DEBATE vs. TOWN HALL
Call it a vibes gap—and all in the same town, Iowa’s capital city of Des Moines.
Sitting on a chair on the stage of a downtown auditorium, former President Donald J. Trump looked relaxed as he spoke with Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Asked about former New Jersey Chris Christie’s departure from the race, Trump pivoted to an eyebrow-raising part of his announcement: a hot mic that captured Christie saying that former New Jersey Gov. Nikki Haley would “get smoked.”
“I happen to believe that Chris Christie is right. That’s one of the few things he’s been right about actually,” Trump quipped of the man who once led his transition team.
The former president’s apparent relaxation didn’t relent as he was challenged on everything from his COVID policies to his legal struggles.
Some of that may be down to the questioners, many of whom made it clear they supported the man onstage. Yet, while Trump’s rivals might wonder about a stacked deck, the former president’s polling lead in Iowa suggests that the atmosphere wasn’t out of keeping with how the Republican electorate thinks of him.
The vibe was a little different at Drake University.
Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were facing each other in a debate hosted by CNN. With time running out before the caucus, both candidates went in for the kill as often as they laid their hands on suitable weapons.
The former U.N. ambassador kept circling back to the theme of deception, describing DeSantis as a serial liar and claiming that his campaign was “exploding.” It was an apparent reference to leadership shakeups at Never Back Down, a major PAC behind the governor’s run.
When pressed to say something nice about her rival, she simply stated, “I think he’s been a good governor.”
DeSantis was not quite as ruthless, speaking highly of the former South Carolina governor’s home state and of some moves she made as ambassador. Yet, he too accused her of untruths and hit her hard on foreign policy and the social safety net—two areas where DeSantis and other non-establishment Republicans have set themselves apart from Haley and similar GOP politicians.
“Under her administration, you would have seniors getting less in cost of living adjustments while your tax dollars are going to pay the pensions of Ukrainian bureaucrats,” he said.
The vibes gap could, in theory, be chalked up to many things: different personalities, different questions, and maybe even subtle atmospheric fluctuations across the city of Des Moines. Airy speculation aside, most would probably chalk it up to the gap in support among Iowans separating Trump from his two top rivals. As the non-Trump lane narrows, the remaining contestants are fighting harder than ever.
—Nathan Worcester
FIREWORKS IN CONGRESS
House Republicans kicked off impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas yesterday with testimony from three Republican attorneys general.
Their request? Accountability.
“The American people are watching. They know that our border was secure just a few years ago. They see the devastation metastasizing in our communities from drugs and human trafficking,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen told members of the Homeland Security Committee.
“The conclusion is clear: Secretary Mayorkas has violated his oath. I urge this body to impeach.”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) assured that Republicans intend to grant that wish.
“I sit here to tell you today we’re going to impeach him. He’s going to be impeached, and he should be.”
Elsewhere in the House, members of the Oversight and Accountability Committee received a surprise when Hunter Biden strolled in on their discussion of whether to hold him in contempt of Congress.
The intrusion infuriated Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who unloaded on Biden and called for him to be arrested “right here, right now.”
“You are the epitome of white privilege, coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a Congressional subpoena to be deposed,” Mace said. “What are you afraid of?”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also tried to engage Biden, at which point he stormed out.
The committee later voted along party lines to advance the contempt resolution, as did the Judiciary Committee. The full House will take up the measure at some point in the coming weeks.
The move comes a day after Hunter Biden’s art dealer told the Oversight Committee under oath that the first son knew the identities of most of his artwork’s buyers—a contradiction of what the White House has previously claimed.
Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali and Kevin Morris, two prominent Democrat donors, were reportedly among those patrons. The former was later appointed by President Joe Biden to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. Democrats say that information is immaterial.
“It’s not illegal to buy and sell abstract art in America,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was likewise dismissive of questions on Jan. 10 about whether he feared a potential move to oust him like his predecessor.
“I’m not concerned about that,” Johnson said at a press conference amid hard-line Republicans’ discontent with his top-line spending deal with Democrats.
The deal would authorize total spending of about $1.66 trillion—an increase from the $1.59 trillion agreed to in last year’s Fiscal Responsibility Act.
