Former President Donald Trump is “ranting and raving more than usual” over the GOP’s disastrous midterm election results – even as some members of his inner circle are pushing him to name Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his running mate in 2024, sources told The Post Friday.
The 76-year-old’s mood is so black, one source said, that those close to him are wondering how it will affect his daughter Tiffany’s Mar-a-Lago wedding this weekend.
“He really thought there would be a ‘red wave’ and that his candidates would win,” the source said, referring to bitter defeats by Trump’s chosen Senate contenders like Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Don Bolduc in New Hampshire.
“He feels their losing makes him look weak,” the source added, “but he’s still targeting DeSantis, who he feels is disrespecting him and he thinks he’s the only Republican that might dare challenge him that means anything.”
With DeSantis’ reelection landslide one of the few bright spots on an otherwise horrible night for the GOP, Trump has intensified his attacks on the 44-year-old Florida governor in recent days.
“He’s grumpy and unhappy that Ron DeSantis did so well,” the source said of the 45th president, who dubbed his rival “Ron DeSanctimonious” at a Pennsylvania rally Nov. 5, and issued a rambling, ranting statement late Thursday saying DeSantis should not run in 2024 and calling him an “average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations.”
“He’s in a bad mood … Friends wonder how gregarious he’ll be at Tiffany’s wedding,” the person went on.
Trump’s temper was not improved by The Post’s Thursday cover lampooning him as “Trumpty Dumpty,” with the source saying the former president thought it “called him a fat loser.”
Despite Trump’s fury, some of his allies are trying to persuade him to offer DeSantis the second spot on the 2024 ticket in an effort to unify a fractured Republican party, according to the source — who admitted that the former president’s inner circle doesn’t even know whether the Florida governor would accept.
“He’s going ahead with his announcement, and as of yet won’t be persuaded to delay it,” said the source. “He’s putting together a war plan and is talking about raising over $1.5 billion with donors big and small. He’s more serious than ever.”
However, the appetite for another Trump run may be dwindling — even among his one time loyalists.
“He can’t get out of his own way,” a prominent New York Republican told The Post this week. “His self-indulgence is political malpractice.”
The GOP bigwig added that while Trump largely stayed out of the recent Empire State gubernatorial race between Democrat Kathy Hochul and Republican Lee Zeldin, the former president’s influence was still felt.
“When the abortion attack didn’t work, Hochul hit Zeldin hard on Trump,” the person said. “It was a clear shot. It could have cost him the election.”
While DeSantis declined to address his own potential 2024 run during his successful reelection campaign, the New York Republican made clear that the Florida governor has higher office in mind.
“DeSantis is running,” the GOPer said. “He’s talking to donors in New York. He has good friends here. He’s been up to the Hamptons [for fundraisers].”
Another non-Trump option for 2024, the source added, could be Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin — who is seen as having more charisma than DeSantis and was also ripped by Trump in a series of bizarre posts on Truth Social Friday morning.
The opprobrium from fellow Republicans has further rankled the former commander-in-chief, according to another source.
“No one cared if Tom Brady won the Super Bowl by a field goal or two touchdowns. On Tuesday we won the Super Bowl,” the source said. “We won the House by a lot and I firmly believe we will win the Senate.”
The source went on to call the rumblings of discontent “political noise” and “manufactured.”
“Ninety percent of the pickups were Trump candidates,” the person went on. “Go down the line.”
Roger Stone, a longtime Trump confidant, told The Post the former president was “disappointed” DeSantis could launch a bid for the White House – since Trump believes he helped the rising GOP star climb the ranks.
“Ron used Trump’s endorsement extensively. Trump is disappointed. There’s such a thing as loyalty,” Stone said. “It would be an act of treachery and betrayal if Ron runs against Trump.”
Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer and personal friend, concurred with Stone – insisting any potential GOP rival should be wary.
“Donald has an appeal that is overwhelming,” said Giuliani, describing Trump as the most charismatic and appealing Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan.
“If he runs, it will be a fight to the death with the Democrats,” said Giuliani. “Also, if Trump doesn’t run, DeSantis will be attacked by the Democrats the way they attack Trump. Ron has to be aware of that.”
Reps for DeSantis and Trump did not immediately return requests for comment.
An elected Democratic official in Ohio penned an op-ed Friday calling Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Ryan “a fraud.”
The op-ed, published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, was written by Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes “a proud, lifelong Democrat” who holds elected office in the state.
