Since his presidency ended in January 2021, Donald Trump has spent more than $100 million on legal fees.
“I have $100 million worth of legal fees,” Trump stated during a speech he made in Sioux City, Iowa. “And they’re doing good. At least I have good lawyers because you can spend $100 million and have lousy lawyers too. It happens.”
According to a review of federal records, Trump averaged over $90,000 daily in legal-related costs for over three years – none of which he paid for with his own money.
Instead, he relied almost entirely on donations to fight the results of the 2020 election, but those accounts are nearly drained.
Trump raised $254 million online from November 4, 2020, the day after the election, to President Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021, as he asked supporters to fuel an “election defense fund.”
The contributions came so fast that on November 9, 2020, the former president formed the political action committee...
“I have $100 million worth of legal fees,” Trump stated during a speech he made in Sioux City, Iowa. “And they’re doing good. At least I have good lawyers because you can spend $100 million and have lousy lawyers too. It happens.”
According to a review of federal records, Trump averaged over $90,000 daily in legal-related costs for over three years – none of which he paid for with his own money.
Instead, he relied almost entirely on donations to fight the results of the 2020 election, but those accounts are nearly drained.
Trump raised $254 million online from November 4, 2020, the day after the election, to President Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021, as he asked supporters to fuel an “election defense fund.”
The contributions came so fast that on November 9, 2020, the former president formed the political action committee...
- 4/23/2024
- by Alessio Atria
- Uinterview
Former President Donald Trump’s new joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee (RNC) allows donations to the party to be funneled to his campaign and Pac to cover his legal expenses.
Under the arrangement, Republican donors will see a portion of their money go toward helping Trump pay off his staggering legal bills before they are used for the national and state parties during the election season.
The details of the joint fundraising agreement were mentioned in the fine print of an April 6 fundraiser invite.
This invitation mentions that donations to the joint fundraising committee, the Trump 47 Committee, will initially be used to give the maximum amount allowed under Federal Election Commission (Fec) guidelines to the Trump campaign.
The remaining money will go toward the maximum donation to the Save America Pac, and any money left will be granted to the RNC and state political parties.
“Save America...
Under the arrangement, Republican donors will see a portion of their money go toward helping Trump pay off his staggering legal bills before they are used for the national and state parties during the election season.
The details of the joint fundraising agreement were mentioned in the fine print of an April 6 fundraiser invite.
This invitation mentions that donations to the joint fundraising committee, the Trump 47 Committee, will initially be used to give the maximum amount allowed under Federal Election Commission (Fec) guidelines to the Trump campaign.
The remaining money will go toward the maximum donation to the Save America Pac, and any money left will be granted to the RNC and state political parties.
“Save America...
- 4/15/2024
- by Alessio Atria
- Uinterview
Last week, allies of former President Donald Trump officially took over the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Short thereafter, a resolution to ban Trump’s spiraling legal bills was abandoned as a lost cause.
Mississippi’s national committeeman Henry Barbour, son of former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour, confirmed that the resolution that he had drafted is “dead.”
Barbour said he only received co-sponsors from eight out of the ten necessary states to bring the resolution to a vote.
In February, Trump officially endorsed GOP North Carolina Chair Michael Whatley as his preferred successor to lead the committee.
The former president also endorsed Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, for the position of RNC co-chair. This sparked accusations of nepotism from critics inside and outside of the group.
His chief primary opponent, Nikki Haley, commented on this move, saying there are no “kings in this country.”
Republican critics stated that the move was Trump...
Short thereafter, a resolution to ban Trump’s spiraling legal bills was abandoned as a lost cause.
Mississippi’s national committeeman Henry Barbour, son of former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour, confirmed that the resolution that he had drafted is “dead.”
Barbour said he only received co-sponsors from eight out of the ten necessary states to bring the resolution to a vote.
In February, Trump officially endorsed GOP North Carolina Chair Michael Whatley as his preferred successor to lead the committee.
The former president also endorsed Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, for the position of RNC co-chair. This sparked accusations of nepotism from critics inside and outside of the group.
His chief primary opponent, Nikki Haley, commented on this move, saying there are no “kings in this country.”
Republican critics stated that the move was Trump...
- 3/17/2024
- by Alessio Atria
- Uinterview
The Motion Picture Association has hired two executives for its U.S. government affairs team.
Hap Rigby will join as senior vice president, federal government affairs, leading lobbying efforts in Congress and the executive branch. He joins from from Wiley Rein, where he was senior policy advisor and advised clients in the communications and technology sectors. He previously worked for Sen. John Thune (R-Sd) on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, as well as for former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-sc) and for former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Ms).
Kenneth Mallory will serve as vice president, media policy and regulatory counsel, leading the MPA’s engagement with regulatory agencies including the FCC and the FTC. He most recently was the head of public policy in for Meta in the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions. He previously worked for the FCC, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners,...
Hap Rigby will join as senior vice president, federal government affairs, leading lobbying efforts in Congress and the executive branch. He joins from from Wiley Rein, where he was senior policy advisor and advised clients in the communications and technology sectors. He previously worked for Sen. John Thune (R-Sd) on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, as well as for former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-sc) and for former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Ms).
