Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

‘Scare Tactic Much?’: Critics Pounce On Trump Over Bonkers Pennsylvania Claim

Posted on by
Reply

Donald Trump warned National Rifle Association members Friday that Democrats would change the name of Pennsylvania if they win in November.

The former president, during an hour-plus-long speech in Harrisburg, reflected on his election win in the state back in 2016 before declaring that his campaign has to be victorious this year.

“Or we’re not gonna have Pennsylvania, they’ll change the name, they’re gonna change the name of Pennsylvania,” Trump said.

Trump went on to note efforts to reexamine naming things after historical figures, claiming that George Washington’s name has been stripped from high schools.

“That’s one even I thought was safe. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, their names are now in danger,” he said.

It’s unclear what Trump was referring to but his Pennsylvania claim comes roughly one month after Fox News reported on the National Park Service’s proposal to remove a statue of William Penn, who the state is named after, from a park in Philadelphia.

The statue, local news site Billy Penn noted, is a small version of one atop City Hall that is arguably “the highest profile statue” in Philadelphia that “limited the height of development throughout the city.”

NPS later reversed the decision following criticism including from Pennsylvania state Representative Bryan Cutler, who claimed that President Joe Biden and his administration were trying to “cancel” Penn.

Pennsylvania Goveernor Josh Shapiro wrote that he had been in contact with the administration “to correct this decision” over the statue.

“I’m pleased Welcome Park will remain the rightful home of this William Penn statue — right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Penn founded,” he wrote on X.

Critics mocked the former president over the Pennsylvania name claim including conservative attorney and Trump critic George Conway, who jokingly wrote that the remarks were “perfectly normal.”

Share Button

Why John Fetterman Believes Donald Trump Would Be ‘Formidable’ In 2024

Posted on by
Reply

Senator John Fetterman said a rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 election in Pennsylvania would be “closer” than some might expect, though he still believes Biden holds an edge in the hypothetical contest.

The freshman Democratic senator addressed the race for the GOP nomination, Trump, and life in the Senate since his bout with depression in a rare sit-down with reporters in his congressional office on Monday.

“Donald Trump can’t beat President Biden in Pennsylvania but, assuming it will be President Trump, it’s going to be closer,” Fetterman said of the current Republican presidential front-runner.

“Trump has to perform above his ceiling,” he explained, adding that the former president is still very popular in the state. “You still see Trump signs everywhere in Pennsylvania, and you have to respect Trump’s strength.”

Trump won Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes in 2016 by a narrow margin but lost the state resoundingly to Biden in 2020. Democrats are looking to repeat that kind of performance next year, especially with blue-collar voters in deep-red counties.

Fetterman said no other Republican presidential candidate stands a better chance against Biden than Trump, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. He cast DeSantis as extreme, citing his staunch anti-abortion stance and his focus on waging culture wars, including over transgender rights.

“There’s no way Ron DeSantis could win Pennsylvania,” the senator said. “Watching DeSantis turn into [former Wisconsin Governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate] Scott Walker and get liquidated by Trump’s machine, I respect Trump in terms of how formidable he would be in Pennsylvania.”

Fetterman spoke with the help of an iPad that transcribed the conversation with Capitol Hill reporters in real time, helping compensate for auditory processing difficulties caused by his stroke over a year ago.

The Pennsylvania Democrat seems to be taking his own approach to life in the Senate after being hospitalized for depression. He often eschews suits in favor of shorts and a hoodie on his way to Senate votes, though, given the warm summer months, he has traded in the hoodie for a short-sleeve, button-down shirt.

Monday’s sit-down seemed to mark a shift in Fetterman’s media strategy. Embracing conversations with reporters, both in formal settings and in more informal interactions in the Senate hallways, is something he hasn’t done much before.

Share Button