Connect with us

Published

on

Donald Trumps relationship to the GOP donor class has always been fraught, but lately its getting less so thanks to Sleepy Joe Bidens endless idiocy on a range of policy issues from Israel, the border, to the economy and crime and how all this combined seems to be handing the 2024 election to the four-times indicted orange man. 

Yes, Biden is feeble and highly unpopular for doing a horrific job over the past four years, but he does bring some advantages to the November race, apart from Trumps manifold legal woes.

Much of it involves money and possibly until now Trumps difficulty in raising it from GOP megadonors. 

Consider what I first reported last week: Billionaire Citadel investment chief Ken Griffin, who had backed Nikki Haley during the primaries, is likely sitting out the presidential election because hes not a fan of Trumps 2020 election denialism and divisiveness, people close to him tell me. 

Griffin is said to be focusing his dough on Senate seats since the GOP has a decent chance of winning the upper chamber and some House races.

Another billionaire GOP donor, Steve Schwarzman of the Blackstone group private equity firm, hasnt decided what he might do in the presidential race and thats telling because he was once close to Trump and served on his business advisory council.

He, too, is concerned by Trumps style. 

But polls do matter to the GOP money men (and women) they work in big business and finance, so they have a vested interest in cozying up to a Trump regulatory state.

When you combine better Trump polling with Bidens political and policy faults, it is just easier for the Republican donor class, once reluctant to embrace Trump, to make amends with him, several have recently told me. 

I cant tell you if Griffin will ever have a change of heart or Schwarzman will come back into Trumpland; they are certainly no fans of the Biden status quo and Trump will be wooing them.

But increasingly, many other Trump-hating GOP money guys believe a second Biden term would mark a dangerous turning point for the country, not just because he might not make it and we will have a ninny like Kamala Harris running the show.

They believe Biden, if given four more years, will fully embrace his inner progressive.

No tax rate will be high enough; Israel will be forced to capitulate to terrorists because hes so beholden to the left wing of his party. 

I see GOP donors who personally hated Trump saying theyre coming back into the fold, said one high-rolling Republican donor who was courted to throw a couple hundred grand to the Donalds Palm Beach fundraiser hosted by hedge funder John Paulson.

Based on what Im seeing in terms of whos giving money, the Palm Beach thing will be a blowout. If the trends continue, money wont be a problem for Trump, trust me on this. 

Saturdays event is expected to bring in at least $43 million.

That would be nearly twice the haul Biden had for his tone-deaf money grab two weeks ago at Radio City Music Hall, where Sleepy Joe & Co (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert emceeing) raised around $26 million, clogged up traffic in Midtown, and dissed New Yorks Finest who were mourning the death of Jonathan Diller, the NYPD officer slain while making a routine traffic stop. 

Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update.

Please provide a valid email address.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story.

The Biden-Radio City powwow was held the same day as Dillers wake.

Yes, horrible optics and limousine liberalism at its worst.

But it did underscore the differences between the two major parties and the two men running them.

While Biden was whooping it up, Trump attended Dillers wake, speaking forcefully about the need to control the crime that has ravaged major cities run by lefty-Dem prosecutors and public officials looking to defund the police and empty the jails. 

That was brilliant counterprogramming by Trump, said another Trump-skeptic GOP political adviser. 

Knowing what I know about Trump the ugly side and the side that is very good I believe counterprogramming wasnt his real motivation for attending.

Biden, the moderate-turned-progressive, is the least authentic major politician in America; when hes not raging over relatively little, hes fumbling his lines.

When hes not fumbling his lines, hes reading them robotically. 

Trump is authenticity on steroids and doesnt need a shot of Adderall to make it through a State of the Union speech or attend a wake and speak from the heart.

You can tell he meant it when he said that Officer Dillers killing was sad, horrible in so many ways, paid tribute to Dillers wife, family and scores of the NYPDs Finest who attended the service while vowing to sign legislation that imposes the death penalty on anyone who murders a cop, and ending the lunacy of the defund movement, all the soft-on-crime policies advocated by the party of Biden. 

Sure, the GOP money guys have their misgivings about the orange man, but those words are going a long way to bringing them back because the alternative is so much worse as the last four years have demonstrated.

Continue Reading

Sports

Sources: Rangers close to hiring Sullivan as coach

Published

on

By

Sources: Rangers close to hiring Sullivan as coach

The New York Rangers are in advanced contract talks to make former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan their next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes on Thursday.

The deal is expected to be one of the richest coaching contracts in NHL history, the sources said.

