Washington, D.C
How Trump won a second term and delivered DC to the GOP – Washington Examiner
President-elect Donald Trump entered Election Day in a virtual tie against Vice President Kamala Harris, according to several poll aggregates, yet by early Wednesday morning, he easily defeated his rival.
“This is a movement like nobody’s ever seen before and, frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time,” Trump boasted during his victory speech.
As the results began to roll in that Tuesday evening, Trump won the first battleground state of North Carolina before winning Georgia, then Pennsylvania, and sweeping Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona.
He went on to win 312 Electoral College votes compared to Harris’s 226 votes and the popular vote, becoming the first Republican president since George W. Bush in 2004 to accomplish this feat.
Trump rode a wave of public anger over rising grocery and gas prices that helped reinstate him as president and gave Republicans control over the House and Senate, along with previous majority control of the Supreme Court, in a backlash against President Joe Biden’s administration.
With Biden and subsequently Harris as the de facto incumbent candidate, one political expert claimed the race was there for Democrats to lose.
“While I see the political accomplishment of Trump (or any Republican) winning the popular vote and sweeping all swing states, I nevertheless think that it’s mostly Democrats who lost the election,” said Louis Perron, a political consultant and author of Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections.
“Did you win? Or did the other side lose? In this case, I think Democrats blew it. And I say Democrats specifically and not Harris,” Perron continued.
Trump was likely on the march to trouncing Biden, whose mental acuity was a key topic of concern among voters and as voters increasingly disapproved of his leadership. Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump on June 27, in which he often appeared confused, accelerated calls among fellow Democrats for him to stand down from reelection.
A little over a month later, Biden announced on X that he was suspending his campaign. Hours later, he endorsed Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.
Harris’s quick consolidation of the Democratic Party, historic fundraising figures, and extensive ground game operation should have given her the advantage heading into the election. But there were key warning signs.
Public heartburn over the economy and the rising immigration crisis at the southern border proved no match for Harris, who struggled to distance herself from Biden’s administration. When Harris told the hosts of The View there was “not a thing” she would do differently than Biden, Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance repeatedly aired the clip at campaign rallies.
Piggybacking off of Trump’s populist approach, Senate Republicans were able to brand the Democrats and Biden as out-of-touch elitists. The effort resulted in the GOP retaking the upper chamber by flipping seats in West Virginia, with Sen. Joe Manchin retiring, Ohio, Montana, and Pennsylvania.
Bernie Moreno took down Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), while Tim Sheehy toppled Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the most vulnerable incumbent senator, and Dave McCormick unseated Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). The GOP now holds a 53-47 majority.
More than a week after the election, House Republicans narrowly held on to their control of the lower chamber after losing seats in New York and California. Their win marks the first year since 2018 that the GOP has had a governing trifecta.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will likely hold on to his leadership role after the success of the election and given Trump’s support.
“The mandate that has been delivered shows that a majority of Americans are eager for secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense,” Johnson wrote in a congratulatory letter to the conference. “With unified Republican government, if we meet this historic moment together, the next two years can result in the most consequential Congress of the modern era.”
Grant Reeher, professor of political science at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, claimed that voters in the battleground states were most primed to display their economic anger at Democrats after the last four years of inflation.
“They have been the ones that have really been living the brunt of this,” Reeher said. “And so they were the most, I think, ripe for the picking, if you will, for the Republicans, and the most receptive to the kinds of messages that Trump was offering on the economy.”
The vice president raised a historic $1 billion in roughly three months and repeatedly boasted about having more campaign staff and field offices in the seven battleground states. Yet, according to most preelection polls, Trump remained within striking distance of Harris.
Harris also campaigned heavily on galvanizing women voters around the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and restoring abortion access. However, Trump proved he could run on gender, and he frequently appeared on podcasts geared toward young male voters, culminating in an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Harris won women voters by an 8-point margin, while Trump won male voters by a 13-point margin, according to CNN exit poll results.
Anti-abortion conservatives championed Trump’s win as an example that the public was no longer politically motivated by Roe.
“This election proves that abortion was not the silver bullet Democrats thought it would be. Even after Democrats put half a billion dollars behind abortion TV ads in this election, they still lost the presidency, the Senate, and potentially the House,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement. “The reason? Their extreme abortion agenda is out of step with Americans. And their fearmongering and abortion lies did not work. There was not a historic gender gap that ushered in Kamala Harris’s abortion policies. That’s because most Americans support early, reasonable limits on abortion.”
Another feat Trump accomplished was winning more Hispanic voters at 45%, according to NBC News exit polls, a record high for a GOP presidential candidate, and winning more Asian and black voters than most GOP candidates have done in decades by running on a populist pitch.
