David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a>&#8216; failed White House campaign, suggested their internal data did not match public polls that showed Harris ahead of now-President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>.
The observation was made in a post-mortem discussion with several leading Harris campaign staffers about &#8220;what went wrong&#8221; for them in the 2024 presidential election on the latest episode of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZOpWp02WVs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Pod Save America&#8221; podcast</a>.
&#8220;I think it surprised people,&#8221; Plouffe said, &#8220;because there was these public polls that came out in late September, early October, showing us with leads that we never saw &#8230; it was just basically a race that in the battlegrounds was 46-47, 47-48.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-staffers-reveal-why-they-were-never-going-to-satisfy-anybody-on-the-biden-question" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: Kamala Staffers Reveal Why They Were ‘Never Going To Satisfy Anybody’ On The ‘Biden Question’</a>
Harris entered the race in July, shortly after President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> dropped out under pressure from allies concerned about his mental capacity, age, and electability following a fumbling debate performance against Trump.
Plouffe said that the &#8220;Biden-Trump 1.0&#8221; match-up was &#8220;obviously pretty catastrophic in terms of where the race stood,&#8221; but he contended Harris was &#8220;able to climb out&#8221; from behind and make it a &#8220;margin-of-error race.&#8221;
As <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shown</a> in the RealClearPolitics national poll average chart, Harris boasted a 2-point advantage from late September until early October. During the same period, Harris built a small <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/betting-odds/2024/president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">betting odds</a> lead before Trump caught up and ran away with it.
The Harris team&#8217;s &#8220;internal analytics&#8221; showed &#8220;47-47&#8221; in Wisconsin and &#8220;48-47 Trump&#8221; in Pennsylvania, recalled Plouffe, who noted they hoped to win over undecided voters and &#8220;get a little benefit from turnout, which we weren&#8217;t able to do.&#8221;
Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama&#8217;s successful 2008 White House bid and later become a senior advisor to the president, summarized the Harris team&#8217;s stance come Election Day as: &#8220;We were hopeful. I don’t know how optimistic we were.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Trump ended up winning all the battleground states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, while <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-cabinet-picks-are-so-ideologically-diverse-it-makes-cnns-scott-jennings-feel-squeamish" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making gains</a> among working-class voters, minority groups, and young people. He also appears to have prevailed in the popular vote.
&#8220;I think the political atmosphere, the desire for change, all those fundamentals that you&#8217;ve spent a lot of time talking about really presented huge challenges for us.&#8221; Plouffe said. &#8220;So &#8230; we got there, but we didn&#8217;t get the breaks we needed.&#8221;

David Plouffe

Kamala Adviser: Public Polls Showed Leads Over Trump ‘That We Never Saw’

2024 Election

Donald Trump

Elections

Kamala Harris

Politics

Polls

Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a> reportedly shelled out major donations — totaling half a million dollars — to a non-profit connected to MSNBC’s Al Sharpton prior to her interview with him.
The Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross reported on Tuesday that the Harris campaign shelled out two six-figure donations — $250,000 on September 5 and another $250,000 on October 1 — to Sharpton’s National Action Network. Just two days after the second donation went through, Sharpton aired a video of Harris wishing him a happy birthday — and on October 20, MSNBC aired a very friendly interview of Harris conducted by Sharpton.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EXCLUSIVE <a href="https://twitter.com/FreeBeacon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FreeBeacon</a>: 
Kamala Harris campaign gave $500k to Al Sharpton&#39;s nonprofit just before a glowing interview with the MSNBC host. 
The remittance to Rev. Al part of $5.4 million that Harris gave to black and Latino groups. <a href="https://t.co/tZfhxfQKun">https://t.co/tZfhxfQKun</a>
&mdash; Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckRossDC/status/1856405851893899535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to Ross’ reporting, neither Harris nor Sharpton told MSNBC that the donations had been made.
Harris has faced scrutiny over finances since the campaign ended with her team over $20 million in debt even after raising well over $1 billion in just three months. Payments to celebrities for concerts and appearances at rallies have been questioned, including over $1 million paid to former talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s production team and a six-figure rebuild of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast set so that she could give the interview from Washington, D.C.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Other major expenditures included hundreds of thousands for private air travel, along with six-figure donations to minority groups with whom she was struggling to make headway.
According to the Free Beacon’s report:
<blockquote>Team Harris donated to the National Urban League ($2 million), the Black Economic Alliance ($150,000), and Black Church PAC ($150,000). The campaign gave donations to lesser-known groups like the Haitian Ladies Fund ($30,000) and International Free and Accepted Modern Masons ($150,000), a black freemasons organization, according to <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00703975&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2024&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2023&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2024&amp;disbursement_description=contribution&amp;disbursement_description=donation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">campaign finance disclosures</a>.  The Black Economic Alliance <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/01/black-business-leaders-make-a-final-push-for-harris-economic-plans-to-black-men-.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> a video call for 5,000 attendees days before the election to urge black men to vote for Harris. Vote to Live Action Fund, which received $275,000 from the Harris campaign, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/harris-supporting-group-launches-4m-effort-mobilize-black-male-voters-rcna174414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a $4 million initiative in October to pressure black men to vote. Harris spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an initiative to appeal to black church voters. Two of the organizations, Black Church PAC and the Institute of Church Administration and Management ($250,000), are linked to Frederick Haynes, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/elections/kamalas-criminal-justice-reform-comrade-accused-israel-and-america-of-apartheid-in-fiery-sermon-after-hamas-attack/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an anti-Israel pastor</a> who has worked with Harris for years on liberal causes.</blockquote>
Despite the lingering questions surrounding the Harris campaign’s spending habits, the VP has reportedly suggested that she would be open to running again in 2028 — either for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination or for governor of her home state of California.

