Latest news with #Isenstadt
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Revenge review: a luridly fascinating smorgasbord of Trump's score settling
Alex Isenstadt is a senior political reporter at Axios and an alumnus of Politico. For a decade, he has covered Donald Trump and the Republicans. In March 2015, an Isenstadt dispatch blared: 'GOP hopefuls rush toward starting gates.' The story made no mention of the man who would win the 2016 election, lose in 2020, then win again in '24. But like all political reporters, Isenstadt has now mentioned Donald Trump plenty. Revenge, Isenstadt's first book, is aptly titled. In office only two months, Trump has already made settling scores and torching enemies a hallmark of his second term. At a speech to a joint session of Congress, he used Joe Biden as punching bag and foil. Now, he declares that pardons issued by his predecessor are 'void' because Biden maybe used an autopen. Whether Pam Bondi, Trump's attorney general, brings charges against recipients of those pardons – Hunter Biden, Liz Cheney or Anthony Fauci – remains of course to be seen. Bondi once said, as Isenstadt recalls, that if Trump won, 'the prosecutors will be prosecuted' and the 'investigators will be investigated'. In that spirit, Ed Martin, acting US attorney for DC, unsuccessfully attempted to push a federal grand jury to indict Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, for remarks made in 2020 about Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, two of Trump's picks to the supreme court. Trump and his followers claim to be committed to freedom of speech. In reality, it's not just graduate students with green cards who labor under the gun. Revenge is a delectable smorgasbord of scoop, dish and bile. A luridly fascinating read, it jauntily describes the efforts of Trump and his minions to gut, fillet and disembowel Ron DeSantis, Florida's humorless governor whose short-lived bid for the 2024 Republican nomination quickly morphed into a joke. Beyond beating DeSantis, Trump strived to humiliate him. And succeeded. 'To anyone who listened, Trump would tell the tale – and who the hell knew how much of it was true,' Isenstadt writes. 'DeSantis came to the Oval Office, 'tears in his eyes' to plead for his endorsement. ''He was like a beggar,' Trump told people aboard Trump Force One in June 2023, as he blasted Sinéad O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U from a portable speaker … 'I could have said, Drop to your fucking knees, Ron.'' You've got to love seeing Trump, DeSantis and Sinéad O'Connor in the same sentence. Isenstadt also captures the Trump campaign rehashing a litany of the governor's stranger moments: shoving chicken fingers into his jacket, clipping his toenails in the back of his security vehicle, or 'the time he had a bathroom mishap aboard an airplane'. Revenge does not elaborate on that last item, which is probably a good thing. Snack food emerged as Ron's achilles heel. In the same nausea-inducing spirit as Senator Amy Klobuchar reportedly eating a salad with her comb, DeSantis was said to have snarfed pudding with his fingers during a flight in 2019. 'I don't remember ever doing that,' DeSantis told Piers Morgan. 'Maybe when I was a kid.' Pro tip: if you're running for president but denying you're an awkward slob, you're losing. 'Trump didn't just want to stop DeSantis from winning the Republican nomination,' to quote Isenstadt. 'He wanted to destroy him and make it impossible for him to run for anything ever again.' Mission accomplished. Isenstadt also examines the on-again-off-again relationship between Trump and Rupert Murdoch. According to Isenstadt, their interactions were moored in profit and convenience. During Trump's bid for the nomination in 2016, the New York Post, Murdoch-owned, denied Trump the respect he craved. When DeSantis vied for the nomination in 2024, Murdoch appeared to be in his corner. That wounded Trump's ego. 'That Rupert is such a piece of shit, he's so cold,' Isenstadt captures Trump thundering, privately. He castigated Murdoch in public too, accusing him of 'aiding and abetting the DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA'. As for James Murdoch, Rupert's son? 'He's a crazy fucking liberal,' Trump complained to Tucker Carlson. Other sources bolster Isenstadt's take on Murdoch and Trump. According to Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff's first bestseller that birthed a genre, Murdoch called Trump 'a fucking idiot' after the two men ended a call. In The Fall, Wolff's Murdoch book from 2023, Wolff wrote that Murdoch frequently wished Trump dead, despite the fact he was a monster Murdoch helped create, and who made him even richer. 'Of all Trump's implacable enemies, Murdoch had become a frothing-at-the-mouth one,' Wolff wrote. 'Trump's death became a Murdoch theme: 'We would all be better off … ?' 'This would all be solved if … ' 'How could he still be alive, how could he?' 'Have you seen him? Have you seen what he looks like?'' Fast forward. Trump is living large, while Murdoch's life mirrors Succession, the HBO hit about vicious family rivalry that was based squarely on … the Murdochs. In conclusion, Isenstadt argues convincingly that 'revenge' remains the byword for the second Trump administration. He reviews ABC's $16m settlement of a Trump defamation suit, and the consumer fraud complaint Trump filed against Ann Selzer, the Des Moines Register and its parent company, Gannett. Selzer's pre-election Iowa poll 'so angered him' – because she had Kamala Harris ahead. Defendants have moved to dismiss the lawsuit. Trump's opposition is due by 28 March, with briefing by all parties by mid-April. Isenstadt also recalls that House Republicans released a report calling for Liz Cheney, once their own congresswoman from Wyoming, to be investigated by the FBI for her work on the January 6 committee. She too received a Biden pardon. Trump responded by posting: 'Cheney could be in a lot of trouble.' Isenstadt ends on an ominous note: 'His quest for revenge appeared under way.' Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power is published in the US by Hachette
