The Hill’s 12:30 Report — GOP infighting spills into Trump announcement

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*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

The Hill’s 12:30 Report: GOP infighting spills into Trump announcement 

GETTING TRACTION 

There’s tea to spill from the GOP Senate lunch on Tuesday: 

“Senate Republicans let their fury and frustration out at one another during a lengthy closed-door meeting that revealed the bitter feelings left over from a crushingly disappointing midterm election.” 

“An at-times nasty and personal discussion took place at the Senate GOP lunch, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who have been at odds for months, traded recriminations over who was to blame for the GOP’s failure to win back the Senate.”  

The most dramatic part of the lunch: McConnell stood up and asked if there’s so much criticism of his job, then why isn’t anyone challenging him for the role as Senate minority leader. Scott then jumped up and said he is planning to challenge McConnell. “McConnell quickly cut Scott off, telling him to wait his turn to speak. Then things really got heated.” 

What happened next according to GOP sources, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton 

MEANWHILE — TIDBIT FROM THE HOUSE GOP LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS:

CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted: “Madison Cawthorn arrives at House GOP leadership elections. Even though he is not going to be in the next Congress, a number of vanquished members are still attending today’s meeting.” Photo 

How the House GOP leadership elections went on Tuesday

It’s Wednesday! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🏃‍♂️ 2024 

Abracadabra, I’m back!: 

The first official candidate has entered the race for president in 2024 — former President Trump. Trump made the announcement Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida surrounded by a backdrop of American flags and supporters. 

The theme of Trump’s speech: Trump “[claimed] the country had slipped into anarchy under President Biden and [argued] he could repeat the policy successes of his first term.”  

Yes, but: “[Trump made that argument] at a time when the calls from some party members to move on from Trump are as loud as they’ve been since he left office under the cloud of the Jan. 6, 2021, riots and a second impeachment.”  

More on Trump’s announcement and how it has played, via The Hill’s Brett Samuels 

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:

Trump’s entrance song: Trump walked into “Do You Hear The People Sing” from “Les Misérables.” Watch

Wow, check out The New York Post’s cover this morning: “Florida man makes announcement,” it reads, directing readers to Page 26 (!) The cover

^ And here’s the cover of The New York Daily News 

The crowd was not allowed to leave until Trump finished: ABC News’s Olivia Rubin tweeted, “A crowd has formed by the exit of the ballroom as some try to leave Trump’s announcement speech before he has finished…. But security won’t let them.” Watch 

Did networks stream the announcement live?: MSNBC’s Lauren Peikoff pointed out that “MSNBC is not carrying Trump’s Mar-A-Lago speech live. CNN and Fox News are.”  

Trump’s explanation for the GOP’s weak midterm performance: “The citizens of our country have not yet realized the full extent and gravity of the pain our nation is going through, and the total effect of the suffering is just starting to take hold.” 

This was a theme I noticed a lot of journalists point out — Trump’s energy level seemed low: For example, New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi tweeted, “I have rarely heard Donald Trump sound as low energy as he sounds tonight while announcing his 2024 campaign at Mar-a-Lago.”  

^ A former Trump press aide agreed: Former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews tweeted: “This is one of the most low-energy, uninspiring speeches I’ve ever heard from Trump. Even the crowd seems bored. Not exactly what you want when announcing a presidential run.”  

How news outlets worded their breaking news alerts: Writer Matt Laslo screenshotted a few to compare. 

Spotted at the announcement: Roger Stone. Photo from Yahoo’s Alexander Nazaryan 

TIDBIT — IVANKA TRUMP IS NOT INVOLVED THIS TIME:

Former President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, did not attend the campaign announcement last night.  

Why?: “I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics,” she told Fox News Digital.  

Donald Trump Jr. also skipped the announcement, but some of the in-laws were there: “Neither Ivanka nor Donald Trump Jr. attended their father’s announcement ceremony at Mar-a-Lago. Instead, Jared Kushner and Kimberly Guilfoyle attended to show their support.” More on the family dynamic of the announcement, via Fox News’s Brooke Singman 

‘TRUMP’S 2024 RUN COULD COMPLICATE WALKER’S SENATE RUNOFF BID’:

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein 

DOES THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CHANGE THE CRIMINAL PROBES INTO TRUMP AT ALL?: 

No, it shouldn’t change the investigations much. The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch explains 

🚀 Overnight 

Have fun up there, Arty!:

After months of delays, NASA’s long-awaited Artemis I mission has finally begun! The rocket launched early Wednesday morning.

