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| Meta Title | Cognitive Decline? Trump Accidentally Praises Harrisâs Record | The New Republic |
| Meta Description | Voters increasingly donât think Donald Trump is up to the task of being president., Voters increasingly donât think Donald Trump is up to the task of being president. |
| Meta Canonical | null |
| Boilerpipe Text | Donald Trump is losing his grasp on a key demographic.
A poll published Wednesday revealed that the Republican presidential nominee is bleeding support from older votersâ
historically
the voting bloc most likely to show up at the pollsâbecause they find him to be in âvery poorâ health.
The
University of New Hampshire poll
surveyed residents in Vermont, where Trump won roughly 30 percent of the vote in 2016 and 2020. If the election were held today, 27 percent of the respondents said that they would vote for Trump, while 67 percent said they would elect Kamala Harris.
But underneath the favorability odds were deep concerns about Trumpâs physical and mental condition. The poll found that 61 percent of voters aged 65 and older in Vermont found Trumpâs physical and mental fitness to be âvery poor.â Other age demographics were slightly less bleak about Trumpâs health, with 58 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds identifying Trump as in âvery poorâ health, 40 percent of 35- to 49-year-olds, and just 37 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds.
Added up, half of the 934 respondents identified Trumpâs physical and mental health as âvery poor.â Just 14 percent described his health as âvery good,â while 12 percent described his health as simply âgood.â
Harrisâs mental and physical fitness report was much more optimistic from the Green Mountain State. Approximately 62 percent of voters described Harrisâs health as âvery good,â with an additional 16 percent describing it as âgood.â Only six percent found Harrisâs health to be âvery poor.â
Read more about Trump:
Democratic National Convention organizers are facing criticism from their own party after refusing to allow any Palestinian speaker or member of the Uncommitted movement speaking time on the convention stage.
On Wednesday, Jon Polin and his wife Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke to DNC delegates about their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is being held captive in Gaza.
âIn our Jewish tradition, we say â
kol adam olam um loâo
,â every person is an entire universe,â Polin
said
. âWe must save all these universes. In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring hope to the entire region, a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza. The time is now.â
But little else has been said on the convention stage about Palestinian civilians suffering from Israelâs brutal war on Gaza. Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced they would
disband
after learning of the DNCâs rejection of a Palestinian speaker. The Uncommitted movement also launched a
sit-in
protest on Thursday to demand a Palestinian speaker be included.
The sit-in has received support from vocal pro-Palestine Democrats, including Squad members Representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley. But itâs not just the Squad. Their demands have also spread to other Democrats, including convention speakers. And the list keeps growing:
Representative Greg Casar
Minnesota Attorney General
Keith Ellison
Representative Maxwell Frost
Representative Val Hoyle
Chicago Mayor
Brandon Johnson
Representative Ro Khanna
Representative Mark Pocan
Representative Delia Ramirez
Israelâs war has
killed
more than 40,000 Palestinians, including nearly 16,500 children. The Uncommitted delegates represent Democrats who support the party but want action to end the war, including an arms embargo against Israel, and they are only asking for a speaker to voice their concerns to the convention. Their speaker recommendations were pro-Harris and would have their remarks vetted ahead of time.Â
âWe talked to the DNC, we offered options, we said weâll identify someone who is willing to express support for Vice President Harris ⊠we did everything right, you know?â delegate Abbas Alawieh told
Mother Jones
. The question is, does anyone in the Harris campaign even care?
More on the repercussions of this decision:
Elon Muskâs X is apparently getting money from some pretty shady people
.
A federal judge
ordered
Tuesday that a list of investors who helped fund Muskâs $44 billion takeover of X, formerly Twitter, in October 2022 be unsealed. Buried among the lengthy list of nearly 100 investors are several particularly troubling figures.
One entity listed is Sean Combs Capital, LLCâbetter known as Sean âDiddyâ Combs, the rapper who has been accused of rape, assault, forcible drugging, and even implicated in a sex trafficking operation.
In the early days of his X takeover, Musk once
touted
his relationship with Combs to push back on another investorâs concern about increasing racism on the social media platform.
In the forthcoming book
Character Limit
by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, Detavio Samuels, the CEO of the media company Revolt, voiced his concerns about anti-Black speech being emboldened on X.
âAs you continue down the path that youâre going, I really recommend that you have conversations with this specific community, and we make sure that whatever solutions are created are solutions that make them feel safe and in a welcoming space,â Samuels said.
While Musk said he wanted to make sure people were comfortable, he thought that Samuels might be comforted to hear that one of his high-profile Black friends had also invested in Muskâs social media site. âI donât know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,â Musk said, using Combsâs nickname. âYou know, heâs a good friend of mine, we text a lot.â
The list also includes several Silicon Valley entities run by billionaires like Musk himself and backing Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
One of the first names included is Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm run by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who recently
announced
that they were backing Trump in 2024. âIt doesnât have anything to do with the big issues that people care about,â Andreessen claimed, making clear that he was ignoring Trumpâs platform on immigration and abortion, for a more favorable view on issues like cryptoâin which Andreessen and Horowitz claim to be some of the worldâs largest investors.
Also on the list is Sequoia Capital, run by Douglas Leone and Shaun Maguire, who donated a whopping $1 million and $500,000 respectively to Muskâs pro-Trump super PAC, the
America PAC
, which is currently
under investigation
for the shady way it was collecting voter information.
Another investor is 8VC, a venture capitalist firm run by Joe Lonsdale, who also donated $1 million to Muskâs PAC in June. Lonsdale is a co-founder of intelligence contractor and data analysis platform Palantir, which was also headed by Peter Thiel. While itâs hardly surprising that Muskâs billionaire buddies are invested in his social media company, itâs clear that X is being heavily underwritten by the same individuals funding Trumpâs campaign.
Also included on the list of investors is Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, who has long had a stake in the social media company. In 2015, bin Talal owned 5.2 percent of Twitter, more than the companyâs co-founder Jack Dorsey.
In November 2017, bin Talal was arrested as part of a sweeping âanti-corruptionâ purge that forced numerous wealthy Saudis and members of the royal family to sign over their assets to Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman
, an autocratic dictator with no tolerance for dissent. This
sparked major concerns
that Twitter was being used by the Saudi government to surveil its own citizens.
After Muskâs takeover, bin Talal and Saudi Arabiaâs Kingdom Holding Company maintained their ownership of X shares valued at $1.89 billion, making them jointly the companyâs second-largest investors, according to
Al Jazeera
.
Another notable entity is the Pershing Square Foundation, which is headed by Bill Ackman, the CEO of the giant hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. Last year, Ackman, a staunch Zionist who
funded violent pro-Israel counterprotesters
on college campuses,
spearheaded the campaign
to see Harvardâs President Claudine Gay removed from her seat.
Earlier this week, it was
reported
that the debt on Muskâs $13 billion in loans borrowed from several banks in order to buy X was never off-loaded from these banksâ balance sheets, leaving his debt âhungâ in industry terms. Not only is X the longest-lasting hung deal since the 2008 financial crisis, itâs also reportedly one of the biggest. While the banks have been able to collect a hefty interest, itâs unclear how Musk will ever repay the principal if X continues on its current trajectory.
Read more about Musk:
The internet fell in love with vice presidential candidate Tim Walzâs son Gus on the third night of the Democratic National Convention after the neurodivergent 17-year-old started
tearing up
seeing his father on stage.
OMG I missed Walz's son Gus crying and saying "that's my dad!" when his dad shouted him out. What a moment.
pic.twitter.com/bFV1kFkeHv
â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)
August 22, 2024
But not everybody seemed to be on board the love train. Instead, the so-called âparty of family valuesâ decided to take potshots at the emotional high schooler.
âTalk about weird âŠâ
posted
conservative media pundit Ann Coulter, sharing an article about Gus.
Screenshot
âWalzâ kid is acting just like his dad! BIZARRE!â
wrote
X user ProudArmyBrat.
Failed MAGA congressional candidates also got in on the action, outright mocking a kid with a learning disability.
âTim Walz stupid crying son isnât the flex the left thinks it is,â Mike Crispi, chairman of the America First Republicans of New Jersey, wrote in a since-deleted
post
on X. âYou raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â
Conservatives also spent the week mocking Vice President Kamala Harrisâs stepdaughter,
Ella Emhoff
, for her outfit the first night of the convention, which consisted of a camouflage Harris-Walz merch hat and a sleeveless, caped gown that showed off her tattoos. And on Thursday, Donald Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell got into (and
badly lost
) an argument with 12-year-old content creator Knowa De Brasco.
Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans are embracing something that is objectively weird:
Trumpy Trout
, an orange, fish-head version of the former president with a matching toupee.
âI am the hugely, bigliest fish in the pond,â the open-lipped animatronic says in a very real
advertisement
reportedly airing on Newsmax.
They're not beating the weirdness allegations (believe it or not, this is a real ad running on Newsmax)
pic.twitter.com/s7TlFDm1Pp
â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)
August 22, 2024
More about Republicansâ response to kids at the DNC:
Donald Trump threw out a claim on
Fox & Friends
Thursday morning that the show hastily corrected.
According to Trump, President Joe Biden âsent comrade Kamala to see Putin in Russia three days before the attack [on Ukraine],â falsely claiming that it was a âlittle-known factâ that the âpress doesnât want to talk about.â
Trump didnât stop there, saying that in this meeting, Harris âgave her caseâ to Putin, who still attacked Ukraine days later.
âHe laughed at her,â Trump
said
. âHe thought she was a joke. Now heâs really laughing when he sees her. Can you imagine her negotiating with President Xi of China, with Kim Jong Un of North Korea? The whole thing is like weâre living in a fantasy land.â
Trump just confused President Zelensky with Putin.
During an Interview on Fox & Friends, Trump said that President Biden sent VP Harris to meet Putin 3 days before Russia invaded Ukraine. The truth is that VP Harris met Zelensky, not Putin, at the Munich conference five daysâŠ
pic.twitter.com/ESzBcR9VJ7
â Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump)
August 22, 2024
After the interview, host Brian Kilmeade quickly tried to
correct
Trumpâs comments.
âJust as a quick clarification, we donât have confirmation that the vice president went to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin,â Kilmeade said. âI know she went over to Europe right before the incursion when Russia invaded Ukraine, and itâs a war thatâs still going on right now.â
In true Fox News fashion, one of Kilmeadeâs colleagues tried to defend Trump, claiming to have heard about the meeting.