Al Sharpton

Kamala Paid Sharpton Group $500K Before Campaign Interview — Neither Told MSNBC

Media

Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a> held a livestream to thank her supporters and grassroots volunteers, but their comments indicate that she left them feeling even more defeated and despondent than they were before they joined the call.
Harris held a joint event with her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz today, telling her supporters that she is “proud of the race we ran,” and that “we still have a lot to fight for.” The Harris voters on the call, however, found themself underwhelmed, deflated, and in some cases, upset by the failed candidate’s remarks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz just called together all their supporters for a Zoom call.
It’s 16 minutes that you won’t get back, but here you go: <a href="https://t.co/k5ha94MPol">pic.twitter.com/k5ha94MPol</a>
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentScher/status/1861512662225461517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
“Feeling even more defeated,” one supporter on the call said as Harris’ speech came to a close. “That was such a waste, why did they even call this?” another added. “Trump&#8217;s about to be a dictator. And our voices won&#8217;t matter,” another Harris supporter said after her speech concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I&#8217;m currently watching a livestream where Kamala Harris is set to thank her supporters.
Meanwhile they&#8217;re in shambles in the comment section, calling for a recount and for someone to &#8220;take down&#8221; Donald Trump. 🧵 <a href="https://t.co/iF5AsTfADq">pic.twitter.com/iF5AsTfADq</a>
— Spencer Lindquist 🇺🇸 (@SpencerLndqst) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerLndqst/status/1861503683436982689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
“You could have saved my hope and sent a thank you text. Geez, you people beg me for my time, my money, my hope,” one of the most scathing comments read. “I am gobsmacked at the thoughtlessness, but I shouldn’t be so naive.”
The purpose of Harris’ speech, which did not include a fundraising pitch and recycled much of the same message from Democrat’s concession speech, was not readily apparent to many of her supporters.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Harris vaguely stated that their movement was not over, but did not provide her supporters with any potential ways they could help or issue any calls to action, instead thanking her supporters who donated and &#8220;called in favors.&#8221;
&#8220;You called in favors, you said, &#8216;Hey, I showed up at your softball game, now I need you to show up at the campaign office,'&#8221; Harris said at one point during her speech.
The announcement of Harris’ speech, which lasted just ten minutes, apparently got certain supporters’ hopes up, however.
One commenter suggested that the failed candidate was using coded language and that Trump would actually be prevented from taking office somehow and that Harris had a trick up her sleeve that she could not yet reveal. “‘Outcome of this election is not what we wanted’ &#8211; notice she didn’t say ‘we lost’ &#8211; WE GET IT &#8211;  you can’t show your hand. That felon is going down.”
“Kamala I absolutely still see you taking office on 1/20,” one comment read, while another said in all caps, “WE CAN’T HAVE ANOTHER 4 YEARS OF TRUMP!!! TAKE HIM DOWN NOW!!!!!”
Numerous other Harris supporters called for a recount in the swing states, and some accused Trump of cheating with the help of Elon Musk.

