| | | | | The 3 Republicans who could challenge Donald Trump in 2020 | | On Sunday, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, was asked whether he thinks someone should challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary.
"Yes, I do. I do," Flake told "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd. "I mean, it would be a tough go in a Republican primary. The Republican Party is the Trump party right now. But that's not to say it will stay that way."
Who could that someone be? Obviously, Flake, who was all-but-forced into retirement after his attacks on Trump led to an open revolt against him by the base of the party, wants it to be him. (He has been very coy about his own future political plans.)
And he's certainly on the list of potential Trump primary challengers. Here's my ranking of the top three -- in order of most likely to least likely to actually run.
1. John Kasich: The Ohio governor was one of a handful of major establishment politicians who never threw their lots behind Trump in 2016. And he has been open about his interest in running again. "I honestly don't know what my future is," Kasich told CNN in January.
2. Jeff Flake: He's young (55) and has a very conservative record -- particularly on debt and spending issues where Trump has totally abandoned Republican orthodoxy. Even so, this feels more like a race of conscience for Flake rather than a race he can actually win.
3. Mitt Romney: The two-time presidential candidate is very likely to win the seat of retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, this fall. His return to the political arena -- coupled with Romney's outspoken criticism of Trump during the 2016 campaign -- has people speculating that a presidential primary bid might happen. I don't see it.
The Point: Beating a sitting president in a primary is a near-impossible task. (See Kennedy, Ted in 1980.) And while Trump's numbers are historically low among the broader populace, he remains quite popular among Republicans. In short: One of these three men might run, but beating the President is something else entirely.
-- Chris | | HOUSE INTEL REPUBLICANS REACH RUSSIA CONCLUSION | | CNN's Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju reported Monday afternoon:
"Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee reached the opposite conclusion Monday from the intelligence community they oversee, announcing that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not trying to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election.
"The Republicans also said they found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia and that they are shutting down their yearlong investigation. Their viewpoint -- which perfectly aligns with Trump's view on election meddling -- will be met with sharp disagreement with Democrats and is bound to inflame partisan tensions on a committee that's been beleaguered by partisanship throughout the course of its Russia probe."
Read more here. | | CNN's Maegan Vazquez reported Monday that "adult film actress Stormy Daniels is offering to return the $130,000 payment she received from President Donald Trump's attorney in exchange for dissolving a so-called "hush agreement."
"Last month, Michael Cohen said he paid $130,000 of his own money to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence regarding an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Both Cohen and the White House have denied any sexual encounter between the President and Clifford. Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti, sent Cohen a letter offering to wire $130,000 by Friday to an account designated by the President. In exchange, the settlement agreement between Clifford, Trump and Cohen's company would be 'deemed null and void in their entirety.'
"The exchange would allow Clifford to speak publicly about her allegations of an affair with Trump." | | CNN's Eric Bradner reports: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last week crossed the $50 million threshold in online fundraising for the 2018 election cycle, more than doubling its 2016 pace ahead of the party's push to take control of the House in November's midterm elections.
"The figure far outpaces the House Democratic campaign arm's previous records. It topped $50 million on Wednesday, according to DCCC press secretary Tyler Law. On the same day in 2016 -- a presidential election year -- the DCCC had raised $24.2 million online. The soaring online fundraising comes in part from more than 310,000 first-time donors in the 2018 election cycle."
Read more here. | | As Bradner and CNN's Gregory Krieg and Caroline Kenny wrote in #2020 Vision on Sunday:
"Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren says -- present tense -- she's not a 2020 candidate. 'I am not running for president in 2020,' she told CNN's Jim Acosta this weekend. But many of her recent actions suggest otherwise.
"Warren announced last week at a Democratic National Committee gala that she'd sent a check for $5,000 to all 50 state parties -- $250,000 total. 'I want a Democratic Party strong enough to compete for every vote, in every race, at every level, in every state, in every election -- and I'm willing to do my part to help make that happen,' she said."
But as Chris points out: "in politics -- and especially 2020 politics -- saying 'I'm not running' doesn't actually mean you aren't running." Read more of his take here. | | DEVOS' '60 MINUTES' INTERVIEW | | Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stumbled her way through a pointed "60 Minutes" interview with CBS' Lesley Stahl Sunday night and then again through additional TV interviews on Monday...
Everyone noticed -- including the White House. Per CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak, "White House officials were alarmed by DeVos' struggle to answer basic questions about the nation's schools and failure to defend the administration's newly proposed school safety measures during a tour of television interviews Sunday and Monday." (Read more in their story here).
When asked during the daily briefing Monday about whether DeVos will continue to "be the face of school safety policy and commission," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said "President Donald Trump will be the lead on school safety with this administration and he has been since it began." Sanders declined to weigh in on DeVos' recent TV interviews. She did say she's not sure if Trump watched the full "60 Minutes" interview.
Chris described the interview as a "train wreck." He outlined five of the most painful moments to watch. Read his analysis here. | | | Thanks for reading! Reminder to tell people you know to subscribe to 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. | | | | | | |
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