Latest news with #Faith&FreedomCoalition
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump assassination attempt still reverberates one year later
"It is very hard not see the hand of Providence on his life, and on the life of our nation," said Ralph Reed, a prominent religious conservative who recounted to USA TODAY that he texted Trump after the U.S. military bombed Iran last month to share his view that the president's life was saved for that historic foreign policy moment. Trump has embarked on one of the most consequential and controversial opening stretches of any presidential term in modern memory - striking Iran's nuclear facilities, overhauling the federal government and pursuing mass deportations. Allies believe his near-death experience on July 13, 2024, has colored this approach to the presidency and made him even more motivated than the last time Trump ran the country. "When you have one of these moments, you realize every day counts ... and that you need to have a profound, lasting impact," said Sean Spicer, who was the White House press secretary during Trump's first term. "And I think that's why he is so mission-driven right now." A dramatic turning point for the 2024 campaign The assassination attempt wasn't just a pivotal moment for Trump. Historians say the shooting continues to reverberate nationwide a year later. "I think it was a dramatic turning point," said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, who described Butler as "extremely important in U.S. presidential history." He noted Trump quickly gained new support after the shooting, expanding his coalition. Trump got a political boost in the immediate aftermath of Butler, which came shortly after a disastrous debate for then-President Joe Biden, which helped force the Democratic incumbent - then 81 years old - out of the race. Republicans rallied around their wounded standard-bearer, who famously appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee two days later with a large white bandage on his ear. It quickly caught on at the GOP gathering as attendees donned ear bandages in solidarity. The shooting added to a sense among Trump supporters that he is a persecuted figure, which was fueled by the four criminal cases filed against him during the campaign. "It sort of suddenly rang true, like, 'Holy smokes, they really are trying to get him,'" Spicer said. Musk's endorsement and how Butler is part of Trump 'lore' Billionaire Elon Musk endorsed Trump on the day of the assassination attempt, and later he appeared onstage with him when the Republican defiantly returned to Butler in October for a rally about a month before Election Day. Musk spent nearly $290 million on the 2024 campaign to help Trump and other Republican candidates, which made him the largest donor, by far, of the election cycle. Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, called the Butler shooting "an inflection point in the campaign." "It made a real difference in his own supporters feeling like they needed to go the extra mile for him and leave it all on the field after he had been willing to step into the arena at the risk of his own life," Reed said. A year later, Butler has become part of Trump's "lore," Brinkley said. It will be featured in his presidential library someday. Its physical effects still linger for Trump, who talks about still experiencing a "throbbing feeling" in his ear. Another reminder of that day went on display in April on the White House State Floor. The presidential residence now features a large painting of Trump pumping his right fist in the air with blood streaked across his face after being shot. The scene captures Trump as he stood onstage, wounded, and defiantly shouted "fight, fight, fight" into the mic before being whisked away by Secret Service agents. It instantly became an iconic image, emblazoned on T-shirts and "indelibly sealed in the American imagination forever," Brinkley said. There also is a statue depicting the moment in the Oval Office. 'I was saved by God to make America great again' As lawmakers and other dignitaries gathered in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda to launch a new administration, Trump recalled how "an assassin's bullet ripped through my ear," imbuing him with a sense of divinely ordained purpose. "I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason," Trump said in his inaugural address in January. "I was saved by God to make America great again." The first five months that followed in Trump's second administration have been a tumultuous time. The president has moved aggressively by pushing legal boundaries and testing the limits of executive power. Many conservatives have cheered his actions. Opponents have protested and accused Trump of acting like an authoritarian. In a statement to USA TODAY on the anniversary of the assassination attempt, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted foremost the death of Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old volunteer firefighter at the Butler rally "who selflessly laid down his life to protect those around him." "President Trump will never forget Corey and his beautiful family," Leavitt wrote, adding: "On that dark day, God spared President Trump's life by a miraculous millimeter. Now one year