Tag: Donald Trump

Us & Them: Bridging Divides After A Brutal Election

In this special post-election episode, Us & Them host Trey Kay reflects on America’s deepening divisions, marked by unprecedented events and President-elect Donald Trump’s “us versus them” rhetoric. Kay explores what Trump’s victory means for unity and how Us & Them’s mission of fostering empathy might evolve in this new era.

In the aftermath of Election Day 2024, Us & Them host Trey Kay reflects on the increasingly divided American landscape and how the tone of political campaigns has changed since 2016. 

In this special episode, he recounts the heightened polarization marked by unprecedented events like two assassination attempts and a last-minute nominee switch. Kay considers the “us versus them” rhetoric that defined Donald Trump’s campaign and what his victory could mean for American unity. 

Us & Them host Trey Kay speaks at an event on the campus of Marshall University to hear from Generation Z voters in the leadup to the 2024 election.

Drawing on past experiences, Kay considers how Us & Them’s aim of bridging divides by fostering empathy and understanding might continue during a second Trump administration.  

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the CRC Foundation.Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.

“There’ve been three presidential elections since Us & Them first launched and Donald Trump has been a candidate in every one. With each cycle, the sense of division in our country only seems to deepen. Each time I reflect on this, I recall the words of my producing partner after Trump’s first election. He said, “I think our stock just rose.” And in a way it’s true. Again, this year, with a narrow margin of victory in races across the country, we need to find a new way to help the part of the nation who feel they’ve lost. Maybe part of that is to encourage those who have won to listen with empathy.”

— Trey Kay, Us & Them host

Joe Manchin: ‘I Am Not Going To Be A Candidate For President’

Manchin thanked Biden for his service to the country but did not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Instead, Manchin called for a “mini-primary” for Democrats to pick a new nominee.

After President Joe Biden upended the 2024 Election Sunday with his decision to bow out of the race, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin tamped down speculation that he might try to launch a bid.

“I am not going to be a candidate for president,” Manchin told CBS News Monday.

Manchin thanked Biden for his service to the country but did not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Instead, Manchin called for a “mini-primary” for Democrats to pick a new nominee.

Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent who’s not seeking another Senate term, had flirted with the possibility of running for president late last year but ultimately declined.

Though Manchin was a key vote for Biden and Democrats on numerous pieces of legislation and nominations, he also wielded effective veto power over some of Biden’s policy priorities and appointees in a narrowly divided chamber.

Earlier on Sunday, Manchin was one of the last lawmakers to call for Biden to step aside in the presidential race, following dozens of prominent Democrats who were concerned about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump.

Justice Renews Call For Special Session To Cut Personal Income Tax Further

The timeline for the session will be mid to late August, but Justice conceded it could be pushed back a little further.

For weeks, Gov. Jim Justice has indicated his desire for the legislature to return for its second special session of the year in order to implement further cuts to the state’s personal income tax. 

Justice signed a law in 2023 that slashed income tax by more than 20 percent. The law also provided a mechanism for additional tax cuts once the state revenue surpassed its total from 2019, which has already resulted in a 4 percent cut this year.

“The bottom line to this state is there is nothing that will drive population to this state any greater than cutting the personal income tax,” Justice said. “It’s the people’s money. For crying out loud on top of that, we’ve got $826.6 million in surplus now but in addition to that we’ve got $400 (million) plus interest money in the reserve fund for the personal income tax that’s sitting there on top of that, and a billion plus dollars in a rainy day fund.”

He touted a state map from the Tax Foundation that showed West Virginia ranked 19th in the nation for inbound population migration. The Tax Foundation is an international research think tank based in Washington, D.C., that collects data and publishes research studies on U.S. tax policies.

Justice stated that the states on the map with the highest population growth don’t have a state income tax or are on the way to getting rid of their state income tax. He said that was part of his motivation to ask the legislature for a further five percent cut to the state’s personal income tax on top of the four percent triggered earlier this year.

“There’s no driver on the planet that’s gonna be better than that,” Justice said. “I hope that you will ring and absolutely urge them to pass that dollar that those monies on to you when we call him back into session.” 

The timeline for the session will be mid to late August, but Justice conceded it could be pushed back a little further.

When asked if any other issues would be included in the special session call at his regular press briefing Thursday, the governor reiterated that beyond seeing former President Donald Trump elected in November, cutting the personal income tax is his top priority.

