NEWS AND OPINION:
It is of note that incoming first lady Melania Trump’s autobiography remains No. 1 on Amazon’s “most sold” bestseller list. Her book — which was published Oct. 8 by Skyhorse — has also reached No. 1 in the categories of memoirs, political leader biographies and — interestingly enough — in traveler and explorer biographies.
Mrs. Trump continues to be the inevitable source of fascination for the news media, in the meantime. Here are a few headlines from the past 72 hours:
“As First Lady, Melania Trump wants to be a positive, unifying force for good in return to White House” (Fox News); “Melania Trump: Enigmatic and fiercely independent first lady is back” (BBC); “CNN commentator brands Elon Musk the ‘First Lady’ after Melania doesn’t appear in Trump family photo” (The Independent); “What to expect from Melania Trump’s second stint as First Lady” (Today.com); “Melania Trump always defied the First Lady fashion rules – here’s what she’ll do the second time around” (The Telegraph); “Melania Trump: ’We will safeguard the heart of our republic’” (The Hill).
A salute to our veterans
Let us not forget that Monday is Veterans Day — officially designated as a federal holiday in 1938, to honor both active and former U.S. service members each year on Nov. 11 — the anniversary of the end of World War I. Look to C-SPAN for straightforward coverage of this event the public affair network will broadcast live at Arlington National Cemetery for the 71st annual National Veterans Day Observance. Airtime is 10:30 a.m.
“Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good,” notes a history of the date released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Political ads
The cost of political advertising 2024 presidential election was projected to reach a record-breaking $10.7 billion according to AdImpact, an analytical company that tracks the effectiveness of TV ads in particular. That’s up 19% from the amount spent during the 2019-2020 election.
But wait. Do these ads matter to the public?
“Political advertisements saturated TV for weeks before the presidential election, but didn’t have much impact for most voters,” advises Rasmussen Reports — which conducted a national telephone and online survey of likely voters during the 48 hours that followed the election itself.
It revealed that 46% of likely U.S. voters say, in terms of how they voted in this year’s presidential election, that “TV commercials for or against either candidate did not influence them at all,” the pollster said.
“Another 29% say TV ads didn’t have much influence on their presidential vote. Fourteen percent (14%) say TV commercials had some influence on how they voted, but just nine percent (9%) say such ads had a lot of influence on their presidential choice.”
A genuine coalition
The mainstream media had “a complete meltdown” following President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the 2024 election.
That is how Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo put it during an exchange with Sen.-elect Dave McCormick on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
The Pennsylvania Republican had promising observations about Mr. Trump’s activities in recent days.
“President Trump built a really exciting coalition,” Mr. McCormick said.
“We see members of the trade unions getting behind him, the African American community, Hispanic community, Gen Z, the Jewish community. The coalition that he was able to build and I was able to help build and take advantage of is truly exciting,” he noted.
“The old lines between Democrats and Republicans are becoming very blurred. We really are the party that’s representing working families, and it’s no surprise that people want change — because under the failed leadership of Harris and Bob Casey and others, the economy, the border, crime, it’s all gone in the wrong direction. The coalition is exciting — and I think we need to deliver really dramatic change in the direction of getting commonsense policies in place. And that’s what Trump ran on. And that’s what I ran on,” Mr. McCormick observed.
Stop the crying
One political observer is weary of political outreach which includes emotional turmoil sparked by the presidential election.
“President-elect Donald Trump’s White House win this week was his first electoral victory in the TikTok era. Liberal tears might have flowed across the internet eight years ago, but that was nothing compared to the flooding that overtook the left’s favorite video platform after Trump triumphed for a second time,” writes Tristan Justice, western correspondent for The Federalist.
“The online teardrops started tumbling even before the former president reclaimed the title earlier this week,” Mr. Justice wrote.
There must be something to all this. Geoffrey Dickens, director of media analysis at the Media Research Center — a conservative press watchdog — also noted the trend. He tracked the “worst election media meltdowns” of the week in an analysis released Saturday.
“It’s been a rough few days for the leftist media elites. They have been in anguish ever since Election Day,” Mr. Dickens observed.
Poll du jour
• 27% of U.S. adults say the outcome of the 2024 presidential election makes them feel “worried.”
• 15% of U.S. adults say the outcome makes them feel “hopeful.”
• 12% of U.S. adults say the outcome makes them feel “relieved.”
• 12% of U.S. adults say the outcome makes them feel “indifferent.”
• 11% of U.S. adults say the outcome made them feel “happy.”
• 7% of U.S. adults say the outcome made them feel “sad.”
• 7% say the election made them feel “none of these” emotions.
• 6% say the election made them “angry.”
• 2% say the election made them feel some “other” emotion.
Source: An IPSOS/Reuters poll of 1,471 U.S. adults conducted online Nov. 6-7.
Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, or on Facebook @HarperUniverse.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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