âIâve heard that said a lot,â Ainsley Earhardt said to Kilmeade. âYou donât have confirmation that thatâs true?â
âNo,â Kilmeade replied. âI donât think thatâI donât know if the vice president ever met Vladimir Putin.â
In reality, Harris traveled to the Munich Security Conference in Germany before the 2022 invasion, but Putin did not attend. Instead, she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. And, according to a Russian spokesperson, itâs unclear whether Harris and Putin have ever
met
at all.
While itâs no surprise that Trump would make something up, it is unusual to see Fox News correcting him, even after the fact, considering the networkâs efforts to
help his campaign
. Even this week, they let Maria Bartiromo
repeat lies
about noncitizens voting. Maybe in Trumpâs case, theyâre starting to worry about his
cognitive decline
.
More on Trump losing i:
Former television star Donald Trump might be heartbroken to learn this: His Republican National Convention television ratings pale in comparison to the numbers coming out of the Democratic National Convention.
The number of viewers tuning into the DNC night after night continue to beat out the television ratings from the Republican Convention in Milwaukee last month.
Night one of the DNC reached an average of 20 million viewers, versus the 18 million who watched night one of the RNC. The disparity on night two was
even more extreme
, with 20.8 million viewers tuning in to the DNC as Barack and Michelle Obama spoke, while only 14.8 million watched the RNC with keynote speakers Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.
Even Fox News couldnât get its fan base to care. While over 5.1 million people
watched
the DNCâs late night speeches on Tuesday, Fox News averaged a measly 1.7 million viewers.
Democrats also continue to stream on Twitch, X, Amazon Prime Video, as well as vertically on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Roughly one-third of young Americans under 30
say they regularly
watch their news vertically on TikTok.
Data from the third and fourth night of the DNC is still to comeâbut meanwhile, itâs almost certain Trump is having a full-blown panic attack behind closed doors.
More on the DNC:
Donald Trump had a Freudian slip on live TV Thursday while discussing President Joe Bidenâs administration.
In the middle of complaining about Biden and Vice President Kamala Harrisâs foreign policy during a
phone interview
with Fox News, the Republican presidential nominee accidentally seemed to throw them a huge compliment.
âMost importantly, theyâve made our country very safe,â Trump
said
. âAnd internationally, theyâve made it even more safe!â
"Most importantly, they've made our country very safe. And internationally, they've made it ever more safe" -- Trump on the Biden-Harris administration đ„Ž
pic.twitter.com/6v8E72mvsm
â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)
August 22, 2024
But the bombastic populist regained his linguistic footing shortly afterwards.
âAs bad asâwhen you Chicago and the citiesâas bad as they are, much worse internationally. Weâre going to end up in World War III because sheâs incompetent,â Trump continued. âBiden sent herâRussia would have never happened with Ukraine if I were president. Israel, the attack on Israel, would have never happened. Iran had no money, they had no money to give to Hamas or Hezbollah.â
Then, the interview took a turn for the worse.
âLet me tell you a little-known fact that the press doesnât want to talk about,â Trump
told
the news outlet. âBiden sent, I call her Comrade Kamala, sent comrade Kamala to see Putin in Russia three days before the attack. She went, she said, she gave her case, he attacked three days later.â
That last point ushered an immediate fact-check by the station, with Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade clarifying that there was zero evidence for Trumpâs story about Harris.
âJust as a quick clarification, we donât have confirmation that the vice president went to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin,â Kilmeade said. âI know she went over to Europe right before the incursion when Russia invaded Ukraine, and itâs a war thatâs still going on right now.â
Trump has been panicking since Harris was announced as the Democratsâ presidential nominee. Since then, he has wavered on backing out of debates against her, attacked her personally, and has completely reprogrammed his campaign strategy, downsizing from large, boisterous rallies to small, supposedly narrowly focused pressers.
All the while, Trumpâs numbers have plummeted. The Republican nominee has even lost some of his staunchest supporters, including white supremacists, with alt-right political pundit
Nick Fuentes
pulling his endorsement from Trump earlier this month under the belief that his presidential campaign is headed for a âcatastrophic loss.â
Read more about Trumpâs Fox appearance:
Kamala Harris is beginning to face the consequences of not pushing for a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention, amid widespread backlash to Israelâs deadly U.S.-backed military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 people.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz
announced
late Wednesday that it would disband after members of the Uncommitted delegation at the DNC were
notified
that Harrisâs team had denied their many requests to have a Palestinian American speaker appear on the main stage.
âWe cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement that VP Harrisâ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,â the group
said
in a statement.
âThe family of the Israeli Hostage that was on the stage tonight, has shown more empathy towards Palestinian American speakers than our candidate or the DNC has,â the statement said. âThis is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have a right to speak about Palestine.â
Earlier Wednesday, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of 23-year-old Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, had been invited to speak from the main stage, making an
emotional plea
for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the safe return of the remaining hostages. âThere is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East and a competition of pain,â Polin said. âThere are no winners.â
In a
statement
posted to X, the Uncommitted Movement, which organized massive âuncommittedâ votes during the Democratic primaries, wrote that they supported the decision to have the family of an Israeli hostage speak, and asked the DNC âto reject a hierarchy of human value by ensuring Palestinian voices are heard on the main stage.â
âExcluding a Palestinian speaker betrays the partyâs commitment in our platform to valuing Israelis and Palestinian lives equally. Vice President Harris must unite this party with a vision that fights for everyone, including Palestinians,â the
statement
said.
The 30 Uncommitted delegates in attendance at the DNC
began a sit-in
outside of the convention center Wednesday night, requesting that Harrisâs team reconsider their decision. Representative Ilhan Omar
sat
with them, and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez
called in
via FaceTime to lend her support, although earlier this week, she had
neglected to advocate
for Palestinians during her rousing
primetime speech
.
The United Auto Workers, which has
endorsed
Harris, posted a
statement
to X Thursday, urging Harrisâs team to reverse course on its decision. âIf we want the war in Gaza to end, we canât put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party,â the statement said. âIf we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight.â
Earlier this week, the Uncommitted Movement was invited to
host a panel discussion
about Palestinian human rights at the DNC, the first time such an event has happened. At the time, the group thanked the DNC and reiterated a request that Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Palestinian American pediatric physician who has been
working in Gaza
throughout Israelâs assault, should be invited to speak from the conventionâs main stage.
Inside the United Center, pro-Palestinian speech has been entirely absent, and attempts to protest have been repeatedly quashed. On Monday, several members of the Florida delegation dropped a banner that read âStop Arming Israelâ during Joe Bidenâs speech but were blocked and
even hit
with signs by others standing around them. The protesters were then escorted out of the main room. Outside the convention center,
more than 2,000
pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago for a third day, after violent clashes with the police outside of the Israeli consulate.
âThe word Palestine is not allowed inside the Democratic National Convention. The word cease-fire has barely been uttered,â
said
Rabbi Brant Rosen, a founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, Wednesday night. âThis is a Hollywood-style coronation of a candidate. They assume they are entitled to our votes, but they are not entitled to our votes.â
As the DNC enters its fourth and final day Thursday, the clock is ticking on Harrisâs team to reverse its decision to
exclude Palestinians from its big tent
.
More about the DNC response to the protests:
Donald Trump removed a campaign video using BeyoncĂ©âs song âFreedomâ on Wednesday after the international superstar threatened to send him a cease and desist letter, officially blocking the Republican presidential nomineeâs use of the song.
A source close to Beyoncé told
Rolling Stone
that the Trump campaign did not have permission to use the song, which has since become an unofficial anthem of the Harris-Walz campaign. The offending clip was posted to Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheungâs account, and set the
Lemonade
single to a 13-second video of Trump stepping off a plane in Michigan.
Beyonce isnât the only artist whoâs torched Trump for using their music without permission to advance his campaign.
SinĂ©ad OâConnor
, The Beatles, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns Nâ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Queen, Prince, Pharrell, The Rolling Stones, The Smithsâ Johnny Marr, Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late
Tom Petty
, the Village People, and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler have all barred the former president from using their work.
And the trend seems to be growing. Just last week,
two more musicians
yanked their rights away from Trump: Isaac Hayes and Celine Dion.
Meanwhile, the DNC turned their roll callâa typically grueling snooze-festâinto an
all-out party
by merging the state-by-state delegate count with
meaningful songs
, hand-selected by each state. That included tracks by some of the artists whoâve banned their music from Trumpâs events (such as Tom Petty) and even featured a wildly unexpected guest performance by Atlanta-born rapper Lil Jon, who got the entire arena bouncing to âTurn Down for What.â
âV-P Harris, Governor Walz!â Lil Jon shouted to the chorus of âGet Low.â
the european mind cannot comprehend lil jon doing georgia's roll call
pic.twitter.com/Zm5oSTk2UT
â Colin (@ufcolin)
August 21, 2024
Tim Walz walked off stage after his speech Wednesday night to Neil Youngâs âRockinâ in the Free World.â Young reportedly
personally approved
use of the song.
And thatâs just part of it. The entire liberal convention has been awash in talent. So far, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sheila E, and Maren Morris have brought some of their biggest hits to the main stage, alongside comedians
Kenan Thompson
and Mindy Kaling. What might frustrate Trump most of all, however, is a surprise guest appearance rumored for Thursday: Beyoncé, in the flesh.
Check out the rest of the partyâs roll track playlist
here
.
More about Trumpâs musical struggles:
J.D. Vance, in trying to come up with a response to criticism from the Democratic National Convention, ended up owning his running mate, Donald Trump.
Just after midnight Thursday morning, Vance was interviewed by CNNâs Jake Tapper, who played a
clip
of Representative Jamie Raskin pointing out that Vance is only on the Republican ticket because Mike Pence faced death threats for certifying the election results on January 6, 2021.Â
Vance tried to brush off Raskinâs comments and accused the Maryland congressman of claiming victimhood.
âI just donât understand a person in American politics in 2024 whoâs whining about what happened to them instead of using their leadership and using their influence to make the lives of American citizens better,â Vance
responded
.
Vance: I just don't understand a person in American politics in 2024 who is whining about what happened to them instead of using their leadership and influence to make the lives of American citizens better.
pic.twitter.com/BGL02Ht1aX
â Acyn (@Acyn)
August 22, 2024
The remark, unchallenged by Tapper, quickly brought to mind the many times Trump has whined about his many grievances, from the criminal and civil charges against him to his baseless allegations of election fraud in 2020, among so many others.
