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Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: Is the World Burning?
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. Good news: America is not going out of business. What I am reading: Victor Davis Hanson of The Free Press with a justification for President Trump tearing down the world economic system – perhaps the issue isn't what he's doing but how he's doing it. For years, the experts have warned of a 'reckoning' coming over America's bipartisan drunken sailor spending and China's rise – now those same experts say that Trump's reckoning on both fronts is a God-awful, terrible, horrible idea. Be fair: If we are going to have a reckoning – isn't it better to have it on our terms at a time of our choosing? Yes, I said our, not his. Whether you like Trump or hate Trump, he is our president, and we should all be rooting for his success in this venture – the cost of failure is brutal. As we told you last week, President Trump does not care about the markets, political commentary or Republican criticism. His resolute comments over the weekend and in the Oval Office earlier today show a man completely at peace gambling with the U.S. economy and American leadership in the world. Yes, the stakes are that high, but Trump spent a lifetime negotiating with the mob and unions in New York City. He played golf this weekend multiple times. Is the criticism fair? 'Media Shreds Trump for Golf Update Amid Market Chaos, Military Deaths,' headlines Mediaite. He joked with the Los Angeles Dodgers this morning at the White House. More at play: President Trump wants world leaders to see him confidently holding the line and relaxing, not panicking over the market crashing. Rightful fear: Much of the MAGA acolytes keep downplaying the stakes and ridicule those terrified about watching their evaporating 401(k)s – HUGE mistake. Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy called out those downplaying people's fears over the tariffs: 'Clay Travis, Will Cain, they're like 'just don't look at your 401k. Since when do people care about the stock market?' That's bulls**t. That's f***ing bulls**t,' Portnoy said in a recent video. The stakes are very high — people should be scared. Bill O'Reilly writes in his latest column, 'Make America Scared Again.' 'The Trump administration must provide daily economic updates like those we saw during Covid. Calm everything down, trumpet all good news. The President knows his legacy is on the line because powerful republican senators are telling him that. He is not challenging the political danger. He is hoping better trade deals emerge. There is urgency.' Overseas: America largely focuses on itself – superpowers get that privilege. The hyper-American focused coverage of U.S. cable news outlets misses how panicked the rest of the world is. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to America within days of the announcement to make a deal with President Trump at the White House. Leaders from the European Union held a press conference to offer zero tariffs on industrial goods. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba talked with Trump today and is sending a team to the U.S. to negotiate. Flip side: China is taking defiance to another level – President Trump quadrupled down, threatening another 50% in tariffs if China does not back out of its latest threat on increasing U.S. tariffs. 'Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34%, on top of their already record setting Tariffs, Non-Monetary Tariffs, Illegal Subsidization of companies, and massive long term Currency Manipulation … If China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th,' Trump posted on Truth Social. China's stock markets have plummeted 7.6% in the Shanghai Index since Trump's tariffs were announced last week. Style points: This is about China and making countries choose between the United States and China – without explicitly saying it. Strategy: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the White House's thinking, and we know that because the 'Rapid Response 47' account on X shared it: 'There are 50, 60, maybe almost 70 countries now who have approached us,' Bessent told Fox Business. Bessent continued that President Trump 'gave himself maximum negotiating leverage — and just when he has achieved the maximum leverage, he's willing to start talking.' Conventional wisdom: Most, if not all, of the media mocks Trump's strategy as 'ready, fire, aim.' The mainstream media isn't always wrong. Gipper playbook: Ronald Reagan wanted to win rather than manage the Cold War and did so by raising the stakes impossibly high for the Soviets. Similarly, Trump's moves show a man trying to isolate China, raise the stakes and put them in a box rather than manage its rise … gutsy. Art of War: Sun Tzu can be summarized by saying the opponent who chooses the field of battle often wins the battle. One can say many things about Trump's strategy and tactics, but he has chosen the time and field of battle – and certainly maintained the elements of surprise. Watch tonight: Bill O'Reilly on Trump's gamble to box in China and reassert American dominance in the world. Trump's plan for an American manufacturing renaissance assumes that there is a workforce ready for construction and manufacturing jobs. The Wall Street Journal notes that labor workers are hard to find: 'Forty percent of small business owners in March reported job openings they couldn't fill, with larger shares in construction (56%), transportation (53%) and manufacturing (47%), according to last week's National Federation of Independent Business survey. The Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey of businesses tells a similar story. There are twice as many job openings in manufacturing than in the mid-2000s as a share of employment. Save for during the pandemic, America's worker shortage is the worst in 50 years.' Yup: We predicted this back in February during an interview with Mike Rowe. Click here to watch our segment on the importance of the trades. Manly renaissance: Our friend Batya Ungar-Sargon on how Trump's tariffs could fix the 'crisis in masculinity' by increasing manufacturing jobs in America. 'It's not just the destruction of the economic vitality of the working class. … We imported millions and millions of illegals to work in construction, manufacturing, landscaping, janitorial services—jobs that used to give men access to the American dream,' Ungar-Sargon said. Watch tonight: Do Americans really want all these jobs – Ana Kasparian of the 'Young Turks' joins us with who will be installing the screws on your iPhone. Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: No Good Choices
