In the last few weeks, former President Trump has appeared on numerous alternate media networks, reaching large audiences. Every interview was unscripted. Some were softball discussions (Dr. Phil), and others were probing (Lex Fridman). No matter what anyone thinks about how he answered, there is no doubt that Trump is in full command of his message. By delivering it exceptionally well for a 78-year-old, Trump draws a sharp contrast with Kamala Harris, and, of course, with Biden.
Alternate media has shaken the power of the established networks, and mainstream media outlets are going wild because their attempts to deliver the election for Harris are failing. Despite the positive coverage of Harris and wall-to-wall negative coverage of Trump, voters are not convinced that Harris is either authentic or prepared. Our recent TIPP poll is a devastating blow to the Vice President’s presidential campaign.
Mainstream media outlets are also attempting to divide Republican support for Trump by releasing stories in a drip-drip fashion. First, there was a teaser in the NY Times that Liz Cheney would make her voice heard about the campaign. Most people went, Liz, who?
Two years ago, Cheney lost her primary reelection by more than 30 points to a relative unknown. She was ousted from elective politics, ending her career, because she took it upon herself to go after Trump.
Shortly after that, another Times story said that Liz Cheney would vote for Kamala Harris. It was Cheney’s shameful way of remaining relevant in Washington, hoping that Harris would win and award her with a cabinet position. And then they paraded another story saying her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, would also vote for Harris. So, in the Times’ wisdom, avowed Trump haters supporting Harris is news?
Meanwhile, interesting conversations are happening on new media outlets, informing voters better than any established newspaper or TV network. Consider the Lex Fridman interview of Trump.
Fridman is a gifted long-form podcast interviewer in the same mold as Joe Rogan but in a more dignified and professional environment (no cigars and drugs on the show). Always wearing a white shirt in a black suit in a darkened studio, Fridman hosts a diverse guest list, including scientists, engineers, philosophers, and public figures, and delves deep into technology, philosophy, and human experience. The highly intellectual nature of his interviews – Fridman is, after all, an artificial intelligence researcher known for his work in AI and autonomous vehicles, having worked with institutions like MIT – thoughtfully explores broader societal issues.
Trump appeared on Fridman’s podcast on September 3, when Harris was either faking accents in front of Tel-e-prompters or appearing to be busy to avoid speaking to reporters. Fridman did not address his guest as President Trump or former President Trump. Demonstrating his neutrality (Fridman is an Independent), he introduced his guest as “Donald Trump.”
For over an hour, Trump answered every question that Fridman had, including about the 2020 election. Trump was extraordinarily well disciplined, referring to fraud that took place that couldn’t be proved in the courts. In a brilliant, practiced moment, Trump said that he got millions more votes than in 2016 and still “lost by a whisker.” It was a rare moment when he admitted defeat and clearly intended to attract Independents like Fridman, who detest Harris’s record.
Fridman’s reach is astounding for a new media personality. The interview has been seen by over 4.6 million viewers on YouTube. It also appeared on Trump’s X feed, where 29 million people saw it, and on Trump’s Truth Social, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Most people don’t listen to the same podcast on two different channels, so it is fair to assume that the sum of the reaches on each social media outlet equates roughly to the total number of unique individuals who heard the interview. We estimate that more than 50 million voters (including youngsters who dominate TikTok and Instagram and are first-time voters) watched the interview.
By comparison, the CNN Dana Bash multiple-choice softball interview of Harris-Walz drew just 6 million views. It was Harris’s first-ever sit-down interview, and voters’ interest was exceptionally high as CNN promoted the discussion around the clock after bagging the high-profile booking.
At a recent Fox News Townhall in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, moderator Sean Hannity warned Trump that Harris, in the only debate with Trump on ABC News on September 10, could get under his skin and irritate him. Trump responded that such tricks would not shake him – and that he would let her speak in full without interrupting. He reminded viewers that by letting Biden speak in the Atlanta debate, he had practically ended Biden’s career.
For all the negative qualities that liberal media and Never Trumpers portray about Trump, the heartland is moved by Trump’s profile. It is this that has brought Trump, written off by the world as history, especially after J-6, to the cusp of claiming the presidency again, a feat not achieved since 1892. Only once has a president returned to win non-consecutive terms—Grover Cleveland, in 1892, after losing the electoral college in 1888 to Benjamin Harrison.
As a businessman who did not profit from his stay at the White House and did not even accept a dollar in compensation, Trump is viewed as not a career-politician, unlike Kamala Harris. Trump has already been President and Chief Executive, whereas Kamala has, at best, helped push through Biden’s disastrous bills by casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Voters see that Harris has no real-world executive experience. Trump is brave, having practically risen from the dead miraculously, with his fist held high even as he bled profusely in his right ear, asking supporters to fight. Elections are also about policy positions – and here, Trump is more in tune with America on matters that impact voters the most: immigration, crime, the economy, and forever wars.
The following 60 days are crucial, and the September 10 debate will be remarkably high-stakes. In nearly all battleground polls, Harris is virtually tied with Trump within the margin of error, underperforming Biden in 2020 at this stage of the game.
While Harris could still pull it off (who knows what October surprise the universe has in store for us), as things stand today, it would be a miracle if Trump did not win in November.
ICYMI
Paul Bedard
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. At Least 14 Killed, 43 Wounded In Israeli Strikes In Central Syria – AFP
Syrian state media said that overnight Israeli strikes killed 14 people in central Hama province, with a war monitor reporting a higher death toll in raids on sensitive military sites.