Vance and Trump seem to be flailing every time they are criticized. Every day, an old clip of Vance resurfaces where he says something bizarre, followed by him doubling down or
trying in vain
to explain it away. Meanwhile, Trump canât seem to
stay on message
, or answer basic, easy questions, like whether heâd accept the election results. Democrats have successfully put Trump and Vance on their heels, and Republicans have no response.
More on the DNC: |
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Breaking News
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[Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling](https://newrepublic.com/authors/ellie-quinlan-houghtaling "Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling")/
August 22, 2024
/
2:31 p.m. ET
Share This Story
# Stable Genius Trump Gets Brutal Verdict on Mental State in New Poll
## Voters increasingly donât think Donald Trump is up to the task of being president.
Peter Zay/AFP/Getty Images
Donald Trump is losing his grasp on a key demographic.
A poll published Wednesday revealed that the Republican presidential nominee is bleeding support from older votersâ[historically](https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/aging/articles/why-older-citizens-are-more-likely-to-vote) the voting bloc most likely to show up at the pollsâbecause they find him to be in âvery poorâ health.
The [University of New Hampshire poll](https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1808&context=survey_center_polls) surveyed residents in Vermont, where Trump won roughly 30 percent of the vote in 2016 and 2020. If the election were held today, 27 percent of the respondents said that they would vote for Trump, while 67 percent said they would elect Kamala Harris.
But underneath the favorability odds were deep concerns about Trumpâs physical and mental condition. The poll found that 61 percent of voters aged 65 and older in Vermont found Trumpâs physical and mental fitness to be âvery poor.â Other age demographics were slightly less bleak about Trumpâs health, with 58 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds identifying Trump as in âvery poorâ health, 40 percent of 35- to 49-year-olds, and just 37 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds.
Added up, half of the 934 respondents identified Trumpâs physical and mental health as âvery poor.â Just 14 percent described his health as âvery good,â while 12 percent described his health as simply âgood.â
Harrisâs mental and physical fitness report was much more optimistic from the Green Mountain State. Approximately 62 percent of voters described Harrisâs health as âvery good,â with an additional 16 percent describing it as âgood.â Only six percent found Harrisâs health to be âvery poor.â
Share This Story
Read more about Trump:
[Cognitive Decline? Trump Accidentally Praises Harrisâs Record](https://newrepublic.com/post/185170/donald-trump-praises-kamala-harris-public-safety)
[Hafiz Rashid](https://newrepublic.com/authors/hafiz-rashid "Hafiz Rashid")/
August 22, 2024
/
2:10 p.m. ET
Share This Story
## DNC Faces Uproar From Its Own Party After Denying Palestinian Speaker
### The Democratic National Convention is facing blowback after rejecting the Uncommitted movementâs request for a Palestinian speaker.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Democratic National Convention organizers are facing criticism from their own party after refusing to allow any Palestinian speaker or member of the Uncommitted movement speaking time on the convention stage.
On Wednesday, Jon Polin and his wife Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke to DNC delegates about their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is being held captive in Gaza.
âIn our Jewish tradition, we say â*kol adam olam um loâo*,â every person is an entire universe,â Polin [said](https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2024-08-21/dnc-israeli-american-hostage-parents-palestine-speakers). âWe must save all these universes. In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring hope to the entire region, a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza. The time is now.â
But little else has been said on the convention stage about Palestinian civilians suffering from Israelâs brutal war on Gaza. Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced they would [disband](https://newrepublic.com/post/185168/kamala-harris-key-support-group-dnc-palestine) after learning of the DNCâs rejection of a Palestinian speaker. The Uncommitted movement also launched a [sit-in](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-sit-in-palestine-uncommitted-movement/) protest on Thursday to demand a Palestinian speaker be included.
The sit-in has received support from vocal pro-Palestine Democrats, including Squad members Representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley. But itâs not just the Squad. Their demands have also spread to other Democrats, including convention speakers. And the list keeps growing:
- [Representative Greg Casar](https://x.com/GregCasar/status/1826649429585396153)
- Minnesota Attorney General [Keith Ellison](https://x.com/keithellison/status/1826648016281108638)
- [Representative Maxwell Frost](https://x.com/MaxwellFrostFL/status/1826655212645613622)
- [Representative Val Hoyle](https://x.com/ValHoyle/status/1826660305520525668)
- Chicago Mayor [Brandon Johnson](https://x.com/byaliceyin/status/1826668985892700534)
- [Representative Ro Khanna](https://x.com/RoKhanna/status/1826674536462647384)
- [Representative Mark Pocan](https://x.com/MarkPocan/status/1826667947018125631)
- [Representative Delia Ramirez](https://x.com/DeliaRamirezIL/status/1826467850845831587)
Israelâs war has [killed](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker) more than 40,000 Palestinians, including nearly 16,500 children. The Uncommitted delegates represent Democrats who support the party but want action to end the war, including an arms embargo against Israel, and they are only asking for a speaker to voice their concerns to the convention. Their speaker recommendations were pro-Harris and would have their remarks vetted ahead of time.
âWe talked to the DNC, we offered options, we said weâll identify someone who is willing to express support for Vice President Harris ⊠we did everything right, you know?â delegate Abbas Alawieh told *[Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-sit-in-palestine-uncommitted-movement/)*. The question is, does anyone in the Harris campaign even care?
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More on the repercussions of this decision:
[In Major Blow, Pro-Harris Group Disbands Over DNC Protest Response](https://newrepublic.com/post/185168/kamala-harris-key-support-group-dnc-palestine)
[Most Recent Post]()
[Edith Olmsted](https://newrepublic.com/authors/edith-olmsted "Edith Olmsted")/
August 22, 2024
/
12:53 p.m. ET
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## Elon Musk Forced to Reveal Shady X Investors
### Elon Musk said that having Sean âDiddyâ Combs as an investor made it OK that hate speech was increasing on X.
Samuel Corum/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Elon Muskâs X is apparently getting money from some pretty shady people.
A federal judge [ordered](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/21/elon-musk-x-investors/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzI0MjEyODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzI1NTk1MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MjQyMTI4MDAsImp0aSI6IjQyODc4ZTE0LTlhZWItNDk1OC04NmYzLTYwMmRiMzU4MGQ4NCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS90ZWNobm9sb2d5LzIwMjQvMDgvMjEvZWxvbi1tdXNrLXgtaW52ZXN0b3JzLyJ9.lZFrV9ZdSUuRFkqRWjibbu2pcfTcjXGx2lF7dEe6Qhk) Tuesday that a list of investors who helped fund Muskâs \$44 billion takeover of X, formerly Twitter, in October 2022 be unsealed. Buried among the lengthy list of nearly 100 investors are several particularly troubling figures.
One entity listed is Sean Combs Capital, LLCâbetter known as Sean âDiddyâ Combs, the rapper who has been accused of rape, assault, forcible drugging, and even implicated in a sex trafficking operation.
In the early days of his X takeover, Musk once [touted](https://x.com/RMac18/status/1826628052555792636) his relationship with Combs to push back on another investorâs concern about increasing racism on the social media platform.
In the forthcoming book *Character Limit* by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, Detavio Samuels, the CEO of the media company Revolt, voiced his concerns about anti-Black speech being emboldened on X.
âAs you continue down the path that youâre going, I really recommend that you have conversations with this specific community, and we make sure that whatever solutions are created are solutions that make them feel safe and in a welcoming space,â Samuels said.
While Musk said he wanted to make sure people were comfortable, he thought that Samuels might be comforted to hear that one of his high-profile Black friends had also invested in Muskâs social media site. âI donât know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,â Musk said, using Combsâs nickname. âYou know, heâs a good friend of mine, we text a lot.â
The list also includes several Silicon Valley entities run by billionaires like Musk himself and backing Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
One of the first names included is Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm run by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who recently [announced](https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/24/24204706/marc-andreessen-ben-horowitz-a16z-trump-donations) that they were backing Trump in 2024. âIt doesnât have anything to do with the big issues that people care about,â Andreessen claimed, making clear that he was ignoring Trumpâs platform on immigration and abortion, for a more favorable view on issues like cryptoâin which Andreessen and Horowitz claim to be some of the worldâs largest investors.
Also on the list is Sequoia Capital, run by Douglas Leone and Shaun Maguire, who donated a whopping \$1 million and \$500,000 respectively to Muskâs pro-Trump super PAC, the [America PAC](https://newrepublic.com/post/184932/elon-musk-america-pac-spending-save-trump-election-doom), which is currently [under investigation](https://newrepublic.com/post/184595/elon-musk-trump-pac-investigation-election-interference-north-carolina) for the shady way it was collecting voter information.
Another investor is 8VC, a venture capitalist firm run by Joe Lonsdale, who also donated \$1 million to Muskâs PAC in June. Lonsdale is a co-founder of intelligence contractor and data analysis platform Palantir, which was also headed by Peter Thiel. While itâs hardly surprising that Muskâs billionaire buddies are invested in his social media company, itâs clear that X is being heavily underwritten by the same individuals funding Trumpâs campaign.
Also included on the list of investors is Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, who has long had a stake in the social media company. In 2015, bin Talal owned 5.2 percent of Twitter, more than the companyâs co-founder Jack Dorsey.
In November 2017, bin Talal was arrested as part of a sweeping âanti-corruptionâ purge that forced numerous wealthy Saudis and members of the royal family to sign over their assets to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an autocratic dictator with no tolerance for dissent. This [sparked major concerns](https://newrepublic.com/article/161995/twitter-saudi-arabia-mbs-dissident) that Twitter was being used by the Saudi government to surveil its own citizens.
After Muskâs takeover, bin Talal and Saudi Arabiaâs Kingdom Holding Company maintained their ownership of X shares valued at \$1.89 billion, making them jointly the companyâs second-largest investors, according to [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/28/saudis-kingdom-holding-company-to-maintain-twitter-stake#:~:text=Kingdom%20Holding%20Company%20and%20the,of%20the%20social%20media%20company.).