Kenneth Mallory will serve as vice president, media policy and regulatory counsel, leading the MPA’s engagement with regulatory agencies including the FCC and the FTC. He most recently was the head of public policy in for Meta in the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions. He previously worked for the FCC, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour appeared on Fox & Friends on Tuesday to discuss his state’s response to the natural disasters that regularly strike the Gulf Coast and how that experience can aid the citizens of Oklahoma who are reeling from a devastating tornado. The conversation quickly turned to the unfolding scandals in Washington. Barbour said that President Barack Obama’s administration should appoint a special prosecutor to restore the public confidence in their ability to lead.
- 5/21/2013
- by Noah Rothman
- Mediaite - TV
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour joined MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Friday to discuss a recent speech delivered by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in which he offered some advice on how to broaden the appeal of the Gop. The conversation quickly descended into an argument when Mitchell asked Barbour to respond to the desire of some Republican state legislators to change the way their states award Electoral College votes. Barbour called what Mitchell was alleging a “conspiracy,” and said that he found it frustrating that Democrats are never asked to defend the “stupid” proposals their state-level members advance.
- 1/25/2013
- by Noah Rothman
- Mediaite - TV
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour appeared on Fox News Channel where he was asked if he thought it was appropriate for Republicans to attack New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for his response to Hurricane Sandy and his embrace of President Barack Obama. Barbour pivoted off that question was also critical of Democratic partisans who he said were actively attempting to spin Christie’s praise for Obama’s handling of the aftermath of that storm into an endorsement. He also said that praise of Obama's response to Sandy was misplaced as the president has a small role to play in a disaster and the federal government has not helped the states impacted by that storm.
- 11/4/2012
- by Noah Rothman
- Mediaite - TV
MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell conducted a contentious interview with former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour on Friday. Barbour insisted that the Obama campaign will not be about substance but will rely on surrogates have attacked Mitt Romney’s on such issues as his Mormonism. Mitchell replied that his assertion was untrue and a debate about the statements of surrogates would be a “very dark tunnel to get into.”...
- 4/27/2012
- by Noah Rothman
- Mediaite - TV
Rick Perry's comment during last night's debate about starting foreign aid to all nations at zero certainly raised some eyebrows, but particularly when he included Israel, a country with a special relationship to the United States, in that list. Governors Haley Barbour and Martin O'Malley reacted to Perry's position on Face the Nation today; one arguing Perry's proposal has historical bipartisan precedent, the other arguing it was an attempt to pander to right-wing extremists.
- 11/13/2011
- by Josh Feldman
- Mediaite - TV
So Callista Gingrich forced Newt's campaign implosion by dragging him on an Aegean cruise? Hardly-she's just joined Marsha Barbour and Cheri Daniels as the latest victim of the Gop's ugly new fad: Blame the wife.
The more I think about it, I'm starting to get a little disappointed in Richard Nixon. Why didn't his team ever figure out that all of his problems, from Watergate to pesky reporters to, well, the Jews, could so easily be dumped on his wife? "It's Pat-she drove us to these reckless decisions. We all tried to stop her." But those were the days when Republican wives were quiet homemakers in their "respectable cloth coats," not all uppity like Jackie Kennedy.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Bin Laden Jitters
Those days, apparently, are gone. The latest ugly fad in Gop circles is to blame everything on the Mrs. "The problem was the wife,...
The more I think about it, I'm starting to get a little disappointed in Richard Nixon. Why didn't his team ever figure out that all of his problems, from Watergate to pesky reporters to, well, the Jews, could so easily be dumped on his wife? "It's Pat-she drove us to these reckless decisions. We all tried to stop her." But those were the days when Republican wives were quiet homemakers in their "respectable cloth coats," not all uppity like Jackie Kennedy.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Bin Laden Jitters
Those days, apparently, are gone. The latest ugly fad in Gop circles is to blame everything on the Mrs. "The problem was the wife,...
- 6/11/2011
- by Matt Latimer
- The Daily Beast
The former speaker's top aides bolted en masse Thursday, leaving his campaign in tatters. Peter J. Boyer on staffers' complaints about Gingrich's rogue inclinations, the Greek cruise with wife Callista that was the final straw-and whether the candidate has any chance of recovering.
Newt Gingrich's troubled campaign for the Republican presidential nomination finally imploded Thursday when the core of his political team, vexed by the candidate's own erratic performance, quit en masse. The decisive moment came in a meeting at Gingrich's Washington, D.C. office between the candidate and his top two operatives, campaign manager Rob Johnson and strategist Sam Dawson, who had hoped to convince Gingrich that his approach as a candidate-which one insider described as "appalling" -needed a drastic transformation. When Gingrich did not agree, Johnson and Dawson said they were done.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
That began a cascade of defections,...
Newt Gingrich's troubled campaign for the Republican presidential nomination finally imploded Thursday when the core of his political team, vexed by the candidate's own erratic performance, quit en masse. The decisive moment came in a meeting at Gingrich's Washington, D.C. office between the candidate and his top two operatives, campaign manager Rob Johnson and strategist Sam Dawson, who had hoped to convince Gingrich that his approach as a candidate-which one insider described as "appalling" -needed a drastic transformation. When Gingrich did not agree, Johnson and Dawson said they were done.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
That began a cascade of defections,...
- 6/10/2011
- by Peter J. Boyer
- The Daily Beast
There is no better moment for the ex-governor, who would snare most of the social-conservative votes that might have gone to Mike Huckabee and Haley Barbour-and in 2016 would be old news and face a stronger primary field, writes Peter Beinart.
