised to save factory jobs. “These companies aren’t going to be leaving any more…They’re not going to be announcing, like they did at Carrier, that they’re closing up and they’re moving to Mexico.”
This GOP-led House is Trump’s last chance to secure funding for his inane wall, and—as Leader Pelosi pointed out again and again on Tuesday—the President doesn’t have the necessary votes even now. Once Leader Pelosi and the Democrats take control of the House in January, Trump can kiss his bigoted legislative agenda goodbye.
CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: BIG OIL EDITION.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration dealt a blow to Americans’ health, air quality, and wallets when it rolled back car emissions standards. In true #CultureOfCorruption fashion, guess who was behind that rollback? Big Oil.
A New York Times report from this morning exposes how the nation’s largest oil refiner worked hand-in-hand with powerful lobbyists and a Koch-funded conservative policy network to roll back car emissions standards. They also launched a targeted Facebook campaign urging people to write to regulators in support of the rollback.
Why? To promote billions of dollars in spending at the gas pump. As the report says so clearly, “less-thirsty vehicles mean lower gasoline sales.”
The rollback will increase U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a time when it is essential to do the opposite in order to have any chance to fight climate change. It’s also expected to cut 60,000 manufacturing jobs, another slap in the face to American workers already suffering thanks to Trump’s tax scam.
Read more on Big Oil’s central role in the Trump administration’s culture of corruption.
THINKING CAP: PROGRESSIVE LAWMAKERS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), incoming co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, joins the pod to outline her top priorities for the next Congress, which include fighting corruption, reforming immigration, and improving health care affordability. She also reacts to the televised Oval Office spectacle that captivated Washington earlier this week and predicts what it all means for a potential government shutdown. Check out the episode here.