Another notable entity is the Pershing Square Foundation, which is headed by Bill Ackman, the CEO of the giant hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. Last year, Ackman, a staunch Zionist who [funded violent pro-Israel counterprotesters](https://www.thedailybeast.com/jessica-seinfeld-and-bill-ackman-fund-pro-israel-counterprotests-at-ucla) on college campuses, [spearheaded the campaign](https://newrepublic.com/article/177598/bill-ackman-billionaire-tyrannizing-harvard-bond-market) to see Harvardâs President Claudine Gay removed from her seat.
Earlier this week, it was [reported](https://newrepublic.com/post/185058/donald-trump-truth-social-elon-musk-x-value) that the debt on Muskâs \$13 billion in loans borrowed from several banks in order to buy X was never off-loaded from these banksâ balance sheets, leaving his debt âhungâ in industry terms. Not only is X the longest-lasting hung deal since the 2008 financial crisis, itâs also reportedly one of the biggest. While the banks have been able to collect a hefty interest, itâs unclear how Musk will ever repay the principal if X continues on its current trajectory.
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Read more about Musk:
[Idiot Trump Abandoned Truth Social for Elon Muskâand It Didnât Pay Off](https://newrepublic.com/post/185058/donald-trump-truth-social-elon-musk-x-value)
[Most Recent Post]()
[Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling](https://newrepublic.com/authors/ellie-quinlan-houghtaling "Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling")/
August 22, 2024
/
12:31 p.m. ET
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## MAGA Enters Meltdown Mode Over Tim Walzâs Son at the DNC
### Guz Walz stole hearts when he teared up and shouted, âThatâs my dad!â during his fatherâs speech.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
The internet fell in love with vice presidential candidate Tim Walzâs son Gus on the third night of the Democratic National Convention after the neurodivergent 17-year-old started [tearing up](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826466803196805500) seeing his father on stage.
> OMG I missed Walz's son Gus crying and saying "that's my dad!" when his dad shouted him out. What a moment. [pic.twitter.com/bFV1kFkeHv](https://t.co/bFV1kFkeHv)
>
> â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826466803196805500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
But not everybody seemed to be on board the love train. Instead, the so-called âparty of family valuesâ decided to take potshots at the emotional high schooler.
âTalk about weird âŠâ [posted](https://x.com/AnnCoulter/status/1826628651380781354) conservative media pundit Ann Coulter, sharing an article about Gus.
[](https://x.com/AnnCoulter/status/1826628651380781354)
Screenshot
âWalzâ kid is acting just like his dad! BIZARRE!â [wrote](https://x.com/leslibless/status/1826472104780255669) X user ProudArmyBrat.
Failed MAGA congressional candidates also got in on the action, outright mocking a kid with a learning disability.
âTim Walz stupid crying son isnât the flex the left thinks it is,â Mike Crispi, chairman of the America First Republicans of New Jersey, wrote in a since-deleted [post](https://x.com/AndresRome/status/1826648407492231477) on X. âYou raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â
Conservatives also spent the week mocking Vice President Kamala Harrisâs stepdaughter, [Ella Emhoff](https://newrepublic.com/post/185069/maga-reaction-kamala-harris-stepdaughter-ella-emhoff-dnc), for her outfit the first night of the convention, which consisted of a camouflage Harris-Walz merch hat and a sleeveless, caped gown that showed off her tattoos. And on Thursday, Donald Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell got into (and [badly lost](https://newrepublic.com/post/185161/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-fight-child-knowa-dnc)) an argument with 12-year-old content creator Knowa De Brasco.
Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans are embracing something that is objectively weird: [Trumpy Trout](https://www.trumpytrout.com/?mid=12243084&vendor=google&campaignid=21550980180&adgroupid=166725286018&targetid=kwd-2358957361154&network=g&device=c&adid=708342372714&keyword=trumpy%20trout&adtype=&merchantid=&productchannel=&productid=&placement=), an orange, fish-head version of the former president with a matching toupee.
âI am the hugely, bigliest fish in the pond,â the open-lipped animatronic says in a very real [advertisement](https://x.com/atrupar/status/1826636139970621747) reportedly airing on Newsmax.
> They're not beating the weirdness allegations (believe it or not, this is a real ad running on Newsmax) [pic.twitter.com/s7TlFDm1Pp](https://t.co/s7TlFDm1Pp)
>
> â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826636139970621747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
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More about Republicansâ response to kids at the DNC:
[MAGA Melts Down Over Kamala Harrisâs Stepdaughter at DNC](https://newrepublic.com/post/185069/maga-reaction-kamala-harris-stepdaughter-ella-emhoff-dnc)
[Most Recent Post]()
[Hafiz Rashid](https://newrepublic.com/authors/hafiz-rashid "Hafiz Rashid")/
August 22, 2024
/
12:06 p.m. ET
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## Watch: Fox News Shuts Down Trumpâs Deranged Lie About Harris
### Even Fox News was forced to fact-check Donald Trumpâs bonkers claim about Kamala Harris and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images
Donald Trump threw out a claim on *Fox & Friends* Thursday morning that the show hastily corrected.
According to Trump, President Joe Biden âsent comrade Kamala to see Putin in Russia three days before the attack \[on Ukraine\],â falsely claiming that it was a âlittle-known factâ that the âpress doesnât want to talk about.â
Trump didnât stop there, saying that in this meeting, Harris âgave her caseâ to Putin, who still attacked Ukraine days later.
âHe laughed at her,â Trump [said](https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1826617339267174411). âHe thought she was a joke. Now heâs really laughing when he sees her. Can you imagine her negotiating with President Xi of China, with Kim Jong Un of North Korea? The whole thing is like weâre living in a fantasy land.â
> Trump just confused President Zelensky with Putin.
>
> During an Interview on Fox & Friends, Trump said that President Biden sent VP Harris to meet Putin 3 days before Russia invaded Ukraine. The truth is that VP Harris met Zelensky, not Putin, at the Munich conference five days⊠[pic.twitter.com/ESzBcR9VJ7](https://t.co/ESzBcR9VJ7)
>
> â Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1826617339267174411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
After the interview, host Brian Kilmeade quickly tried to [correct](https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-and-friends-instantly-corrects-trumps-bogus-harris-claim-after-interview) Trumpâs comments.
âJust as a quick clarification, we donât have confirmation that the vice president went to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin,â Kilmeade said. âI know she went over to Europe right before the incursion when Russia invaded Ukraine, and itâs a war thatâs still going on right now.â
In true Fox News fashion, one of Kilmeadeâs colleagues tried to defend Trump, claiming to have heard about the meeting.
âIâve heard that said a lot,â Ainsley Earhardt said to Kilmeade. âYou donât have confirmation that thatâs true?â
âNo,â Kilmeade replied. âI donât think thatâI donât know if the vice president ever met Vladimir Putin.â
In reality, Harris traveled to the Munich Security Conference in Germany before the 2022 invasion, but Putin did not attend. Instead, she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. And, according to a Russian spokesperson, itâs unclear whether Harris and Putin have ever [met](https://tass.com/politics/1819737) at all.
While itâs no surprise that Trump would make something up, it is unusual to see Fox News correcting him, even after the fact, considering the networkâs efforts to [help his campaign](https://newrepublic.com/article/177560/biden-fox-news-formidable-opponent-2024). Even this week, they let Maria Bartiromo [repeat lies](https://newrepublic.com/post/185125/fox-news-bartiromo-election-lie-illegal-voting-migrants-no-proof) about noncitizens voting. Maybe in Trumpâs case, theyâre starting to worry about his [cognitive decline](https://newrepublic.com/post/184690/cognitive-decline-experts-find-evidence-trumps-mind-slowing).
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More on Trump losing i:
[Cognitive Decline? Trump Accidentally Praises Harrisâs Record](https://newrepublic.com/post/185170/donald-trump-praises-kamala-harris-public-safety)
[Most Recent Post]()
[Paige Oamek](https://newrepublic.com/authors/paige-oamek "Paige Oamek")/
August 22, 2024
/
11:37 a.m. ET
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## Trump Must Be Having a Meltdown Over DNCâs TV Ratings
### A TV ratingâobsessed Donald Trump canât be happy about how many people are tuning in to watch the Democratic National Convention.
Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images
Former television star Donald Trump might be heartbroken to learn this: His Republican National Convention television ratings pale in comparison to the numbers coming out of the Democratic National Convention.
The number of viewers tuning into the DNC night after night continue to beat out the television ratings from the Republican Convention in Milwaukee last month.
Night one of the DNC reached an average of 20 million viewers, versus the 18 million who watched night one of the RNC. The disparity on night two was [even more extreme](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/dnc-ratings-viewers-1236112994/), with 20.8 million viewers tuning in to the DNC as Barack and Michelle Obama spoke, while only 14.8 million watched the RNC with keynote speakers Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.
Even Fox News couldnât get its fan base to care. While over 5.1 million people [watched](https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/dnc-democratic-national-convention-08-21-24/index.html) the DNCâs late night speeches on Tuesday, Fox News averaged a measly 1.7 million viewers.
Democrats also continue to stream on Twitch, X, Amazon Prime Video, as well as vertically on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Roughly one-third of young Americans under 30 [say they regularly](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/15/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-seen-on-most-other-social-media-sites/) watch their news vertically on TikTok.
Data from the third and fourth night of the DNC is still to comeâbut meanwhile, itâs almost certain Trump is having a full-blown panic attack behind closed doors.
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More on the DNC:
[Watch: MyPillow CEO Loses Fight With 12-Year-Old Child at DNC](https://newrepublic.com/post/185161/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-fight-child-knowa-dnc)
[Most Recent Post]()
[Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling](https://newrepublic.com/authors/ellie-quinlan-houghtaling "Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling")/
August 22, 2024
/
11:31 a.m. ET
Share This Story
## Cognitive Decline? Trump Accidentally Praises Harrisâs Record
### Donald Trump said Kamala Harris and Joe Biden had made the country âvery safe.â
Adam Gray/Getty Images
Donald Trump had a Freudian slip on live TV Thursday while discussing President Joe Bidenâs administration.
In the middle of complaining about Biden and Vice President Kamala Harrisâs foreign policy during a [phone interview](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6360811023112) with Fox News, the Republican presidential nominee accidentally seemed to throw them a huge compliment.
âMost importantly, theyâve made our country very safe,â Trump [said](https://x.com/atrupar/status/1826629181473534040). âAnd internationally, theyâve made it even more safe!â
> "Most importantly, they've made our country very safe. And internationally, they've made it ever more safe" -- Trump on the Biden-Harris administration đ„Ž [pic.twitter.com/6v8E72mvsm](https://t.co/6v8E72mvsm)
>
> â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826629181473534040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
But the bombastic populist regained his linguistic footing shortly afterwards.
