Trump’s national security advisors tried to send a message yesterday by issuing a strong warning about Russian election interference.
Too bad the president didn’t get that message.
In one of his infamous campaign rallies last night, Trump massively undercut his top intelligence advisers when he called Russian election meddling “a hoax.”
While Trump was denouncing any Russian election interference, his director of national intelligence and FBI director were saying the exact opposite:
Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence: “We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States.”
Christopher Wray, FBI Director: Russia “continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day. This is a threat we need to take extremely seriously and to tackle and respond to with fierce determination and focus.”
Trump also said his progress with Russia is being “hindered by the Russian hoax—it’s a hoax, okay?”
FACT CHECK: Progress with Russia is being hindered because they are aggressively attacking our Democracy every day. Everyone is on the same page about that—except Donald Trump.
Trump also tried to claim last night that Russia was “very unhappy” he won the 2016 election. (You might recall Putin standing right next to him two weeks ago and saying he had wanted Trump to win.)
Trump’s national security advisors may have been trying to reassure the country that their democracy is actually being defended, but Trump just gave us all more reason to worry than ever before.
THE TAX SCAM IS A FAILURE & VOTERS KNOW IT.
This month’s jobs numbers are out, and job growth was “below economists’ predictions—and far, far below Trump’s.”
Jobs growth under Trump has fallen behind all of Obama’s last three years. And, as CAP Action’s Jesse Lee summed up rather nicely, “Obama hadn’t just dumped a trillion dollars into his donors’ pockets and called it a ‘middle class miracle.’” And real wages continue to be starkly flat.
Last December, Trump touted the tax plan as a “jobs bill.” But American voters aren’t fooled by the $2 trillion gift to special interests that congressional Republicans tried to package as a working- and middle-class tax cut.
Last night, Tennessee Republican Rep. Diane Black lost her gubernatorial primary after running as a key architect of the tax scam. Good thing for her, she also pocketed up to $1,045,000 as a retirement fund for herself from a loophole in the bill she wrote.
GIVE DEVOS A PIECE OF YOUR MIND.
As we discussed recently, Betsy DeVos wants to make it essentially impossible for students ripped off by their college to get their student loans forgiven. (All while the Trump Administration considers a $100 billion tax cut for the rich by executive fiat.)
Not only is this needlessly cruel—it’s bad policy.
You have 30 days to tell Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education what you think. Share your personal story or submit a comment here.