later, President Trump is standing stronger than ever as he continues to 'fight, fight, fight' for the American people." Trump's 'divine right' narrative Trump's rhetoric about being saved by God to carry out his agenda plays into what Jennifer Mercieca, an expert on political rhetoric who teaches at Texas A&M University, describes as a narrative the Republican reality-TV-star-turned-politician has cultivated for years. Kings once ruled by "divine right," the professor noted, a claim that meant they were "placed in the world by God to rule over others, as God's ambassador on Earth." "Trump has been creating his own 'Divine Right' narrative since 2015, but has especially leaned into it since the assassination attempt," Mercieca wrote in an email response to questions from USA TODAY. As he works to expand the power of the presidency in his second term, she said, "Trump's embrace of a mandate from God is rhetorical framing that, if accepted, gives Trump unlimited power." Evangelical Christians have always been an important part of Trump's base. The shooting in Butler, and Trump's deeper embrace of religious language in its aftermath, may also have special resonance for them. Politically, Brinkley said, that has allowed Trump "to be seen as some kind of avenging angel by the Evangelicals who wanted to drain Sodom and Gomorrah." Trump's allies see a leader grappling with a near-death experience - and changed by it. "I believe it has forever impacted him," Spicer said, "in a very personal way." Contributing: Joey Garrison
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bessent: ‘Perfect cannot be the enemy of the good' on GOP bill
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stressed Friday that 'perfect cannot be the enemy of the good' while attempting to pass President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' filled with his legislative priorities. 'The perfect cannot be the enemy of the good, and it's legislative sausage making, which is new for me,' Scott said at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority event in Washington. He said Republicans hailing from the Democratic states were 'going to get something' and that 'the Senate's going to get something,' adding that 'getting this passed is the single most important economic thing we're going to do this year.' Bessent is scheduled to attend the Senate Republican luncheon later on Friday, two sources confirmed to The Hill, and Bessent met with blue-state Republicans over the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction cap included in the bill last night. Republicans were dealt a major blow on Thursday when Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough said that one of Republicans' Medicaid provisions on provider state taxes violated the Byrd Rule. That tax provision was supposed to be a major source of revenue for the legislation. Another thorn in Republicans' efforts to pass the legislation has been blue-state House Republicans, who have urged for a higher SALT deduction cap. The House bill included a $40,000 SALT cap though the Senate's version initially included a $10,000 deduction cap. Sources familiar with negotiations around SALT told The Hill the White House and SALT Republicans are closing in on a deal but will need buy-in first from Senate Republicans. Despite the swirling uncertainty over the legislation, Bessent projected confidence at the Faith & Freedom Coalition event, 'we're going to get the one big, beautiful bill to the president's desk and signed on July 4.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Bessent: ‘Perfect cannot be the enemy of the good' on GOP bill
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stressed Friday that 'perfect cannot be the enemy of the good' while attempting to pass President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' filled with his legislative priorities. 'The perfect cannot be the enemy of the good, and it's legislative sausage making, which is new for me,' Scott said at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority event in Washington, D.C. He said Republicans hailing from the Democratic states were 'going to get something' and that 'the Senate's going to get something,' adding that 'getting this passed is the single most important economic thing we're going to do this year.' Bessent is scheduled to attend the Senate Republican luncheon later on Friday, two sources confirmed to The Hill, and Bessent met with blue-state Republicans over the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction cap included in the bill last night. Republicans were dealt a major blow on Thursday when Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough said that one of Republicans' Medicaid provisions on provider state taxes violated the Byrd Rule. That tax provision was supposed to be a major source of revenue for the legislation. Another thorn in Republicans' efforts to pass the legislation has been blue-state House Republicans, who have urged for a higher SALT deduction cap. The House bill included a $40,000 SALT cap though the Senate's version initially included a $10,000 deduction cap. Sources familiar with negotiations around SALT told The Hill the White House and SALT Republicans are closing in on a deal but will need buy-in first from Senate Republicans. Despite the swirling uncertainty over the legislation, Bessent projected confidence at the Faith & Freedom Coalition event, 'we're going to get the one big, beautiful bill to the president's desk and signed on July 4.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
