Trump gets some fresh backing from former rival Jindal

NEWS AND OPINION:

Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — who ran for president in 2016 — was not much of a fan of Donald Trump, who won that election back then. Mr. Jindal has now revealed he would vote for Mr. Trump as a returning president — “warts and all.”

Things change.

“I just had a great conversation with President Trump, and I told him that he has my full and complete endorsement to win back the White House and make America great again,” Mr. Jindal proclaimed in a lengthy thread Monday on the social-media site X.

It included 19 clearly designated reasons behind his support for Mr. Trump.

“We cannot afford to take a chance; we need somebody who’s proven to fight for us, and everyone must admit that Trump is a fighter like no one else,” Mr. Jindal said.

“Trump will be the Republican nominee, and everyone knows that, especially the Democrats who are already spending millions attacking him in an attempt to destroy him,” he continued.

“Trump may not be warm and cuddly, but he is a warrior, and that is what we need right now,” Mr. Jindal said.

His lengthy entry on X proved popular, getting 1.1 million views in 48 hours. Mr. Jindal also earned a wild variety of comments from his readers — ranging from gratitude and praise to criticism, sarcasm and downright lack of interest.

THE JIM JORDAN PRESS

Rep. Jim Jordan’s quest to become House speaker gave the press plenty to do — along with some opportunities to give the Republican Party a little dig.

Here are a few headlines centered on the Ohio Republican and the outcome of that aforementioned quest from the last 24 hours:

“Jim Jordan’s allies tried strong-arming his GOP critics. It backfired” (Politico); “Jim Jordan didn’t just lose: The hard right did too” (New York magazine); “Jim Jordan loses second vote for House speaker amid steep GOP opposition” (CNN); “Jordan loses second vote as Republicans remain divided” (The New York Times); “Jim Jordan loses second House speaker vote, as GOP weighs dwindling options” (CNBC); and “Jim Jordan should step aside from speaker race, Chris Christie says” (also CNBC).

Just a few more: “Which Republicans voted against Jim Jordan’s speaker bid Wednesday — and who changed sides?” (CBS News); “Top Republicans plan Jim Jordan alternative” (Newsweek); and “House Republicans reject Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker of the House, again.” (National Public Radio).

DATA DOUBT

Are you concerned about those frequent demands for personal information online? You are not alone.

‘In an era where every click, tap or keystroke leaves a digital trail, Americans remain uneasy and uncertain about their personal data and feel they have little control over how it’s used,” a new Pew Research Center report said.

“Americans — particularly Republicans — have grown more concerned about how the government uses their data. The share who say they are worried about government use of people’s data has increased from 64% in 2019 to 71% today. That reflects rising concern among Republicans and GOP leaners (from 63% to 77%), while concern among Democrats and Democratic leaners has held steady (66% in 2019 to 65% today),” the report said.

The numbers come from a survey of 5,101 U.S. adults conducted May 15-21 and released Wednesday.

“The public increasingly says they don’t understand what companies are doing with their data. Some 67% say they understand little to nothing about what companies are doing with their personal data, up from 59% in 2019,” the research said.

“Most believe they have little to no control over what companies or the government do with their data. While these shares have ticked down compared with 2019, vast majorities feel this way about data collected by companies (73%) and the government (79%),” the research noted.

In addition, there is bipartisan support for more regulation of data gathering.

“Some 72% of Americans say there should be more regulation than there is now; just 7% say there should be less. Support for more regulation reaches across the political aisle, with 78% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans taking this stance,” the research said.

WATCH THAT WATCH

Luxury has not disappeared entirely — and not everyone relies on their cellphone to get the time. A Christie’s online auction of precious watches and timepieces is underway. The standout entry in this event is the “Patek Philippe, ref. 3843-1g; a unique, highly important gold wristwatch with 13.43 carat diamond crystal,” according to the famed auction house’s official description.

The starting bid on the watch, by the way, is $800,000 — with final bids that could reach up to $2 million.

The watch boasts a “sunburst blue” solid gold dial with white gold hour markers and numeral “dots.”

“To have a custom Patek Philippe with possibly the third largest portrait diamond known makes for a truly rare event,” the auction house said.

Curious? Inside the Beltway will watch for the final auction price and let you know what this timepiece fetched.

POLL DU JOUR

• 25% of U.S. adults say that former President Donald Trump is “very conservative”; 23% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 31% of Democrats agree.

• 24% of U.S. adults overall say that Mr. Trump is “conservative”; 38% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 16% of Democrats agree.

• 18% of U.S. adults overall say Mr. Trump is a “moderate”; 20% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.

• 5% of U.S. adults overall say he is “liberal”; 4% of Republicans, 2% of independents and 8% of Democrats agree.

• 5% of U.S. adults overall say he is “very liberal”; 4% of Republicans, 3% of independents and 9% of Democrats agree.

• 22% of U.S. adults overall are not sure about Mr. Trump’s ideology; 12% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 23% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 14-17.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, and on Facebook at HarperUniverse.