Politicians & Pundits: Donald Trump

Trump Economy Update: 157,735 Announced Layoffs

In conjunction with today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report, American Bridge released its latest TrumpEconomy.com tabulation of announced layoffs since Donald Trump took office.

At least 157,735 American workers have been given pink slips in the just over six months since Trump’s inauguration, but President Trump has done nothing to meaningfully protect or create American jobs. Instead of introducing a bold jobs plan or comprehensive infrastructure bill, Trump has spent all of his political capital trying to slash his own tax rate with a series of dangerous health care bills that’d strip health insurance away from anywhere between 16 and 32 million Americans.

“Trump’s economy isn’t working for the middle-class and his lies and broken promises are exactly why. From ditching promises to invest in infrastructure to pushing a sham ‘healthcare’ bill that was really a tax cut for the rich, the President has done next to nothing for American jobs since […]

Read more after the jump.

What Just Happened

​Here’s what we learned about the ongoing Russia scandal in the last hour: 

1. WSJ: Special Counsel Robert Mueller impaneled a grand jury in Washington DC. Legal experts agree this will help Mueller subpoena records and testimony from witnesses. 

“Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, a sign that his inquiry is growing in intensity and entering a new phase, according to two people familiar with the matter. The grand jury, which began its work in recent weeks, is a sign that Mr. Mueller’s inquiry is ramping up and that it will likely continue for months. Mr. Mueller is investigating Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 election and whether President Donald Trump’s campaign or associates colluded with the Kremlin as part of that effort. […] Grand juries are powerful investigative tools that allow prosecutors to subpoena documents, put witnesses under […]

Read more after the jump.

11 Takeaways From Trump’s Calls With Mexico And Australia (Spoiler Alert: Trump is Weak)

President Trump’s utter weakness and unwillingness to even try and make good on his campaign promises shine through in two revealing transcripts of his conversations with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull. In both conversations, Trump immediately drops his campaign rhetoric and resorts to begging the foreign leaders to not make him “look like a dope” in the press. If this is how Trump handled his private conversations with Vladimir Putin at the G20, there is no telling what he conceded to Russia and how it will endanger our national security.

“The President is in way over his head and his incompetence could result in serious national security consequences,” said Emily Aden, American Bridge Rapid Response Director. “He’s weak, he lacks the necessary leadership skills to do the job, and all he cares about is appeasing Russia.”

1. Trump Called New Hampshire A “Drug-Infested Den.” “Up in New […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump’s Broken Opioid Promises Speak Louder Than Jeff Sessions’s Words

American Bridge Spokesperson Harrell Kirstein released the following statement after Jeff Sessions’s remarks in Columbus, Ohio, on the opioid epidemic:

“Within months of taking office, President Trump proposed massive cuts to the largest source opioid treatment in the country and tried to eliminate the Office of National Drug Control Policy, breaking campaign promises every step of the way.  Coming after this betrayal, Jeff Sessions’s words today are cheap and meaningless.  There is nothing this administration can say to make up for Trump abandoning the millions of Americans looking for support in the struggle against the opioid epidemic.”

Background on the massive cuts Trump’s has proposed to opioid treatment is below.  Additionally, Trump’s opioid commission has twice  failed to produce to a plan to fight substance abuse, and even Ohio’s Republican Governor Kasich called the Trumpcare funding to stem the opioid crisis “anemic,” noting “it’s like spitting in the ocean.”

Trump’s Budget Included […]

Read more after the jump.

Even Mick Mulvaney can’t defend Trump’s CSR threats

After Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, failed numerous times to answer for Trump’s threat to stop payments of cost-sharing subsidies that are essential for insurance market stability and for 7 million working Americans to have healthcare, American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement:

“Even Trump’s budget director can’t defend Trump’s threat to sabotage Obamacare marketplaces and it’s clear why. Cutting off Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reductions that are critical for seven million Americans having healthcare – the very people Donald Trump referred to as ‘the forgotten men and women’ – would recklessly damage insurance markets across the country and hike premiums by 19%.  If Trump puts his little hand on the scale, he will be punishing millions of innocent people out of spite because his drive to pass Trumpcare went down in flames. The American people deserve better leadership.”

Click here to see Mulvaney’s interview​: https://youtu.be/bEjBs58vX2Y​

Read more after the jump.

