NEWS AND OPINION:
It’s an efficient way to bypass the hostile mainstream media: The White House will host a hefty number of syndicated talk radio hosts on Tuesday, all of them hailing from the vast Salem Media Group stable — where conservative and Christian content rules. It is a herculean effort. Every one of them will man their microphones for a mass broadcasting effort that will stretch across 10 hours and be heard by a huge audience. Things get underway at dawn, and some high-profile guests will be much in evidence, a source tells Inside the Beltway.
“On the train for D.C. — White House bound. Big broadcast tomorrow, major guests from the administration,” host Mike Gallagher tweeted on Monday.
Mr. Gallagher — along with Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Larry Elder, Eric Metaxas and 13 local hosts from around the country — will broadcast live to the respective audiences directly from the White House. They will have their say until 9 p.m. — their programming unapologetically pro-America, greatness included.
“Donald Trump ran an unconventional campaign that reflected a broad public discontent with the status quo,” says Edward Atsinger, CEO of Salem Media, which broadcasts to an astonishing 2,700 affiliates nationwide.
“There is an unprecedented level of public interest in what is happening in Washington, and we are honored to participate,” Mr. Atsinger continued. “The president’s selection of a remarkable group of advisers and Cabinet members illustrates his serious commitment to fulfill his campaign promise to make America great again.”
RALLY THERAPY
Yes, it’s a complicated and shrill week in the nation’s capital for myriad reasons, but there is some imminent relief. Those who want to witness an old-fashioned, upbeat, campaign-style Trump rally with all the trimmings are in luck. C-SPAN will carry President Trump’s appearance on Tuesday at the Covelli Arena in Youngstown, Ohio; the big doings get underway live at 7 p.m. The rally should be cordial indeed.
“Washington Democrats hate him, the mainstream media despise him, inside-the-beltway Republicans aren’t sure what to make of him, but Middle America loves him. Tuesday, he’s coming to the heart of America, where thousands of Democrats crossed over to vote for him, and it’s going to be great,” noted Mark Munroe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party.
The Mahoning County Democratic Party, meanwhile, will be staging a counterrally and a march in downtown Youngstown, set to protest “Trumpcare” and call for the jobs Mr. Trump “promised.”
MAINTENANCE, TRUMP-STYLE
“Drain the Swamp should be changed to Drain the Sewer,” President Trump tweeted on Monday. “It’s actually much worse than anyone ever thought, and it begins with the Fake News!”
WHERE THE TRUMP STALWARTS LIVE
President Trump averaged a 50 percent or higher job approval in 17 states, according to a substantial Gallup Daily Tracking Poll, which measured the responses of 81,000 U.S. adults from Jan. 20 through June 30. The pollster interviewed at least 220 residents in each state during this period, including 500 or more in 39 states. Mr. Trump’s approval ratings ranged from 40 percent to 49 percent in 16 states, but 40 percent and below in 17 states.
So where do the pro-Trump stalwarts live? The state with the most affection for the president is West Virginia, where he garners a 60 percent job approval rating. North Dakota is in second place with 59 percent, followed by South Dakota (57 percent), Montana and Wyoming (both 56 percent), Alabama (55 percent), Oklahoma (54 percent) — followed by Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas and Idaho — each with 53 percent.
Residents in Vermont and Massachusetts gave Mr. Trump his lowest average approval ratings in the nation — both below 30 percent — with Maryland, California and New York close behind at 30 percent or 31 percent.
“Trump is hardly a conventional politician, but his patterns of support at the state level mostly reflect traditional Republican-Democrat differences. Although 2020 is a long way off, for him to successfully win re-election, historical patterns suggest his overall 40 percent rating would need to rise closer to 50 percent. He would also need to shore up his support in the key Rust Belt states that delivered the Electoral College win to him. In those states, his job approval is slightly above 40 percent, but barely so, raising questions of whether he can carry them in 2020,” writes Gallup analyst Jeffrey M. Jones.
OBAMACARE 2018: HERE COMES THE INCREASE
“Obamacare premium rates expected to soar in 2018,” heralds a new analysis from the Republican National Committee based on multiple reports from state offices that track insurance and finances, statistics from the insurers themselves and press accounts.
“Insurers have started releasing their proposed premium increases for states participating in the 2018 Obamacare individual exchanges, and it looks like Obamacare is going to become even more unaffordable. Among the individual premium rates released, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company of Virginia announced the highest proposed maximum rate increase at 179.9 percent,” the committee report noted.
“Among the averages of the premium rates released, HealthNow New York requested the highest average rate increase of 47.3 percent. These rate increases contradict years of Democratic promises that Obamacare would lower the cost of care for Americans.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 57 percent of Americans say President Trump will “probably” or “definitely” complete his four-year term of office: 87 percent of Republicans, 56 percent of moderates and 34 percent of Democrats, and
82 percent of conservatives, 54 percent of moderates and 35 percent of liberals also agree.
• 46 percent overall say Mr. Trump will “probably not” or “definitely not” complete his term; 10 percent of Republicans, 39 percent of independents, and 58 percent of Democrats agree.
• 16 percent of conservatives, 37 percent of moderates and 59 percent of liberals also agree.
• 7 percent overall are not sure what will happen; 3 percent of Republicans, 8 percent of independents and 8 percent of Democrats agree.
• 2 percent of conservatives, 7 percent of moderates and 7 percent of liberals also agree.
Source: A USA Today/iMediaEthics survey of 1,250 U.S. adults conducted July 17-19.
Cranky complaints, reasonable commentary to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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