Sullivan would head to New York in a move that is coming together three days after he left his job with Pittsburgh, where he coached for 10 seasons and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

The Penguins have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons amid a retooling of the roster.

David Quinn, Sullivan’s top assistant in Pittsburgh, is not expected to join him in New York. Quinn will be a candidate for other head coaching vacancies, including Pittsburgh’s, according to sources.

John Tortorella is a strong possibility to rejoin the Rangers organization. Sullivan, Quinn and Tortorella were on the coaching staff for Team USA at Four Nations.

In New York, Sullivan would replace Peter Laviolette, who was fired after the Rangers didn’t make the postseason for the first time since 2021.

Sullivan was selected by the Rangers in the 1987 draft but never played for New York, choosing to stay in college at Boston University before going on to an 11-year NHL playing career with four teams.

Sullivan, 57, previously served as a Rangers assistant coach from 2009 to 2013 on Tortorella’s staff. He also was the head coach of the Boston Bruins for the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons.

Continue Reading

Sports

Draisaitl, Hellebuyck, Kucherov are Hart finalists

Published

on

By

Draisaitl, Hellebuyck, Kucherov are Hart finalists

Edmonton Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nikita Kucherov were named finalists for the 2024-25 Hart Memorial Trophy on Thursday.

The award is presented “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team” and voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Draisaitl, 29, led the NHL in goals (52), tied for third in points (106) and was a career-best plus-32 in 71 games this season. He won the award in 2019-20 and is a two-time finalist.

Hellebuyck, 31, led the league in wins (47), goals-against average (2.00) and shutouts (eight) and was second in save percentage (.925) among goalies to play at least 25 games. The Vezina Trophy finalist as the best goaltender in the NHL is a first-time Hart finalist.

Kucherov, 31, led the NHL in scoring for the second consecutive season with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists). He won the Hart Trophy in 2018-19 and is a three-time finalist.

Continue Reading

Sports

Injured Scheifele won’t travel with Jets for G6

Published

on

By

Injured Scheifele won't travel with Jets for G6

Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel said Thursday that star center Mark Scheifele will not travel with team ahead of Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues.

Scheifele will remain in Winnipeg after he missed the second and third periods of his team’s 5-3 victory Wednesday against the Blues in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

“You’re hoping for the best that maybe he wakes up today and things are better,” Arniel told reporters before the team flight to St. Louis. “But right now, he won’t be making the trip, and we’ll just go day-to-day moving forward.”

With 13:51 remaining in the opening period, the Jets were in the Blues’ zone when Scheifele had just played the puck along the half wall. That’s when he was instantly checked by Blues captain Brayden Schenn. Scheifele appeared to be concentrating on the puck and looked as if he did not see Schenn, who connected with the top half of Scheifele’s chest and knocked him down to the ice.

Schenn was given a two-minute minor for interference and another two-minute minor for roughing.

A little more than 10 minutes later, Scheifele was involved in another physical sequence. He was just about to reach the Blues’ zone when forward Radek Faksa also checked him and appeared to have struck Scheifele in the same area as the previous hit from Schenn.

Scheifele finished the first period, but Arniel spoke to the officials as both teams were entering the dressing room before first intermission. Blues coach Jim Montgomery confirmed with reporters after the game that Arniel spoke to the officials about the Schenn hit before sharing his thoughts.

“Let’s make it clear: Fifty-five got hurt from the Faksa hit,” Montgomery said. “He played six minutes after the Schenn hit. He didn’t come back after he got rocked by Faksa.”

Upon hearing Montgomery’s comments, Arniel had some thoughts of his own.

“I didn’t know Monty got his medical degree and can say how our player got hurt. He’s way off base and should not make that comment,” Arniel told reporters. “There’s some things that have been going on in this series and that was a repeat of what we’ve seen before: A player leaving his feet and then hitting a player in a very unprotected spot. Like hitting him in the sense, almost blindsiding him. Not happy with how the call was made. A two-minute minor. Not even looking at it is what I was upset about.

“It is something we have talked to the league about for five games.”

On Thursday, Arniel was asked if Scheifele was in concussion protocol.

“I’m not going down that road,” Arniel said.

It’s possible that the Jets could once again turn to Vladislav Namestnikov like they did in Game 5 and elevate him to the top line. The second-line center would take Scheifele’s place on the first line alongside Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi.

Namestnikov, who had 11 goals and 38 points in 78 regular-season games, had his strongest game of the postseason in Game 5. He finished with a goal and two points while logging 17:15 of ice time.

Continue Reading

Trending