BACK IN BLACK
Melania Trump’s return to the campaign trail is just beginning. But it was notable that she chose a small gathering for Log Cabin Republicans for her first solo event.
Jake Lahut is a politics reporter for The Daily Beast with a focus on Republican campaigns. He previously covered national politics for Business Insider and the 2020 first-in-the-nation presidential primary at The Keene Sentinel in New Hampshire, where he founded "Pod Free or Die," a long form interview podcast with presidential candidates. Lahut also reported for The Daily Gazette of Schenectady after internships with Politico and The Albany Times-Union. He holds a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University, majoring in the College of Letters program and serving as editor-in-chief of The Wesleyan Argus. You can follow him on Threads @jakelahut and on TikTok @plz_bring_back_vine.
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THE DEFENSE IS RESTLESS
The hush money trial was never going to be good for Trump, but the first week in court proved just how disruptive and damaging it will be for his 2024 bid.
YOLO CONTENDERE
The president’s campaign won’t make hay out of Trump’s criminal trial. But that doesn’t mean Biden’s brain trust lacks a strategy to maximize the political benefit.
SCRAMBLE THE JETS
“The Biden Trial is a show trial in the truest sense of the term,” a document of talking points declares.
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PLYWOOD CONSTRUCTION
Since her first campaign for Congress, Elise Stefanik has downplayed her parents’ wealth—and the $1.8 million D.C. home they bought her.
‘GREAT WEAKNESS’
The former president declared during his Saturday rally that Iran’s attack “would not have happened” if he were president.
LOWERING THE HEAT
The president’s tone shift on Israel’s war in Gaza is reaching those who refused to support him in the primary, but activists say he’s only beginning to repair his coalition.
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COMMITMENT ISSUES
Trump’s new statement on abortion may not have said much, but it certainly angered some of his most conservative allies—and impressed some of his most committed GOP enemies.
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
One of the Republican Party’s top recruits for 2024 has reportedly been sharing inconsistent accounts of how he received a gunshot wound in the arm.
DON’T SWEAT IT
Republicans acknowledge that Donald Trump is facing some big problems and is about to have a couple really bad months, but they’re contending he’s in a great position.