Sarah Palin showed up at the Rolling Thunder bikers' rally Sunday and said nothing, thus throwing the press into a frenzy. Now she's headed to various other patriotic sites, which will send the press into further spasms. Everywhere she goes, she's mobbed. Which leads me to this admittedly far-fetched thought experiment: if I were Sarah Palin why wouldn't I run for president?
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
There will be never be a better moment. A conventional politician might bide his or her time, amass a record of solid governance, and wait for 2016, when there won't be an incumbent on the ticket. But Palin doesn't want to govern,...
Sarah Palin showed up at the Rolling Thunder bikers' rally Sunday and said nothing, thus throwing the press into a frenzy. Now she's headed to various other patriotic sites, which will send the press into further spasms. Everywhere she goes, she's mobbed. Which leads me to this admittedly far-fetched thought experiment: if I were Sarah Palin why wouldn't I run for president?
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
There will be never be a better moment. A conventional politician might bide his or her time, amass a record of solid governance, and wait for 2016, when there won't be an incumbent on the ticket. But Palin doesn't want to govern,...
- 5/31/2011
- by Peter Beinart
- The Daily Beast
While Republicans carp about the current 2012 field, The Daily Beast and Newsweek helped likely primary voters build their dream president, one trait at a time. Plus, What Characteristics Would Your Ideal Gop Candidate Have?
It's been a tough month to be a Republican. First-tier candidates for the 2012 presidential nomination dropped out on a weekly basis-Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels-leaving a field that even the most generous assessment would dub disappointing, and voters pining for a white knight.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
So as a public service, The Daily Beast and Newsweek decided to get them one. Specifically, we had Douglas E. Schoen Associates poll 300 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents on about 30 traits they might look for in an ideal presidential candidate.
To make matters easy for our survey-takers, we divided those traits into three buckets of 10. First, the way...
It's been a tough month to be a Republican. First-tier candidates for the 2012 presidential nomination dropped out on a weekly basis-Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels-leaving a field that even the most generous assessment would dub disappointing, and voters pining for a white knight.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
So as a public service, The Daily Beast and Newsweek decided to get them one. Specifically, we had Douglas E. Schoen Associates poll 300 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents on about 30 traits they might look for in an ideal presidential candidate.
To make matters easy for our survey-takers, we divided those traits into three buckets of 10. First, the way...
- 5/31/2011
- by The Daily Beast
- The Daily Beast
Why are so many candidates-and their wives-scared of running? From the current issue of Newsweek, Howard Kurtz on the new Hamlet culture in presidential politics.
It is, more politicians are saying, an exercise in craziness that appeals only to the unbalanced. As Mitch Daniels, the latest to recoil at the prospect of running for president, put it: "What sane person would like to?"
Related story on The Daily Beast: How Palin's Winning the Media War
Increasingly, we are told, White House aspirants are horrified by the grueling pace, the relentless attacks, the withering scrutiny, the notion of dragging their families into a slimy swamp that will taint them forever. My response: stop the whining.
First, the presidency is a pretty cool job. You get a nice mansion with backyard, a bowling alley, a chef, your own helicopter, and an impressive pile of nuclear weapons. No one forced these folks to stir up presidential speculation.
It is, more politicians are saying, an exercise in craziness that appeals only to the unbalanced. As Mitch Daniels, the latest to recoil at the prospect of running for president, put it: "What sane person would like to?"
Related story on The Daily Beast: How Palin's Winning the Media War
Increasingly, we are told, White House aspirants are horrified by the grueling pace, the relentless attacks, the withering scrutiny, the notion of dragging their families into a slimy swamp that will taint them forever. My response: stop the whining.
First, the presidency is a pretty cool job. You get a nice mansion with backyard, a bowling alley, a chef, your own helicopter, and an impressive pile of nuclear weapons. No one forced these folks to stir up presidential speculation.
- 5/30/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
Republican voters are fired up and ready to take on President Obama-but with no Daniels, Huckabee, or Barbour in the race, they're in need of a true champion. On their wish list: Christie, Ryan, Perry. Jill Lawrence reports. Plus, Jack W. Germond on candidates' insane path to the presidency.
Help Wanted: Civil, thoughtful social conservative more interested in red ink than red meat, with potential to win over independents and moderates in a general election. Must have enthusiastic family.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Osama Eulogies: Ayman Zawahiri and al Qaeda Vow Revenge
It's hard to overstate the void left by Mitch Daniels' exit from the Republican presidential race. There's nobody quite like the Indiana governor in the field or in the wings, though Jeb Bush comes close and Tim Pawlenty, an official candidate at last, is trying to claim Daniels' fiscal mantle with his "time for truth" slogan.
Help Wanted: Civil, thoughtful social conservative more interested in red ink than red meat, with potential to win over independents and moderates in a general election. Must have enthusiastic family.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Osama Eulogies: Ayman Zawahiri and al Qaeda Vow Revenge
It's hard to overstate the void left by Mitch Daniels' exit from the Republican presidential race. There's nobody quite like the Indiana governor in the field or in the wings, though Jeb Bush comes close and Tim Pawlenty, an official candidate at last, is trying to claim Daniels' fiscal mantle with his "time for truth" slogan.
