NEWS AND OPINION:
There must be some nostalgia out there among those who support former President Donald Trump and remember when he appeared in public for the first time wearing his signature “Make America Great Again” red hat some nine years ago.
“It was a little more than a month after he announced his candidacy that Trump first donned the hat in public at a campaign event. When he made a much-publicized trip to Laredo, Texas, in July 2015 to visit the U.S.-Mexico border, the hot weather necessitated a more casual look than his usual suit and tie,” noted a 2017 CNN history of this sartorial phenomenon.
Mr. Trump — through his campaign of course — remains in touch with this earlier wardrobe staple.
“I have just re-launched vintage MAGA hats! These came from my vault, and will only be released once. This is a once in a lifetime offer,” Mr. Trump said in an emailed message released Sunday, exclamation point and all.
“I’ve only told my closest allies about this. I know they will sell out fast once I release them to the general public, especially because there’s not many in circulation. It’s the rarest MAGA hat available!” the 45th president advised.
“Owning this red MAGA hat lets everyone know that you are a critically important part of our grassroots powered movement that will save America,” he said.
For those who wonder, the message was accompanied by this statement: “Paid for by Trump National Committee JFC, a joint fundraising committee composed of and authorized by Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc. and the Republican National Committee.”
Find the campaign itself at DonaldJTrump.com
A RALLY OF NOTE
Let’s consider the New York Young Republicans Club — established in 1911 and the nation’s oldest and largest organization for young Republicans, according to a statement from the organization.
The group will stage a “Rally for President Trump” on Monday in Manhattan — and notice they did not include the word “former” in its public outreach for the event. And here’s the words from their invitation:
“Come rally peacefully in support of President Trump against a politicized witch hunt! Bring your MAGA hats and Trump signs!” the group says, exclamation points and all.
ON THE AIR WAVES
The Salem Radio Network premiered the first edition of “This Week on the Hill” on Saturday. The hour-long weekly news program from a studio in the nation’s capital featured Family Research Council President and host Tony Perkins, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Tom Tradup, Salem Radio Network vice president of news and talk programming and the program’s executive producer.
The topics covered this weekend include Mr. Johnson’s invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “motion to vacate” the speaker’s position, the battle over reauthorization of the FISA spying program, and the latest controversy over abortion laws in America.
“We are so proud to have Speaker Johnson as the centerpiece of our ‘This Week’ program. He brings a depth of experience that delves beyond the surface skirmishes in Congress and really gives our audience eye-level insight that only a man two-heartbeats from the presidency can offer,” Mr. Tradup said, according to Talkers Magazine.
MEANWHILE ON THE BORDER
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) offers this update:
“CBP continues to work closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to quickly process individuals encountered at the border and remove those who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States, delivering strengthened consequences promulgated by the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule and its associated measures,” the agency said in a statement released Friday.
“From May 12, 2023 to April 3, 2024, Dept. of Homeland Security has removed or returned over 660,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom crossed the southwest border, including more than 102,000 individual family members. The majority of all individuals encountered at the southwest border over the past three years have been removed, returned, or expelled. Total removals and returns since mid-May exceed removals and returns in every full fiscal year since 2011,” the statement said.
The agency is also tending to those in peril.
“The U.S. Border Patrol has undertaken significant efforts in recent years to expand capacity to aid and rescue individuals in distress. To prevent the loss of life, CBP initiated a Missing Migrant Program in 2017 that locates noncitizens reported missing, rescues individuals in distress, and reunifies decedents’ remains with their families in the border region. In March, the U.S. Border Patrol conducted 439 rescues, a 77% increase from January 2024. This brings the FY 2024 total rescues to 2,488,” the statement also noted.
Visit the agency at CBP.gov.
POLL DU JOUR
• 33% of U.S. adults feel that the U.S. “won” the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from the 1940s through the 1980s; 40% of Republicans, 33% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.
• 45% of men and 22% of women also agree.
• 32% overall feel the U.S. “neither won nor lost” the Cold War; 32% of Republicans, 36% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.
• 33% of men and 32% of women also agree.
• 30% overall “don’t remember well enough to say”; 23% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.
• 16% of men and 42% of women also agree.
• 5% overall say the U.S. “lost” the Cold War; 5% of Republicans, 5% of independents and 4% of Democrats agree.
• 6% of men and 4% of women also agree.
SOURCE: A CBS News poll of 2,387 U.S. adults conducted April 9-12.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com. Follow her on X at @Harper Bulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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