âAs bad asâwhen you Chicago and the citiesâas bad as they are, much worse internationally. Weâre going to end up in World War III because sheâs incompetent,â Trump continued. âBiden sent herâRussia would have never happened with Ukraine if I were president. Israel, the attack on Israel, would have never happened. Iran had no money, they had no money to give to Hamas or Hezbollah.â
Then, the interview took a turn for the worse.
âLet me tell you a little-known fact that the press doesnât want to talk about,â Trump [told](https://x.com/AccountableGOP/status/1826595014480118201) the news outlet. âBiden sent, I call her Comrade Kamala, sent comrade Kamala to see Putin in Russia three days before the attack. She went, she said, she gave her case, he attacked three days later.â
That last point ushered an immediate fact-check by the station, with Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade clarifying that there was zero evidence for Trumpâs story about Harris.
âJust as a quick clarification, we donât have confirmation that the vice president went to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin,â Kilmeade said. âI know she went over to Europe right before the incursion when Russia invaded Ukraine, and itâs a war thatâs still going on right now.â
Trump has been panicking since Harris was announced as the Democratsâ presidential nominee. Since then, he has wavered on backing out of debates against her, attacked her personally, and has completely reprogrammed his campaign strategy, downsizing from large, boisterous rallies to small, supposedly narrowly focused pressers.
All the while, Trumpâs numbers have plummeted. The Republican nominee has even lost some of his staunchest supporters, including white supremacists, with alt-right political pundit [Nick Fuentes](https://newrepublic.com/post/184729/donald-trump-nick-fuentes-white-supremacists-support) pulling his endorsement from Trump earlier this month under the belief that his presidential campaign is headed for a âcatastrophic loss.â
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Read more about Trumpâs Fox appearance:
[Trump Goes on Bonkers Five-Minute Rant Over a Simple Question](https://newrepublic.com/post/185153/donald-trump-tim-walz-project-2025-kamala-harris-dnc)
[Most Recent Post]()
[Edith Olmsted](https://newrepublic.com/authors/edith-olmsted "Edith Olmsted")/
August 22, 2024
/
11:07 a.m. ET
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## In Major Blow, Pro-Harris Group Disbands Over DNC Protest Response
### Muslim Women for Harris-Walz has disbanded over the DNCâs refusal to let a Palestinian American speak on stage.
Ron Haviv/VII/Redux for The New Republic
Kamala Harris is beginning to face the consequences of not pushing for a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention, amid widespread backlash to Israelâs deadly U.S.-backed military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 people.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz [announced](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826470913233080763) late Wednesday that it would disband after members of the Uncommitted delegation at the DNC were [notified](https://x.com/alex_sammon/status/1826431195820720132) that Harrisâs team had denied their many requests to have a Palestinian American speaker appear on the main stage.
âWe cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement that VP Harrisâ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,â the group [said](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826470913233080763) in a statement.
âThe family of the Israeli Hostage that was on the stage tonight, has shown more empathy towards Palestinian American speakers than our candidate or the DNC has,â the statement said. âThis is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have a right to speak about Palestine.â
Earlier Wednesday, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of 23-year-old Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, had been invited to speak from the main stage, making an [emotional plea](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dnc-parents-israeli-american-hostage-make-emotional-plea/story?id=113039754) for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the safe return of the remaining hostages. âThere is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East and a competition of pain,â Polin said. âThere are no winners.â
In a [statement](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826257760180130230) posted to X, the Uncommitted Movement, which organized massive âuncommittedâ votes during the Democratic primaries, wrote that they supported the decision to have the family of an Israeli hostage speak, and asked the DNC âto reject a hierarchy of human value by ensuring Palestinian voices are heard on the main stage.â
âExcluding a Palestinian speaker betrays the partyâs commitment in our platform to valuing Israelis and Palestinian lives equally. Vice President Harris must unite this party with a vision that fights for everyone, including Palestinians,â the [statement](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826257761921012067) said.
The 30 Uncommitted delegates in attendance at the DNC [began a sit-in](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826604689653129326) outside of the convention center Wednesday night, requesting that Harrisâs team reconsider their decision. Representative Ilhan Omar [sat](https://x.com/DanielDenvir/status/1826468652658389263) with them, and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez [called in](https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1826487430503170523) via FaceTime to lend her support, although earlier this week, she had [neglected to advocate](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/aoc-dnc-speech-gaza/) for Palestinians during her rousing [primetime speech](https://newrepublic.com/post/185019/aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-speech-dnc-democratic-national-convention-how-to-watch).
The United Auto Workers, which has [endorsed](https://uaw.org/everything-the-working-class-has-ever-won-weve-had-to-fight-for-uaw-releases-new-video-endorsing-kamala-harris-for-president/) Harris, posted a [statement](https://x.com/UAW/status/1826626152049307934) to X Thursday, urging Harrisâs team to reverse course on its decision. âIf we want the war in Gaza to end, we canât put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party,â the statement said. âIf we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight.â
Earlier this week, the Uncommitted Movement was invited to [host a panel discussion](https://newrepublic.com/post/185012/kamala-harris-dnc-historic-panel-palestine) about Palestinian human rights at the DNC, the first time such an event has happened. At the time, the group thanked the DNC and reiterated a request that Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Palestinian American pediatric physician who has been [working in Gaza](https://www.thenation.com/article/world/tanya-haj-hassan-interview-gaza-healthcare/) throughout Israelâs assault, should be invited to speak from the conventionâs main stage.
Inside the United Center, pro-Palestinian speech has been entirely absent, and attempts to protest have been repeatedly quashed. On Monday, several members of the Florida delegation dropped a banner that read âStop Arming Israelâ during Joe Bidenâs speech but were blocked and [even hit](https://newrepublic.com/post/185056/dnc-responds-gaza-protest-worst-way) with signs by others standing around them. The protesters were then escorted out of the main room. Outside the convention center, [more than 2,000](https://apnews.com/article/democratic-convention-chicago-protests-israel-hamas-war-ea3bc9193cc99a5c95ebfd1a42db924f) pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago for a third day, after violent clashes with the police outside of the Israeli consulate.
âThe word Palestine is not allowed inside the Democratic National Convention. The word cease-fire has barely been uttered,â [said](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/56-protesters-arrested-after-clashes-with-police-outside-israeli-consulate-in-chicago-during-dnc) Rabbi Brant Rosen, a founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, Wednesday night. âThis is a Hollywood-style coronation of a candidate. They assume they are entitled to our votes, but they are not entitled to our votes.â
As the DNC enters its fourth and final day Thursday, the clock is ticking on Harrisâs team to reverse its decision to [exclude Palestinians from its big tent](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/dnc-2024-palestine-israel).
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More about the DNC response to the protests:
[DNC Responds to Gaza Protest in Worst Way Possible](https://newrepublic.com/post/185056/dnc-responds-gaza-protest-worst-way)
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[Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling](https://newrepublic.com/authors/ellie-quinlan-houghtaling "Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling")/
August 22, 2024
/
10:35 a.m. ET
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## Idiot Trump Earns Himself More Legal TroubleâThis Time From BeyoncĂ©
### The music superstar was not pleased that Donald Trump used one of her songs in a campaign video.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images
Donald Trump removed a campaign video using BeyoncĂ©âs song âFreedomâ on Wednesday after the international superstar threatened to send him a cease and desist letter, officially blocking the Republican presidential nomineeâs use of the song.
A source close to BeyoncĂ© told [*Rolling Stone*](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beyonce-threatens-cease-and-desist-trump-campaign-freedom-video-1235084830/) that the Trump campaign did not have permission to use the song, which has since become an unofficial anthem of the Harris-Walz campaign. The offending clip was posted to Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheungâs account, and set the *Lemonade* single to a 13-second video of Trump stepping off a plane in Michigan.
Beyonce isnât the only artist whoâs torched Trump for using their music without permission to advance his campaign. [SinĂ©ad OâConnor](https://newrepublic.com/post/179526/sinead-oconnor-estate-tells-trump-stop-using-music), The Beatles, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns Nâ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Queen, Prince, Pharrell, The Rolling Stones, The Smithsâ Johnny Marr, Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late [Tom Petty](https://newrepublic.com/post/169001/tom-petty-estate-blasts-az-losing-candidate-kari-lake-i-wont-back-down-anthem), the Village People, and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler have all barred the former president from using their work.
And the trend seems to be growing. Just last week, [two more musicians](https://newrepublic.com/post/184767/donald-trump-rallies-lawsuit-isaac-hayes-celine-dion) yanked their rights away from Trump: Isaac Hayes and Celine Dion.
Meanwhile, the DNC turned their roll callâa typically grueling snooze-festâinto an [all-out party](https://x.com/ufcolin/status/1826048650121982010) by merging the state-by-state delegate count with [meaningful songs](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/dj-cassidy-dnc-convention-roll-call-playlist-1235084805/), hand-selected by each state. That included tracks by some of the artists whoâve banned their music from Trumpâs events (such as Tom Petty) and even featured a wildly unexpected guest performance by Atlanta-born rapper Lil Jon, who got the entire arena bouncing to âTurn Down for What.â
âV-P Harris, Governor Walz!â Lil Jon shouted to the chorus of âGet Low.â
> the european mind cannot comprehend lil jon doing georgia's roll call [pic.twitter.com/Zm5oSTk2UT](https://t.co/Zm5oSTk2UT)
>
> â Colin (@ufcolin) [August 21, 2024](https://twitter.com/ufcolin/status/1826048650121982010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Tim Walz walked off stage after his speech Wednesday night to Neil Youngâs âRockinâ in the Free World.â Young reportedly [personally approved](https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/1826464959787663586) use of the song.
And thatâs just part of it. The entire liberal convention has been awash in talent. So far, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sheila E, and Maren Morris have brought some of their biggest hits to the main stage, alongside comedians [Kenan Thompson](https://newrepublic.com/post/185143/kenan-thompson-project-2025-dnc) and Mindy Kaling. What might frustrate Trump most of all, however, is a surprise guest appearance rumored for Thursday: BeyoncĂ©, in the flesh.