Appearance At RNC

The governor started the briefing by going over his presentation at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. He said he crafted his speech not as a political statement but rather in order to talk about what he called “the bottom line to the whole everything that’s going on in this country.”

“The bottom line to one thing is exactly what I’ve said so many times: If we continue on the pathway for four more years that we’re on right now, I don’t know what’s gonna happen to this country,” Justice said. “Therefore, I think we’ve got to elect Donald Trump hands down. That’s the bottom line.”

Justice repeated his belief that “we become completely unhinged as a nation if Donald Trump doesn’t win,” a statement that has drawn criticism from those that perceive it as a possible call to violence.

Babydog’s Painting

Justice was joined on the RNC stage by Babydog, to the delight of the national audience. On Thursday he was asked about a possible lawsuit for misappropriation of state funds after the image of an English bulldog was included in recently revealed historic murals in the Capitol rotunda. 

He replied by saying he would not comment on pending litigation, but that he was not consulted on the choice.

“From what I understand the artist said he felt like a dog ought to be in the thing,” Justice said. “And then folks said, ‘Well, look, I don’t know how in the world we can have anything better than maybe one of Babydog’s descendants’ and everything. So that’s how it came into being. I mean, give me a break.”

Watch the full briefing here:

Justice’s RNC Address Draws Concern For Comments

The governor focused on President Donald Trump’s qualifications for office, but he also made an unsettling prediction.

Gov. Jim Justice spoke to the Republican National Convention (RNC) Tuesday night, and one of his comments is drawing concern.

Justice was joined on the Milwaukee stage by Babydog as part of a bloc of GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate this fall. The governor focused on President Donald Trump’s qualifications for office.

“Donald J. Trump, my friend. My close friend,” Justice said. “He’s tough. He’s super smart. He’s a business guy. He loves America. He taught his kids the right values. And he’s a hard worker. Sure sounds like a leader to me.”

He told the audience that Babydog predicted his party would gain control of the full Congress in the November election.

“Babydog says we’ll retain the House, the majority in the House,” Justice said. “We’re going to flip the United States Senate and overwhelmingly we’re going to elect Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance in November.”

But the governor also made an unsettling prediction. 

“The bottom line to every single thing that’s going on in this great country today is one thing: we become totally unhinged if Donald Trump is not elected in November,” Justice said.

Some, including Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, perceived the comment as threatening. 

“Didn’t expect my Governor to be the one threatening us all, but here we are,” Young wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Justice’s campaign for Senate did not respond to a request for comment.

Watch Justice’s full address here:

Where J.D. Vance Stands On Key Issues

In his first two years in the Senate, J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, has established himself as a populist voice, at times clashing with Republican leadership. But on issues like abortion, immigration and election integrity, he’s closely aligned with Trump.

By Lexie Schapitl, Ben Giles, Destinee Adams
Read the original story from npr.org, published July 16, 2024 at 5:17 p.m. ET

For more updates from the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, head to the NPR Network’s live updates page.

In his first two years in the Senate, J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, has established himself as a populist voice, at times clashing with Republican leadership.

But on issues like abortion, immigration and election integrity, he’s closely aligned with Trump.

Here’s a look at where Vance stands on key issues:

Vance On Abortion

Vance describes himself as “pro-life,” but during his 2022 Senate campaign said he would like the issue to be left to the states.

“I’d like it to be primarily a state issue,” Vance said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Ohio is going to want to have a different abortion policy from California, from New York, and I think that’s reasonable.”

In a 2022 debate with Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan, Vance said he would support “a number of different exceptions” but did not specify what exactly those exceptions would be.

Earlier this month, Vance said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he supports the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone.

The anti-abortion group Students for Life Action gave Vance an A- on their “Pro-Life Generation Report Card.”

Vance On Aid To Ukraine

Vance is one of the leading congressional Republican voices against U.S. aid to Ukraine. In an April op-ed, Vance wrote that he “remains opposed to virtually any proposal for the United States to continue funding this war.”

In the same op-ed, he encouraged Biden to pursue a negotiated peace with Putin.

In September 2023, Vance was among a group of Republican senators who opposed President Biden’s request for additional Ukraine aid.

“The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to,” the senators wrote. “How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine?”