Are any astronauts on board?: No, it is an uncrewed mission. 

The mission: “Artemis I will not land on the moon, but the spacecraft will orbit nearby before returning to Earth in 26 days.” 

More on the mission and its goals, via CNBC’s Michael Sheetz 

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: 

Here’s footage of the launch up close to the rocket: From NASA 

Whoa: Meteorologist Nick Stewart tweeted an incredible photo of the smoke from Artemis’ launch. Photo 

NASA’s Johnson Space Center tweeted a side-by-side comparison yesterday: “Two Moon rockets, 50 years apart. On this day 50 years ago, the Apollo 17 mission had just completed its wet dress rehearsal. Today at @NASA_Kennedy, NASA’s Artemis mission sits on its launch pad, ready for launch at 1:04 am ET.” Photos taken 50 years apart 

Check out the moon last night: Photo from astronaut Scott Kelly — yes, his twin brother is Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)!

Midterm results 

The surprise toss-up is probably headed to a recount: 

The toss-up race between conservative firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Democratic challenger Adam Frisch is likely headed to a recount, according to both candidates. 

What is the vote count now?: Boebert is leading by 1,122 votes. 

If Boebert is leading, why would it head to a recount?: “Colorado law mandates an automatic recount when the winner’s margin of victory is less than half of a percent. Boebert’s margin of just 0.4 percent as of Tuesday afternoon would qualify, though a small number of ballots have yet to be counted.”  

Tidbit: Even though the race still hasn’t been called, Frisch is in Washington, D.C., this week for the new member orientation.

ARE REPUBLICANS CRYING FOUL IN ANY RACES?: 

Well, Republican Kari Lake and her supporters are claiming the election was rigged after her loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs in the Arizona gubernatorial race. 

How this complicates the GOP’s efforts to move on from the midterms, via The Hill’s Julia Manchester 

‘A DECISIVE VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN ARIZONA’:  

The Washington Post’s Reis Thebault and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez write that “Arizonans, who pride themselves on a maverick spirit, unexpectedly delivered Democrats their best results in decades.” The full read

💥 What’s going on in Poland? 

OK, OK, it looks like it was an accident. We can exhale a bit: 

A missile hit a rural town in Poland on Tuesday near the border of Ukraine. Polish authorities said the missile appears to be Russian-made. 

Yep, that’s why everyone is on edge: Poland is a part of the NATO alliance. If Russia attacks a NATO member, that would significantly escalate the conflict and involve other NATO countries. 

NATO’s response: Ambassadors from NATO countries held an emergency meeting. “Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, said on Wednesday that the missile blast in Poland that killed two people was likely caused by the Ukrainian air defense system, but that ‘Russia bears ultimate responsibility.’” What Stoltenberg meant by ‘bears the ultimate responsibility’: Because Russia started the conflict with Ukraine in the first place. More on NATO’s response 

Poland’s president says it appears to be an accident: “Ukraine’s defense was launching their missiles in various directions and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing to suggest that it was an intentional attack on Poland.” 

Photo of President Biden’s meeting on Ukraine and Poland: From Bloomberg’s Josh Wingrove

🦠 The COVID-19 numbers 

Cases to date: 97.8 million 

Death toll: 1,070,947 

Current hospitalizations: 20,643 

Shots administered: 646 million 

Fully vaccinated: 68.6 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

Lol, love this: 

Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the wife of Sen.-elect John Fetterman (D-Pa.), tweeted: “Also me a few hours into Senate spouse orientation … when someone said: I love your dress … ‘thanks, it’s thrifted!  $12!’ ”

  

⏱On tap 

The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Bali, Indonesia. Vice President Harris is leaving for Thailand on Wednesday.

• Today: Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff leave for Bangkok, Thailand. 
• 1 – 2 p.m.: The House votes. Today’s House agenda 
• 1:15 p.m.: First lady Jill Biden speaks at the College Promise Careers Institute in Washington, D.C. 
• 2 p.m.: First lady Biden speaks at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Groundbreaking in Washington, D.C. 
• Midnight: Biden returns to the White House from Bali, Indonesia. 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch

• This morning: A congressional hearing on findings of the James Webb Space Telescope. Livestream

🍟 In lighter news 

Today is National Fast Food Day! 

And because you made it this far, watch this dog explain his understand of the world.