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CNN Compares AOC's Rise to Post-Obama Republican Party: ‘Best Represents Democratic Voters'
A recent CNN poll showing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocascio-Cortez is gaining popularity among Democrats does not come as much of a surprise, Axios reporter Alex Isenstadt said on 'Inside Politics Sunday' this morning. Isenstadt explained that in some ways, AOC's political rise 'reminds me of what happened to Republicans after Obama's election in 2008.' After he was asked if there is 'a path for AOC in 2028,' Isenstadt said, 'Well, if that's what the party wants, then potentially … you know, her rise kind of reminds me of what happened to Republicans after Obama's election in 2008 where it was the loudest voices of the Republican Party, the Tea Party, that really gained traction at a time when the Republican Party was lost. 'And maybe Democrats now find themselves in a similar situation and AOC maybe she best represents Democratic voters on it,' Isenstadt added. Watch the segment below: Washington Post reporter Paul Kane agreed. 'Think of it this way,' he said. 'If you're a voter 30 and under, you've only participated in three elections, two of them Donald Trump won, one of them Joe Biden won. They're all over 70 years old when they won. There [are] millions of voters out there craving something new, something younger, something closer to them.' A new SSRS poll released March 16 revealed the majority of Democrats polled believe the party needs to do more to 'stop the Republican agenda,' CNN revealed. When asked to name 'the Democratic leader they feel 'best reflects the core values' of the party, 10% of respondents named Ocasio-Cortez (9% named former vice president Kamala Harris, 8% named Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and 6% named House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries). The poll was conducted between March 6 and March 9, days before Chuck Schumer and other party leaders voted with Republicans in favor of the GOP's spending bill. The move prompted outcry from House Democrats and members of the party across the country. 'I think there is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal and this is not just progressive Democrats — this is across the board, the entire party,' Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Thursday. 'I think it is a huge slap in the face.' Watch the clip from CNN in the video above. The post CNN Compares AOC's Rise to Post-Obama Republican Party: 'Best Represents Democratic Voters' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What Trump said when he saw his raised-fist assassination photo for the first time
President Donald Trump's reaction to seeing the now infamous pictures of the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania has been revealed in an excerpt from a new book. Trump, by that point in hospital shortly after the shooting, had just watched then-President Joe Biden address the nation regarding the attempted assassination via a CNN feed while on the phone of an aide. After watching the speech, Trump asked to see some pictures of the attack, Alex Isenstadt writes in an excerpt of his book Revenge published in Vanity Fair. Evan Vucci of the Associated Press had captured the moment Trump raised his fist to the sky with blood trickling down his face and the American flag flying behind him on July 13 last year. 'Wow, that's iconic,' said Trump. 'That's the most American picture I've ever seen.' Trump had opened his speech in Butler by bragging about his 'big beautiful crowd.' After a few minutes, he began speaking about how the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. had increased under Biden, who was being urged to step back from the race at the time following his disastrous debate performance on June 27. 'We have millions and millions of people in our country that shouldn't be here, dangerous people. Criminals, we have criminals. We have drug dealers,' said Trump before turning to point to a big screen over his right shoulder showing a graph revealing the increase. It was at that point that the shots rang out. Communications Director Stephen Cheung had been reading emails and texts and thought it was the sound of firecrackers before seeing a monitor showing a bloodied Trump grabbing his ear. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles yelled. 'Everyone get down!' Had Trump not turned to look at the screen, the bullet would likely have killed him. Secret Service agents piled on top of the then-former president, shielding him. The agents tried to decide their next move. 'What are we doing? What are we doing?' 'On three, on you. Move! Move!' 'Shooter's down,' one agent said about 40 seconds after the shots rang out. 'Are we good to move?' 'We're clear! We're clear!' The agents started to lift Trump, whose shoes had slipped off in the chaos. Trump had been wearing shoes by Bally, a Swiss company. They were designed to be tied on, but Trump used them as slip-ons, Isenstadt notes. As he stood up, Trump looked out between the agents at the crowd, pushing himself to the fore and pumping his fist three times. 'Fight, fight, fight,' he said as the audience cheered. Trump was quickly taken to the Butler Memorial Hospital, eight miles from the rally site. The hospital went into lockdown, with Secret Service agents with their long guns out and nurses moving patients out of units to make room for Trump and his entourage, Isenstadt writes in Revenge. As Trump was taken into the emergency room, he was only in an undershirt and suit pants. 'This is going to make some news,' said Trump.