Screenshot from Harris speech

Kamala Addresses Supporters, Says Nothing, Leaves Them Feeling Even More Deflated

Democrat

Top staffers from Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a>&#8216; failed White House bid disclosed how their subtle efforts to differentiate Harris from her boss, President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a>, during the 2024 campaign were &#8220;never going to satisfy anybody&#8221; because voters wanted change.
In a post-mortem discussion on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZOpWp02WVs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Pod Save America&#8221; podcast</a>, host Dan Pfeiffer, who was a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, asked whether Harris could or should have done more to &#8220;distance herself&#8221; from the &#8220;unpopular, incumbent president.&#8221;
Pfeiffer noted how Harris appeared &#8220;personally uncomfortable&#8221; with the situation, &#8220;as evidenced&#8221; by an interview on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; in which the VP <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-view-tees-kamala-up-to-explain-how-shell-be-different-from-biden-and-she-still-fails" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed to provide a substantive answer</a> when pressed on how she would set herself apart from the Biden presidency.
Jen O&#8217;Malley Dillon, who made the jump from chairing Biden&#8217;s re-election campaign to leading Harris&#8217; campaign after Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-drops-out-of-presidential-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped out</a> in July, argued that voters did not know Harris very well and Harris&#8217; team only had a 107-day campaign to share the VP&#8217;s story.
&#8220;I do think that we really focused, from the get-go, on how she was different than everyone else — different than Joe Biden, different than [President-elect] Donald Trump,&#8221; O&#8217;Malley Dillon said before claiming that &#8220;at the end of the day, the choice was her versus Donald Trump.&#8221;
Harris &#8220;put her own stamp&#8221; on issues &#8220;in a deeper what than I think probably we got the kind of full breadth of coverage on it,&#8221; O&#8217;Malley Dillon said, adding the VP was part of the &#8220;progress&#8221; made under Biden and &#8220;it&#8217;s complicated when you&#8217;re asked questions in certain ways.&#8221;
Stephanie Cutter, a former Obama aide who became senior adviser for strategy messaging for Harris, said the campaign got the &#8220;Biden question&#8221; all the time, but they had to grapple with how Harris &#8220;felt that she was part of&#8221; the administration and had &#8220;tremendous loyalty&#8221; to Biden.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
&#8220;Unless we said something like, &#8216;Well I would have handled the border completely differently,&#8217; we were never going to satisfy anybody,&#8221; Cutter said. Instead, they focused on Harris being from a &#8220;different generation&#8221; and building &#8220;most of&#8221; her career outside of Washington, she added.
Cutter explained the Harris team sought to &#8220;tell a story and give the impression that she was different without pointing to a specific issue,&#8221; but ultimately the data showed &#8220;too many people thought&#8221; Harris would be a &#8220;continuation — which on the economy was the incumbent killer.&#8221;

VP Kamala Harris

Kamala Staffers Reveal Why They Were ‘Never Going To Satisfy Anybody’ On The ‘Biden Question’

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden will attend President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s inauguration in January, the White House confirmed on Monday.
&#8220;The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election,&#8221; said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.
&#8220;He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He views that as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values, and to honoring the will of the people, as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.&#8221;
Biden and Trump met at the White House two weeks ago following Trump&#8217;s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
Both leaders had promised that there would be a smooth and peaceful transition of power in January.
“Politics is tough, and in many cases, it’s not a very nice world. But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much,” Trump said. “A transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: President Donald J. Trump and President Biden meet in the Oval Office <a href="https://t.co/ZD9xPt4nyo">pic.twitter.com/ZD9xPt4nyo</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1856734095797072095?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
Trump is ready to hit the ground running shortly after being sworn into office, having already named most of the people that he is nominating for key roles.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Those Trump has tapped so far include: Marco Rubio, State; Scott Bessent, Treasury; Pete Hegseth, Defense; Pam Bondi, Attorney General; Doug Burgum, Interior; Brooke Rollins, Agriculture; Howard Lutnick, Commerce; Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services; Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development; Sean P. Duffy, Transportation; Chris Wright, Energy; Linda McMahon, Education; Douglas A. Collins, Veterans Affairs; Kristi L. Noem, Homeland Security; John Ratcliffe, CIA; Susie Wiles, Chief of staff; Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency; Russell Vought, Management and Budget; Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence; Michael Waltz, National Security Adviser; Elise Stefanik, U.N. Ambassador.