Check out the rest of the partyâs roll track playlist [here](https://x.com/bhrenton/status/1826084135091212543).
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More about Trumpâs musical struggles:
[Idiot Trump Just Landed Himself Another Legal Battle](https://newrepublic.com/post/184767/donald-trump-rallies-lawsuit-isaac-hayes-celine-dion)
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[Hafiz Rashid](https://newrepublic.com/authors/hafiz-rashid "Hafiz Rashid")/
August 22, 2024
/
10:30 a.m. ET
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## J.D. Vanceâs Latest Anti-Democrat Quip Blows Up in His Face
### Donald Trumpâs running mate accidentally just brutally roasted him.
Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
J.D. Vance, in trying to come up with a response to criticism from the Democratic National Convention, ended up owning his running mate, Donald Trump.
Just after midnight Thursday morning, Vance was interviewed by CNNâs Jake Tapper, who played a [clip](https://x.com/BlueATLGeorgia/status/1826476522758091245) of Representative Jamie Raskin pointing out that Vance is only on the Republican ticket because Mike Pence faced death threats for certifying the election results on January 6, 2021.
Vance tried to brush off Raskinâs comments and accused the Maryland congressman of claiming victimhood.
âI just donât understand a person in American politics in 2024 whoâs whining about what happened to them instead of using their leadership and using their influence to make the lives of American citizens better,â Vance [responded](https://x.com/Acyn/status/1826475162243662159).
> Vance: I just don't understand a person in American politics in 2024 who is whining about what happened to them instead of using their leadership and influence to make the lives of American citizens better. [pic.twitter.com/BGL02Ht1aX](https://t.co/BGL02Ht1aX)
>
> â Acyn (@Acyn) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1826475162243662159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The remark, unchallenged by Tapper, quickly brought to mind the many times Trump has whined about his many grievances, from the criminal and civil charges against him to his baseless allegations of election fraud in 2020, among so many others.
[](https://x.com/AMDeFiNFT/status/1826475644466692383)
[](https://x.com/SwissWatchGuy/status/1826478704475652434)
[](https://x.com/timjacobwise/status/1826610604079284647)
[](https://x.com/ShortLawyer/status/1826476315534406098)
Vance and Trump seem to be flailing every time they are criticized. Every day, an old clip of Vance resurfaces where he says something bizarre, followed by him doubling down or [trying in vain](https://newrepublic.com/article/184749/trumps-jd-vance-pick-just-got-even-worse) to explain it away. Meanwhile, Trump canât seem to [stay on message](https://newrepublic.com/post/185085/donald-trump-derails-speech-crime-complain-women), or answer basic, easy questions, like whether heâd accept the election results. Democrats have successfully put Trump and Vance on their heels, and Republicans have no response.
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More on the DNC:
[Kenan Thompson Perfectly Skewers Project 2025 at DNC](https://newrepublic.com/post/185143/kenan-thompson-project-2025-dnc)
[View More Posts](https://newrepublic.com/post/185161/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-fight-child-knowa-dnc)
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| Readable Markdown | Donald Trump is losing his grasp on a key demographic.
A poll published Wednesday revealed that the Republican presidential nominee is bleeding support from older votersâ[historically](https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/aging/articles/why-older-citizens-are-more-likely-to-vote) the voting bloc most likely to show up at the pollsâbecause they find him to be in âvery poorâ health.
The [University of New Hampshire poll](https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1808&context=survey_center_polls) surveyed residents in Vermont, where Trump won roughly 30 percent of the vote in 2016 and 2020. If the election were held today, 27 percent of the respondents said that they would vote for Trump, while 67 percent said they would elect Kamala Harris.
But underneath the favorability odds were deep concerns about Trumpâs physical and mental condition. The poll found that 61 percent of voters aged 65 and older in Vermont found Trumpâs physical and mental fitness to be âvery poor.â Other age demographics were slightly less bleak about Trumpâs health, with 58 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds identifying Trump as in âvery poorâ health, 40 percent of 35- to 49-year-olds, and just 37 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds.
Added up, half of the 934 respondents identified Trumpâs physical and mental health as âvery poor.â Just 14 percent described his health as âvery good,â while 12 percent described his health as simply âgood.â
Harrisâs mental and physical fitness report was much more optimistic from the Green Mountain State. Approximately 62 percent of voters described Harrisâs health as âvery good,â with an additional 16 percent describing it as âgood.â Only six percent found Harrisâs health to be âvery poor.â
Read more about Trump:
Democratic National Convention organizers are facing criticism from their own party after refusing to allow any Palestinian speaker or member of the Uncommitted movement speaking time on the convention stage.
On Wednesday, Jon Polin and his wife Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke to DNC delegates about their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is being held captive in Gaza.
âIn our Jewish tradition, we say â*kol adam olam um loâo*,â every person is an entire universe,â Polin [said](https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2024-08-21/dnc-israeli-american-hostage-parents-palestine-speakers). âWe must save all these universes. In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring hope to the entire region, a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza. The time is now.â
But little else has been said on the convention stage about Palestinian civilians suffering from Israelâs brutal war on Gaza. Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced they would [disband](https://newrepublic.com/post/185168/kamala-harris-key-support-group-dnc-palestine) after learning of the DNCâs rejection of a Palestinian speaker. The Uncommitted movement also launched a [sit-in](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-sit-in-palestine-uncommitted-movement/) protest on Thursday to demand a Palestinian speaker be included.
The sit-in has received support from vocal pro-Palestine Democrats, including Squad members Representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley. But itâs not just the Squad. Their demands have also spread to other Democrats, including convention speakers. And the list keeps growing:
- [Representative Greg Casar](https://x.com/GregCasar/status/1826649429585396153)
- Minnesota Attorney General [Keith Ellison](https://x.com/keithellison/status/1826648016281108638)
- [Representative Maxwell Frost](https://x.com/MaxwellFrostFL/status/1826655212645613622)
- [Representative Val Hoyle](https://x.com/ValHoyle/status/1826660305520525668)
- Chicago Mayor [Brandon Johnson](https://x.com/byaliceyin/status/1826668985892700534)
- [Representative Ro Khanna](https://x.com/RoKhanna/status/1826674536462647384)
- [Representative Mark Pocan](https://x.com/MarkPocan/status/1826667947018125631)
- [Representative Delia Ramirez](https://x.com/DeliaRamirezIL/status/1826467850845831587)
Israelâs war has [killed](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker) more than 40,000 Palestinians, including nearly 16,500 children. The Uncommitted delegates represent Democrats who support the party but want action to end the war, including an arms embargo against Israel, and they are only asking for a speaker to voice their concerns to the convention. Their speaker recommendations were pro-Harris and would have their remarks vetted ahead of time.
âWe talked to the DNC, we offered options, we said weâll identify someone who is willing to express support for Vice President Harris ⊠we did everything right, you know?â delegate Abbas Alawieh told *[Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/dnc-sit-in-palestine-uncommitted-movement/)*. The question is, does anyone in the Harris campaign even care?
More on the repercussions of this decision:
Elon Muskâs X is apparently getting money from some pretty shady people.
A federal judge [ordered](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/21/elon-musk-x-investors/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzI0MjEyODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzI1NTk1MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MjQyMTI4MDAsImp0aSI6IjQyODc4ZTE0LTlhZWItNDk1OC04NmYzLTYwMmRiMzU4MGQ4NCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS90ZWNobm9sb2d5LzIwMjQvMDgvMjEvZWxvbi1tdXNrLXgtaW52ZXN0b3JzLyJ9.lZFrV9ZdSUuRFkqRWjibbu2pcfTcjXGx2lF7dEe6Qhk) Tuesday that a list of investors who helped fund Muskâs \$44 billion takeover of X, formerly Twitter, in October 2022 be unsealed. Buried among the lengthy list of nearly 100 investors are several particularly troubling figures.
One entity listed is Sean Combs Capital, LLCâbetter known as Sean âDiddyâ Combs, the rapper who has been accused of rape, assault, forcible drugging, and even implicated in a sex trafficking operation.
In the early days of his X takeover, Musk once [touted](https://x.com/RMac18/status/1826628052555792636) his relationship with Combs to push back on another investorâs concern about increasing racism on the social media platform.
In the forthcoming book *Character Limit* by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, Detavio Samuels, the CEO of the media company Revolt, voiced his concerns about anti-Black speech being emboldened on X.
âAs you continue down the path that youâre going, I really recommend that you have conversations with this specific community, and we make sure that whatever solutions are created are solutions that make them feel safe and in a welcoming space,â Samuels said.
While Musk said he wanted to make sure people were comfortable, he thought that Samuels might be comforted to hear that one of his high-profile Black friends had also invested in Muskâs social media site. âI donât know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,â Musk said, using Combsâs nickname. âYou know, heâs a good friend of mine, we text a lot.â
The list also includes several Silicon Valley entities run by billionaires like Musk himself and backing Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
One of the first names included is Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm run by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who recently [announced](https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/24/24204706/marc-andreessen-ben-horowitz-a16z-trump-donations) that they were backing Trump in 2024. âIt doesnât have anything to do with the big issues that people care about,â Andreessen claimed, making clear that he was ignoring Trumpâs platform on immigration and abortion, for a more favorable view on issues like cryptoâin which Andreessen and Horowitz claim to be some of the worldâs largest investors.
Also on the list is Sequoia Capital, run by Douglas Leone and Shaun Maguire, who donated a whopping \$1 million and \$500,000 respectively to Muskâs pro-Trump super PAC, the [America PAC](https://newrepublic.com/post/184932/elon-musk-america-pac-spending-save-trump-election-doom), which is currently [under investigation](https://newrepublic.com/post/184595/elon-musk-trump-pac-investigation-election-interference-north-carolina) for the shady way it was collecting voter information.
Another investor is 8VC, a venture capitalist firm run by Joe Lonsdale, who also donated \$1 million to Muskâs PAC in June. Lonsdale is a co-founder of intelligence contractor and data analysis platform Palantir, which was also headed by Peter Thiel. While itâs hardly surprising that Muskâs billionaire buddies are invested in his social media company, itâs clear that X is being heavily underwritten by the same individuals funding Trumpâs campaign.
Also included on the list of investors is Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, who has long had a stake in the social media company. In 2015, bin Talal owned 5.2 percent of Twitter, more than the companyâs co-founder Jack Dorsey.