- 5/24/2011
- by Jill Lawrence
- The Daily Beast
Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, Haley Barbour-we hardly knew ye! With the Republican presidential field shrinking daily, Shushannah Walshe tallies the stars who are staying home in 2012, from the flirts (The Donald) to the door-slammers (Jeb Bush).
When Gov. Mitch Daniels announced this weekend his decision not to run for president in 2012, Republican discontent with the less-than-inspiring Gop field blew up into full-blown panic. The list of would-be presidential hopefuls who have opted not to take on President Obama just keeps getting longer, and the declared candidates haven't been encouraging.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Democrats' Negotiator in Chief
Gallery: Republican Candidates Who Got Away
Newt Gingrich has been heckled and even covered with glitter on the campaign trail. Mitt Romney is being attacked on all sides for defending his health-care plan in Massachusetts. Jon Huntsman is an Obama-appointed former ambassador and has praised the president. Tim Pawlenty is lacking that crowd-igniting passion.
When Gov. Mitch Daniels announced this weekend his decision not to run for president in 2012, Republican discontent with the less-than-inspiring Gop field blew up into full-blown panic. The list of would-be presidential hopefuls who have opted not to take on President Obama just keeps getting longer, and the declared candidates haven't been encouraging.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Democrats' Negotiator in Chief
Gallery: Republican Candidates Who Got Away
Newt Gingrich has been heckled and even covered with glitter on the campaign trail. Mitt Romney is being attacked on all sides for defending his health-care plan in Massachusetts. Jon Huntsman is an Obama-appointed former ambassador and has praised the president. Tim Pawlenty is lacking that crowd-igniting passion.
- 5/23/2011
- by Shushannah Walshe
- The Daily Beast
Mitch Daniels is just the latest would-be 2012 presidential candidate to bow out citing family matters, following in the path of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, whose wife drove him away from a run earlier this year. Michelle Cottle on the rise of the political spouse.
Plus, more hopefuls who decided not to run.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
The first lady of Indiana has spoken.
For months, the political world watched Gov. Mitch Daniels play Hamlet with a presidential run. The final sticking point, we were told, was his wife Cheri's lack of enthusiasm for having the family's private life picked apart by blood-thirsty opponents and media jackals.
Late Saturday, Daniels gave up trying to unstick things. In an email to supporters, the governor announced that he would not be joining the Republican primary. That same evening, two of his advisers hand-delivered a related statement...
Plus, more hopefuls who decided not to run.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
The first lady of Indiana has spoken.
For months, the political world watched Gov. Mitch Daniels play Hamlet with a presidential run. The final sticking point, we were told, was his wife Cheri's lack of enthusiasm for having the family's private life picked apart by blood-thirsty opponents and media jackals.
Late Saturday, Daniels gave up trying to unstick things. In an email to supporters, the governor announced that he would not be joining the Republican primary. That same evening, two of his advisers hand-delivered a related statement...
- 5/23/2011
- by Michelle Cottle
- The Daily Beast
Donald Trump is the latest Republican to bail out of the 2012 presidential race, joining Mike Huckabee and Haley Barbour. Doesn't anybody want the Gop nomination? Eleanor Clift on why the contest can't draw a crowd.
Running for president is not for the faint-hearted. The level of personal scrutiny is intense, the financial demands daunting, and the chance of winning iffy against a well-funded incumbent.
Related story on The Daily Beast: How Palin's Winning the Media War
Maybe Donald Trump thought he could pull it off. But his reality-show campaign ran smack into reality. The larger plotline is that Gop candidates are dropping like flies-three of them bailing out in the last month, others barely dipping a toe in the political waters.
For any Republican eyeing the primaries, the man to beat is Mitt Romney, who for all his flaws is still the frontrunner with lots of money in a party...
Running for president is not for the faint-hearted. The level of personal scrutiny is intense, the financial demands daunting, and the chance of winning iffy against a well-funded incumbent.
Related story on The Daily Beast: How Palin's Winning the Media War
Maybe Donald Trump thought he could pull it off. But his reality-show campaign ran smack into reality. The larger plotline is that Gop candidates are dropping like flies-three of them bailing out in the last month, others barely dipping a toe in the political waters.
For any Republican eyeing the primaries, the man to beat is Mitt Romney, who for all his flaws is still the frontrunner with lots of money in a party...
- 5/17/2011
- by Eleanor Clift
- The Daily Beast
What candidates' wives want. What we demand of them. In this week's Newsweek, Michelle Cottle on the state of the political spouse. Plus, Cindy McCain says "spouses get a bad rap."
On May 12, some 1,000 Republicans and a truckload of local and national journalists descended on the Jw Marriott in downtown Indianapolis for the state Gop spring dinner. The draw? Keynote speaker Cheri Daniels, wife of governor-and possible presidential candidate-Mitch Daniels.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Does Pawlenty Have a Prayer?
It didn't matter what Cheri had to say so much as that she had agreed to speak at all. Up to now, Indiana's first lady has declined to take part in her husband's political quest. In fact, the final hurdle to Mitch's joining the White House race is said to be Cheri's anxiety about their personal life getting shredded like a chunk of ripe Parmesan.
It is not an unreasonable fear.
On May 12, some 1,000 Republicans and a truckload of local and national journalists descended on the Jw Marriott in downtown Indianapolis for the state Gop spring dinner. The draw? Keynote speaker Cheri Daniels, wife of governor-and possible presidential candidate-Mitch Daniels.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Does Pawlenty Have a Prayer?