President Biden Hosts President-elect Trump At White House

Biden To Attend Trump’s Inauguration, White House Says

Inauguration

Fresh off losing the 2024 White House race to President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>, Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a> is already getting the word out that she is not discounting another run for office, according to a new report.
POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/25/kamala-harris-advisers-options-open-00191393" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Monday that Harris has privately conveyed to advisers and others to &#8220;keep her options open,&#8221; including for a potential 2026 campaign for governor in her home state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> or a presidential run in 2028.
&#8220;I am staying in the fight,&#8221; Harris has declared in phone calls, per the report.
Harris, a former California attorney general and U.S. senator, replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party&#8217;s nominee in the 2024 race for the White House after he dropped out earlier this year following a fumbling debate performance against Trump.
Trump ended up defeating Harris, coming out on top in all the battleground states and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-cabinet-picks-are-so-ideologically-diverse-it-makes-cnns-scott-jennings-feel-squeamish" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making gains</a> among working-class voters, minority groups, and young people.
Last week, after losing the election, Harris <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14123811/Inside-Kamala-Harris-luxury-Hawaii-vacation-rental-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled</a> with her husband, Doug Emhoff, to Hawaii for a vacation.
Citing insider sources, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/25/kamala-harris-advisers-options-open-00191393">POLITICO</a> noted that Harris will head back to Washington, D.C., and is expected to explore &#8220;possible paths forward&#8221; with family members over the winter holiday season.
&#8220;She doesn’t have to decide if she wants to run for something again in the next six months,&#8221; one former Harris campaign aide told the outlet. &#8220;The natural thing to do would be to set up some type of entity that would give her the opportunity to travel and give speeches and preserve her political relationships.&#8221;
If Harris were to campaign for governor of California in 2026, she would be competing to replace <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a>, a fellow Democrat who is term-limited and is seen as yet another potential candidate for president in the 2028 contest.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
A number of Democrats have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-09/california-governor-2026-candidates-newsom-atkins-kounalakis-thurmond-villaraigosa-yee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already begun</a> campaigns for California governor, including Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but polling has <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-11-13/poll-california-governor-race-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> Harris would have an edge if she ran.
Transgender-identifying celebrity <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/caitlyn-jenner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caitlyn Jenner</a> signaled another GOP bid is possible following a 2021 recall campaign. &#8220;If I ran [for governor], and it was ultimately against Harris, I would destroy her,&#8221; Jenner <a href="https://x.com/Caitlyn_Jenner/status/1860986024928915514" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X on Monday.

Kamala Mulls Run For California Governor, Another White House Bid After 2024 Defeat: Report

California

U.S.

President-elect Donald Trump slammed the &#8220;empty and lawless&#8221; cases brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith on Monday after Smith <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jack-smith-moves-to-drop-cases-against-trump-over-2020-election-classified-docs?topStoryPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moved to dismiss</a> four felony charges against Trump.
Smith had charged Trump with four felonies related to the president&#8217;s actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election, but Trump has maintained that the charges — along with the other cases brought against him in Georgia, New York, and Florida — are politically motivated.
&#8220;These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME. Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113545366863200868" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Monday. &#8220;They have also used State Prosecutors and District Attorneys, such as Fani Willis and her lover, Nathan Wade (who had absolutely zero experience in cases such as this, but was paid MILLIONS, enough for them to take numerous trips and cruises around the globe!), Letitia James, who inappropriately, unethically, and probably illegally, campaigned on &#8216;GETTING TRUMP&#8217; in order to win Political Office, and Alvin Bragg, who himself never wanted to bring this case against me, but was forced to do so by the Justice Department and the Democrat Party….&#8221;
&#8220;….It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221; he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113545366414504634" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
Smith wrote that the DOJ&#8217;s &#8220;position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated. This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant.&#8221;
“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the filing states, according to The Washington Post. “Based on the Department’s interpretation of the Constitution, the Government moves for dismissal without prejudice of the superseding indictment.”
Attorney and George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley said he was not surprised to see Smith move to dismiss the charges against Trump after Trump&#8217;s election victory.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
&#8220;I wrote over a year ago that there was a good chance Jack Smith would never see the inside of a courtroom for a trial in this case. It made this election the largest effective jury verdict in history by re-electing Donald Trump,&#8221; Turley said. &#8220;The special counsel found himself at odds with his own department&#8217;s longstanding policy against the prosecution of a sitting president.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonathanTurley</a>: &quot;I wrote over a year ago that there was a good chance Jack Smith would never see the inside of a courtroom for a trial in this case. It made this election the largest effective jury verdict in history by re-electing Donald Trump.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/UFmucqjs99">pic.twitter.com/UFmucqjs99</a>
&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1861123146121621680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