In November 2017, bin Talal was arrested as part of a sweeping âanti-corruptionâ purge that forced numerous wealthy Saudis and members of the royal family to sign over their assets to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an autocratic dictator with no tolerance for dissent. This [sparked major concerns](https://newrepublic.com/article/161995/twitter-saudi-arabia-mbs-dissident) that Twitter was being used by the Saudi government to surveil its own citizens.
After Muskâs takeover, bin Talal and Saudi Arabiaâs Kingdom Holding Company maintained their ownership of X shares valued at \$1.89 billion, making them jointly the companyâs second-largest investors, according to [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/28/saudis-kingdom-holding-company-to-maintain-twitter-stake#:~:text=Kingdom%20Holding%20Company%20and%20the,of%20the%20social%20media%20company.).
Another notable entity is the Pershing Square Foundation, which is headed by Bill Ackman, the CEO of the giant hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. Last year, Ackman, a staunch Zionist who [funded violent pro-Israel counterprotesters](https://www.thedailybeast.com/jessica-seinfeld-and-bill-ackman-fund-pro-israel-counterprotests-at-ucla) on college campuses, [spearheaded the campaign](https://newrepublic.com/article/177598/bill-ackman-billionaire-tyrannizing-harvard-bond-market) to see Harvardâs President Claudine Gay removed from her seat.
Earlier this week, it was [reported](https://newrepublic.com/post/185058/donald-trump-truth-social-elon-musk-x-value) that the debt on Muskâs \$13 billion in loans borrowed from several banks in order to buy X was never off-loaded from these banksâ balance sheets, leaving his debt âhungâ in industry terms. Not only is X the longest-lasting hung deal since the 2008 financial crisis, itâs also reportedly one of the biggest. While the banks have been able to collect a hefty interest, itâs unclear how Musk will ever repay the principal if X continues on its current trajectory.
Read more about Musk:
The internet fell in love with vice presidential candidate Tim Walzâs son Gus on the third night of the Democratic National Convention after the neurodivergent 17-year-old started [tearing up](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826466803196805500) seeing his father on stage.
> OMG I missed Walz's son Gus crying and saying "that's my dad!" when his dad shouted him out. What a moment. [pic.twitter.com/bFV1kFkeHv](https://t.co/bFV1kFkeHv)
>
> â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826466803196805500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
But not everybody seemed to be on board the love train. Instead, the so-called âparty of family valuesâ decided to take potshots at the emotional high schooler.
âTalk about weird âŠâ [posted](https://x.com/AnnCoulter/status/1826628651380781354) conservative media pundit Ann Coulter, sharing an article about Gus.
[](https://x.com/AnnCoulter/status/1826628651380781354)
Screenshot
âWalzâ kid is acting just like his dad! BIZARRE!â [wrote](https://x.com/leslibless/status/1826472104780255669) X user ProudArmyBrat.
Failed MAGA congressional candidates also got in on the action, outright mocking a kid with a learning disability.
âTim Walz stupid crying son isnât the flex the left thinks it is,â Mike Crispi, chairman of the America First Republicans of New Jersey, wrote in a since-deleted [post](https://x.com/AndresRome/status/1826648407492231477) on X. âYou raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â
Conservatives also spent the week mocking Vice President Kamala Harrisâs stepdaughter, [Ella Emhoff](https://newrepublic.com/post/185069/maga-reaction-kamala-harris-stepdaughter-ella-emhoff-dnc), for her outfit the first night of the convention, which consisted of a camouflage Harris-Walz merch hat and a sleeveless, caped gown that showed off her tattoos. And on Thursday, Donald Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell got into (and [badly lost](https://newrepublic.com/post/185161/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-fight-child-knowa-dnc)) an argument with 12-year-old content creator Knowa De Brasco.
Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans are embracing something that is objectively weird: [Trumpy Trout](https://www.trumpytrout.com/?mid=12243084&vendor=google&campaignid=21550980180&adgroupid=166725286018&targetid=kwd-2358957361154&network=g&device=c&adid=708342372714&keyword=trumpy%20trout&adtype=&merchantid=&productchannel=&productid=&placement=), an orange, fish-head version of the former president with a matching toupee.
âI am the hugely, bigliest fish in the pond,â the open-lipped animatronic says in a very real [advertisement](https://x.com/atrupar/status/1826636139970621747) reportedly airing on Newsmax.
> They're not beating the weirdness allegations (believe it or not, this is a real ad running on Newsmax) [pic.twitter.com/s7TlFDm1Pp](https://t.co/s7TlFDm1Pp)
>
> â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826636139970621747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
More about Republicansâ response to kids at the DNC:
Donald Trump threw out a claim on *Fox & Friends* Thursday morning that the show hastily corrected.
According to Trump, President Joe Biden âsent comrade Kamala to see Putin in Russia three days before the attack \[on Ukraine\],â falsely claiming that it was a âlittle-known factâ that the âpress doesnât want to talk about.â
Trump didnât stop there, saying that in this meeting, Harris âgave her caseâ to Putin, who still attacked Ukraine days later.
âHe laughed at her,â Trump [said](https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1826617339267174411). âHe thought she was a joke. Now heâs really laughing when he sees her. Can you imagine her negotiating with President Xi of China, with Kim Jong Un of North Korea? The whole thing is like weâre living in a fantasy land.â
> Trump just confused President Zelensky with Putin.
>
> During an Interview on Fox & Friends, Trump said that President Biden sent VP Harris to meet Putin 3 days before Russia invaded Ukraine. The truth is that VP Harris met Zelensky, not Putin, at the Munich conference five days⊠[pic.twitter.com/ESzBcR9VJ7](https://t.co/ESzBcR9VJ7)
>
> â Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1826617339267174411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
After the interview, host Brian Kilmeade quickly tried to [correct](https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-and-friends-instantly-corrects-trumps-bogus-harris-claim-after-interview) Trumpâs comments.
âJust as a quick clarification, we donât have confirmation that the vice president went to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin,â Kilmeade said. âI know she went over to Europe right before the incursion when Russia invaded Ukraine, and itâs a war thatâs still going on right now.â
In true Fox News fashion, one of Kilmeadeâs colleagues tried to defend Trump, claiming to have heard about the meeting.
âIâve heard that said a lot,â Ainsley Earhardt said to Kilmeade. âYou donât have confirmation that thatâs true?â
âNo,â Kilmeade replied. âI donât think thatâI donât know if the vice president ever met Vladimir Putin.â
In reality, Harris traveled to the Munich Security Conference in Germany before the 2022 invasion, but Putin did not attend. Instead, she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. And, according to a Russian spokesperson, itâs unclear whether Harris and Putin have ever [met](https://tass.com/politics/1819737) at all.
While itâs no surprise that Trump would make something up, it is unusual to see Fox News correcting him, even after the fact, considering the networkâs efforts to [help his campaign](https://newrepublic.com/article/177560/biden-fox-news-formidable-opponent-2024). Even this week, they let Maria Bartiromo [repeat lies](https://newrepublic.com/post/185125/fox-news-bartiromo-election-lie-illegal-voting-migrants-no-proof) about noncitizens voting. Maybe in Trumpâs case, theyâre starting to worry about his [cognitive decline](https://newrepublic.com/post/184690/cognitive-decline-experts-find-evidence-trumps-mind-slowing).
More on Trump losing i:
Former television star Donald Trump might be heartbroken to learn this: His Republican National Convention television ratings pale in comparison to the numbers coming out of the Democratic National Convention.
The number of viewers tuning into the DNC night after night continue to beat out the television ratings from the Republican Convention in Milwaukee last month.
Night one of the DNC reached an average of 20 million viewers, versus the 18 million who watched night one of the RNC. The disparity on night two was [even more extreme](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/dnc-ratings-viewers-1236112994/), with 20.8 million viewers tuning in to the DNC as Barack and Michelle Obama spoke, while only 14.8 million watched the RNC with keynote speakers Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.
Even Fox News couldnât get its fan base to care. While over 5.1 million people [watched](https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/dnc-democratic-national-convention-08-21-24/index.html) the DNCâs late night speeches on Tuesday, Fox News averaged a measly 1.7 million viewers.
Democrats also continue to stream on Twitch, X, Amazon Prime Video, as well as vertically on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Roughly one-third of young Americans under 30 [say they regularly](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/15/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-seen-on-most-other-social-media-sites/) watch their news vertically on TikTok.
Data from the third and fourth night of the DNC is still to comeâbut meanwhile, itâs almost certain Trump is having a full-blown panic attack behind closed doors.
More on the DNC:
Donald Trump had a Freudian slip on live TV Thursday while discussing President Joe Bidenâs administration.
In the middle of complaining about Biden and Vice President Kamala Harrisâs foreign policy during a [phone interview](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6360811023112) with Fox News, the Republican presidential nominee accidentally seemed to throw them a huge compliment.
âMost importantly, theyâve made our country very safe,â Trump [said](https://x.com/atrupar/status/1826629181473534040). âAnd internationally, theyâve made it even more safe!â
> "Most importantly, they've made our country very safe. And internationally, they've made it ever more safe" -- Trump on the Biden-Harris administration đ„Ž [pic.twitter.com/6v8E72mvsm](https://t.co/6v8E72mvsm)
>
> â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1826629181473534040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
But the bombastic populist regained his linguistic footing shortly afterwards.
âAs bad asâwhen you Chicago and the citiesâas bad as they are, much worse internationally. Weâre going to end up in World War III because sheâs incompetent,â Trump continued. âBiden sent herâRussia would have never happened with Ukraine if I were president. Israel, the attack on Israel, would have never happened. Iran had no money, they had no money to give to Hamas or Hezbollah.â
Then, the interview took a turn for the worse.
âLet me tell you a little-known fact that the press doesnât want to talk about,â Trump [told](https://x.com/AccountableGOP/status/1826595014480118201) the news outlet. âBiden sent, I call her Comrade Kamala, sent comrade Kamala to see Putin in Russia three days before the attack. She went, she said, she gave her case, he attacked three days later.â
That last point ushered an immediate fact-check by the station, with Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade clarifying that there was zero evidence for Trumpâs story about Harris.
âJust as a quick clarification, we donât have confirmation that the vice president went to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin,â Kilmeade said. âI know she went over to Europe right before the incursion when Russia invaded Ukraine, and itâs a war thatâs still going on right now.â
Trump has been panicking since Harris was announced as the Democratsâ presidential nominee. Since then, he has wavered on backing out of debates against her, attacked her personally, and has completely reprogrammed his campaign strategy, downsizing from large, boisterous rallies to small, supposedly narrowly focused pressers.
