| | | | Donald Trump: A 'strong' 'idiot' | | A new Quinnipiac University national poll asked people to say the first word that came to mind when they thought of Donald Trump. The two most common words? "Strong" and "idiot."
Both are interesting windows into how people perceive Trump.
Let's start with "strong," the most common one-word answer people gave to Quinnipiac. (64 out of 1,514 people said it.)
Strength -- or perceived strength -- has always been at the core of Trump's appeal to voters, especially Republicans. He promised as a candidate to be tougher at, well, everything -- from negotiating trade deals to dealing with terrorists.
In the Q poll, nearly 6 in 10 people say that Trump is a "strong person" -- a number that includes 90% of Republicans, 61% of independents and even 3 in 10 Democrats.
Then there is the "idiot" descriptor of Trump.
What's interesting is that in the same Q poll, 55% of people say that Trump is "intelligent" while 43% say he isn't.
Nine in 10 Republicans say Trump is smart while three quarters of Democrats say he isn't. Independents lean toward Trump being smart (55%) over not being smart (40%).
The only explanation then for "idiot" to come up so much in the one-words description -- 59 times! -- is that lots and lots of the Democrats polled (five dozen or so) used that specific word to describe him.
The other most common one-word descriptions of Trump? "Incompetent" (58 people), "liar" (50) and "president" (49). No other word was used more than 29 times.
-- Chris | | I read a lot -- and I mean A LOT -- of #content every day.
So, why not share it? (Is what I said to myself.) Below are a few things I liked on the Internet today. I am going to try to do this every day. Emphasis on "try." (In the immortal words of Homer Simpson: "The lesson is: Never try.") | | CNN's Eric Bradner, Sophie Tatum and Kevin Liptak reported on Trump's speech in Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday.
They wrote: "The morning after stoking the nation's divisions at a campaign rally in Phoenix, President Donald Trump struck a drastically different tone Wednesday and issued a call for national unity."
"It is time to heal the wounds that divide us and to seek a new unity based on the common values that unite us. We are one people with one home and one great flag," Trump told veterans at the American Legion convention.
"We are not defined by the color of our skin, the figure on our paycheck or the party of our politics," he said. "We are defined by our shared humanity -- by our citizenship in this magnificent nation, and by the love that fills our hearts." | | All photos by Saba, except for top image by CNN's Bob Ortega | | Speaking of Trump's Phoenix rally:
While CNN's Eric Bradner covered President Trump's speech Tuesday night (Chris broke down the 57 most outrageous quotes), Saba was outside interviewing protesters. Here's her reporter's notebook.
I knew wearing my CNN badge would generate some not-so-nice responses at a pro-Trump rally, but I was surprised by just how much. One woman yelled at me as I was waiting to get my coffee at Einstein Bros. Bagels. "FAKE NEWS!" another person said to me, as she purchased a "Fake News" button being sold by a vendor.
Another woman, who was standing in line waiting for the doors to open at Phoenix Convention Center, spent 15 minutes explaining to me what "good journalism is." When I asked to interview her, she then spent 15 minutes talking to me about her beliefs. After, she thanked me for taking the time to hear her out. "You should work for FOX News," she told me.
I found that once people got over the fact that I was part of "the media," they were happy to talk to me. My reporting turned into a fun "people waiting in line" story. When I was writing the story in the hotel lobby, three people sitting near me -- two anti-Trump protesters and one pro-Trump rally attendee -- were debating all things politics, while watching CNN. It was fascinating. They were mostly engaging in a healthy debate, until the topic turned to abortion.
I stocked up on another water bottle and ate something before heading out. I went through four giant water bottles yesterday, and that still didn't feel like enough hydration. I spent one summer interning at the Arizona Republic but nothing truly could prepare me for spending 10 hours in 107-degree weather interviewing protesters.
I spoke to dozens of people and saw a lot of creative signs and protest props (see above photos). For most of the day, things remained relatively peaceful. Police did a good job of separating the protesters from the rally itself.
At one point, I found myself on the roof of a parking lot overlooking the scene among hundreds of protesters who had the same idea. "This is more like a party than a protest," one person said to his friend.
But after Trump's speech ended, it became more chaotic. "People in the crowd began fighting and throwing rocks and bottles at police," Sgt. Jonathan Howard, of the Phoenix Police Department, said in a statement. "They also dispersed some gas in the area. Police have responded with pepper balls and oc (pepper) spray in an attempt to disperse the crowd and stop the assaults."
As a reporter on the ground, it was all a blur. At that point I had been given instructions to return to my hotel (across from the convention center) to file. I was making my way back when I saw the tear gas from afar and heard the booms. As protesters clashed with police, Trump rally attendees began quietly exiting the convention center a block away.
The Hyatt Hotel employee at the entrance wouldn't let people into the hotel unless they showed their hotel room keys. | | Comey is headed to the classroom (well, lecture hall).
On Wednesday, Howard University announced ousted FBI Director James Comey "will kick off the school year with an address to the university and engage the Howard community through a lecture series designed to foster fruitful discussion and spur meaningful interaction."
Comey "will lead and conduct five lectures featuring speakers that will touch on several topics," per the press release. | | A jury has been selected for the upcoming corruption trial of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
Questioning began Tuesday. Per POLITICO: "Menendez and his co-defendant, Salomon Melgen, entered not-guilty pleas."
Opening statements will be made on September 6. | | New York Times' Wesley Morris penned a really interesting piece called "White, Hot Supremacist Summer."
In it, he writes: "To watch the movies or TV — or even to catch the hype for a certain boxing match — is to know that normalized white supremacy has been here all summer. It's to know that the people who manufacture all sorts of popular culture have also, intentionally or not, tossed some racism onto the assembly line. It's to know that whatever occurred in Charlottesville and then at that news conference didn't happen in a vacuum. They were just the gnarliest flare-ups in a season of provocations that seem so business-as-usual that they scarcely feel provoked."
The article cites "The Bachelorette," "Detroit" and Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather's upcoming boxing match as examples. | | | Take a minute to think about it: Why wouldn't you tell people to sign up for The Point? | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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