Trumpworld takes aim at Republicans who supported Ukraine aid push

Senate Republicans who voted to advance aid for Ukraine last week are taking heavy incoming from allies of former President Trump, who are calling them out publicly and threatening primary challenges after they defied Trump’s calls to oppose the package. Donald Trump Jr., the ex-president’s eldest son, has led the charge against the 22 Republicans who backed the national security supplemental, many of whom are allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

He called for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to get a primary challenge, and for West Virginia primary voters to reject the gubernatorial bid of Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

In another instance, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) a major backer of Trump, took aim at Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of McConnell’s top allies, writing on social media, “Unbelievable that [Cornyn] would stay up all night to defend other countries borders, but not America.”

While some believe the Capito gubernatorial threat, in particular, was a low blow, the frustration from Trump’s orbit is palpable and is laying bare the fissures between it and GOP leadership.

“The last month exposed the problems that come with a GOP leadership team that has no relationships with the likely Republican nominee for president,” one Senate GOP aide said. “It further exposes the disconnect between Republican lawmakers largely in D.C. compared to where our voters are.”

The security bill includes $60 billion in military and economic assistance for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, along with monies for the Indo-Pacific region and humanitarian purposes.

On top of the Ernst and Capito remarks, Trump Jr. also took aim at Cornyn and Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) — two of the leading contenders to eventually replace McConnell — over their Ukraine aid votes.

Relationship between DA Fani Willis and Nathan Wade started years earlier than claimed, witness says

A former friend and co-worker of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified Thursday that Willis’ personal relationship with a special prosecutor began before she hired him to lead the election interference case against Donald Trump.

Robin Yeartie’s testimony directly contradicts statements from Willis and Wade that their personal relationship didn’t begin until after Wade was hired in November 2021. Wade, who took the witness stand after Yeartie, testified that his relationship with Willis began in early 2022.

The differing testimony came in a hearing that could determine whether Willis should be removed from the case accusing Trump and others of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Willis’ removal would be a stunning development in the most sprawling of the four criminal cases against Trump. An additional delay would likely lessen the chance that a trial would be held before the November election, when he is expected to be the Republican nominee for president.

In a court filing earlier this month, Willis and Wade said they were not in a personal relationship when Wade was hired, and that he and Willis shared travel expenses and never lived together.

Biden says Trump sowing doubts about US commitment to NATO is ‘un-American’

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Donald Trump’s comments calling into question the U.S. commitment to defend its NATO allies from attack were “dangerous” and “un-American,” seizing on the former president’s comments that sowed fresh fears among U.S. partners about its dependability on the global stage.

Trump, the front-runner in the U.S. for the Republican Party’s nomination this year, said Saturday that he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defense. It was the latest instance in which the former president seemed to side with an authoritarian state over America’s democratic allies .

Speaking from the White House as he encouraged the House to take up a Senate-passed aid bill to fund Ukraine’s efforts to hold off a two-year Russian invasion, Biden said Trump’s comments about the mutual defense pact were “dangerous and shocking.”

“The whole world heard it and the worst thing is he means it,” Biden added.

Biden said that “when America gives its word, it means something,” and called Trump’s comments sowing doubt about its commitments ”un-American.”

Biden said of Trump: “He doesn’t understand that the sacred commitment that we’ve given works for us as well.”

NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause states that an armed attack against one or more of its members shall be considered an attack against all members. But Trump has often depicted NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for more than 70 years.

Since the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Biden has ushered Finland into the alliance and is clearing the way for Sweden to do the same. While Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the alliance has served as a key contributor of the U.S.-organized effort to support Kyiv’s military defenses in the nearly two year old conflict.

Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump’s ballot eligibility in 2024 race

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in Trump v. Anderson, a case that questions whether former President Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency because of his conduct related to the assault at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The case, which stems from a lawsuit filed by six Colorado voters, cites Section 3 of the 14th Amendment as the reasoning for keeping Trump off the ballot.

Trump wins New Hampshire primary as rematch with President Biden appears increasingly likely

Former President Donald Trump easily won New Hampshire’s primary on Tuesday, seizing command of the race for the Republican nomination and making a November rematch against President Joe Biden feel all the more inevitable.

The result was a setback for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who finished second despite investing significant time and financial resources in a state famous for its independent streak. She’s the last major challenger after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ended his presidential bid over the weekend, allowing her to campaign as the sole alternative to Trump.

Trump’s allies ramped up pressure on Haley to leave the race before the polls had closed, but Haley vowed after the results were announced to continue her campaign. Speaking to supporters, she intensified her criticism of the former president, questioning his mental acuity and pitching herself as a unifying candidate who would usher in generational change.

“This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go,” Haley said, while some in the crowd cried, “It’s not over!”

Trump, meanwhile, can now boast of being the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in Iowa and New Hampshire since both states began leading the election calendar in 1976, a striking sign of how rapidly Republicans have rallied around him to make him their nominee for the third consecutive time.

At his victory party Tuesday night, Trump repeatedly insulted Haley and gave a far angrier speech than after his Iowa victory, when his message was one of Republican unity.

“Let’s not have someone take a victory when she had a very bad night,” Trump said. He added, “Just a little note to Nikki: She’s not going to win.”