All the while, Trumpâs numbers have plummeted. The Republican nominee has even lost some of his staunchest supporters, including white supremacists, with alt-right political pundit [Nick Fuentes](https://newrepublic.com/post/184729/donald-trump-nick-fuentes-white-supremacists-support) pulling his endorsement from Trump earlier this month under the belief that his presidential campaign is headed for a âcatastrophic loss.â
Read more about Trumpâs Fox appearance:
Kamala Harris is beginning to face the consequences of not pushing for a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention, amid widespread backlash to Israelâs deadly U.S.-backed military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 people.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz [announced](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826470913233080763) late Wednesday that it would disband after members of the Uncommitted delegation at the DNC were [notified](https://x.com/alex_sammon/status/1826431195820720132) that Harrisâs team had denied their many requests to have a Palestinian American speaker appear on the main stage.
âWe cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement that VP Harrisâ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,â the group [said](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826470913233080763) in a statement.
âThe family of the Israeli Hostage that was on the stage tonight, has shown more empathy towards Palestinian American speakers than our candidate or the DNC has,â the statement said. âThis is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have a right to speak about Palestine.â
Earlier Wednesday, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of 23-year-old Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, had been invited to speak from the main stage, making an [emotional plea](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dnc-parents-israeli-american-hostage-make-emotional-plea/story?id=113039754) for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the safe return of the remaining hostages. âThere is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East and a competition of pain,â Polin said. âThere are no winners.â
In a [statement](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826257760180130230) posted to X, the Uncommitted Movement, which organized massive âuncommittedâ votes during the Democratic primaries, wrote that they supported the decision to have the family of an Israeli hostage speak, and asked the DNC âto reject a hierarchy of human value by ensuring Palestinian voices are heard on the main stage.â
âExcluding a Palestinian speaker betrays the partyâs commitment in our platform to valuing Israelis and Palestinian lives equally. Vice President Harris must unite this party with a vision that fights for everyone, including Palestinians,â the [statement](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826257761921012067) said.
The 30 Uncommitted delegates in attendance at the DNC [began a sit-in](https://x.com/uncommittedmvmt/status/1826604689653129326) outside of the convention center Wednesday night, requesting that Harrisâs team reconsider their decision. Representative Ilhan Omar [sat](https://x.com/DanielDenvir/status/1826468652658389263) with them, and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez [called in](https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1826487430503170523) via FaceTime to lend her support, although earlier this week, she had [neglected to advocate](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/aoc-dnc-speech-gaza/) for Palestinians during her rousing [primetime speech](https://newrepublic.com/post/185019/aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-speech-dnc-democratic-national-convention-how-to-watch).
The United Auto Workers, which has [endorsed](https://uaw.org/everything-the-working-class-has-ever-won-weve-had-to-fight-for-uaw-releases-new-video-endorsing-kamala-harris-for-president/) Harris, posted a [statement](https://x.com/UAW/status/1826626152049307934) to X Thursday, urging Harrisâs team to reverse course on its decision. âIf we want the war in Gaza to end, we canât put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party,â the statement said. âIf we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight.â
Earlier this week, the Uncommitted Movement was invited to [host a panel discussion](https://newrepublic.com/post/185012/kamala-harris-dnc-historic-panel-palestine) about Palestinian human rights at the DNC, the first time such an event has happened. At the time, the group thanked the DNC and reiterated a request that Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Palestinian American pediatric physician who has been [working in Gaza](https://www.thenation.com/article/world/tanya-haj-hassan-interview-gaza-healthcare/) throughout Israelâs assault, should be invited to speak from the conventionâs main stage.
Inside the United Center, pro-Palestinian speech has been entirely absent, and attempts to protest have been repeatedly quashed. On Monday, several members of the Florida delegation dropped a banner that read âStop Arming Israelâ during Joe Bidenâs speech but were blocked and [even hit](https://newrepublic.com/post/185056/dnc-responds-gaza-protest-worst-way) with signs by others standing around them. The protesters were then escorted out of the main room. Outside the convention center, [more than 2,000](https://apnews.com/article/democratic-convention-chicago-protests-israel-hamas-war-ea3bc9193cc99a5c95ebfd1a42db924f) pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago for a third day, after violent clashes with the police outside of the Israeli consulate.
âThe word Palestine is not allowed inside the Democratic National Convention. The word cease-fire has barely been uttered,â [said](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/56-protesters-arrested-after-clashes-with-police-outside-israeli-consulate-in-chicago-during-dnc) Rabbi Brant Rosen, a founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, Wednesday night. âThis is a Hollywood-style coronation of a candidate. They assume they are entitled to our votes, but they are not entitled to our votes.â
As the DNC enters its fourth and final day Thursday, the clock is ticking on Harrisâs team to reverse its decision to [exclude Palestinians from its big tent](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/dnc-2024-palestine-israel).
More about the DNC response to the protests:
Donald Trump removed a campaign video using BeyoncĂ©âs song âFreedomâ on Wednesday after the international superstar threatened to send him a cease and desist letter, officially blocking the Republican presidential nomineeâs use of the song.
A source close to BeyoncĂ© told [*Rolling Stone*](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beyonce-threatens-cease-and-desist-trump-campaign-freedom-video-1235084830/) that the Trump campaign did not have permission to use the song, which has since become an unofficial anthem of the Harris-Walz campaign. The offending clip was posted to Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheungâs account, and set the *Lemonade* single to a 13-second video of Trump stepping off a plane in Michigan.
Beyonce isnât the only artist whoâs torched Trump for using their music without permission to advance his campaign. [SinĂ©ad OâConnor](https://newrepublic.com/post/179526/sinead-oconnor-estate-tells-trump-stop-using-music), The Beatles, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns Nâ Roses, Leonard Cohen, Queen, Prince, Pharrell, The Rolling Stones, The Smithsâ Johnny Marr, Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late [Tom Petty](https://newrepublic.com/post/169001/tom-petty-estate-blasts-az-losing-candidate-kari-lake-i-wont-back-down-anthem), the Village People, and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler have all barred the former president from using their work.
And the trend seems to be growing. Just last week, [two more musicians](https://newrepublic.com/post/184767/donald-trump-rallies-lawsuit-isaac-hayes-celine-dion) yanked their rights away from Trump: Isaac Hayes and Celine Dion.
Meanwhile, the DNC turned their roll callâa typically grueling snooze-festâinto an [all-out party](https://x.com/ufcolin/status/1826048650121982010) by merging the state-by-state delegate count with [meaningful songs](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/dj-cassidy-dnc-convention-roll-call-playlist-1235084805/), hand-selected by each state. That included tracks by some of the artists whoâve banned their music from Trumpâs events (such as Tom Petty) and even featured a wildly unexpected guest performance by Atlanta-born rapper Lil Jon, who got the entire arena bouncing to âTurn Down for What.â
âV-P Harris, Governor Walz!â Lil Jon shouted to the chorus of âGet Low.â
> the european mind cannot comprehend lil jon doing georgia's roll call [pic.twitter.com/Zm5oSTk2UT](https://t.co/Zm5oSTk2UT)
>
> â Colin (@ufcolin) [August 21, 2024](https://twitter.com/ufcolin/status/1826048650121982010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Tim Walz walked off stage after his speech Wednesday night to Neil Youngâs âRockinâ in the Free World.â Young reportedly [personally approved](https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/1826464959787663586) use of the song.
And thatâs just part of it. The entire liberal convention has been awash in talent. So far, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sheila E, and Maren Morris have brought some of their biggest hits to the main stage, alongside comedians [Kenan Thompson](https://newrepublic.com/post/185143/kenan-thompson-project-2025-dnc) and Mindy Kaling. What might frustrate Trump most of all, however, is a surprise guest appearance rumored for Thursday: BeyoncĂ©, in the flesh.
Check out the rest of the partyâs roll track playlist [here](https://x.com/bhrenton/status/1826084135091212543).
More about Trumpâs musical struggles:
J.D. Vance, in trying to come up with a response to criticism from the Democratic National Convention, ended up owning his running mate, Donald Trump.
Just after midnight Thursday morning, Vance was interviewed by CNNâs Jake Tapper, who played a [clip](https://x.com/BlueATLGeorgia/status/1826476522758091245) of Representative Jamie Raskin pointing out that Vance is only on the Republican ticket because Mike Pence faced death threats for certifying the election results on January 6, 2021.
Vance tried to brush off Raskinâs comments and accused the Maryland congressman of claiming victimhood.
âI just donât understand a person in American politics in 2024 whoâs whining about what happened to them instead of using their leadership and using their influence to make the lives of American citizens better,â Vance [responded](https://x.com/Acyn/status/1826475162243662159).
> Vance: I just don't understand a person in American politics in 2024 who is whining about what happened to them instead of using their leadership and influence to make the lives of American citizens better. [pic.twitter.com/BGL02Ht1aX](https://t.co/BGL02Ht1aX)
>
> â Acyn (@Acyn) [August 22, 2024](https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1826475162243662159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The remark, unchallenged by Tapper, quickly brought to mind the many times Trump has whined about his many grievances, from the criminal and civil charges against him to his baseless allegations of election fraud in 2020, among so many others.
[](https://x.com/AMDeFiNFT/status/1826475644466692383)
[](https://x.com/SwissWatchGuy/status/1826478704475652434)
[](https://x.com/timjacobwise/status/1826610604079284647)
[](https://x.com/ShortLawyer/status/1826476315534406098)
Vance and Trump seem to be flailing every time they are criticized. Every day, an old clip of Vance resurfaces where he says something bizarre, followed by him doubling down or [trying in vain](https://newrepublic.com/article/184749/trumps-jd-vance-pick-just-got-even-worse) to explain it away. Meanwhile, Trump canât seem to [stay on message](https://newrepublic.com/post/185085/donald-trump-derails-speech-crime-complain-women), or answer basic, easy questions, like whether heâd accept the election results. Democrats have successfully put Trump and Vance on their heels, and Republicans have no response.
More on the DNC: |
| Shard | 198 (laksa) |
| Root Hash | 11035468536271498598 |
| Unparsed URL | com,newrepublic!/post/185188/donald-trump-mental-fitness-poll s443 |