This week, the world witnessed a frail, incompetent, and incoherent President Biden go up against a mentally sharp and focused former President Trump. Biden’s performance was so unremarkable that some Democrats began tweeting about finding a replacement candidate twenty minutes into the debate.
One line that President Trump mentioned—towards the end of the debate when responding to Dana Bash’s question about accepting the election verdict—didn’t get as much press. Still, it was one of the most critical lines of the evening.
Bash: To you, a specific concern that voters have about you. Will you pledge tonight that once all legal challenges have been exhausted, you will accept the results of this election regardless of who wins? You will say right now that political violence in any form is unacceptable?
Trump: Well, I shouldn’t have to say that, but, of course, I believe that. It’s totally unacceptable…..But the answer is if the election is fair and free, and I want that more than anybody.
And I’ll tell you something – I wish he were a great president because I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be at one of my many places enjoying myself. I wouldn’t be under indictment because I wouldn’t have been his political appoint – you know, opponent. Because he indicted me because I was his opponent.
I wish he were a great president. I would rather have that …but the only reason I’m here is he’s so bad as a president that I’m going to make America great again. We’re going to make America great again.
We’re a failing nation right now. We’re a seriously failing nation. And we’re a failing nation because of him. His policies are so bad. His military policies are insane. They’re insane.
In under one minute, Trump brilliantly summarized what has transpired in America since election night 2020.
Former presidents rarely get a chance to return to the national stage and win reelection. Grover Cleveland is the only former president who achieved this feat – in 1892. Cleveland won in 1884 (like Trump did in 2016), lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888 (like Trump did to Biden in 2020), and decisively beat Harrison in a rematch in 1892. Both Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 and Herbert Hoover in 1940 failed in their respective re-attempts.
After January 6, the odds of Trump returning to the national stage were extraordinarily remote. The world reacted with extreme anger at how a few enthusiastic Trump supporters attacked the Capitol – the most sacred shrine of democracy in America. Trump’s opponents saw a fabulous opening to link Trump to the events on the Capitol complex, although Trump was a mile away and had urged his supporters not to engage in violence. Recent evidence shows that Trump had indeed offered 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the Capitol, but former Speaker Pelosi had turned it down.
After the 2020 elections, the House impeached Trump again. Pelosi promptly appointed a partisan J6 Committee, which operated for 18 months under federal funding and even conducted primetime TV proceedings to nail Trump. Mysteriously, the Committee lost all the records of its investigation after it was disbanded following a Republican takeover of the House.
The Democratic lawfare campaign against Trump started in November 2022, when President Biden, glowing under the lights of White House press cameras as he celebrated the Democrats’ better-than-expected mid-term election results, let the secret slip in his biggest gaffe to date.
Biden: “We just have to demonstrate that he will not take power if he does run, making sure he — under legitimate efforts of our Constitution — does not become the next president again.”
Exactly nine days later, on November 18, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Jack Smith as Special Counsel to investigate Trump’s role in J6 and his handling of the classified documents. Fulton County prosecutors brought racketeering charges against Trump, but before they did, they met with the Biden White House twice, in May and November 2022. The second meeting happened on November 18, the day that Garland announced Smith as his Special Counsel.
The E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump New York City case was civil, but that was also carefully planned to constrain Trump at every turn. Three states – Colorado, Maine, and Illinois – ruled through their courts or executives that Trump could not be on their state ballots for the primary or general elections. The Supreme Court intervened and ruled 9-0 to end to that nonsense.
As Smith’s federal charges began to slow down in higher courts, and as the Fulton County prosecutors got caught up in their self-inflicted ethical scandals, the Biden team’s last ray of hope was the Manhattan case brought about by DA Alvin Bragg. No court in the world, not even a kangaroo court, would have brought 8-year-old charges against the former leader of the Free World four years after he left office, far less convict him of all 34 counts of clerical violations such as invoicing, checks, and ledger entries when no one was harmed. America’s 45th President is now a convicted felon.