In the essay, Rhodes accuses Ryan of being a “fraud” and urges all voters – Democrats, Republicans and otherwise – not to vote for him.
“It’s because I love my state so much that I’m sounding the alarm about my own party’s nominee for U.S. Senate,” the op-ed reads. “Tim Ryan is a fraud who must be defeated. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, an independent or a Democrat like me − Ryan does not deserve your vote.”
Ryan currently represents the Buckeye State’s 13th Congressional District in the House and is looking to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman. He has attempted to distance himself from party leaders and portray himself as a moderate in the Ohio Senate race against JD Vance, his Republican challenger.
Rhodes rebuffed any claims of Ryan being independent in his public service, saying the lawmaker is “100% lockstep” with Democratic Party leaders.
“Here’s the truth: Tim Ryan is not who he says he is. He votes in 100% lockstep with Pelosi and Biden in Congress. At every opportunity, he follows the orders of the D.C. establishment. That’s the path of least resistance that far too many of our ‘leaders’ fall into − we all deserve better.”
The op-ed went on to pivot toward the Democratic Party as a whole, criticizing both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Biden alongside “far too many other Democrats.”
“Ryan, like Pelosi, Biden, and far too many other Democrats, have made themselves willing tools of the far-left fringe that’s giving my party a bad name. Their politics may represent the coastal elite and many liberal cities, but they don’t represent Ohio.”
Ryan will face off against Vance, in the Ohio Senate election on Nov. 8.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA — This past June, Dr. Mehmet Oz was declared the winner of Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for US Senate by just 951 votes. Even so, he was not in a good position. And things were about to get a whole lot worse.
His bitter primary contest against businessman David McCormick had left him battered. His Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania’s Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, had gone on the attack — portraying Oz as an elite carpetbagger from New Jersey. Polls showed Oz had slid into a double-digit deficit in the race.
The money had dried up, and establishment Republicans were within an inch on giving up on him. The heart surgeon-turned-celebrity doctor was left with two choices: Go big or go home.
Oz went big — taking turns driving with his staff in his navy Denali — to meet voters in almost every county in the state. He held 90-minute town hall meetings and didn’t leave until he fielded every single question. He hosted business round tables, visited parents groups, maneuvered around cow pies at farm shows. With each visit, he gave interviews to local radio, print and television outlets, addressing the specific concerns of those communities.
Recently, his months on the road have started to pay off. With just one month to go before Election Day on Nov. 8, in one of the most important seats in the country, this race is now a squeaker. The most recent RealClearPolitics polling average shows Fetterman’s once-massive lead over Oz has shrunk to a statistical tie, and the Cook Political Report is now calling the race a toss-up.
Sitting on a worn couch in a Philadelphia banquet hall, Oz is dressed in a navy suit and appears to be calm under pressure. He insists that his trip from the bottom of the polls to a near tie hasn’t rattled him.
“It really humbles you,” he said, “when you meet people in their backyards, or on their farms, or in their neighborhoods and hear them talk about the things their communities need and how deeply it concerns them when those needs aren’t met. And it also has energized me. These conversations remind me how important it is to serve people’s needs, to really listen, and stay connected to them — and not Washington — if I am elected to the Senate.”
While Oz was busy building relationships with voters, Fetterman built his following on Twitter. He mocked Oz for where he used to live (New Jersey), for what kind of shoes he supposedly wears (Gucci loafers), for calling a veggie tray “crudité.” Snooki from MTV’s “Jersey Shore” was even enlisted to tease Oz.
But Oz said he didn’t let Fetterman’s stunt tactics get to him.
“There was an epiphany for me after seeing a series of memes [Fetterman] sent out that made me pause and say, ‘You know, I didn’t give up everything I was doing in my life in an effort to help the country, to try to heal the country, try to fix some of the challenges that we’re facing, in order to talk about mundane topics that have no real benefit to the voter.’ ”
Even so, Fetterman’s jokes initially seemed to land with the voters. A cult fan base cheered on his online antics, while the media celebrated his progressive populist bona fides.
Never mind that his parents supported him financially until he was 49, or that he had failed to improve Braddock, the industrial town where he served as mayor from 2006 to 2019. Despite his claims that he “actually made his community safer,” data between 2005 and 2018 shows violent crime went up under his leadership, not down.
But none of this seemed to matter. Not even a stroke Fetterman suffered in May, leaving him unable to process verbal questions, could derail his campaign.
