Trump Chooses Thiel Protege Vance for Veep - The Tuesday AM Quickie 7/16/24
When a conservative Republican gun-lover shoots a Republican president, why do Democrats apologize? -Jacob
ON THE SHOW TODAY
7/16: It's News Day Tuesday!
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Today you'll read about Trump's smarmy VP pick, Elon Musk turning on the money spigot for Trumpian fascism, and the latest in the investigation into the attempted assassination.
THE BIG NEWS
Trump Chooses Thiel Protege Vance for Veep
On Monday, former President Donald Trump announced his vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Vance is a 39-year-old right-wing Catholic nationalist, another faux populist conservative who once shied away from Trump – something about him being "cultural heroin" – but then learned that his beef was rooted in style, not substance. Or maybe Vance could see which way the political winds were blowing.
Vance chronicled his supposed hardscrabble Appalachian upbringing and rise to Ivy League respectability in "Hillbilly Elegy," a book and film that have been picked to pieces by critics much more knowledgeable about about the time and placed depicted than I, a coastal-dwelling elite newsletter writer. Whatever the book's (lack of) merit, it worked in burnishing his reputation: Vance has soared through the meritocracy, with a lot of help from right-wing venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who employed Vance at his venture-capital firm and later poured at least $10 million into his Ohio Senate campaign.
Vance is business-friendly (he's a former venture capitalist with a roster of tech investments), has absorbed MAGA orthodoxy (anti-Ukraine aid, anti-abortion, various culture war grievances), and brings along a slew of rich tech executives who are ready to throw their wealth behind Trump. David Sacks, for example, delivered a listless speech at Monday's installment of the RNC.
Vance doesn't necessarily change the political landscape, except for the essential fact that he has a strong change of becoming president very soon. Donald Trump is 78 years old, and when he's not dodging bullets, he seems to consume a colossal amount of junk food. Next in line is Vance, a callous ambition monster who's a few swing states and a heartbeat from the presidency. Time to get acquainted.
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Elon Musk Commits $45 Million PER MONTH to Trump
Tech mogul Elon Musk plans to spend $45 million per month to support Donald Trump's re-election, according to The Wall Street Journal. That's how much Musk plans to donate to America PAC, a new pro-Trump super PAC whose supporters include Joe Lonsdale, a Palantir co-founder in Peter Thiel's network. The PAC will draw support from Musk's friends and colleagues in tech who share his increasingly reactionary right-wing views. America PAC reportedly plans to put some of his soon-to-be lavish resources to use by encouraging mail-in voting – something that Musk, Trump, and many others on the right have denounced as fraudulent. I guess not when it works for them.
Law Enforcement Still Puzzling Over Trump Shooter's Motive
Law enforcement and journalists are still poring over the digital life and background of Thomas Crooks, the shooter who clipped Donald Trump's ear and killed a rally-goer over the weekend. Crooks has been described as a loner and a conservative, a member of a gun club, but not much beyond that. It's not clear what ideology may have motivated his attempt to kill Trump.
Several videos are circulating of bystanders yelling and warning police that Crooks is on the roof of a building with a rifle. Crooks can be clearly seen in some videos. Police officers reportedly were looking for a "suspicious person." The Secret Service has been criticized for failing to follow "basic rules" and not securing the rooftop where Crooks set up his firing position.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- Judge Dismisses Trump's Classified Docs Criminal Case US District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special prosecutor Jack Smith was "improperly appointed" and dismissed the federal indictment against Trump in the classified documents case. Smith plans to appeal the ruling. Trump, incidentally, appointed Aileen Cannon to her post. via WaPo.
- Trump Campaign Sues Whitmer Donald Trump's presidential campaign sued Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over a state agreement that uses VA and Small Business Administration facilities as voter registration sites. Michigan will be a key swing state in November. via NBC News.
- RNC Opens With Hacky Propaganda The Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee with painfully hacky speeches from luminaries like David Sacks, Amber Rose, and Teamsters President Sean O'Brien. An ear-bandaged Trump made an appearance, flanked by running mate J.D. Vance. via NBC News and AP.
- Unclear If Biden Knows Just How Dire Things Are Some Democratic insiders reportedly fear that Biden isn't receiving accurate information about the worrisome state of his campaign against Donald Trump. Biden recently referred to a poll that had him up by four points, which hasn't been the case for some time. via WaPo.
SOME NUMBER
7
That's how many consecutive days the temperature in Las Vegas has reached 115 degrees or higher. The current heat wave has brought record highs and dangerous conditions, where even contact with hot pavement can produce serious burns. President Biden arrived in Vegas yesterday for a two-day visit.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
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Hack podcaster Patrick Bet David is taking internet punditry to some weird, bigoted places.
Trump Calls For More Violence After Assassination Attempt
Sam and Emma break down the dismal state of play after the Trump rally shooting.
PARTING WORDS
"I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn't be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he's America's Hitler."
-- Newly announced Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance talking about Donald Trump in a 2016 Facebook message with a former roommate. The remarks were reported in 2022, when a Vance spokesperson said they didn't represent his views. Another possibility is that Vance simply didn't mind if Trump was America's Hitler.
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