Steven Hilding, a Republican strategist in Nevada, pointed to Trump’s efforts to reach niche voting blocs as an example of how his campaign helped win the popular vote.
“You saw Trump do things like going to the sneaker convention and socializing with young minority males,” Hilding said. “You saw him having a Greek and Cyprian American leadership council … he was able to make some inroads in the Muslim communities in Michigan.”
In the final days before the election, Trump visited a Dearborn, Michigan, cafe owned by an Arab American leader. Dearborn’s Arab and Muslim population long signaled their disapproval of the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Also hobbling Harris was the struggle to define herself to the public once she became the nominee. During her 2020 run for president, she embraced several left-leaning policy issues, such as fracking, that she later denounced in the run-up to the election.
“Harris ran a deliberately, in terms of policy, pretty vague campaign. I don’t blame her for that. You have 107 days. What are you going to do?” Reeher said. “And also, you want to distance yourself from a presidential administration, but you don’t want to throw that administration under the bus. So, how do you finesse that? Well, she tried, but it didn’t really end up working out.”
WHAT MAGA AND THE GOP WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POST-TRUMP ERA
In the end, Democrats are now left scrambling over how to win back disaffected voters who overwhelmingly rejected the Harris campaign as Trump governs over the next four years. Trump, at least, claims that easing financial burdens for the average American will be a top priority.
“We have to put our country first for at least a period of time. We have to fix it. Because together, we can truly make America great again for all Americans,” Trump claimed in his election victory speech.
WASHINGTON – The Metropolitan Police Department released new body camera footage on Friday of an officer firing his gun at an armed carjacking suspect last month.
The backstory:
The carjacking happened early in the morning of June 24.
According to MPD, two suspects held a man at gunpoint in the 700 block of 19th Street in Northeast Washington before taking his keys and driving off.
After the carjacking, officers searched the city for the suspects, before finding the car on Valley Avenue in Southeast. Officers tried to pull the car over, but the driver took off, before bailing at 2nd and Xenia Streets.
What we know:
The body camera footage released Friday picks up during officers’ search for the suspects.
In the short clip, the officer can be heard shouting out the window of his patrol car before firing out the window.
According to MPD, the officer was driving on Livingston Road SE when he saw one of the suspects. The officer asked the suspect to show their hands, but instead, MPD said the suspect pointed a rifle at the officer. That’s when the officer fired, and the suspect ran off into the woods.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 13-year-old charged in DC armed carjacking, officer shoots at second suspect
What’s next:
That suspect is still on the run, according to MPD. A second suspect was arrested the night of the carjacking. The 13-year-old has been charged with armed carjacking, reckless driving, and fleeing from a law enforcement officer.
The United States Attorney’s Office for DC and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division Force Investigation Team will both review the shooting.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Metropolitan Police Department and previous FOX 5 DC reports.
Washington, D.C
What’s that noise? What you need to know about D.C. flyovers Friday and Saturday – WTOP News
Reagan National Airport will close for America 250 flyover rehearsals Friday and celebrations Saturday featuring the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels and more.
Reagan National Airport will close from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday for rehearsals ahead of this weekend’s America 250 celebrations, meaning people around D.C., Arlington and Alexandria may hear and see low-flying military aircraft.
According to Freedom 250 event organizers, Friday’s “Wings of Freedom” demonstrations over the National Mall will feature parachute teams, helicopters and military aircraft, including the U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey and F-35B, the Navy’s F-18F and F-35C, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, the Thunderbirds and a tri-bomber formation.
On Saturday, the FAA will close the airport from noon to midnight for the full celebration. All arrivals and departures at Reagan National are scheduled to end before noon.
Flyovers and demonstrations are scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening along the National Mall and Washington Monument grounds, including appearances by Air Force One, the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, military aircraft fleet reviews, parachute demonstrations and B-2 stealth bombers.
Highlights include an Air Force One flyover scheduled for 7:03 p.m., a Thunderbirds demonstration beginning at 6:25 p.m., a tri-bomber formation at 6:02 p.m. and a stealth aircraft flyover at 7:38 p.m.
