Trump braces for fraud trial verdict as allies pledge ‘holy war’ against Taylor Swift

Donald Trump has reportedly been grousing about Taylor Swift’s reputation amid hypothesis that she’s set to endorse President Biden.

Swift is but to subject an endorsement of any candidate, however The New York Instances reported on Monday that aides to the president are hoping to signal her on as a marketing campaign surrogate contemplating her expansive cultural affect.

In the meantime, some conspiracy-minded conservatives have even satisfied themselves that this 12 months’s NFL season has been rigged to supply a Tremendous Bowl platform for Swift alongside her boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

The topic has utterly taken over Fox Information, Newsmax and different conservative shops this week, of which the next change is barely the most recent instance:

A person near Trump has even instructed Rolling Stone journal that allies of the previous president are getting ready for a “holy battle” in opposition to the pop star.

In the meantime, Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led nonpartisan organisation that harnesses the political energy of younger People and beforehand spearheaded the “S.W.I.F.T. Initiative” to battle Ticketmaster and different monopolies, has issued the next assertion on mentioned “holy battle” in opposition to their heroine:

“Taylor warned us that the haters gonna hate, and we all know all too effectively that Trump is America’s largest hater. Now, the previous president is attacking Taylor herself — however we’re not stunned. Gen Z knew Trump was hassle when he walked into the White Home and waged battle on our abortion rights, voting rights, and security.

“After all, he can’t assist however go after our favourite cultural icon, too. Whereas Trump claims he’s ‘extra widespread’ than Taylor, he isn’t fooling anybody. Taylor is headlining essentially the most profitable tour in historical past, drawing crowds that Trump solely sees in his wildest goals.

“Gen Z has a message for Trump: Go forward and preserve attacking Taylor Swift. We dare you. By selecting a battle with Taylor, you’re selecting a battle with younger voters. And the very last thing you want is an excellent worse popularity with us come November.”

Gustaf Kilander stories on all of this insanity.

Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by six factors, 50 to 44 per cent, amongst registered voters, up from a one-point lead in December, based on a brand new ballot from Quinnipiac College.

The Democrat is getting stronger amongst girls voters based on the survey launched on Wednesday, main his predecessor by 58 to 36 per cent.

In December, Biden’s lead was considerably smaller amongst girls, 53 to 41 per cent.

“The gender demographic tells a narrative to keep watch over. Propelled by feminine voters in simply the previous few weeks, the head-to-head tie with Trump morphs right into a modest lead for Biden,” Quinnipiac College polling analyst Tim Malloy mentioned in a press release.

The identical hypothetical 2024 basic election ballot launched on 20 December was thought of too near name as Biden led by solely 47 to 46 per cent.

Gustaf Kilander digs into the numbers.

Because the Republican’s second defamation trial ended final week, the jury was reminded that Trump claimed below oath to be price $10bn and to maintain that determine in thoughts after they assessed punitive damages.

They arrived at a determine of $65m out of the entire of $83.3m together with compensatory funds.

Can he really afford these large payouts?

Right here’s a take a look at what we all know in regards to the state of the previous president’s funds.

Political motion committees tied to Donald Trump spent roughly $50m on authorized prices final 12 months as the previous president navigated his 4 legal indictments and a mountain of litigation that might threaten each his White Home ambitions and his household enterprise.

Marketing campaign filings with the Federal Election Fee define an extended checklist of authorized bills to greater than 50 companies and attorneys, providing one of the best glimpse but of the large prices of Trump’s 12 months of lawsuits and legal instances.

The Republican was again in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to go to the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, hoping to win over the trucking union and its members after United Auto Employees backed Joe Biden final week.

This was a tough proposition for Trump, a person who as soon as mentioned this about organised labour:

He had hosted the Teamsters’ chief Sean O’Brien for dinner at Mar-a-Lago in January however not everybody within the organisation’s hierarchy agreed with the choice to return the invitation to their HQ.

However, the assembly itself appeared to move cordially sufficient however Trump did battle with some apparent questions when quizzed by reporters:

Trump’s New York civil fraud lawsuit (by which a verdict is predicted imminently) has doubtlessly blown up his decades-long narrative of enterprise success (when you don’t depend his corporations submitting for chapter six instances, that’s) however the former president has managed to makee his authorized challenges central to his marketing campaign for re-election.

Right here’s extra from Alex Woodward.

Alex Woodward has been following the case:

Following the jury’s determination within the E Jean Carroll case, issues may very well be about to get an entire lot worse for Donald Trump as one other doubtlessly devastating lawsuit attracts to a detailed in New York this week, this one posing a big menace to his huge actual property empire and that means he may very well be prevented from ever doing enterprise in his hometown once more.

Joe Sommerlad appears to be like at simply how a lot the previous president is likely to be paying out:

What did we study Mr Trump’s actual property holdings in the course of the trial? There have been loads of numbers because the legal professional basic’s counsel laid out its case, and loads of hyperbole from the Trump household because the defence laid out its argument — together with Donald Trump Jr taking the courtroom via a timeline of the true property enterprise, praising his father for the “boundaries he pushed” and calling him an “artist with actual property” who has “unbelievable imaginative and prescient the place different folks don’t”.

Right here’s a take a look at the important thing Trump properties that have been mentioned essentially the most over the 11 weeks in courtroom:

Alina Habba, the legal professional for Donald Trump who lately defended him within the E Jean Carroll defamation trial, walked again her declare that Ms Carroll’s legal professional had a “mentor kind relationship” with the decide who oversaw the trial after being threatened with sanctions.