*By Carlo Versano*
The president's denying the deaths of an estimated 3,000 Americans from a hurricane ー just as millions more seek shelter from another storm ー hasn't sat well, even with members of his own party.
Republicans running in competitive races in Florida found themselves rebuking Donald Trump's false claim Thursday that Puerto Rico's death toll from Hurricane Maria was fabricated by Democrats to make the president look bad.
There are major implications for the party, said GOP consultant Rick Wilson, author of "Everything Trump Touches Dies".
Trump "just put a bullet in Rick Scott's Senate campaign," he said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar.
Scott, the Florida Governor now vying for Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson's seat, wasted no time distancing himself from Trump on this issue, [tweeting](https://twitter.com/ScottforFlorida/status/1040265322270474242) on Thursday, "I disagree with @POTUS," adding that he's seen the devastation first hand.
Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican nominee for Governor and one of the most unabashedly pro-Trump candidates in the country ー he recently ran an [ad](https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/07/31/ron-desantis-campaign-ad-florida-candidate-orig-mss.cnn) showing him reading "The Art of the Deal" to his infant son ー released a [statement](https://twitter.com/CHeathWFTV/status/1040256381801123840) saying he “doesn’t believe any loss of life has been inflated.”
Florida is home to thousands of Maria evacuees and a large Puerto Rican population that might take issue with the president insisting their friends and relatives didn't actually die, said Wilson.
Trump's inability to project empathy ー whether it's for storm victims or a Senator he disagrees with ー is one issue behind the latest erosion in his poll numbers and an "ever shrinking base," Wilson added.
Indeed, Thursday's comments, which FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver unequivocally [called] (https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1040246573689659392?s=20) "the worst thing he's ever tweeted," appears to be a bridge too far to cross for even some of Trump's most ardent backers ー two months before a crucial election, at that.
Projecting empathy and leadership ahead of a hurricane "is a lay-up," Wilson said.
"You can never rely on Donald Trump to get out of his own way."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/president-trump-stirs-up-storm-with-controversial-hurricane-comments).
After a devastating mass shooting in Sacramento over the weekend that killed six people and wounded a dozen more, arguments about gun reform are also resurfacing. David Pucino, deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, joined Cheddar News to talk about efforts to curb gun violence such as community intervention programs — and the more that needs to be done by lawmakers. "One thing that would be really important is at the federal level closing the loopholes that allow for private sales to go forward without a background check," he noted.
Christopher Wolfe, CIO at First Republic Private Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says he is surprised that the first quarter was the first down period in a long time, but adds that the second quarter could be difficult with a lot of volatility expected.
Jeffrey Small, President of Arbor Financial, joins Chedar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down why stocks closed near session lows on Wednesday and tells viewers what to expect ahead of next earnings season.
Uber and Lyft drivers are cruising in Washington State, the first U.S. state to set an earnings standard for drivers for the ride-hailing companies. Governor Jay Inslee signed the new minimum pay standard into law Thursday, which also gives drivers access to perks like paid sick time and family medical leave. John Logan, Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jeremy Berke, senior reporter on the cannabis industry for Business Insider, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss developments in cannabis legalization at the federal level. He helps break down the bill and what legalization efforts might look like in the Senate.
Selene San Felice, Tampa Bay reporter for Axios Local, and Jennifer Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) join Cheddar Politics to discuss the impact of the new law targeting LGBTQ communities in Florida schools.
Ryan Barber, justice correspondent at Insider, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the latest developments in the January 6 investigation, including texts between Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Joel Rubin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and president of the Washington Strategy Group, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the latest developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The head of Russia’s space program says the future of the ISS hangs in the balance after the U.S., EU, and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.
