NEWS AND OPINION:
John McLaughlin — President-elect Donald Trump’s primary pollster — has revealed that a historian will soon be at work on a book based on Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. That historian is none other than Craig Shirley — who has already written four well-received books about Ronald Reagan, two books chronicling World War II and books on other topics.
The title of the forthcoming book is “Comeback” — an effective title if there ever was one.
“The remarkable history of the 2024 Donald Trump campaign is too important to be left to rank amateurs and leftists with an agenda. That is why we are working with the consummate historian and Reagan biographer Craig Shirley, who we know will record the facts as they are in his book, ’Comeback.’ As Shirley has proven time and time again, he is dedicated to facts and not biases, rumors and conjecture,” Mr. McLaughlin said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
He has his own significant professional history, which spans 35 years.
During the 2016 campaign, Mr. McLaughlin was an adviser and pollster for Mr. Trump from the primaries through Election Day. His political clients have also included former Republican presidential candidates Steve Forbes and Fred Thompson; former Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Jeb Bush of Florida and Nathan Deal of Georgia; 22 current and former senators and 16 current Republican members of Congress.
We’ll keep you posted on “Comeback.”
’TAKING DOWN THE DEEP STATE’
The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America has launched a $1 million public education and advocacy effort — and it has a clear purpose.
“The campaign advocates for prompt confirmation of President Trump’s Cabinet and educates the American people about the confirmation process,” the organization said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“The campaign will be two-fold. The Foundation will focus on educating the American public on the importance and history of presidential authority on Cabinet appointments. Additionally, Heritage Action will target the home states of key senators who could make or break the confirmation process for President Trump’s highly capable nominees,” the statement added.
“Taking down the deep state isn’t just a priority for President Trump — it’s the mandate the American people gave him,” said Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America.
“If he succeeds, it will cement his legacy as the president who confronted Washington’s unaccountable bureaucracy and restored power to the people. His Cabinet choices reflect a commitment to this mission, and now is the time for every conservative to quickly unite behind his nominees and get to work saving this great republic,” Mr. Roberts said.
’THE INDISPUTABLE FACT’
President-elect Donald Trump has some voter support of note, according to the Republican Jewish Coalition.
“President Donald J. Trump received a historic share of the Jewish vote in 2024, and the election results prove it. From coast to coast, Jewish communities across America moved significantly to the GOP. In New York City, President Trump overwhelmingly won precincts with 25% Jewish voters. Palm Beach County, Florida, moved 13% to President Trump. Nassau County, New York, moved 14% to President Trump. The most Jewish precincts in Michigan moved by 16% to President Trump,” said Matt Brooks, CEO of the coalition, in a written statement.
“The list goes on and on. But don’t just take our word for it: review the cold, hard numbers, and you’re left with the indisputable fact that President Trump continued to make significant inroads with the American Jewish community in 2024,” he said.
“The RJC, having spent $15 million on the largest Jewish outreach campaign ever, is gratified to have played a significant role in this historic election for the American Jewish community,” Mr. Brooks said.
The coalition, by the way, is the national grassroots organization of Jewish Republicans. Find the group at rjchq.org.
MEANWHILE IN ALASKA
Republican Nick Begich III has won Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat, defeating Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who first won the seat in a special election in 2022 after the death of Republican Rep. Don Young.
“Peltola had been the first Alaska Native woman elected to Congress, and the first Democrat to hold the seat since Begich’s grandfather, Nick Begich, won the seat in 1972,” the Anchorage Daily News reported Thursday.
“Begich captured 48.4% of first-choice votes in Alaska’s congressional race, leading Peltola by 6,779 votes, after 340,510 ballots were counted. Peltola had 46.4% of first-choice votes. Because Begich did not have an outright majority in the race, the outcome was ultimately determined by a ranked choice tabulation, which placed Begich ahead of Peltola in a 51.3%-48.7% split,” the Daily News said.
“Other candidates in the race included Alaskan Independence Party leader John Wayne Howe, who received 3.9% of the vote after campaigning on a platform of eliminating most forms of federal taxation. Democrat Eric Hafner, who was allowed to run for the seat despite serving a federal prison sentence in New York and never stepping foot in Alaska, received 1% of the vote,” the newspaper added.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
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POLL DU JOUR
• 40% of U.S. adults “strongly support” President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed plan to create a new commission to audit federal government spending.
• 63% of Republicans, 38% of independents and 19% of Democrats agree.
• 25% overall “somewhat support” the proposed plan to create the commission.
• 22% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.
• 9% “somewhat oppose” the plan.
• 5% of Republicans, 9% of independents and 14% of Democrats agree.
• 10% “strongly oppose” the plan.
• 2% of Republicans, 8% of independents and 19% of Democrats agree.
• 16% are “not sure” how they feel about the plan.
• 8% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 18% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: An Economist/You Gov poll of 1,593 U.S. adults conducted online Nov. 17-19.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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