RYE, N.H. ― Chris Christie took his “Donald Trump-is-unfit-for-the-presidency” campaign message back to New Hampshire Monday night, telling a crowd of 150 voters that “we should have a higher bar for president of the United States of America.”

Christie cited the first primary debate last month in which six of the eight Republicans on stage raised their hands when asked if they would support the former president if he is the nominee but has been convicted of a felony by then.

“I will never raise my hand that it’s okay that a convicted felon can be president,” Christie said to applause.
 

Donald Trump is conjuring his most foreboding vision yet of a possible second term, telling supporters in language resonant of the run-up to the January 6 mob attack on the US Capitol that they need to “fight like hell” or they will lose their country.

The rhetorical escalation from the four-times-indicted ex-president came at a rally in South Dakota on Friday night where he accused his possible 2024 opponent, President Joe Biden, of ordering his indictment on 91 charges across four criminal cases as a form of election interference.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a darkness around our nation like there is now,” Trump said, in a dystopian speech in which he accused Democrats of allowing an “invasion” of migrants over the southern border and of trying to restart Covid “hysteria.”

 No one may have been more surprised by the decisive moment in last week’s first GOP presidential debate than Desmond Meade.

Meade is executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which works to restore voting rights in the state to former felons. Florida has long been one of the states that have made it most difficult for former felons to recover the ability to vote. In 2018, the coalition led a successful effort to pass a constitutional amendment to make it easier for those residents to regain that right.

The federal judge overseeing a criminal case against former President Donald Trump for interfering with the 2020 presidential election has set a trial date of March 4, 2024, brushing aside Trump's arguments for a two-year delay.

So this is where we are.  The 45th President of the United States of America was fingerprinted and had his mug shot taken yesterday.  Just let that sink in for a second.  Just a couple of short years ago this guy was the most powerful person on Earth.  A nuclear arsenal at his fingertips, the most dangerous and sophisticated military in the history of the planet ready and willing to be commannded by him.  All the trappings of the office, the living arrangements, the flights aboard Air Force One, the luxury accomodations all over the world, the wait staff ready to serve you at a moment's notice, and the list goes on.  He has none of that now.  What he does have is 18 co-defendents, at least a few of which will surely flip on him.