JAMM: Trump Takes Yuge Ls As Natalie Harp Rides In The Trunk Edition
A Bunch Of Trump Candidates Had A Really Bad Night And Harpgate Explodes
Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on a dog days Hump Day that has Donald Trump waking up to a pack of losses, a yuge gaffe, and a deluge of Natalie Harp headlines. Let’s dig in!
Come On, Darline: Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham delivered the most spectacular gaffe of the summer when she told debate moderators that national security is just not her bag, baby!
Greta Van Susteren: Senator, are Taiwan and the South China sea national security issues for the United States and if so, why?
GRAHAM: I’m just going to be honest here; I’m not that informed on national security, so — but I do support the military. My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years...I'm not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.
Points for radical honesty, I suppose.
Cory And The Gang: Trump-endorsed Rep. Cory Mills lost his primary Tuesday night, as did several other Trump picks.
Trump likes to run up the score by endorsing unopposed or barely-opposed candidates, switching endorsements, or just claiming credit no matter who he endorsed. But in a party like today’s GOP and an ego like Trump’s, losses like these sting.
More Than Junk In The Trunk: We’ll have more on the explosion of Natalie Harp news following the Trump meltdown, but this nugget from CNN’s Kristen Holmes is just jaw-dropping. According to Holmes, Harp once defied Secret Service and rode in the trunk to stay near Trump.
This was back in 2023 when President Trump was in court in New York and he was going down to head to the courthouse and the motorcade was waiting outside of Trump Tower. When staffers realized that there weren't enough seats for Natalie Harp, they had an accountant that she would be going down to the courthouse and she was told that.
Now, a screaming match then ensued in the lobby of Trump Tower at that time with essentially Harp saying that the president had personally asked her to go and she was determined, so determined to not be left behind that she actually got in the trunk of one of the SUVs that was part of the motorcade and sat there. It's almost like a cargo hold and that was according to multiple sources and to a photo that I obtained and reviewed that showed the space that she had been in and her sitting there.
Nixon Stuns: Angie Nixon defeated Alex Vindman in the Florida Senate race despite having been outspent by 36-to-1 on ads. Nixon’s victory vibe was fiery.
The Bad News Is: Nixon’s W threw the race in the GOP’s direction in the Crystal Ball — but things can change when the fighting starts.
Dumb Take Of The Day: From Axios — drawing a connection between Dem primary losses and Trump’s impeachment. Sure, that’s it.
This has not been a good year for Dems like Vindman whose national brands were built around Trump's impeachment fights.
TACO Tuesday Redux?: Trump called off 50% tariffs on Canada that were set to go into effect “or a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!”
We’ll see what happens, but for now, Canadian PM Mark Carney seems to be on the same page, writing in a statement that “Substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done. As this work is ongoing, the United States has agreed to postpone the implementation of its 50% tariff on a range of Canadian goods under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 until end of day, August 21.”
Triggering Trump For The Fun Of It: Our friend Rosie O’Donnell is BAAACK! She’s filling in for Jimmy Kimmel and taking brutal shots like this at Mango Mussolini.
I couldn't have done it without you, sweetie. You brought me back—just like you did with fascism and the measles.
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