It didn't matter what Cheri had to say so much as that she had agreed to speak at all. Up to now, Indiana's first lady has declined to take part in her husband's political quest. In fact, the final hurdle to Mitch's joining the White House race is said to be Cheri's anxiety about their personal life getting shredded like a chunk of ripe Parmesan.
It is not an unreasonable fear.
- 5/16/2011
- by Michelle Cottle
- The Daily Beast
Being president is a great job-if you have a serious shot at winning. Howard Kurtz on why the ex-governor picked well-paying punditry.
I never thought Mike Huckabee would run for president again, largely because he was so open about his doubts.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
Besides, how likely was it that he would make a move at the end of his low-rated Fox show late on a Saturday night? And put the network in the position of having made an in-kind contribution? And that his political advisers would be clueless that he was about to launch a national campaign?
Huckabee seemed to want to keep the guessing game going at least until June, but Fox executives were pressing him to get in or get out, rather than using the cable channel to keep hope alive.
The decision was ultimately "a spiritual one," Huckabee told viewers,...
I never thought Mike Huckabee would run for president again, largely because he was so open about his doubts.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
Besides, how likely was it that he would make a move at the end of his low-rated Fox show late on a Saturday night? And put the network in the position of having made an in-kind contribution? And that his political advisers would be clueless that he was about to launch a national campaign?
Huckabee seemed to want to keep the guessing game going at least until June, but Fox executives were pressing him to get in or get out, rather than using the cable channel to keep hope alive.
The decision was ultimately "a spiritual one," Huckabee told viewers,...
- 5/15/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
The Indiana governor needs to jump into the 2012 race-or stop ruminating about it. Jill Lawrence on why playing the reluctant candidate is more likely to turn Daniels into a Fred Thompson than a George Washington.
One week of making the rounds as a possible presidential candidate, and Mitch Daniels is already digging himself out of a hole. Memo to Mitch: Get in or out, but do it soon. There's such a thing as playing too hard to get, and it can be risky.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
The Indiana governor's high-profile speech last week in Washington about his education accomplishments, and his wife's upcoming keynote address Thursday at a state Republican Party dinner, are among the strong signs that he is serious about jumping into the 2012 Gop race. The former federal budget director, a fiscal Paul Revere raising alarms about the $14.3 trillion national debt,...
One week of making the rounds as a possible presidential candidate, and Mitch Daniels is already digging himself out of a hole. Memo to Mitch: Get in or out, but do it soon. There's such a thing as playing too hard to get, and it can be risky.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
The Indiana governor's high-profile speech last week in Washington about his education accomplishments, and his wife's upcoming keynote address Thursday at a state Republican Party dinner, are among the strong signs that he is serious about jumping into the 2012 Gop race. The former federal budget director, a fiscal Paul Revere raising alarms about the $14.3 trillion national debt,...
- 5/10/2011
- by Jill Lawrence
- The Daily Beast
Obama just took out the world's top terrorist-providing a burst of momentum just as the 2012 race begins. Howard Kurtz on the Gop dilemma-and why the Dems' advantage may be short-lived.
When Republican candidates face off in their first presidential debate this week, the shadow of Osama bin Laden will hang over the event.
The president they have been attacking as a dithering commander-in-chief has, after all, just presided over a military operation that killed America's foremost enemy nearly a decade after he masterminded the 9/11 attacks.
"They've got to be careful how they handle the president," says former Gop congressman Vin Weber, who is backing fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty. "The country is feeling good about itself for the first time in years, and he is the embodiment of that. The Republicans cannot put that at risk. You don't want to be the one who pops the bubble."
"It could certainly have...
When Republican candidates face off in their first presidential debate this week, the shadow of Osama bin Laden will hang over the event.
The president they have been attacking as a dithering commander-in-chief has, after all, just presided over a military operation that killed America's foremost enemy nearly a decade after he masterminded the 9/11 attacks.
"They've got to be careful how they handle the president," says former Gop congressman Vin Weber, who is backing fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty. "The country is feeling good about itself for the first time in years, and he is the embodiment of that. The Republicans cannot put that at risk. You don't want to be the one who pops the bubble."
"It could certainly have...
- 5/2/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
Sure, Newt Gingrich has got lots of personal baggage and fundraising woes. But Howard Kurtz says the ex-House speaker, who says he's announcing his candidacy by next week, could still shake up the 2012 race.
Newt Gingrich rarely fails to rouse a partisan crowd, as he demonstrated again over the weekend.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Democrats' Negotiator in Chief
There is "virtually no left-wing politician left who believes that they can pass legislation that significantly restricts the right to bear arms," he told the National Rifle Association's convention in Pittsburgh. But opponents have adopted a stealth strategy, he warned, which "is why we need an American president who insists upon our rights."
Someone very much like the former speaker of the House, perhaps. He may have a U-Haul full of baggage, but let's face it, this is not an intimidating field.
Gingrich has suddenly stopped playing coy, telling Hotline...
Newt Gingrich rarely fails to rouse a partisan crowd, as he demonstrated again over the weekend.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Democrats' Negotiator in Chief
There is "virtually no left-wing politician left who believes that they can pass legislation that significantly restricts the right to bear arms," he told the National Rifle Association's convention in Pittsburgh. But opponents have adopted a stealth strategy, he warned, which "is why we need an American president who insists upon our rights."