Friday’s schedule of flyovers and demonstration rehearsals along the National Mall and Washington Monument
- 10 a.m.: Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
- 10:15 a.m.: Army Helo Flyover
- 10:20 a.m.: USMC V-22 Osprey Demo
- 10:35 a.m.: USMC F-35B STOVL Demo
- 10:50 a.m.: USN F-18F Demo
- 11:10 a.m.: USN F-35C Demo Team
- 11:30 a.m.: USAF F-22 Raptor Demo
- 11:50 a.m.: NASA F-5s
- 12 p.m.: HUGE (1) Formation
- 12:05 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds
- 12:55 p.m.: USAF Tri-Bomber
Saturday’s schedule of flyovers and demonstration along the National Mall and Washington Monument
- 1:14 p.m.: – NASA F-5 Flyover
- 1:24 p.m.: -NASA Fleet Review
- 1:44 p.m.: USCG Helo Flyover
- 1:54 p.m.: USCG Fixed Wing Flyover
- 2:09 p.m.: Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
- 2:29 p.m.: Army Helo Flyover
- 2:44 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Heavies
- 2:54 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 2 – AFSOC
- 3:04 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 3 – Fighters
- 3:29 p.m.: Executive Rotary Wing Airlift
- 3:39 p.m.: USMC Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Rotary
- 3:49 p.m.: USMC Fleet Review – Wave 2 – Fixed Wing
- 3:59 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Rotary
- 4:09 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 2 – Fixed Wing
- 4:19 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 3 – Fighters
- 4:21 p.m.: USN F-18F Demonstration
- 4:59 p.m.: USN Blue Angels
- 5:26 p.m.: USMC MV-22 Osprey Demonstration
- 5:44 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Fighters
- 6:02 p.m.: USAF Tri-Bomber Formation
- 6:05 p.m.: USN F-35C Demonstration
- 6:25 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration
- 7:03 p.m.: Air Force One Flyover
- 7:07 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds Delta Break
- 7:17 p.m.: HUGE 1 Flyover Led by the Newly Renovated Air Force One
- 7:38 p.m.: U.S. Stealth Airpower Flyover
- 7:39 p.m.: F-22 Raptor Demo
- 7:53 p.m.: F-22 Raptor in Afterburner
- 7:59 p.m.: B-1 Flyover
- 8:07 p.m.: B-1’s in Afterburner
- 8:11 p.m.: HUGE ONE Fly Over Review
- 8:22 p.m.: Golden Knights Twilight Jump
- 10:36 p.m.: B-1 Afterburner Night Pass
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An Air Force major was arrested in uniform on the steps of the Capitol after he called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested Jason Watson, an active-duty service member, on Wednesday afternoon following remarks at a news conference where he said Trump and Vice President JD Vance should be removed from office.
The event was organized by the Removal Coalition, a group that lobbies members of Congress to impeach Trump, and attended by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who has repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump.
“I’m here with him because Rep. Green is the only member of Congress that has demonstrated the courage and conviction to … force a vote on articles of impeachment,” Watson said at the event. “If Congress followed his example, we could remove the entire Trump administration, but Congress remains unconvinced of the urgency and necessity for them to honor their oaths, so we must persuade them with our unrelenting, uncompromising civil resistance.”
Watson said he is not a Democrat and does not share policy positions with Green, who lost his re-election bid this year. Green’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Watson’s arrest.
Capitol Police said in a statement that it “is generally against the law for the public to demonstrate on the House Steps unless they are with a Member of Congress.”
“Yesterday afternoon, a man was escorted to the House Steps by a Member of Congress,” the statement said. “When the Member of Congress left the area, our officers gave the man lawful orders to stop the illegal demonstration or he would be arrested. The man refused our lawful orders.”
Capitol Police identified the man as Watson, adding that he was arrested on charges of “Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding” and that it is legal to protest in other spots on the Capitol grounds.
Service members are subject to stricter laws than the average citizen when it comes to protesting. The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits officers from “using contemptuous language towards the President, Vice president, the Secretaries of War and of a military department, Congress, and certain other officials,” according to an Air Force memo last year.
An Air Force spokesperson said in a statement Thursday: “Service members must comply with all laws, regulations and policies governing conduct and the wear of the uniform. All Department of the Air Force personnel are expected to uphold the highest standards of discipline and professionalism, both on and off duty.”
All service members, not just members of the Air Force, are prohibited from participating in “political activities” in uniform.
Watson’s criticism of Trump and Vance focused on the administration’s actions in Venezuela and Iran, calling them “an unconstitutional usurpation of Congress’ authority and a violation of the War Powers Clause.”
“These violations resulted in the deaths of 13 service members and injuries of hundreds more,” he said, referring to the number of U.S. military deaths tied to the Iran war. “For this, the president and vice president must be impeached, convicted and removed.”
Watson also called the administration’s immigration policies and tactics unconstitutional.
The Removal Coalition did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Watson could not be reached.
President Donald Trump responded to criticism of a financial disclosure that listed $1.4 billion in crypto earnings largely driven by meme coins.
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