Despite all these remarkable odds against him, Trump managed to win the Republican nomination easily. He refused to debate any of his opponents, and when pundits claimed this was risky, Trump pooh-poohed their concerns with stellar electoral performances. He won Iowa and New Hampshire with such lopsided margins that nearly all of his opponents dropped out, with the exception of Nicki Haley, who stayed alive with Democratic and TDS funds. When Trump won the nomination, Haley went into the sunset. Despite the heavy odds against him, Trump has consistently beaten Biden in national polls. In the swing states, Trump’s lead is even more substantial. Trump is gaining ground with Hispanics and Black Americans.
What the world saw in Atlanta was a nearly indestructible Trump, a leader extraordinaire comparable to any political opponent in the world. Most politicians are forgotten after one scandal. Trump is weathering two House impeachments, 94 court cases, numerous challenges from Deep State, state, and local officials, and a hostile media environment, and is still going strong. There has never been a leader like him in history.
Never having debated anyone since October 2020, Trump ran Biden down like a freight train. Biden had been practicing for seven days and his campaign had engineered the mostfavorable debate conditions to boot.
Trump looked immensely more presidential than Biden but also appeared to be a metaphor for America, whose global standing has suffered because of Biden’s disastrous policies. The optics were clear: If America has to come back, it needs a Trump at the helm.
The world can ill afford a kangaroo court to imprison or incapacitate such a political rock star. If Trump were indeed incapacitated, America’s standing would be permanently damaged and placed below that of Pakistan, Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, or Syria. Only in such countries is a popular leader is dispatched to secret gallows misusing government power when he is clearly a better alternative to the incumbent.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. U.S. Aid Pier Removed From Gaza “Due To High Sea States”: Pentagon – AFP
It is the third time the pier has been detached from the shore because of weather conditions since its initial installation in mid-May, and the effort is also facing difficulties with the distribution of assistance once it reaches Gaza.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said she has no date for the pier’s reinstallation and that “the commander will continue to assess the sea states over the weekend.”
2. U.S. And Israel Ease Weapons ‘Bottlenecks,’ Gallant Says – Bloomberg
Israel’s defense minister said talks with top White House officials eased “bottlenecks” in the supply of arms to Israeli forces, a sign that the two sides want to ease tensions fanned by accusations that the U.S. was withholding weapons.
“Obstacles were removed, and bottlenecks were addressed,” Gallant said without offering more detail.
3. Volodymyr Zelenskyy Says He Is Working On ‘Comprehensive Plan’ For Peace In Ukraine – Euronews
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv alongside Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar, the Ukraine President said, “We do not want to prolong this war.”
Zelenskyy’s meeting with Pirc Musar focused on preparations for a second international peace summit following a two-day event earlier this month in Switzerland.
There is no official direct negotiation mechanism between Zelenksyy and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Still, Ukraine has repeatedly said Russia must withdraw all its forces from within its border, including from the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014 before serious peace talks can begin.
4. Ukraine Says It Destroyed Russian Space Communication Center In Crimea – Reuters
In a statement on Telegram, the Ukrainian defense ministry described the target as a valuable military component in satellite communication and navigation systems for Russian troops.
Reuters could not independently verify the statement. On Monday, local social media chats reported explosions near the village of Vitino on the Crimean Peninsula, where the center is located.
5. Ukraine Wants No-Fly Zone In Western Territory – AFP
Short of adequate anti-aircraft weapons to deter Russia’s continuing attacks, Ukraine is asking its European allies to establish a no-fly zone in the west of the country by deploying air defense systems in neighboring Poland and Romania, officials told AFP.
Kyiv would like to create a safe space in western Ukraine where industry, energy infrastructure, and civilians can be protected against the massive destruction unleashed by Russian strikes in recent months.