Someone very much like the former speaker of the House, perhaps. He may have a U-Haul full of baggage, but let's face it, this is not an intimidating field.
Gingrich has suddenly stopped playing coy, telling Hotline...
- 5/2/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
Lincoln trounced his erstwhile Civil War general, George McClellan; Truman dispatched his former commerce secretary, Henry Wallace; and now Obama is looking to do the same in 2012 against his outgoing China ambassador. Jill Lawrence on why Jon Huntsman thinks he can beat the odds-and his boss.
Running against the boss has been rare in presidential history, and it hasn't ended well. Think George McClellan against Abraham Lincoln, or Henry Wallace against Harry Truman. Now Jon Huntsman is preparing to give it a try.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
Huntsman, 51, is about to make a lightning-fast transformation from President Obama's employee to his potential rival. His resignation as U.S. ambassador to China takes effect Saturday. On Monday he will plunge into meetings with the advisers who, without his input, have been laying groundwork for a race for the Republican nomination. His travel schedule...
Running against the boss has been rare in presidential history, and it hasn't ended well. Think George McClellan against Abraham Lincoln, or Henry Wallace against Harry Truman. Now Jon Huntsman is preparing to give it a try.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
Huntsman, 51, is about to make a lightning-fast transformation from President Obama's employee to his potential rival. His resignation as U.S. ambassador to China takes effect Saturday. On Monday he will plunge into meetings with the advisers who, without his input, have been laying groundwork for a race for the Republican nomination. His travel schedule...
- 4/30/2011
- by Jill Lawrence
- The Daily Beast
Haley Barbour, one of the Republican Party's best shots at beating Obama, has bowed out as a potential presidential candidate. What remains is a pretty weak group. Some feel that the party should just toss Tim Pawlenty into the lion's den, because he'd embarrass them the least. I disagree. I want to see the Donald get ripped to shreds. Few things hurt the environmental movement more than the "Not In My Backyard" mindset. For a case study, check out these affluent New Jersey-ites who are apparently holding back the waves of progress, at least, according to the New York Times. Jon Hamm and a little furry blue guy cruising the country-side in a convertible is, actually, just as entertaining as it sounds. Especially when it's set to trendy French pop. Check out the music video for Herman Dune's “Tell Me Something I [...]...
- 4/29/2011
- Nerve
Now that Haley Barbour, one of the savviest politicos around, has dropped out of the presidential race, we may as just make Tim Pawlenty the Republicans' Bob Dole for 2012 and be done with it-at least he won't embarrass the party when he loses, says Matt Latimer.
It is a tough time to be a Republican political junkie. This year's presidential election is deteriorating so badly that it may be time to write the whole thing off. It's never too early to start thinking about Marco Rubio vs. Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
Pity the sad sacks still glued to the current campaign, which, according to polls, does not include the majority of the American electorate. Our likely voters care more about Kate Middleton's second cousins than they do about the folks who would lead them for the next four years.
For...
It is a tough time to be a Republican political junkie. This year's presidential election is deteriorating so badly that it may be time to write the whole thing off. It's never too early to start thinking about Marco Rubio vs. Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
Pity the sad sacks still glued to the current campaign, which, according to polls, does not include the majority of the American electorate. Our likely voters care more about Kate Middleton's second cousins than they do about the folks who would lead them for the next four years.
For...
- 4/29/2011
- by Matt Latimer
- The Daily Beast
Chicago – Perhaps no American artist has chronicled a modern disaster with as much passion and meticulous attention to detail as Spike Lee. His 2006 documentary about the struggles of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” was television at its most vital, provocative, wrenchingly powerful and resoundingly humanistic.
The same could easily be said of Lee’s 2010 follow-up effort, “If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise.” It premiered the same year as HBO’s New Orleans-set series, “Treme,” and includes many of the same characters. Of course, in this case, no actors are involved, with the exception of New Orleans residents such as Make it Right project creator Brad Pitt and Phyllis Morton LeBlanc, who sets the tone with a stirring poem (as she did in “Levees”). Lee catches up with several subjects from his previous film, and...
The same could easily be said of Lee’s 2010 follow-up effort, “If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise.” It premiered the same year as HBO’s New Orleans-set series, “Treme,” and includes many of the same characters. Of course, in this case, no actors are involved, with the exception of New Orleans residents such as Make it Right project creator Brad Pitt and Phyllis Morton LeBlanc, who sets the tone with a stirring poem (as she did in “Levees”). Lee catches up with several subjects from his previous film, and...
- 4/27/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Haley Barbour. Photograph by Drew Tarter/Biloxi Sun Herald/McT via Getty Images.Earlier this week, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour came to the conclusion that a presidential run wasn’t in the cards and announced that he won’t be throwing his hat into the ring. This can’t come as a surprise to anyone. The only element of uncertainty was the question of what in the hell made him think that he ever had a chance in the first place. I wonder what he was doing when the idea of running for president hit him. That moment when he took the apple out of his mouth, got up off the bed of lettuce, squinted his eyes, and imagined himself hustling that corpulent body mass down the stairs of Air Force One, white-knuckling both rails and moving with the tentative awkwardness of a child walking into the ocean for the first time.
- 4/27/2011
- Vanity Fair
The network wants a yes or no on whether the governor-turned-tv host is running for the White House. But Huckabee tells Howard Kurtz he feels no pressure at all.