WATCH: 6 Times Trump’s Lawyer Misled Americans About The President’s Role In The Donald Jr. Cover Up

The President’s lawyer was asked SIX times – and lied every time – about Donald Trump’s knowledge of his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised the Trump campaign dirt about Hillary Clinton in 2016. Last night we learned that not only was Trump aware of the meetings well before the White House suggested, but that Trump was also leading the effort to cover-up and lie to the public about Junior’s role in the scandal.

“Donald Trump is the most corrupt, untrustworthy President we’ve ever known,” said Shripal Shah, Vice President of American Bridge. “His personal involvement in the cover-up of his son’s potentially criminal behavior, and his legal team’s subsequent lies about what the President knew and when, is just the latest proof point.”
Jay Sekulow: “Got To Be Clear, The President Wasn’t Aware Of The Meeting, Did Not Participate In The Meeting, Did Not Attend The Meeting And Was Only Made […]

Read more after the jump.

Undermining the American Dream: Trump Attacks American Values, Working Families

Trump Policies Make It Harder For Working People To Get Ahead

The Trump White House has officially designated this week “American Dreams Week,” so what better an opportunity to look at the myriad of ways that Trump’s agenda has already made life more difficult for American working people. From proposing massive cuts to key job training programs and making it harder for Americans to buy a home, to unilaterally imposing discriminatory immigration policies, Donald Trump has repeatedly proven he has no reverence for the values and ideals that have come to define the American Dream.

“From Day One, when he signed an executive order ensuring 40,000 Americans were unable to buy homes in 2017, Donald Trump has gone out of his way to make life more difficult for everyday Americans, while further rigging the economy in favor of himself, the top 1%, and big corporations,” said American Bridge Vice […]

Read more after the jump.

Editorials Roundup: Unpresidential Edition

State and local editorial boards captured the outrage of Americans all across the country this past week. First, President Trump and the Senate Republicans failed- again- in their most recent attempt to rip health care away from millions of Americans all to give tax cuts to millionaires. Their effort can only be described as an embarrassing spectacle that culminated in forcing a vote on a bill no one read, without a hearing, in the dead of night.

Then, President Trump gave a highly inappropriate speech to the Boy Scouts of America- sparking such disgust that the organization actually had to apologize. If that wasn’t enough, President Trump desperately tried to change the subject from his failings by instituting an unconstitutional ban on transgender military service members. Again, President Trump met sharp rebukes from the Pentagon, his own party, and Americans all across the country for such an unpatriotic […]

Read more after the jump.

Bridge Project Launches New Climate Accountability Project

American Bridge’s advocacy arm, Bridge Project, is launching a new climate change initiative today ahead of Congress’ August recess, focusing on the Trump administration’s policy changes and their devastating impact on our country’s economy. Digital ads, an aggressive petition campaign, and a new online hub to boost real time accountability will be at the forefront of this initiative. In addition to rapid response and in person tracking efforts, the latest research on the Trump administration’s dangerous agenda to erase key environmental protections and in-depth reports on climate related policy changes will be housed at www.climateundertrump.com, with state and local research available to grassroots advocates, members of the press, and the public.

“Climate change presents an economic problem as well as an environmental one, and we’re going to expose the dangers of Trump’s agenda,” said American Bridge President Jessica Mackler. “If President Trump continues to put our future at risk […]

Read more after the jump.

American Bridge Launches Digital Ads in 4 States On GOP Dysfunction

Ads Highlight Washington Republicans’ Total Inability to Govern & Call for Change in Congress

As the Republican Party reels from the failure of its top policy priority for the last seven years despite holding the White House and both chambers of Congress, American Bridge today is launching a digital ad campaign holding Republican politicians accountable for their party’s dysfunction and toxic agenda.

The ads, which will run on social media through the weekend, will tell swing voters, “The Republican Congress isn’t working. It’s time for new leadership in Washington.” The ads will run across four key states: Nevada, Florida, Arizona and Michigan.

“Republicans in Washington are mired in dysfunction, unable deliver on their campaign promises and beholden to a toxic legislative agenda. They are offering the country chaos when we need competence,” said American Bridge Vice President Shripal Shah.  “Kicking millions off of their insurance in order to cut taxes for the rich was a […]

Read more after the jump.