And then, as Fetterman started giving short speeches at campaign rallies, his halting, slurred, sometimes confused remarks forced reporters to start asking harder questions about the true impact of his stroke.
Oz said he has deep compassion for Fetterman’s health issues. But he has a problem with his lack of transparency. So far, his opponent has not disclosed his medical records despite calls for him to be more upfront about his ability to serve in Congress.
“You owe voters that courtesy, it is as simple as that,” Oz said.
When Fetterman made his first public appearance since his stroke on Aug. 12, Oz immediately challenged him to a debate. He asked for five debates from Sept. 6 to Oct. 5 — all sponsored by local television affiliates across the state.
Fetterman called his requests “an act of desperation,” but he eventually conceded to a single face-off on Oct. 25 — more than one month after early voting began on Sept. 19 and just two weeks before Election Day.
Oz said voters deserve answers before the ballots are cast.
“The absentee ballots are out, they are circulating. Not only has Fetterman not done any interviews with reporters to address tough questions, he won’t do a debate [so] voters [can] make a decision after hearing what his positions and solutions are on important issues, like crime, or the drug crisis or inflation,” he said.
Oz — who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump — has known him for years before either man ran for office. Although he says he was excited about Trump’s support and acknowledges it helped him in the primary, he hasn’t pushed their allegiance too hard during his campaign.
At an event in the Philadelphia suburbs of Delaware County, where residents chose Biden over Trump in 2020 by just over 80,000 votes, crowds started showing up hours before Oz was set to speak. Of the several hundred in attendance, it was interesting to note that only three wore red “Make America Great Again” hats.
Chris Burkett 67, a recently retired civil engineer from West Chester, said Trump is the last thing he is thinking about right now, even though he voted for him in both presidential elections.
“They really underestimate the voter. Democrats and reporters that is,” Burkett said. “They also don’t listen or understand what our concerns are. We aren’t voting for president, we are voting for Senate. That shadow of Trump they try to create only exists in their minds.
“Everyone wants to [put] Trump on the ballot,” he continued. “They’re doing everything they can with Mar-a-Lago to get everybody’s attention away from those major issues like inflation, crime, the border, the disaster we had in Afghanistan.”
Several people around Burkett nodded their heads in agreement.
“I’m looking at voting for somebody who I trust to make the decisions that are going to need to be made in the future and about the future,” Burkett added, saying he supported Oz long before Trump endorsed him in the primary.
Winning this race in Pennsylvania is critical for both parties in their efforts to grab control of the Senate. Currently the upper chamber is split 50-50, with the Democrats enjoying nominal control thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaker. While 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate are up for grabs, just seven of them — in Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania — are toss-ups that will decide who wins the majority.
Most voters know Oz as a regular contributor to the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” followed by his own 13-year-long eponymous television show, and his many New York Times bestselling books.
But Oz’s story is also that of a successful first-generation American. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents who immigrated from Turkey, the 61-year-old Oz attended Harvard for his undergraduate degree in business, then Penn for his medical schooling. He and his wife, Lisa, have been married 37 years, have four adult children and four grandchildren. They own several investment properties including a cattle farm and commercial real estate, and now live in the house they were married in, in Bryn Athyn, Pa., while they renovate their new home down the street.
And yet, despite Fetterman’s attempts to paint Oz as an elitist, the doctor has had great success connecting with people who aren’t as financially fortunate.
In Erie last week, Oz spent the day with local black entrepreneurs like Michael Hook to discuss how to turn the area into a more prominent, safer place for locals.
Hook told Oz how he came out of prison 23 years ago and now runs Making Lives Better, a non-profit that focuses on mentoring young men. After a long chat with Oz about fixing the drug problem plaguing the city, Hook said he was backing the doctor for Senate.
“I appreciate that he took the time to listen but also spent real time in the neighborhood. When you show up, people respect that. I respect that,” Hook told me.
In September, Oz spontaneously stopped by the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia — a minority neighborhood struggling with open air drug markets and dogged by some of the highest rates of gun violence in the city. When several drug addicts asked Oz for his help, he took them to a detox center.
“I provided my contact information to all of them and I heard back from one of them that evening,” Oz told me. “I hope to hear from them again.”
David Urban, a Washington, DC-based Republican political consultant who served as former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter’s chief of staff, said the arc of Oz’s campaign has been nothing short of remarkable.