‘I Persevered, Against All Odds, And Won’: Trump Celebrates After Jack Smith Files To Drop Charges

'I Persevered, Against All Odds, And Won': Trump Celebrates After Jack Smith Files To Drop Charges

Jack Smith

Nearly three weeks after the polls closed on Election Day, voters are still waiting for the final results in three U.S. House races: two in California and one in Iowa.
Republicans will hold a slim majority in the 119th Congress, but the exact size of that majority remains up in the air as the final results for three close races remain unknown. The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ have yet to declare a winner in the races for California&#8217;s 13th and 45th Congressional districts. The AP also has not made a call in the race for Iowa&#8217;s 1st Congressional district, as ballots continue to be counted.
According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-california-us-house-13.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest count</a> in California&#8217;s 13th district, Republican Rep. John Duarte holds a 204-vote lead over Democrat Adam Gray. Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/size-slim-republican-house-majority-hangs-5-uncalled-races" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that less than 3% of the vote still needs to be counted. The contest is similar to the 2022 midterm election when Duarte <a href="https://californiaglobe.com/fr/13th-house-district-race-between-duarte-gray-within-351-votes-with-98-of-the-vote-in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> over Gray in what was the closest House race in the country, squeaking out a victory by just 564 votes. The 2022 race wasn&#8217;t called until early December.
In California&#8217;s 45th Congressional district, Democrat Derek Tran leads Republican Rep. Michelle Steel by 545 votes, according to <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/11/25/election-2024-results-derek-tran-adds-a-little-to-his-lead-over-michelle-steel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mercury News</a>. Ninety-nine percent of the vote in the 45th district race has been counted.
In Iowa, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is hoping to hold onto her slight lead over Democrat Christina Bohannan as a recount of the race began over the weekend. Miller-Meeks leads by 800 votes and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/incumbent-iowa-republican-says-dem-house-opponent-wasting-taxpayer-money-recount" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> her opponent&#8217;s recount request as a waste of &#8220;taxpayer money.&#8221; Decision Desk HQ has called the race for Miller-Meeks, but the Associated Press has not declared a winner.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
According to the AP&#8217;s results, Republicans hold 219 seats to Democrats&#8217; 213. If the current results hold in each of the uncalled House races, the final tally would be 221 seats for the GOP and 214 for the Democrats. Republicans will also be faced with special elections to replace Reps. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-offers-elise-stefanik-u-n-ambassadorship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elise Stefanik</a> (NY) and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-taps-mike-waltz-as-national-security-advisor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Waltz</a> (FL), who were tapped to serve in the new Trump administration, and former Florida Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-gaetz-says-he-will-not-rejoin-congress-after-withdrawing-from-ag-consideration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz, </a>who resigned.

House GOP Leadership

Multiple House Races Remain Uncalled Nearly 3 Weeks After Election

House Republicans

Iowa

U.S. House of Representatives

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said during an interview over the weekend that Democrats hurt themselves in the recent election because they were &#8220;lost&#8221; on major issues.
Fetterman made the remarks during an interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; while reflecting on his party&#8217;s losses this month.
&#8220;Well, one area where we kind of lost ourselves was the border,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I&#8217;ve been on this network, you know, months, months ago saying, &#8216;Hey, you know, it can&#8217;t be controversial for our party to have pro-immigration, but we need a secure border.'&#8221;
He said that the party made a major mistake by asking and demanding that people not believe what they were seeing about the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens pouring into the U.S. every month.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve tried to describe – you have up to 300,000 encounters per month,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I put that in perspective with Pennsylvania. I&#8217;m like, that&#8217;s the size of Pittsburgh showing up in one month. It&#8217;s like, what&#8217;s going to happen for those folks? If we want them [to have] the American Dream for those people, how can we possibly deliver that? Where do they go? And we can&#8217;t pretend that that&#8217;s not a significant issue. And we got to address that.&#8221;
He also suggested that Democrats lost their way when it came to supporting Israel.
&#8220;I said I was going to follow Israel,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And since they refused to have that cease-fire, they have eliminated and broken Hamas, and Hezbollah, Hezbollah was supposed to be like the ultimate bada**es in the Middle East, and now they were a bunch of Keystone Cops, and Iran has just been exposed, as you know, they really can&#8217;t fight about anything. So that&#8217;s been a significant development here.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnFetterman</a> discusses the future of the Democratic Party and the incoming Trump administration. <a href="https://t.co/2nmksqJquP">pic.twitter.com/2nmksqJquP</a>
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNewsSunday/status/1860712493569437854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>