“Republicans agreeing to spending levels $69 billion higher than last summer’s debt ceiling ‘deal,’ with no significant policy wins is nothing but another loss for America,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, in a recent X post.
Good joined with 12 other Republicans on Jan. 10 to block a procedural rule vote on three unrelated bills in protest.
“My hope is to persuade the Speaker and the leadership and the entire Republican conference to not follow through with the deal as it’s been announced,” he said.
—Samantha Flom
CONTROVERSY OVER AUSTIN GOING AWOL
The White House came under scrutiny this week as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s health issues were kept secret from President Joe Biden and top officials for days.
The situation came to light when it was revealed that Austin, 70, had undergone surgery for prostate cancer on Dec. 22, followed by complications leading to his admission to intensive care on Jan. 1.
The president and his team were unaware of these hospitalizations or the cause until recently, raising questions about communication breakdowns within the administration.
The lack of transparency has led to significant criticism, with experts and lawmakers questioning the competence and ethics involved.
John Mills, a national security expert with decades of experience at the Pentagon, called it a “huge issue” and highlighted the breach in formal protocols for high-ranking officials.
Austin sits at the top of the chain of command in the U.S. military, behind the president. Hence, his job requires him to respond immediately in the event of a national security threat.
He underwent surgery on Dec. 22 to treat prostate cancer, which was discovered earlier in the month during a routine test, the Pentagon announced on Jan. 9. He was discharged from Walter Reed the next day. He worked from home the week following the surgery. But, by the evening of Jan. 1, he was in severe pain and was taken by ambulance back to Walter Reed.
Austin remains at the hospital while recovering from complications from the surgery, the Pentagon said.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers launched a formal congressional inquiry into Austin’s “failure to disclose his hospitalization and incapacitation.”
David Pietrusza, an author and historian, pointed out the unprecedented nature of this situation in U.S. history. He emphasized that while presidents have hidden their health issues before, no cabinet member has ever gone missing for days without alerting the president.
In response to the controversy, the White House issued a memorandum on Jan. 9, ordering cabinet members to notify the White House chief of staff when they are unable to perform their duties. The memo also stressed the importance of delegating authority and ensuring communication with the White House during such situations.
–Emel Akan
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Trump is expected to appear in person for closing arguments in the New York civil trial against his business.
- Hunter Biden appears for an arraignment in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles. He was charged with tax fraud as part of a special counsel investigation following the collapse of a plea deal in a Delaware court.
- Marcia Fudge, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development testifies before House lawmakers.
BOOKMARKS
Maybe it’s time to close the suggestion box in the White House. Politico reports the Biden administration is growing weary of numerous anonymous letters complaining about its official stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Chinese and American militaries are maintaining a collegial if not warm relationship. In the first in-person summit since 2020, top brass representing Washington and Beijing met at the Pentagon on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. The Epoch Times’ Andrew Thornebrooke reviewed Uncle Sam’s official readout which “reaffirmed that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows.”
Is the Biden administration painting an overly rosy picture of the U.S. economy? The Epoch Times’ Tom Ozimek noticed that the Bureau of Labor Statistics constantly revised monthly new job figures downward in 2023. The overall downward revisions amounted to 443,000 jobs.
Trump is highly favored to be the Republican Party’s choice for president in 2024, but his campaign efforts will doubtlessly be interrupted by myriad court dates related to his business dealings and the 2020 election. The Epoch Times’ Sam Dorman contemplated the “untold number of scenarios for the election season” created by the legal challenges.
Before Trump receives the nomination, he will need to prove he can win elections as well as lead national opinion polling. The 2024 primary season kicks off in days when Iowa holds its caucuses.
The Epoch Times’ John Haughey takes a worm’s eye view of the mammoth event and breaks down what the event will look like for the Hawkeye State’s Republicans and Democrats.
While the caucuses do not always pick the next president, they do separate the contenders from the pretenders. The Epoch Times’ Austin Alonzo looks back at the election’s history since 1972 and identifies three of the biggest upsets to ever come out of Iowa.