“Not many people expected much, then you look at what happened in Kensington with him putting people in his truck and taking them to rehab, it really showed his humanity,” Urban said. “It showed him hitting his stride at the right time and finding his voice.
“He’s a serious guy, capable of doing serious work,” Urban added. “It is a tactic that has re-energized his campaign and that is why the race is where it is right now.”
Oz said he is happy that people are finally taking notice of him for all the right reasons.
“I’m going to go back to the roots of why I got into this, what are the challenges that we’re facing as a nation and what is really happening that we can fix,” he said. “Because I want to be optimistic. I don’t go to the operating room with patients knowing that I’m going to do poorly. I go there knowing I can fix them.
“This is the difference between knowing and guessing. I’m not hypothesizing they might live. I have to, in my heart, believe I can fix the problem.”
Two openly gay pols are vying for a congressional seat in Long Island in a historic first for the United States.
Robert Zimmerman, 68, a communications executive, and George Santos, 34, a Wall Street investor, are facing off in New York’s third district covering Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, North Hempstead and a slice of northeastern Queens.
“It’s a landmark. It’s an absolute landmark,” said Ken Sherrill, a Hunter College political scientist and former Democratic district leader who was New York’s first openly gay elected official.
In interviews with The Post, both candidates said they recognized the historic nature of the race.
“For me there’s a great sense of history to the moment that I take very seriously and believe is very important,” Zimmerman said. “People forget what it was like to be gay in the 70s when I was growing up. I used to go to the diner in Great Neck by myself because I was embarrassed to tell my folks I didn’t have a date for the dance. I was told there were doctors who could make me better.”
Santos said he felt his nomination showed his party was welcoming of LGBT Americans.
“I think it shows that a lot of what the media puts out there that Republicans are homophobic and not accepting is just not true. I have plenty of support from the local Republican party. I have been nominated twice in a row with no opposition,” he said.
Both, however, were adamant that that’s where the similarities ended.
Zimmerman took shots at Santos for his apparent opposition to abortion rights and President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill. While Santos said his opponent had an agenda that “does not speak to the issues we have today.”
Democrats have been sending openly gay candidates to congress for decades, like former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, it’s been a slower path for Republicans.
The GOP under President George W. Bush supported a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the mid-2000s and most recently, a wide majority of the party voted against codifying same-sex marriage as the law of the land.
Though the seat leans Democrat, the race is one of the most competitive in the country. Polling last month from RMG Research found Zimmerman with 42% support, and Santos with 41%. A decisive 14% bloc said they were still unsure. The seat became open this year after Rep. Tom Suozzi declined to seek reelection to instead mount an unsuccessful run for governor.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is yanking $1 million in ads for Ohio GOP House candidate J.R. Majewski after it was revealed his claims about serving in Afghanistan after 9/11 were false.
Majewski’s apparent deceit was outlined Wednesday in a bombshell report by the Associated Press, which obtained military documents that contradict the candidate’s campaign trail claims of serving in Afghanistan during his time in the Air Force.
Following the AP report, the NRCC canceled their plans to run scheduled TV ads in support of Majewski just weeks ahead of the midterm elections
The military documents show that Majewski, who presents himself as a combat veteran, spent six months at an air base in Qatar, an American ally, helping to load planes and saw no active combat.
He once described not showering for 40 days due to a lack of running water while allegedly deployed in Afghanistan and repeatedly used his veteran status as a key component of his campaign for Congress.
Actual combat veterans took offense at Majewski’s claims.
“Veterans have done so much for this country and when you claim to have done what your brothers and sisters in arms actually did to build up your reputation, it is a disservice,” Don Christensen, a retired colonel and former chief prosecutor for the Air Force, told the AP.
Majewski didn’t directly respond to questions about his Afghanistan service claims, the publication said.
Instead, he said he was proud to have served the county.
“My accomplishments and record are under attack, meanwhile, career politician Marcy Kaptur has a forty-year record of failure for my Toledo community, which is why I’m running for Congress,” he added.
Majewski, a strident Trump supporter, is running against longstanding Democratic incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, which has been recently redrawn to favor Republicans.
Kaptur, who has represented the Toledo area since 1983, bashed her opponent over his military misrepresentation.
“The idea that anyone, much less a candidate for the United States Congress, would mislead voters about their service in combat is an affront to every man and woman who has proudly worn the uniform of our great country. J.R. Majewski owes each of these heroes a full explanation about his deception,” Kaptur said in a statement.
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