6. Putin Calls For Resuming Production Of Intermediate Missiles After Scrapping Of Treaty With U.S. – A.P.
“We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where — if necessary to ensure our safety — to place them,” Putin said at a meeting of Russia’s National Security Council.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, which banned ground-based nuclear and conventional missiles with a range of 310-3,410 miles, was regarded as an arms control landmark it was in 1988. The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
7. U.S., Allies Condemn North Korea For Sanctions-Busting Arms Sales To Russia – AFP
Washington and its allies challenged North Korea at the United Nations over claims Pyongyang is breaching arms control measures by supplying weapons to Russia to use in its war in Ukraine.
Washington’s deputy envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, hit out at what he said were “unlawful arms transfers from the DPRK (North Korea) to Russia” as the two sides forge ever closer ties.
8. China Trying To ‘Normalize’ Incursions In Taiwan Strait, Taipei Says – RFA
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo warned that China is trying to establish a new normal by stepping up its activities in the prohibited and restricted waters around the Kinmen islands in the Taiwan Strait.
“Prohibited” and “restricted” waters are the tacit boundaries between Taiwan’s outer islands and China’s mainland, to which both sides have adhered.
On Tuesday, Chinese and Taiwanese coast guards had a tense two-hour standoff after four coastguard ships from mainland China were seen patrolling in Kinmen’s restricted waters.
9. China Eyes Reforms Ahead Of Summit – AFP
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the ruling Communist Party was determined to plan and implement key reforms prior to a closely watched political congress, with economic recovery at the top of its agenda.
“We will… form a more market-oriented, legal and international business environment,” Xi said in a speech. The much-delayed Third Plenum — a meeting historically watched for signs of economic policy direction — will take place in Beijing in mid-July.
10. Shadowy IRGC Group Manipulating Iran’s Elections: Report – Al Arabiya
A new report has highlighted the covert operations of an obscure entity within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that has allegedly been engineering election outcomes to align with the supreme leader’s preferred results.
According to the report, the Baqiatallah Cultural and Social Headquarters, a little-known branch of the IRGC, is tasked with developing and executing strategies to align Iran’s political and cultural environments with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s vision of an Islamic society.
11. Iran Elections: Initial Results Indicate Likely Runoff – D.W.
Early counts show hard-liner Saeed Jalili and reformist Masoud Pezeshkian neck-and-neck in Iran’s presidential polls, making a runoff likely.
Under Iranian electoral law, a runoff between the two top candidates is held on the first Friday after the result is announced if neither wins at least 50% plus one vote from all ballots cast, including blank votes.
12. Iran Installs Half Of Planned New Centrifuges At Fordow: IAEA Report – Reuters
Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency two weeks ago that it would rapidly expand its enrichment capacity at Fordow by adding eight cascades, or clusters, of IR-6 centrifuges within three to four weeks.
Within two days, the IAEA verified that two of the cascades had been installed. In a confidential report to member states, the agency said that number had now doubled.
13. Yen Falls To 161 Against U.S. Dollar; Japan Replaces Top Currency Diplomat – UPI
The Japanese yen continued its fall on Friday, stumbling to a new 38-year low of 161 against the U.S. dollar, leaving Tokyo leaders searching for answers on stabilizing their currency.
In the middle of the turmoil, Japan reportedly replaced its lead currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, with Atsushi Mimura and removed its vice finance minister, Eiji Chatani, in favor of Hirotsugu Shinkawa.
14. U.S. Centers For Disease Control Raise Alert For Threat Of Dengue After World Cases Skyrocket – adnAmerica
Of the total cases in 2024, 1,498 were recorded in Puerto Rico, recording historic numbers of this disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a carrier of chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika.
Epidemiologists are urging people who travel to countries where dengue is common to protect themselves with repellent. This is to prevent them from returning with the virus since the transmitting mosquito is present in several states of the United States, especially in the South.
15. Staying Fit May Decrease Men’s Risk Of ALS – HealthDay News
Norwegian researchers reported in the journal Neurology that staying fit and getting moderate exercise may lower the chances of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in later life.
They did not find a similar link between physical activity and women’s risk of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
ALS – a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord – causes people to lose their ability to eat, speak, move, and even breathe. There is no cure.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
