Source: Elections – nytimes.com More

Alyce McFadden
June 28, 2022 More

Donald Trump President rails against decision after his tweets on mail-in voting are marked with message: ‘Get the facts’ Some of Donald Trump’s tweets now feature a link highlighting false claims. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Twitter for the first time took action against a series of tweets by Donald Trump, labeling them with a warning sign […] More

Welcome to Poll Watch, our weekly look at polling data and survey research on the candidates, voters and issues that will shape the 2020 election.ImageThroughout his first run for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald J. Trump derided teleprompters as a silly stamp of political insiderism. “I say we should outlaw teleprompters,” he said at a rally in 2015, “for anybody running for president.”But as Mr. Trump accepted his party’s nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention, he read his speech from, yes, a teleprompter. That night he stayed on message, outlining his “America first” ideology and casting himself as a defender of “the forgotten men and women of our country.”And on Thursday, facing a large (and largely unmasked) crowd during the R.N.C., Mr. Trump again read a lengthy speech from a teleprompter.“We are one national family,” Mr. Trump said, a much different tone than at his freewheeling news conferences. “And we will always protect, love and care for each other.”His attempt at a softer touch and more disciplined message is clearly designed to counteract the main criticism voters have of Mr. Trump: that his personality and his public statements are abrasive, rude and unfiltered.Indeed, as reviled as many of his policies are among voters on the left, Americans over all are actually far more likely to say they are bothered by his personal foibles than by his politics.Ed Goeas, a veteran Republican pollster, said that many traditionally Republican voters and independents have no major problem with the president’s policies, but can’t stomach his public persona. “There are those who like his policies but really are turned off by his persona,” Mr. Goeas said.Until the coronavirus pandemic, he added, Mr. Trump’s strong suit had been the thriving economy. Most voters are still about evenly split, according to polls, on whether Mr. Trump or Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, would be a better steward of the economy. But with unemployment in the double digits amid the shutdowns, Mr. Trump has lost his strongest argument — while only increasing his presence in the public eye.“For the last five months, with the coronavirus and the social unrest, all they’re seeing is the persona side of him, and not as much focus on the one thing that is his main strength — which is performance on the economy,” Mr. Goeas said.Polling shows that many of the policies Mr. Trump touted in his renomination speech, including ditching the Paris climate accord and signing an enormous tax cut in 2017, have long been relatively unpopular. So are some of the most central aspects of his political agenda: According to a Fox News poll this month, 53 percent of voters disagreed with Mr. Trump’s approach to immigration, while 41 percent agreed. And when it comes to negotiating with China — a particular point of pride for the president — 57 percent of Americans said they disapproved of how he was handling that, while just 40 percent approved, according to a recent Gallup poll.Yet only one-third of the country said his policies were “too conservative” over all, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll this month. That includes just 34 percent of independents — a key voting bloc in his 2016 victory that has largely turned against him since then.By comparison, in October 2004, on the eve of that year’s election, multiple surveys found that a greater share of Americans — four in 10 — saw then-President George W. Bush as too conservative. He won re-election anyway, beating John Kerry by more than than 2 percentage points.For Mr. Trump, 43 percent of respondents to this month’s ABC/Post poll said he was about right ideologically, and another 11 percent didn’t give an opinion.Indeed, for many voters, his policies simply aren’t the main point. Even among his own supporters, a Pew Research Center poll this month found that when asked to give their main complaint about their candidate, 25 percent mentioned his temperament or his lack of filter. Another 14 percent said they were bugged by his Twitter persona.Among political independents who supported Mr. Trump, close to three in 10 said his temperament was their biggest complaint.When asked to choose their preferred candidate on a range of traits, voters tend to lean toward Mr. Biden. But in a separate ABC/Post poll from July, Mr. Biden’s advantage was never greater than on matters of personality and temperament. Voters sided with Mr. Biden over Mr. Trump by a gaping 26-point margin.“Some of the language that he uses, whether you want to call it braggadocious — it almost seems to be overstating things so much that it loses credibility,” Mr. Goeas said of the president. “That was not what you saw in that speech last night. So that’s what he got from the teleprompter. But the question becomes, how long before he can’t help himself? How long before the next tweet?”On Politics is also available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Is there anything you think we’re missing? Anything you want to see more of? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com. More

Proud Boys leader arrested on US Capitol attack conspiracy chargeEnrique Tarrio was not physically in Washington on 6 January but is charged with directing, mobilising and leading crowd Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys far-right nationalist group, has been arrested and charged with conspiracy over the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.Jury begins deliberations in trial of Texas man who stormed CapitolRead moreTarrio, 38, faces counts of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding, and two counts each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and destruction of government property.The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said Tarrio was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Miami on Tuesday.Tarrio was not at the Capitol during the insurrection. Two days before, he was arrested in Washington and accused of vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church. Also charged with possessing two high-capacity rifle magazines, he was released the following day and ordered to stay out of the capital.According to the DoJ, Tarrio “nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of 6 January 2021”.He later “claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack,” prosecutors said.Four other individuals have been charged: Ethan Nordean, 31, of Auburn, Washington; Joseph Biggs, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Zachary Rehl, 36, of Philadelphia; Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina; and Dominic Pezzola, 44, of Rochester, New York.“They earlier pleaded not guilty to charges,” the DoJ said, referring to an indictment in December.Tarrio’s arrest followed charges of seditious conspiracy against 11 members of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers militia, which were announced in January.Tarrio and the Proud Boys rose to prominence in support of Donald Trump and through violent confrontations with leftwing protesters.On 6 January 2021, Trump supporters gathered in Washington DC to protest against Trump’s election defeat by Joe Biden. Trump told them to “fight like hell” in service of his lie about electoral fraud. The Capitol was attacked. Seven people died around the riot and more than 100 police officers were hurt.More than 770 people have been charged. The first jury trial arising from the attack, involving a Texas man who was a member of the Three Percenters rightwing group, reached jury deliberations on Tuesday.The DoJ has faced intensifying pressure to more aggressively pursue those suspected of organizing and planning the Capitol attack. In a speech earlier this year, the attorney general, Merrick Garland, vowed to hold accountable all those responsible for the riot, whether or not they were present at the Capitol.In its announcement on Tuesday, the DoJ said: “From in or around December 2020, Tarrio and his co-defendants, all of whom were leaders or members of the Ministry of Self Defense [a Proud Boys group] conspired to corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding, the certification of the electoral college vote.“On 6 January, the defendants directed, mobilised and led members of the crowd on to the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property, and assaults on law enforcement.Proud Boys: who are the far-right group that backs Donald Trump?Read more“Although Tarrio is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach of the Capitol.“The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of 6 January 2021, and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.”In August last year, Tarrio was sentenced to five months in prison. He has also been revealed to have previously been an FBI informant.Tarrio has denied organising violence on 6 January. The Times said a lawyer for Tarrio declined comment, as he was waiting to see the indictment.TopicsUS Capitol attackThe far rightUS crimenewsReuse this content More