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. Thank you: Your response to 'Born Lucky' is inspiring and humbling – thank you. But: It's not about me – it's about my dad and giving the parents of struggling kids a North Star of hope. Watch: Our segment announcing 'Born Lucky' from last night's program – I am living proof nobody has to be defined by their diagnosis. Reminder: You can preorder at – it comes out on September 30. Tell your friends: We will be doing some special events for 'War Notes' subscribers around launch day. Not April Fools' Day: 'Dramatic cuts in China's air pollution drove surge in global warming,' headlines New Scientist. It got us thinking: Why don't Democrats ever talk about electric cars and global warming anymore? President Donald Trump risks a Joe Biden-like mistake tomorrow. Biden rebranded the Green New Deal as the Inflation Reduction Act. Two lies for the price of one. Name changes don't change policy. The Inflation Reduction Act added rocket fuel to postpandemic inflation. Trump is rebranding tariffs as 'Make America Wealthy Again.' Two lies for the price of one. Name changes don't change policy. Tariffs are still taxes paid by the consumer. Be fair: All of this could change tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET when President Trump announces a few small targeted tariffs – and a bunch of additional manufacturing investments. But that's not what he's promised. Box: Trump faces two choices. Punishing tariffs that will dramatically raise consumer prices and crush importers, thus giving him more power to negotiate. 'CNBC's Jim Cramer Goes Nuclear on Trump Over Stock Market,' writes Mediaite. Light tariffs that give him more time to negotiate but appear to give into the current fear factor. The plan: Again, we don't know. We were told that Trump's tariffs are just negotiating tactics. But now, his tariff cheerleader, senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, says America will bring in $6 trillion in tariffs over the next 10 years. 'A $6 Trillion Trump Tax Increase?' headlines The Wall Street Journal. 'Trump's bizarro-world tariffs will turn economy upside down,' says The New York Post. Both of those are pro-Trump papers owned by Rupert Murdoch. So which is it: Negotiating tactics to get better deals, or a new economic policy? Today's special elections in Florida and Wisconsin mean nothing if you lose and everything if you win – or maybe it's the other way around. Let's look at a few scenarios – in order of likelihood: Republicans should win both Florida House seats. The margins matter – Trump won both districts by over 30 points in November. But if Republicans win both seats, there are no surprises. Politico wants drama, which I get – Al Michaels always said he rooted for drama, but winning is everything in politics. 'Florida heads to polls in 2 House special elections — with the spotlight far brighter than expected,' Politico headlines. Democrats should win the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The liberal candidate is ahead. Midterms and off-years favor the out-of-power party, which is the Democrats right now. Wisconsin is a blue state, except for when the candidate is named Donald Trump – and it's still mostly blue. The Elon effect: If Democrats win in Wisconsin, Trump will need to reexamine his relationship with Elon Musk – or at least putting Musk front and center. Data: 'D-Day for Musk: Democrats in Special Elections Target Trump's DOGE Chief,' writes Politico. If both of those scenarios happen, who cares. If Democrats win Florida seats: WOW. If Republicans win the Wisconsin judgeship, Democrats need to do some soul searching, and Elon Musk just became the best political surrogate in American history. If Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is still speaking when you read this, he will hold the record for the longest speech in U.S. Senate history – slow clap. he record currently is held by Senator Strom Thurmond, who talked for 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957 while filibustering to oppose civil rights legislation. The senator who once called his threat to release documents about racial profiling during Brett Kavanaugh's Senate hearing his 'Spartacus moment' perfectly encapsulates the Democrats' problem. Performance art slamming Donald Trump isn't the answer. Watch tonight: Polling guru Frank Luntz on what Democratic VOTERS actually want. Bonus reading: ''Bottom Line Is That We Have Lost Control of Our Destiny,'' writes Thomas B. Edsall in an opinion piece in The New York Times. Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: Born Lucky
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. We heard from a lot of you after my Father's Day essay – read it here. But the essay is a very small part of a larger story – that story comes out September 30 in my new book, 'Born Lucky.' Special thanks to my co-author Don Yaeger – he's taught me far more about writing, reporting and the human equation than four years of journalism school did. Click here to preorder. Click here to watch the launch video There are about 15 million American kids, and roughly 20% have a diagnosis of a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. And Lord knows parts of the other 80% deal with constant problems, from bullying and self-esteem to making friends and academics. I am writing 'Born Lucky' to give them and their parents hope. I'm living proof you don't have to be defined by your diagnosis – as a little boy, child psychologists told my parents I have what we now know as autism. My middle school principal told my parents that I was quite weird – they were both right. YIKES: I didn't talk until