| | | | Twitter made Trump. Will it un-make him? | | In the end, it may come down to the tweets.
This paragraph, from The New York Times, tells the story:
"The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is scrutinizing tweets and negative statements from the president about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the former FBI director James B. Comey, according to three people briefed on the matter."
Of all the not-normal things about Donald Trump's presidency, his use of Twitter may be the most abnormal. Twitter is Trump's sounding board, his Festivus pole ("I got a lot of problems with you people!"), his soapbox.
Trump has said flatly that without Twitter -- and the ability it gave him to speak without editing to his followers -- he might not have won anything. "Tweeting is like a typewriter -- when I put it out, you put it immediately on your show," Trump said on the Fox Business Network in October 2017. "When somebody says something about me, I am able to go bing, bing, bing and I take care of it. The other way, I would never be able to get the word out." In the early days of his presidency, the debate centered on whether Trump's tweets should and/or could be considered official White House statements or positions. "The President is the President of the United States, so they're considered official statements by the President of the United States," clarified then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer in June 2017.
As his time in office progressed, Trump increasingly used his Twitter feed to conduct his own strange sort of diplomacy. "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" Trump tweeted in January. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
The constant through all this has been Trump's use of Twitter to complain about the Justice Department investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election -- and all that it entails from former FBI Director James Comey to Sessions and back. Trump has been fixated on labeling the Russia investigation a "witch hunt" or a "hoax" for the entirely of his presidency.
These stats -- via CNN's David Gelles -- about how often Trump has tweeted about the "witch hunt" are startling: May 2017: 3 times
June 2017: 5 times
July 2017: 6 times
Oct 2017: 1 time
Dec 2017: 2 times
Jan 2018: 1 time
Feb 2018: 3 times
March 2018: 2 times
April 2018: 9 times
May 2018: 20 times
June 2018: 26 times
July 2018: 15 times
The Point: It's not clear whether Trump's Twitter obsession -- and his unwillingness to listen to his advisers when it comes to attacking members of his own Justice Department -- will be his undoing. But we now know the tweets are part of the broader Mueller probe. Which is concerning for Trumpworld.
-- Chris | | "That was a great election. Wasn't that a great election?"
-President Donald Trump at a roundtable in Iowa | | | FAMILY REUNIFICATION: DEADLINE TIME | | The US government has until the end of today (PT) to reunite all eligible families that it separated. Here's everything you need to know to catch up on the family reunification news: - Some families have already been reunited. CNN's Tal Kopan writes: "According to a court filing, the government has reunited 1,442 families by late Thursday. The government says an additional 378 have already been released under 'appropriate circumstances.'"
- 700+ parents won't be reunited with their kids. Tal reports that the government declared the deadline had been met. They said the remaining 711 families were ineligible -- either because they have red flags that prevent reunification or because they could not be located in time for the deadline.
- There have already been a lot of protests. Protesters and their children held a sit-in in the Hart Senate Office Building this morning to mark the court-ordered deadline for the Trump administration to reunify migrant families separated at the border. Many of the children wore shirts that read "I am a child." Meanwhile, in Texas, a group called "Angry Tias and Abuelas" -- which means aunts and grandmothers -- protested at the border town of McAllen.
- Some organizations are also on the ground to help parents after today's deadline passes, CNN's Rosa Flores reported.
Keep up with CNN's live updates here. | | | Today's topic: The move to impeach Rosenstein is nothing but a leverage tool (that actually might work). | | | Remember when Chris, CNN's Harry Enten and Caroline Kenny predicted former Vice President Joe Biden would be the #2020 Democratic presidental candidate front-runner? Well former Veep has made headlines yet again regarding the 2020 race. Biden spoke with NowThis' senior correspondent and managing editor, Versha Sharma. Here's the most interesting exchange from the interview: Sharma: "Well, you've spoken a lot about obligation. Mr. Biden, do you feel any obligation to jump back into a potential race?"
Biden: "Well, I feel an obligation to stay engaged. The one thing that my son asked of me before he died was, 'promise me, dad, you'll stay involved.' Because he was worried that with his loss, I would sort of turn inward. So that's the book I wrote, 'Promise Me, Dad,' it was about that commitment that I made to him. And I'm going to stay involved -- it's something I've done my whole life. Whether I run for office again, I don't know. But I know that I'm going to stay involved with this fight." Watch the full interview on YouTube here. | | PITCH TO REAUTHORIZE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT | | CNN's Ashley Killough, Maeve O'Brien and Dan Scully reported Thursday: "Democratic leaders -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and Judiciary Committee top Democrat Jerrold Nadler -- teamed up with Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on Thursday to introduce a bill that would extend the Violence Against Women Act.
"The announcement Thursday came just hours before House lawmakers left town for the monthlong August recess. When they return in September, Congress will have only a few weeks before the existing law expires after September 30." Read more in CNN's full story here. | | Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman hinted she was thinking of "writing a tell-all sometime" during her her "Celebrity Big Brother" stint. Now that book is officially on the horizon.
CNN's Brian Stelter reported Thursday: The publishing house Gallery Books announced "UNHINGED: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House" -- by Manigault-Newman -- will hit bookshelves on August 14.
The press release promises: "A stunning tell-all and takedown from a strong, intelligent woman who took every name and number, UNHINGED is a must-read for any concerned citizen." Read more in Brian's full story here. | | JIM JORDAN'S HOUSE SPEAKER BID | | Rep. Jim Jordan, a leader in the conservative House Freedom Caucus and former chairman of the group, announced his run for speaker of the House of Representatives in a letter to colleagues, CNN's Sunlen Serfaty and Lauren Fox reported Thursday.
The announcement comes at a really interesting time. As Chris writes, "the last month has seen Jordan embroiled in a growing controversy surrounding widespread sexual abuse allegations against Ohio State athletics doctor Richard Strauss. Several former OSU wrestlers have come forward to say that Jordan, who served as an assistant wrestling coach from 1987 to 1995, knew about the abuse. Jordan has totally denied any knowledge of it."
Chris has three theories as to why Jordan has still decided to run for the top spot being vacated by Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan at the end of this Congress -- read them here. | | | From Brenna: "Sen. Orrin Hatch is definitely not dead, despite Google searches that suggest he is. In fact, Hatch is 84 and here for more, fist pumping at a high school leadership event. Remind your friends that you're alive by telling them 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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