GOP Strategist Rick Wilson: Trump Is 'Electoral Poison'
*By Jim Roberts*
Associates of President Trump are on trial, others are in deep legal trouble, and the party that rode into power with Trump is likely facing defeat in the November midterm elections.
That is the legacy that Donald Trump has left in his short time as president, says longtime GOP strategist Rick Wilson.
“Donald Trump’s long, long history in business and in politics now is that anyone around him becomes corrupted,” Wilson told Cheddar. “Their reputation becomes shattered. They get fired; they get into legal trouble and their lives turn into hell.
“And unfortunately for the conservative movement and the Republican Party the same thing is in the process of happening right now.”
Wilson, a frequent political commentator on Cheddar, is the author of a new book [“Everything Trump Touches Dies,”](https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Trump-Touches-Dies-Republican/dp/1982103124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533684141&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+trump+touches+dies) in which he attempts to document the damage Trump has done to the country and to the Republican Party.
“What upsets me is that all these people around me that said we had all these principles, they’re rock-solid; we’re conservatives; were going to stick with them,” Wilson said. “We have abandoned them almost completely.”
As a prime example, Wilson cited trade and tariffs.
“We used to be for free trade,” he said, referring to his fellow Republicans. “And Donald Trump is now, like, ‘I hate free trade.’ And these guys are now like, ‘of course we need to have tariffs.’”
“It’s nuts,” he added. “There’s a lot of disappointment in where the direction people in my party took this impulsiveness when Trump came in.”
Wilson predicted that the upcoming November elections would be a “solid Democratic midterm.” But he said he didn’t foresee a Democratic blowout that would bring a vast 70-seat swing in the U.S. House. He said that 25 Republican House seats were already vulnerable, without factoring in opposition to Trump.
But “now we’re seeing that the Democrats are picking up seats in places that are solidly red, solidly Republican, like Pennsylvania 18,” which Democrat Conor Lamb won in a special election last March.
To take control of the House, the Democrats need to make a net gain of 24 seats in the midterm elections.
For Democrats to succeed in those races, Wilson suggested that candidates avoid talk of impeachment and stick to local issues.
“I think we’ve seen a bunch of races win this year staying away from impeachment and talking about issues that are local and state-based,” he said. “A lot of those were not about impeachment; they were about presenting a viable mature alternative to Republicans who have fallen into the swamp of Trumpism.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that she has tested positive again for COVID-19 and will not accompany President Joe Biden to Europe for meetings on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reshma Saujani, the founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Code, discusses the workplace inequities further exposed by the pandemic and her latest book, "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think).
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States, along with much of the Western world, has imposed economic sanctions on Russia’s economy and its oligarchs. And these measures are costing these oligarchs — billions. So what exactly is an oligarch and what are their ties to Putin and the ongoing invasion? And will sanctioning them work?
Ketanji Brown Jackson is forcefully defending her record as a federal judge, telling senators she will rule “from a position of neutrality” if she is confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court.
Ukraine remains defiant as the Russian invasion is approaching its fourth week. Cheddar News speaks with Former Obama Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor David Tafuri, on Russia’s war efforts so far and how it might shift tactics moving forward.
While investors soured on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks on interest rates Monday, Anthony Saccaro, Founder and President at Providence Financial explains why he is supportive of the Fed's approach on Cheddar News' Closing Bell.
As Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, 10 million of its citizens have fled their homes according to the UN, with more and more refugees flooding into other European countries. Nancy Dent, senior global communications officer for Europe and Asia at the aid group International Rescue Committee, joined Cheddar News to discuss the deteriorating conditions. “What's really clear from my time at the border today, in particular, is that people really are fleeing for their lives now," she said. "Two million people, 60 percent of the refugee population from Ukraine is now in Poland, and people are arriving with smaller bags really unprepared."
Will Larkins, president and co-founder of Winter Park High School's Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of its
'Say Gay Anyway' walkout, joined Cheddar News to discuss their recent opinion piece for The New York Times titled "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Will Hurt Teens Like Me."
Russia's military advances in Ukraine appear to have stalled, as heavy casualties, equipment losses, and a lack of progress on the ground take a toll. Despite the horrific damage caused by the attack, Ukraine's military has held up better than many experts predicted. Elliot Ackerman, author and Marine Corps Veteran, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why Ukraine's defense response been such a surprise, and what a stalemate in the war might look like.