I was three. Among many problems, it led to bullying, of course. I had no friends – and teachers got in on the fun too. In the 8th grade, my art teacher said in front of the entire class that if his dog was as ugly as me, he would shave its ass and make it walk backward. My dad made me go to art class the next day with the same teacher. And that's what this story is about – my dad. Realization: Dad refused to allow psychologists to diagnose me with anything. He knew the world wouldn't change for me – he had to change me. This is that story. Dedication: He sold his company, stopped his career and dedicated the next 18 years of his life to helping me. Dad decided pushups would whip my 7-year-old body into shape so that no schoolyard bully would dare mess with me – soon, he had me doing 200 pushups a day. Unable to read social cues, he would take me to dinners. When I became too loud or off rhythm, he would casually tap his watch. That was my signal to stop talking – later we postgamed what I had missed. Unwavering standards: My diagnosis as having an IQ spread from genius on half of the test to mentally retarded on others would have gotten me significant special treatment. That was en vogue during the late 1980s and 90s. Dad knew a cruel world after high school would not make such accommodations. He was right. He became my best friend for a long time – my only friend, protector, cheerleader and harshest critic. Journey: Those lessons took me from a kid who could barely talk and didn't understand basic social interaction around the world to: The White House North Lawn. The battlefields of the Middle East. The anchor desk of two national networks. This is the love story of a father who quit his job to help his son – and how with a lot of love, hard work and unyielding standards, you don't have to be defined by a diagnosis. Nobody does. Be smart: I know what you are thinking – the world doesn't need a TV journalist, of all people, lecturing parents about how to fix their autistic kids. And you are right – but that's not what this is about. Hope: This is about giving hope to tens of millions of parents whose kids are struggling every day – not just with autism and the spectrum but ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety, bullying and the difficulties of growing up. Truth: Your kid doesn't have to be defined by the diagnosis. Life in the real world doesn't give participation trophies. And the experts aren't always right. I've never talked about this before, but it's time to say thank you to my dad. Click here to preorder the book. Friends, don't take my word on the book, read the announcement from the great Mike Allen at Axios here. Best line: 'Mark Vittert — once the future anchorman's only friend — is now his golf partner.' Now onto the news! Think about President Donald Trump's week: An upcoming choice for American 'Liberation Day' of: Appearing weak and backing off from tariffs. Or crashing the American economy with them. Mixed stocks on Monday show Wall Street's discomfort with the uncertainty ahead. SignalGate. A Ukraine-Russia ceasefire deal is all but hopeless. Trump even telling NBC News that he is 'very angry' and 'pissed off' at Putin. The race to fill former representative turned national security adviser Mike Waltz's seat in Florida is looking too close for comfort for Republicans. The House GOP already holds a very slim majority over Democrats, and the majority in the House is critical for Trump to move his agenda forward. Plus, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which is also too close for comfort for Trump. Elon Musk held a town hall in Wisconsin on Sunday in support of the conservative candidate. Now think about what the media is talking about: The superimportant story of this Monday: Who controls the seating chart in the White House press briefing room? What if Trump runs for a third term, three years and nine months from now? Kid Rock's visit to the Oval Office. Boom! All of Trump's problems are solved. President Trump isn't joking when he says he has not ruled out running for a third term – he is trolling. Trump is an expert at changing the newscycle away from things that are bad for him. Tariff troubles: They aren't tax cuts as Peter Navarro wants you to believe. You trust us to tell you the truth – tariffs aren't tax cuts. They are taxes paid by consumers. Read conservative commentator Erick Erickson's latest post on Substack with moral clarity on Trump's belief in tariffs. Just because the media is out to get Trump, it doesn't mean they are always wrong. 'Why Trump's auto tariffs will hurt his working-class supporters,' headlines Reuters. Trump and his top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, can make an argument that tariffs are worth it – but saying they won't raise prices just isn't true. 'We've got the biggest, most pro-worker tax cut in history that's moving forward at a breakneck speed … I think the naysayers will be proven wrong if they're a little bit nervous about the blips from this week to next,' Navarro said about the tariffs on Sunday. Reality check: Who are you going to believe – Peter Navarro or Ronald Reagan? Ronald Reagan on tariffs back in 1987: 'At first, when someone first says 'let's impose tariffs of foreign imports,' it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs and sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time. What eventually occurs is, first, home grown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs, they stop competing, and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets. And then while all this is going on something even worse occurs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition, so soon because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidize inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying, then the worst happens. Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industry shut down and millions of people lose their jobs.' Watch tonight: Bill O'Reilly on how long Trump can play the media. Will his economic plan work in time? How does a party that covered up the president in rapid decline regain the trust of the American people? Starting this week, a series of three books that will make Joe Biden look really bad is coming out. 'Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,' by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, which will be released tomorrow. 'Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,' by Chris Whipple, publishing April 8. 