How Iran conflict has exposed Trump-Gabbard differences
The Iran-Israel conflict has exposed a growing rift in the White House. On the one hand, you have US President Donald Trump – who has claimed that he is his own best advisor – and on the other you have Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence. But what happened? How are the two divided? read more The Iran-Israel conflict has exposed a growing rift in the White House. On the one hand you have US President Donald Trump – who has claimed that he is his own best advisor. And on the other you have Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence. But what happened? How are the two divided? Let's take a closer look: What happened? As the war between Iran and Israel escalated , Trump on Tuesday rushed back to America from the G7 Summit being held in Canada. Trump claimed that Iran was 'very close to having a nuclear weapon'. Read Israel Iran conflict live updates STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Iran cannot have nuclear weapon,' he added. He also took to social media to call on the citizens of Tehran to leave the city. 'I just want people to be safe," he added, telling reporters he wanted a 'real end' to the conflict, rather than merely a 'ceasefire.' Trump also demanded an 'unconditional surrender' from Iran. Trump's remarks put him in in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assessment that Iran was set to acquire a nuclear weapon 'imminently' and that Israel's very survival was at stake. 'If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time', Netanyahu said. 'It could be a year. It could be within a few months'. However, Western agencies including that of the United States have contradicted this assessment. Gabbard, testifying at a House Intelligence Committee hearing in March, said as much. Tulsi Gabbard at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 21. (Photo: Reuters) The US intelligence community ' continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader Khomeini has not authorised the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003', Gabbard said. 'We continue to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorise its nuclear weapons program'. Confronted with Gabbard's remarks while flying back, Trump was dismissive. 'I don't care what she said,' the US President said. 'I think they were very close to having one.' Gabbard tried to do damage control, saying that Trump 'was saying the same thing that I said in my annual threat assessment back in March. Unfortunately too many people in the media don't care to actually read what I said'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A senior White House official claimed the two weren't really split. 'There's a distinction. Just because they don't have one does not mean that they don't want to build one,' the official said. A spokeswoman for Gabbard said she was 'on the same page' as Trump and blamed 'too many people in the media' for misinterpreting her remarks. The White House is also trying to tamp down on the issue. White House spokesperson Steven Cheung claimed the president 'has full confidence in his entire exceptional national security team' and insisted that 'efforts by the legacy media to sow internal division are a distraction that will not work.' Vice President JD Vance also claimed that she was 'an essential member' of team Trump. 'Tulsi Gabbard is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump, and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024,' Vance said in a statement. Not on the same page But Gabbard and Trump clearly aren't on the same page – and haven't been for a while. Gabbard took to social media on June 10 to write that the 'political elite and warmongers' are 'carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers' — and that the world is 'on the brink of nuclear annihilation.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The video, which was widely circulated in the White House, seemingly incensed Trump. So much so that he even mused about doing away with the position of Director of National Intelligence. Gabbard has long been a sceptic of US intervention in West Asia and of the intelligence agencies she now heads – precisely why Trump appointed her to the job. Iranian flag flutters in the wind. Image used for representative purpose/AFP Trump himself has spoken out against being against US interventions around the world and has signalled that he wants to pursue a far more isolationist agenda. The Trump-Gabbard divide also speaks to a wider briefed in the Maga world. 'Why was Gabbard not invited to the Camp David meeting all day?' asked Steve Bannon, the chief of the Maga isolationist wing, wondered about the high-level meeting Trump held with his cabinet on Sunday. 'You know why … This is a regime change effort,' Carlson responded. It remains to be seen if Gabbard remains in her post if the US goes to war with Iran. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