Mike Huckabee may be running out of time to make a decision on running for president.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Bin Laden Jitters
It's not that the former Arkansas governor feels any political imperative to speed up his timetable. But his Fox News bosses would like him either to jump into the White House race soon or announce that he's taking a pass.
In March, Fox suspended two contributors, Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum, for taking concrete steps toward a presidential bid. No action was taken on two others, Huckabee and Sarah Palin, but Huckabee's status may be coming to a head.
Bill Shine, the network's executive vice president for programming, told The Daily...
Mike Huckabee may be running out of time to make a decision on running for president.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Bin Laden Jitters
It's not that the former Arkansas governor feels any political imperative to speed up his timetable. But his Fox News bosses would like him either to jump into the White House race soon or announce that he's taking a pass.
In March, Fox suspended two contributors, Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum, for taking concrete steps toward a presidential bid. No action was taken on two others, Huckabee and Sarah Palin, but Huckabee's status may be coming to a head.
Bill Shine, the network's executive vice president for programming, told The Daily...
- 4/27/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
• Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor who had little shot at the Republican nomination, will not seek the presidency in 2012. “A candidate for president today is embracing a 10-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else. His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required,” Barbour said. [The New York Times] • Many hedge funders are sending their (ample) support to Republican candidates. Even if middle-class voters don’t think President Obama has been particularly hard on Wall Street, the masters of the universe do. “He really loves us and when he beats us, he doesn’t mean it,” Daniel Loeb, founder of the Third Point LLC hedge fund, wrote in a private e-mail. [The Wall Street Journal] • Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO series about a cable news broadcast sounds better and better: Marisa Tomei...
- 4/26/2011
- Vanity Fair
The Mississippi governor lined up a team for 2012 and lost weight, but his wife never jumped on the presidential bandwagon-and now he's out of the race. Jill Lawrence on this year's campaign game changer: family sentiment. Plus, gallery of wives who said "no."
Don't discount the power of pillow talk in shaping the nation's politics. Haley Barbour is the latest politician to abandon plans for a 2012 presidential bid in the face of strong family hostility toward the idea-and he may not be the last.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Race Backslide
The Mississippi governor had given every indication that he was planning a full-scale run for the Republican nomination, from losing weight and lining up a team to testing a message and visiting key states. In withdrawing on Monday, he talked about lacking sufficient drive for a two-year campaign and perhaps eight years in office.
Photos: Wives...
Don't discount the power of pillow talk in shaping the nation's politics. Haley Barbour is the latest politician to abandon plans for a 2012 presidential bid in the face of strong family hostility toward the idea-and he may not be the last.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Race Backslide
The Mississippi governor had given every indication that he was planning a full-scale run for the Republican nomination, from losing weight and lining up a team to testing a message and visiting key states. In withdrawing on Monday, he talked about lacking sufficient drive for a two-year campaign and perhaps eight years in office.
Photos: Wives...
- 4/26/2011
- by Jill Lawrence
- The Daily Beast
A lack of "total certainty" drives the Mississippi governor out of a 2012 presidential run that would have been hobbled by Barbour's low public profile and past as an oil and tobacco lobbyist, writes Lloyd Grove. Plus, how Barbour's wife nixed his White House bid.
After sending strong signals for several weeks that he was eager to leap into the fray-including multiple pre-campaign trips to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada-Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour abruptly announced Monday that he won't be running for the Republican presidential nomination, after all.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Race Backslide
"A candidate for president today is embracing a 10-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else," the 63-year-old Barbour said in a statement. "His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty,...
After sending strong signals for several weeks that he was eager to leap into the fray-including multiple pre-campaign trips to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada-Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour abruptly announced Monday that he won't be running for the Republican presidential nomination, after all.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Race Backslide
"A candidate for president today is embracing a 10-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else," the 63-year-old Barbour said in a statement. "His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty,...
- 4/26/2011
- by Lloyd Grove
- The Daily Beast
Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi announced Monday that he had decided not to run for president in 2012. "I will not be a candidate for president next year," Barbour said. "This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided." Barbour had been testing the waters in key Gop primary states for weeks.
In this week's Newsweek, Lloyd Grove examines Barbour's presidential chances.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The New Gop Warmongers
Haley Barbour lugs more than his share of baggage into the Republican presidential arena. In an age that favors optics, he looks every second of his 63 years, is recovering from back surgery, and is overweight to the point where even he jokes about being a "fat redneck." At a time when voters are suspicious of Washington's unholy alliance with Wall Street and big business,...
In this week's Newsweek, Lloyd Grove examines Barbour's presidential chances.
Related story on The Daily Beast: The New Gop Warmongers
Haley Barbour lugs more than his share of baggage into the Republican presidential arena. In an age that favors optics, he looks every second of his 63 years, is recovering from back surgery, and is overweight to the point where even he jokes about being a "fat redneck." At a time when voters are suspicious of Washington's unholy alliance with Wall Street and big business,...
- 4/25/2011
- by Lloyd Grove
- The Daily Beast
The Palmetto State has picked the Gop nominee every year since it began holding the first-in-the-South primary in 1980. Patricia Murphy visits and finds lots of love for two unlikely candidates.