Challenges in Preserving the U.S. Housing Stock

Fetterman: Democrats ‘Lost’ Themselves On Key Issues Prior To Election

Border Crisis

Democrats

Israel

John Fetterman

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> Republican commentator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/scott-jennings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Jennings</a> argued this weekend that President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> is building an &#8220;ideologically diverse&#8221; Cabinet that reflects his 2024 election victory.
During a panel on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; on Sunday, Jennings noted how Trump picked Russ Vought to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-selects-russell-vought-to-once-again-lead-omb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">return</a> as director of the Office of Management and Budget and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-picks-oregon-congresswoman-for-labor-secretary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to be the next</a> labor secretary, among many others.
&#8220;I think Trump is not getting enough credit here for building an ideologically diverse Cabinet,&#8221; Jennings said. &#8220;When you&#8217;ve got everybody from Russ Vought, who&#8217;s very conservative, all the way over to the pick for labor secretary — is a supporter of the PRO Act, and somehow Randi Weingarten is happy about it. I mean, what he has done is — which makes me squeamish, to be candid.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottJenningsKY</a>: &quot;I think Trump is not getting enough credit here for building an ideologically diverse Cabinet&#8230; and that&#39;s kind of how he won. His coalition was kind of ideologically diverse — that elected him.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/lgxe57gy8x">pic.twitter.com/lgxe57gy8x</a>
&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1860701123918631342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jennings was referring to the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-democrats-pro-act-three-things-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> &#8220;Protecting the Right to Organize Act,&#8221;</a> a bill <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/842/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">written</a> to amend labor laws that passed the House, but did not get through the Senate, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
&#8220;And so what he has done, though, is put together an ideologically diverse group of people to sit in a room and help run the government,&#8221; Jennings continued. &#8220;And that&#8217;s kind of how he won. His coalition was kind of ideologically diverse that elected him.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
In the 2024 election victory that included winning all the swing states over Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-makes-gains-among-key-minority-groups-in-2024-victory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made gains</a> among <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-return-power-fueled-by-hispanic-working-class-voter-support-2024-11-06/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working-class voters</a>, minority groups, and young people. And Republicans maintained control of the House and retook the Senate for the coming term.
Over the past several weeks, Trump has picked a number of former Democrats who became disaffected with their old party to serve in top roles in his second administration. They include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been tapped to serve as Health and Human Services administrator, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
He&#8217;s also picked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for Secretary of State, now-former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, and former Florida Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi for Attorney General after Matt Gaetz dropped out, among others.

President-Elect Donald Trump

Trump’s Cabinet Picks Are So ‘Ideologically Diverse,’ It Makes CNN’s Scott Jennings Feel ‘Squeamish’