John Conway, a leader of the group Republicans for Ukraine, called Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate “a huge disappointment to all Republicans who want to see Ukraine win, Russia lose, and Putin defeated.”

“Sen. Vance has a long history of confusing free, America-loving countries like Ukraine with tyrannical, corrupt, anti-American dictatorships like Russia,” Conway said in a statement to NPR. “The establishment of the Republican Party cannot continue to ignore the millions of Republicans who value American national security and understand that Ukraine is America’s friend and Putin is America’s enemy.”

Vance On Election Integrity

In Sen. J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump has found a fellow election denier as his running mate — one who’s already sown seeds of doubt about the upcoming presidential election.

While running for the Senate in 2022, Vance said on the campaign trail that he thought the 2020 election was “stolen from Trump.” And earlier this year, Vance told ABC News he still questions the results of the 2020 election.

“Do I think there were problems in 2020? Yes, I do,” he told George Stephanopoulos in February.

Speaking on CNN in May, Vance downplayed the severity of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying he was “truly skeptical” that former Vice President Mike Pence’s life “was ever in danger,” despite chants from the crowd that Pence should be hanged.

“I think politics and politics people like to really exaggerate things from time to time,” Vance said.

Vance On Immigration

Vance has taken a hard line on immigration; he has often decried a “crisis” at the southern border and called for funding and constructing a border wall.

Speaking on Fox News in June, Vance said he believes the U.S. should conduct “large-scale deportations.”

Like Trump, Vance Wants To “Drain The Swamp”

In a 2021 podcast, Vance advised Trump to, “fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people,” and then potentially defy the Supreme Court if the president was sued.

Vance’s words sound like a “winning message,” Caroline Sunshine, deputy communications director for the Trump campaign, told NPR’s Morning Edition.

Trump Names Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance As Vice Presidential Running Mate

Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who once called former Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” but is now one of his most vocal supporters in Congress, has been named Trump’s 2024 vice presidential pick.

By Stephen Fowler
Read the original story at npr.org, published July 15, 2024 at 3:13 p.m. ET

Follow NPR’s live blog on the RNC for updates, analysis, fact checking and color from the convention.

Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who once called former Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” but is now one of his most vocal supporters in Congress, has been named Trump’s 2024 vice presidential pick.

Ahead of the official nomination of the vice president in Milwaukee on the first day of the Republican convention, Trump posted on Truth Social that we was choosing Vance.

“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said in a two-part post.

Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio and served in the Marine Corps for four years after graduating high school in 2003. He graduated from The Ohio State University and Yale Law School before becoming an investment banker in California. He rose to national prominence in 2016 with his widely read — and widely criticized — memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which detailed his white working-class upbringing and the hollowed-out Rust Belt beset by addiction, poverty and despair.

In a 2016 interview with NPR, Vance said he was leaving the Bay Area to return to Ohio and do nonprofit work to target opioid addiction that was prevalent in his community growing up. “It’s obviously very personally important to me and it’s something my family has struggled with and dealt with,” he said on NPR’s All Things Considered. “And I felt, you know, frankly a little bit of responsibility now that I’ve been given this platform by the success of the book to go and try to do at least a little something to help out.”

Vance used his platform to start Our Ohio Renewal, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that focused on education, addiction and other “social ills” he mentioned in his memoir. The organization shuttered in less than two years with few accomplishments.

But in Trump’s world, past statements are almost never fatal if overwritten by present and future actions. Vance has morphed into a key Trump ally since taking office, and an omnipresent surrogate during his New York hush money trial.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt against Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, Vance blamed President Joe Biden for the attack. “Today is not just some isolated incident,” Vance wrote on Twitter. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Trump has called him a “genuine convert” to his cause, and if the former president is the founder of the current GOP’s “America First” agenda that attacks Democrats and the federal government, then Vance has positioned himself as the heir apparent for picking up the Make America Great Again mantel for future generations.

Vance’s selection doesn’t explicitly widen Trump’s appeal to a broader range of voters but signals a doubling down on the former president’s dire vision of an America that is under attack and a country that is unlikley to exist if he does not win. In a recent Fox News interview, Vance said he was once critical of Trump, but his time in office proved him wrong. “It’s about the success of Trump’s presidency,” Vance said in a Fox News interview that was part of a series profiling potential VP picks. “But I also think his presidency revealed, at least to me, how corrupt the media was. It taught me a very important lesson about how the media lies.”

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