When Rich Bolen introduced Haley Barbour at South Carolina's Lexington County Republican convention in early April, he took the liberty of describing the Mississippi governor as a presidential candidate.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Trump to McCain: 'You're Hired!'
"He corrected me and said, ‘I am not a candidate,'" says Bolen, the county's Gop chairman. "He went out of his way to say that he was not a candidate yet."
It was an awkward, but understandable, point of confusion, since Barbour had shown up for the local party's presidential straw poll, but then refused to admit he wanted the office.
Barbour is one of a half-dozen Republicans taking a curiously stealth approach to the presidential primary here in South Carolina,...
When Rich Bolen introduced Haley Barbour at South Carolina's Lexington County Republican convention in early April, he took the liberty of describing the Mississippi governor as a presidential candidate.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Trump to McCain: 'You're Hired!'
"He corrected me and said, ‘I am not a candidate,'" says Bolen, the county's Gop chairman. "He went out of his way to say that he was not a candidate yet."
It was an awkward, but understandable, point of confusion, since Barbour had shown up for the local party's presidential straw poll, but then refused to admit he wanted the office.
Barbour is one of a half-dozen Republicans taking a curiously stealth approach to the presidential primary here in South Carolina,...
- 4/24/2011
- by Patricia Murphy
- The Daily Beast
Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, and other top Republican presidential contenders denounce Democrats as immoral tax hikers-but they oversaw dozens of tax hikes as governors facing deficits, writes Andrew Romano.
The Gop's most promising 2012 presidential contenders-Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Mike Huckabee-have a lot in common. They are all white. They are all middle-aged. They were all governors at one point. And despite a shared tendency to denounce Democrats as inveterate, immoral tax hikers, they all have the exact same skeleton in their closet: a rather inconvenient history of raising taxes themselves.
Related story on The Daily Beast: It's the Economy, Stupid
Surprised? It's no wonder. Until now, Romney & Co. have done a good job of hiding their tax-raising records from the rest of the Republican Party-with good reason. In a perfect world, according to Gop orthodoxy, taxes would always be lower than they are right now,...
The Gop's most promising 2012 presidential contenders-Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Mike Huckabee-have a lot in common. They are all white. They are all middle-aged. They were all governors at one point. And despite a shared tendency to denounce Democrats as inveterate, immoral tax hikers, they all have the exact same skeleton in their closet: a rather inconvenient history of raising taxes themselves.
Related story on The Daily Beast: It's the Economy, Stupid
Surprised? It's no wonder. Until now, Romney & Co. have done a good job of hiding their tax-raising records from the rest of the Republican Party-with good reason. In a perfect world, according to Gop orthodoxy, taxes would always be lower than they are right now,...
- 4/19/2011
- by Andrew Romano
- The Daily Beast
He may not officially be running yet, but the Massachusetts governor is lining up an impressive array of big-money donors in early primary states. Shushannah Walshe reports.
Mitt Romney is on the road, dropping into early primary states-not officially campaigning, because he isn't an official candidate yet-but securing high-dollar donors and bundlers, making the Ask.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Trump to McCain: 'You're Hired!'
He's made stops in important primary states like Florida and has trips planned for another early state, Nevada. The former and would-be candidate also met with donors in New York City and Washington, D.C. this week. When all is said and done, the money tour is expected to hit 30 cities including stops in Los Angeles and Detroit.
Fundraisers in some of these meetings say Romney is planning to announce his exploratory committee-the step before an official announcement-in mid April. The Romney team...
Mitt Romney is on the road, dropping into early primary states-not officially campaigning, because he isn't an official candidate yet-but securing high-dollar donors and bundlers, making the Ask.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Trump to McCain: 'You're Hired!'
He's made stops in important primary states like Florida and has trips planned for another early state, Nevada. The former and would-be candidate also met with donors in New York City and Washington, D.C. this week. When all is said and done, the money tour is expected to hit 30 cities including stops in Los Angeles and Detroit.
Fundraisers in some of these meetings say Romney is planning to announce his exploratory committee-the step before an official announcement-in mid April. The Romney team...
- 3/27/2011
- by Shushannah Walshe
- The Daily Beast
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Trent Lott's decision to retire after 35 years in Congress will silence one of the loudest voices on the Commerce Committee, where the Mississippi Republican made a name reaching across the aisle.
On Monday, the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate announced that he will step aside before January, saying it was time to move on.
"It's time for us to do something else," Lott said, speaking for himself and his wife, Tricia, at a news conference.
Lott, 66, described his 16 years in the House and 19 in the Senate "a wild ride -- and one that I'm proud of."
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, will name someone to temporarily replace Lott.
His colleagues elected Lott as the Senate's Republican whip last year, a redemption after his ouster five years ago as the party's Senate leader over remarks he made at retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Lott had saluted the South Carolina senator with comments later interpreted as support for Southern segregationist policies.
On Monday, the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate announced that he will step aside before January, saying it was time to move on.
"It's time for us to do something else," Lott said, speaking for himself and his wife, Tricia, at a news conference.
Lott, 66, described his 16 years in the House and 19 in the Senate "a wild ride -- and one that I'm proud of."
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, will name someone to temporarily replace Lott.
His colleagues elected Lott as the Senate's Republican whip last year, a redemption after his ouster five years ago as the party's Senate leader over remarks he made at retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Lott had saluted the South Carolina senator with comments later interpreted as support for Southern segregationist policies.
- 11/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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