Cabinet

Scott Jennings

Trump Administration

Americans are expressing &#8220;warmer&#8221; feelings toward President-elect Donald Trump after his 2024 election victory than after the 2016 and 2020 elections, according to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/11/22/public-narrowly-approves-of-trumps-plans-most-are-skeptical-he-will-unify-the-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey results</a> published by Pew Research Center on Friday.
A majority of Americans (53%) said they approve of Trump&#8217;s plans for his second term, while 46% disapprove, according to Pew Research. The survey, which received responses from more than 9,500 adults from November 12 to 17, showed that Americans expressed the most confidence in Trump&#8217;s ability to handle economic policy (59%), law enforcement and criminal justice (54%), immigration (53%), and foreign policy (53%).
On the issues of abortion and unifying the country, however, fewer Americans expressed confidence in Trump&#8217;s plans — 45% are confident in Trump&#8217;s handling of abortion, while 41% are confident that he can unite the country.
Pew also asked respondents to indicate how they felt about Trump, ranging from &#8220;very warm&#8221; and &#8220;warm&#8221; to &#8220;cold&#8221; and &#8220;very cold.&#8221; Forty-three percent of respondents said they felt &#8220;warm&#8221; or &#8220;very warm&#8221; toward Trump, a significant increase from 34% after the 2020 election and 36% after the 2016 election.
The positive results for Trump from the Pew survey come just days after a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showing that 54% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as he prepares for another term, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4998260-majority-of-voters-approve-of-trump-poll-shows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. According to the poll, 91% of Republicans, 49% of independents, and 22% of Democrats approve of how Trump is handling the transition period.
Americans have already received a glimpse into what Trump&#8217;s second term will look like as the president-elect quickly got to work naming people to fill important cabinet positions. Trump has also signaled that he will waste no time in implementing his campaign pledge for mass deportations, tapping former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-trumps-incoming-border-czar-has-said-and-done-about-deportations-border-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Homan</a> to serve as his &#8220;border czar.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Trump&#8217;s approval is also spiking among young adults, according to a recent YouGov poll. The survey, conducted between November 17 and 19, showed Trump boasting a 57% approval rating among Americans aged 18 to 29 — a 19-point increase from a YouGov poll conducted earlier in the month, according to <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-favorability-surges-nearly-20-points-young-americans-1989128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newsweek</a>.
Trump cruised to a landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5, taking 312 electoral votes to Harris&#8217; 226. Trump is also leading in the popular vote by more than 2.5 million votes as ballots continue to be counted in some states.
In 2017, Trump entered office underwater by 2 points in his approval rating, according to <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gallup</a>. During his four years in office, Trump&#8217;s approval rating reached 49% in early 2020 before dipping to 34% by the end of his term.

53% Of Americans Approve Of Trump’s 2nd Term Plans: Pew Research

53% Of Americans Approve Of Trump's 2nd Term Plans: Pew Research

Executive

Job Approval

Poll

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said on Friday that he will not rejoin Congress in January after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-matt-gaetz-withdraws-name-from-ag-consideration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">withdrawing</a> his name from consideration for attorney general.
Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an interview, “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/22/politics/gaetz-not-rejoining-congress/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The former Florida congressman resigned from the 118th Congress earlier this month after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general. His withdrawal from AG consideration on Thursday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-matt-gaetz-make-a-house-comeback-next-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prompted</a> journalists to immediately begin exploring whether Gaetz could return to the House next year to serve since he won his November election.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Matt Gaetz tells Charlie Kirk he does not plan to return to Congress:
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.” <a href="https://t.co/VVOCoBfu5T">pic.twitter.com/VVOCoBfu5T</a>
&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1860006982553416149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The nomination of Gaetz, a staunch Trump loyalist, was immediately criticized by Democrats and some Republicans, who expressed concern over the investigations into Gaetz over alleged sexual misconduct. Gaetz announced his decision to drop out of attorney general consideration on Thursday after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. He said it was “clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
The House Ethics Committee has weighed releasing a report on Gaetz after looking into the sexual misconduct allegations against him. CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/politics/matt-gaetz-second-sexual-encounter-minor/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Thursday that the Ethics Committee was told of a second alleged sexual encounter between Gaetz and a 17-year-old girl in 2017. According to CNN, Gaetz announced that he was withdrawing his name 45 minutes after reporters had asked for comment from him on the second allegation.
Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-praise-bondi-following-nomination-shell-be-an-incredible-attorney-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pam Bondi</a> to replace Gaetz as the attorney general nominee on Thursday, a move praised by Gaetz.
&#8220;@PamBondi is a stellar selection by President Trump for Attorney General,&#8221; Gaetz <a href="https://x.com/mattgaetz/status/1859753489062154581" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X. &#8220;Pam and I worked closely together when she was Florida’s Attorney General and I chaired Criminal Justice in the state house. She’s a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans. She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
To fill Gaetz&#8217;s seat, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special election, and Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd <a href="https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/21/matt-gaetz-special-election-salzman-rudman-running-to-fill-seat/76450951007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> an election date would be announced as soon as possible. Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, but the party isn&#8217;t concerned about losing Gaetz&#8217;s seat as Florida&#8217;s 1st district is deep red.
Gaetz told Kirk on Friday, “There are a number of fantastic Floridians who’ve stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service. And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation.&#8221;
“I’m going to be fighting for President Trump,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz Says He Will Not Rejoin Congress After Withdrawing From AG Consideration

Attorney General

Congress

Florida

Menu