Monday’s headlines showed two distinct ways that former President Donald Trump’s first term in office is complicating his bid for another one.
The first is obvious — just about every week brings a new headline related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. This time, a Georgia judge ruled that pieces of the Fulton County grand jury report into Trump’s conduct and others can be released to the public, and will be done so Thursday.
The other is less obvious, but it could resonate with some Republicans. Since he has already served one term, Trump can only run for one more four-year term as president. It’s a reality that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already raised as he flirts with his own bid. Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former acting chief of staff, said it could give Trump skeptics some additional justification to move away from him and to another candidate who could serve eight years if elected twice.
Read more from NBC News’ Allan Smith, Jonathan Allen and Natasha Korecki on that dynamic here.
In other campaign news:
She’s running: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launched a video on Tuesday announcing that she is running for president, one day ahead of her official campaign launch in her home state. But South Carolina Republicans could be divided between Haley and GOP Sen. Tim Scott if he also decides to run, per NBC News’ Allan Smith.
Leadership vacuums: Roughly one-third of voters in both parties (34% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats) did not have an answer on who should lead their parties, per a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey.
Pence pushback: Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is eyeing his own run for the White House, will try to resist a subpoena from Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, per Politico.
DeSantis v. The College Board: In the latest salvo of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ feud with The College Board, the governor questioned whether another group could replace the education non-profit and do its job “as good or maybe a lot better,” adding: “This College Board, like, nobody elected them to anything,” per the Miami Herald. Also on Monday, The College Board said it erred in not “immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander” over its African American Studies course, adding its inaction “betrayed Black scholars everywhere.”
Fed up: The Culinary Union, a political force in Nevada, is calling on the chair of the state Democratic Party to resign “unless members who were purged from the Central Committee are reinstated immediately,” per a release flagged on Twitter by the Nevada Independent’s Jon Ralston. The party’s actions have prompted similar calls, but chair Judith Whitmer has dismissed them by saying the committee members were removed because they failed to follow the party’s rules on attending meetings.
Noem signs anti-trans bill: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has signed a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors, per The Associated Press.
Black Democratic candidates point the finger at the party: Some Black Democrats, and their campaign staff, criticize the Democratic Party for not adequately supporting Black candidates, per Politico.