The Israeli military, which has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war there in 2011, declined to comment on the latest reported attack. Israeli strikes on Syria since 2011 have mainly targeted army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
2. Qatar, UNRWA Sign $4.5 Million Pact To Aid Thousands Of Gazans Stranded In West Bank – Reuters
The Qatar Red Crescent and the UN Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) signed an agreement to aid more than 4,400 stranded Palestinian workers and patients from Gaza in the West Bank.
“Cash assistance will represent vital support for those displaced who have not been able to return to the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Strip last October,” a statement from Qatar’s state news agency said.
3. German Chancellor Says Any Future Ukraine Peace Conference Must Include Russia – Euronews
“There will certainly be a further peace conference, and the president [Zelenskyy] and I agree that it must be one with Russia present,” Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said in an interview.
A previous international peace conference in June in Switzerland ended with 78 countries expressing support for Ukraine’s ‘territorial integrity,’ but the path forward was left unclear without Russia’s participation.
4. Ukrainian Drone Strike Ignites Russian Fuel Tanks – UPI
A Ukrainian drone strike ignited fuel tanks at a storage facility near the Russian town of Volokonovka, a regional governor said on the messaging app Telegram.
This would appear to be the latest in a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian assets. Kyiv’s incursion into Kursk Oblast has entered its fourth week. Ukraine reportedly controls over 500 square miles and 100 settlements, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Aug. 27.
5. Iran Denies It Supplied Russia With Ballistic Missiles To Help In Ukraine Conflict – Bloomberg
“The fundamental and stated approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the Ukraine conflict remains consistent and unchanged,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported, citing Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanaani.
“The repeated claims of sending ballistic missiles to Russia are driven by political goals and motives of some Western countries and are completely baseless.” Earlier, Bloomberg had reported that Iran sent ballistic missiles to Russia, defying months of warnings by U.S. and European officials.
6. Clues Show Huang Ping Was Chinese Diplomat Directing New York Official – RFA
Linda Sun, a former aide to two New York governors, appears to have received direct orders and bribes from Huang Ping, a top Chinese diplomat, according to evidence in the Justice Department’s list of allegations against her.
At the time, Huang Ping was the consul general of the Chinese Consulate in New York.
Linda Sun was arrested on ten federal criminal charges, including acting as an agent for the Chinese government, visa fraud, and other offenses while working for Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
7. China To Allow Wholly Foreign-Owned Hospitals To Lure Investment – Nikkei Asia
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that wholly foreign-owned hospitals will be allowed in selected major cities. This move is part of the government’s efforts to stem a slide in foreign direct investment.
Under the existing policy, foreign entities can only establish hospitals through joint ventures. Under an expanded pilot program to promote market liberalization in the healthcare sector, the ministry identified target locations, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
8. Iraq, U.S. Agree On Phased Coalition Pullout, Final Deal Expected Soon: Minister – AFP
The United States has been engaged in months of talks with Baghdad on a withdrawal of forces, but it has not announced a timeline so far.
The pullout is “two-phased” and “maybe we will sign the agreement within the next few days”, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi said. The United States has some 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition against ISIS.
9. South Korea International Summit To Target ‘Blueprint’ For AI Use In Military – Reuters
South Korea convened an international summit to establish a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military. However, any agreement is not expected to have binding powers to enforce it.
More than 90 countries, including the United States and China, have sent government representatives to the two-day summit in Seoul, which is the second such gathering. The first summit was held in Amsterdam last year.
10. China, Russia Send Greetings To Kim Jong Un On North Korea’s Founding Anniversary – Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the occasion of North Korea’s founding anniversary.
“I am sure that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and the DPRK will be strengthened in a planned way thanks to our joint efforts,” Putin said, according to KCNA.
Xi called for deeper strategic communication and cooperation with North Korea in his message, KCNA said.
11. North Korea To Boost Its Naval Capability – Reuters
“Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored by the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was quoted saying.
12. Satellite Imagery Suggest Floods Damaged North Korea’s Power Grid – RFA
Satellite imagery revealed that North Korean nights look darker than usual these days, leading experts to conclude that damage from floods in July may have damaged the country’s archaic power grid.
When comparing the recent satellite photos of the area around the city of Sinuiju, with previous satellite photos, the North Korean side appears to be much darker, with very little change in brightness on the Chinese side.
13. Sudan Rejects UN’s Call For ‘Impartial’ Force To Protect Civilians – RFI
A UN fact-finding mission said its probe had uncovered “harrowing” violations by both sides in the conflict and called for “an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians” to be urgently deployed.
But the Sudanese foreign ministry, which is loyal to the army under al-Burhan, said in a statement that “the Sudanese government rejects in their entirety the recommendations of the UN mission”.
14. India Detects 1st Suspected Mpox Case – D.W.
“A young male patient, who recently travelled from a country currently experiencing mpox transmission, has been identified as a suspect case of mpox,” the health ministry said in a statement.
“The country is fully prepared to deal with such (an) isolated travel related case and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk,” India’s health ministry said.
Congo has reported more than 18,000 suspected cases of mpox so far, with children accounting for half of the total cases reported, according to the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF.
15. Exposure To ‘Forever Chemicals’ During Pregnancy Might Raise Long-Term Obesity Risk – HealthDay News
Women with higher levels of PFAS in their blood during early pregnancy weighed more at the age of 50 than those with low levels, researchers reported.
According to the Environmental Working Group, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can be found in 99% of Americans. They are also found in drinking water, consumer products like paper fast food wrappers, Teflon cookware, stain-resistant furniture and clothing, and cosmetics and personal care products.
They are called “forever chemicals” because PFAS doesn’t break down in the environment or in the human body. Instead, levels of the chemicals build up in the body over time.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