The Independent
07-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
What Trump said when he saw his raised-fist assassination photo for the first time
President Donald Trump's reaction to seeing the now infamous pictures of the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania has been revealed in an excerpt of a new book. Trump, by that point in hospital shortly after the shooting, had just watched then-President Joe Biden address the nation regarding the attempted assassination via a CNN feed while on the phone of an aide. After watching the speech, Trump asked to see some pictures of the attack, Alex Isenstadt writes in an excerpt of his book Revenge published in Vanity Fair. Evan Vucci of the Associated Press had captured the moment Trump raised his fist to the sky with blood trickling down his face and the American flag flying behind him on July 13 last year. 'Wow, that's iconic,' said Trump. 'That's the most American picture I've ever seen.' Trump had opened his speech in Butler by bragging about his 'big beautiful crowd.' After a few minutes, he began speaking about how the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. had increased under Biden, who was being urged to step back from the race at the time following his disastrous debate performance on June 27. 'We have millions and millions of people in our country that shouldn't be here, dangerous people. Criminals, we have criminals. We have drug dealers,' said Trump before turning to point to a big screen over his right shoulder showing a graph revealing the increase. It was at that point that the shots rang out. Communications Director Stephen Cheung had been reading emails and texts and thought it was the sound of firecrackers before seeing a monitor showing a bloodied Trump grabbing his ear. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles yelled. 'Everyone get down!' Had Trump not turned to look at the screen, the bullet would likely have killed him. Secret Service agents piled on top of the then-former president, shielding him. The agents tried to decide their next move. 'What are we doing? What are we doing?' 'On three, on you. Move! Move!' 'Shooter's down,' one agent said about 40 seconds after the shots rang out. 'Are we good to move?' 'We're clear! We're clear!' The agents started to lift Trump, whose shoes had slipped off in the chaos. Trump had been wearing shoes by Bally, a Swiss company. They were designed to be tied on, but Trump used them as slip-ons, Isenstadt notes. As he stood up, Trump looked out between the agents at the crowd, pushing himself to the fore and pumping his fist three times. 'Fight, fight, fight,' he said as the audience cheered. Trump was quickly taken to the Butler Memorial Hospital, eight miles from the rally site. The hospital went into lockdown, with Secret Service agents with their long guns out and nurses moving patients out of units to make room for Trump and his entourage, Isenstadt writes in Revenge. As Trump was taken into the emergency room, he was only in an undershirt and suit pants. 'This is going to make some news,' said Trump.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
RNC Accused of Keeping Email Hack From FBI to Avoid Bad Press
The Republican National Committee allegedly failed to notify the FBI that its email systems had suffered a serious breach by Chinese hackers for fear of bad press during Donald Trump's 2024 campaign for the presidency. Citing excerpts from a forthcoming book by Politico's Alex Isenstadt, Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power, the Wall Street Journal reports the attack allegedly committed by hackers with ties to the Chinese government, was likely carried out in an effort to assess the GOP's internal view of tensions between China and Taiwan. Insiders told Isenstadt that Microsoft had alerted the RNC to the breach just days before the attempt on President Trump's life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Beijing, for its part, has denied any role in the breach, with a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. telling the Journal that China 'firmly opposes and combats cyberattacks and cyber theft in all forms.' There's apparently nothing in Isenstadt's book to suggest quite how far hackers made it into the GOP's internal systems, or just how many emails might have been compromised. It's nevertheless thought the attack came at roughly the same time as a separate hack targeting the Trump campaign carried out by cyber operatives tied to the Iranian regime, who obtained a number of documents that were later flogged to a variety of U.S. media outlets. Most of those publications declined to make use of the leak out of concerns for its origin. Intelligence officials have long-warned that U.S. presidential campaigns serve as prime targets for espionage operations by hostile states, with internal communications in particular offering not only valuable insights into the foreign policy priorities of potentially-incoming administrations, but also opportunities to sow chaos by leaking otherwise sensitive data. Both the RNC and the White House have been approached for comment on the allegations.