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,' by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which comes out May 20. These books will expose things the Left and their friends in the media called 'conspiracy theories' that later proved to be true. This is an indictment of Team Biden and the Left-leaning media but also the Democratic Party at large. 'How Biden's frailties hampered Harris,' writes our partners at The Hill of one upcoming book. Hey, Democrats! You are going to have to admit that Harris hampered Harris – it's the double speak and rationalization that got you here in the first place. Watch tonight: David Pakman, host of 'The David Pakman Show,' on the unique opportunity the books present for Democrats! Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: Channeling the Anger
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. Rent-a-womb: Our correspondent Brian Entin goes undercover to expose birth tourism 2.0. In the 2000s, everybody talked about pregnant Chinese women coming to America on tourist visas to give birth and thus have a child with American citizenship. Now, Chinese families are renting a womb – to have American women give birth to American kids, then go back to China with their new child. IT'S WILD: Entin joins us tonight with his exclusive reporting. Axing the Department of Education: Only Congress can eliminate the Department of Education, so President Trump's executive order to dismantle the department from earlier today won't do much. Be fair: Trump did promise that all the programs Democrats warned would be cut – such as Pell Grants and programs for assisting kids with special needs – will remain fully funded. Therefore, Democrats should stop whining, and Republicans should stop celebrating. More importantly: It's unclear how the executive order will actually help America's dismal education system. The United States is ranked fifth in the world for the highest cost spent per student but ranks 31st in the world for education performance. For context: South Korea spends practically the same amount per student but has the best educational system in the world. Too bad Trump can't eliminate teachers unions! Conventional wisdom says that Democrats must 'moderate' to win – conventional wisdom is usually wrong. America is angry – 'That's why they elected President Trump,' goes the line – yes, that's the truth. But other parts of America are angry at Donald Trump – despite Trump's claims of a 'landslide,' we are still pretty evenly split as a nation. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke at a town hall in Eau Claire, Wisconsin – and it was quite the performance. The gleefulness at Tesla's stock price declining was pathetic, but for our purposes today, that's beside the point – we covered it yesterday. We told you earlier this week that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer faces a Democratic firing squad for doing what's best for the country. He kept the government open rather than 'fighting Trump.' Now, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is likely to primary Schumer in the New York Senate race. History tells us whoever can harness the real anger in America wins. There is a lot of populist anger on the Left right now that the traditional Democratic Party did not understand this past election. There was a lot of populist anger on the Right that the traditional Republican Party didn't understand in 2008. Look back: John McCain's campaign in 2008 and Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign had a lot in common: They were both bad candidates with a boring message – they ran on saying, 'I'm not the other guy.' But it was 'their turn.' McCain had Sarah Palin as his pick for vice president – Harris had Tim Walz. Both Palin and Walz are fundamentally unserious people who tapped an emotion in their party. Thought bubble: The candidates' home states of Alaska and Minnesota must be part of this – maybe the dark and cold winters make people angry. Republicans formed the Tea Party because they were angry – remember the 2010 march on Washington? Tens of thousands of conservatives came to the National Mall for the 'Restoring Honor' rally to hear speeches by Sarah Palin and broadcaster Glenn Beck. But Republicans didn't listen to this base – they nominated Mitt Romney, Mr. Moderate Republican. DISASTER! The Republican autopsy after Romney's 2012 loss said the party must become more moderate with: A path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Compassionate conservatism. Jeb Bush was their answer, with the logo 'JEB!' NOPE: Trump came along. He said to 'build a wall' to keep the rapists and murderers out. Trump won. Lesson for Democrats: Don't moderate – channel the anger. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett, Sen. Bernie Sanders plus Gov. Tim Walz are onto something – they are capturing an anger. They haven't figured it out yet – none of them are the 'Trump' of the party, to use our analogy – but they are onto something just like the Tea Party was onto something in 2010. 🎤 AOC and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are on a 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour, where they are hosting town halls in Nevada, Colorado and Arizona. Pro tip: America isn't mad at the oligarchy – they are mad at the establishment – those are different things. Finding a bully: Gal Beckerman is out with a must-read piece in The Atlantic, 'Searching for the Democratic Bully.' 'Finding someone to out-Trump Trump might look like an expedient solution to an immediate problem. But it also means fighting a war that the Democrats have already lost,' Berckerman writes. America is angry: This isn't about finding a bully – Democrats need to find someone to fight to fix things Americans are angry about rather than against Trump. Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: Democrats' Issues!
