The news site Axios has already made a stir with a yet-to-be-broadcast interview of Donald Trump, releasing the president's statement that he would somehow try to end "birthright citizenship" granted by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The interview will air on HBO at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
But this morning, Axios released another tease, this time an exchange with Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei and Trump on the topic of the press as "the enemy of the people." Watch here. A rough transcript:
Axios: What scares the crap out of me is if you're saying, 'Enemy of the people, enemy of the people' --
Trump: I'm supposed to fight back. You're right –
Axios: Hold it a second – listen to me. God forbid that somebody – look, you've got fervent supporters. They love you. They listen to you: 'Enemy of the people, enemy of the people.'
Trump: They love me more because of that.
Axios: They like you more, but what happens if all of a sudden, someone gets shot, someone shoots one of these reporters?
Trump: I totally –
Axios: I don't think you think we're the enemy of the people.
Trump: I don't. I don't. But if you give me false reports, I would say that's not a good thing for our country.
Axios: Are you worried at all? You are, like, the most powerful man in the world. And if you say that word – 'Enemy, enemy' – literally, tens of thousands of people going to a stadium to listen to you, and then people go on social media, and they get themselves so jazzed up. There's got to be a part of you that's like, 'Dammit, I'm scared that someone is going to take it too far.'
Trump: It's my only form of fighting back. I couldn't be here if I did that.
Axios: You won. You have the presidency.
Trump: No, no, no. But I did this before I won....
Beyond the video clip, the news site threw out a few more standalone quotes from the president, all on the topic of the press as his chosen enemy of the people:
-- "I think I'm doing a service [by attacking the press] when people write stories about me that are so wrong."
-- "I know what I do good and what I do bad. I really get it, OK? I really get it better than anybody in the whole world."
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Correction: We're still getting the hang of this live radio stuff. On Wednesday's edition of GPB's "Political Rewind," we said the two Democrats in the race for seats on the state Public Service Commission, Lindy Miller and Dawn Randolph, had resisted calling for abandonment of those two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle out of deference to the thousands of union jobs linked to the project. Which is true. We specifically mentioned IBEW, but also should have noted that the IBEW has endorsed Republican incumbent Chuck Eaton in his contest against Miller.
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A trusted Republican official, noting the parade of Republican officialdom lining up behind gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp, asked a very good question the other day: "Where's Casey Cagle?"
Gov. Nathan Deal has played a forceful role in the final days of the campaign, and a host of erstwhile Kemp rivals have stumped for the secretary of state.
We’ve seen Clay Tippins and former state Sen. Hunter Hill, former primary opponents, who have both endorsed Kemp. But been little sign of Cagle on the political stump since he endorsed Kemp after he was trounced in the July runoff.
Some politicos expected him at Kemp’s event earlier this week in Gainesville, Cagle’s home base, but he wasn’t there. It’s seen as a clear sign that Cagle is focused on his private business - and not on reviving a political career anytime soon.
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In her Sixth District fight to remain in Congress, GOP incumbent Karen Handel has picked up the endorsement of Condoleezza Rice, who served as secretary of state under President George W. Bush.
Do not think race and gender don’t matter here. The key quote from Rice: “Karen not only understands the struggles ordinary Georgians grapple with, but is one of the toughest political voices out there as a result.”
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We've discovered where TV news crews will be stationing themselves for their Monday evening stand-ups. From the press release:
The Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta is hosting an Election Eve "Get Out The Vote Prayer Rally" on Monday, November 5th at 7pm. The non-partisan rally is to encourage Georgians to head to the election polls on Tuesday, November 6th.
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The little known or understood campaign for Amendment 3, which would allow the state Department of Revenue – rather than individual counties -- to determine the fair market value for tracts of forest across the state, has picked up the endorsements of former UGA football coach Vince Dooley and rocker Chuck Leavell. Catch the videos here.
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The press release featured a crappy picture of Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams with the headline: "Who will win the poopular vote?"
Yep. There’s now an app that lets you guide a pigeon to target the candidates.
It’s a way, the app’s designers promise, for voters to “express how they really feel in this fun, escapist app that takes the drudgery out of waiting until Election Day. Or you could call it a glaring expression of “negative partisanship,” the term coined by Emory University's Alan Abramowitz. It’s the idea that our votes are guided not by who we admire, but by who we hate more.
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