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. Breaking news: The JFK files will come out tomorrow, plus President Trump and Putin are scheduled to talk at 10 a.m. ET. Watch tonight: Bill O'Reilly, who just got out of a 90-minute meeting with Trump, on all of that, plus his and Trump's plan to bring back 'Kate's Law,' which would increase penalties on those who reenter the country after being deported. All options: Over the weekend, national security adviser Michael Waltz said 'all options are on the table' for denying Iran a nuclear weapon. Trump's weekend threat to destroy the Houthis in Yemen appears to have gotten their attention. Watch tonight: Sabrina Singh, formerly deputy press secretary of Biden's Department of Defense. Statue repossession: The French evidently want their Statue of Liberty back. Well, not the French, but a few particularly left-wing French politicians. 'Give us back the Statue of Liberty. It was our gift to you. But apparently, you despise her. So she will be happy here with us,' parliament member Raphaël Glucksmann said. Best response: White House press secretary Karoline Levitt said the French should remember that without the United States, they would be speaking German. Be fair: Without the French, we would still be living under the boot of the British monarchy. Taking the bait: Once again, Trump put Democrats in an impossible position – this time, it is defending violent, gang-affiliated illegal aliens from deportation. Who could be against MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members deported to El Salvador? Be fair: Playing cute with the orders of federal judges will backfire. 'I was a lawyer for ICE. Mass deportations don't make us safer,' writes Veronica Cardenas in The Guardian. She joins us tonight. Last week, Democrats cried about the 'Brown University doctor' deported on national security grounds. The Department of Homeland Security says she attended the funeral of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Why is this controversial? Democrats have issues: Like an addict, the Democratic Party must reach rock bottom before it can rebuild. New low: 'Democratic Party's favorability drops to a record low,' CNN headlines of their newest poll. 'Among the American public overall, the Democratic Party's favorability rating stands at just 29% – a record low in CNN's polling dating back to 1992.' A few headlines: 'Schumer postpones book tour amid backlash over funding vote,' writes The Hill. 'MSNBC host Symone Sanders Townsend announces live on air she's quitting Dem Party,' headlines The New York Post. 'These six Democrats are showing the party how to resist Trump 2.0,' Perry Bacon Jr. writes in The Washington Post Opinion page. Then this: Remember all the Democratic senators reading from the same script for a cringeworthy social media video – here we go again. At golf – shocking, I was playing golf – this weekend, someone asked me how the Trump presidency was going. There are a thousand ways to answer that, but I gave the most balanced response I could think of: For those who love Trump, he's delivering and then some. For those who hate Trump, he's giving them more reasons to hate him. Note: I didn't say anything about the people in the middle – and that's one of Trump's biggest issues. Makes sense: That analysis explains recent polling showing President Trump with a record-high approval rating as president of 47%. That means 53% feel something other than approval. And 44% of Americans think the country is heading in the right direction, which is the highest amount since 2004. Still, more Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction than right, with 54% saying America is on the wrong track. Delivering: Love or hate Trump, he's delivering on his promises, many of which are broadly popular. Securing the border Deporting criminals No boys in girls sports The Laken Riley Act Declassifying the JFK files We could keep going … So why isn't he more popular? Style. We'll talk to Bill O'Reilly about whether style matters and, more importantly, whether the media has stacked the deck against him. Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
