National

Republican lawmakers have largely remained silent in the wake of former President Trump's dinner with antisemitic rapper Ye and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, reviving a tactic they frequently relied on during his presidency.

Driving the news: Spokespeople for nearly two dozen House and Senate Republicans — including party leaders, co-chairs of caucuses and task forces focused on Judaism or antisemitism and sponsors of legislation to combat antisemitic hate crimes — did not respond to requests for comment.

Why it matters: The dynamic highlights the stranglehold Trump still has on the Republican Party outside a small group of vocal critics, even in the aftermath of poor performances by his handpicked candidates in the midterm elections.

What's happening: Democrats have challenged their Republican colleagues to condemn Trump's dinner with Fuentes, an extremist who frequently promotes racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said in a statement to Axios: "Republicans who continue to remain silent become complicit in legitimizing bigotry and hate when the leader of their own party mainstreams fringe white nationalists and antisemites."

Wasserman Schultz is a co-chair of the Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations, which condemned antisemitic comments by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, last month. Her fellow co-chair, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), did not respond to a request for comment.

"I don’t give a &$#! what some republicans are saying off the record about Trump dining with antisemites," tweeted Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), "At this point anything less than a clean, public break is just taking us all for fools."

The other side: Only a handful of Republican members of Congress have condemned the dinner. 

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) called it "indefensible," while Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) tweeted: "[H]as [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy] condemned this yet? Or nah?" Both are vocal Trump critics leaving office in January.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), the GOP co-chair of the Caucus for the Advancement of Torah Values, told Axios of the dinner: "I am appalled."

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), likely the next chair of the House Oversight Committee, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Trump "needs better judgment in who he dines with."

The big picture: Some Republican groups and figures outside Congress have weighed in — though mostly in vague terms that bypass direct criticism of Trump. 

The Republican Jewish Coalition said in a statement: "We strongly condemn the virulent antisemitism of Kanye West and Nick Fuentes and call on all political leaders to reject their messages of hate and refuse to meet with them."

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement: "As I had repeatedly said, white supremacy, neo-Nazism, hate speech and bigotry are disgusting and do not have a home in the Republican Party."

Several potential Republican candidates for president in 2024 also spoke out:

Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called antisemitism a "cancer" in a tweet on Saturday but made no specific references to the dinner.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie responded more directly, saying the meeting is "another example of an awful lack of judgment" and makes Trump an "untenable" candidate to retake the White House.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on CNN: "What Donald Trump did and his failure to condemn it is really the minority of the party. It's the extreme side of it. That's what you've got to distance yourself from, and he failed to do that."

GOP lawmakers hushed on Trump's dinner with white nationalist

"I am appalled," said one House Republican.

Nick Fuentes. Photo: Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

White nationalism

Donald Trump

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Former President Trump blasted newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith on Truth Social on Sunday, calling the veteran federal prosecutor "compromised" and a "political hit man."

Why it matters: As special counsel, Smith will oversee the federal criminal investigations into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and handling of classified documents and will be tasked with prosecuting federal crimes that arise from the investigations.

His appointment, announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this month, is intended to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

What they're saying: "Jack Smith (nice, soft name, isn’t it?), is a political hit man, who is totally compromised, and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near our already highly WEAPONIZED & CORRUPT 'Justice' Department and FBI," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump added that the Justice Department and FBI were listening to “radical left ‘MONSTERS.'”

"By the way, OBAMA SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN (and got caught!), & what about the MASSIVE Joe & Hunter BIDEN CORRUPTION (Evidence already in!)?" Trump concluded.

The big picture: Trump sent off a flurry of other Truth Social posts on Sunday, railing against the "fake news" media as the "ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE" and calling for the identity of the leaker behind the release of a Supreme Court draft opinion to be made known.

"January 6th was all about a highly CORRUPT ELECTION, which is the only thing the Unselects refused to investigate!" Trump wrote in another post.

Trump rips into new "compromised" special counsel with a "soft name"

Trump called the veteran federal prosecutor "compromised" and a "political hit man."

Donald Trump speaks during a 'Save America' rally in Vandalia, Ohio, US, on Monday, Nov. 7

Former President Trump speaks during a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Nov. 7. Photo: Joshua A. Bickel/Bloomberg via Getty Images

State Of The Union With Jake Tapper And Dana Bash-9 16 09 Am - 9 17 01 Am-2022-11-27

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Sunday slammed former President Trump for meeting last week with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, calling it "very troubling." 

Driving the news: "No, I don't think it's a good idea for a leader that's setting an example for the country or the party to meet with a vowed racist or antisemite," Hutchinson said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. 

"It's very troubling and it shouldn't happen and we need to avoid those kind of empowering the extremes," he said. 

"When you meet with people, you empower and that's what you have to avoid, you want to diminish their strength, not empower them." 

"What Donald Trump did, and his failure to condemn it, is really the minority of the party, it's the extreme side of it and that's what you've got to distance yourself from and he failed to do that," he added.

The big picture: Trump had dinner last week with Fuentes, who has been labeled a "white supremacist" by the Justice Department, and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, at Mar-a-Lago.  

The meeting took place after Trump formally announced his 2024 presidential campaign.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has also criticized the meeting, telling the New York Times that Trump showed an "awful lack of judgment."

Between the lines: Hutchinson told CNN earlier this month that he is "very seriously" considering running for president in 2024.

Go deeper... GOP governor says Trump “politically, morally responsible” for Jan. 6

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GOP governor: Trump meeting with Nick Fuentes is "very troubling"

"When you meet with people, you empower and that's what you have to avoid, you want to diminish their strength."

Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks on CNN's State of the Union. 

Axios AM

Look for a voluminous final report from the House Jan. 6 committee in mid-December — I'm told to expect around 1,000 pages. 

Why it matters: The committee has exceeded expectations, hearing by hearing — turning up constant new information about one of American history's most consequential, but also most documented, events. 

Committee members will hold a presentation event, as they synthesize their findings for history, ahead of the Republican takeover of the House majority in early January.

🔎 The intrigue: Fifteen former and current Jan. 6 committee staffers tell The Washington Post they're angered and disillusioned by Vice Chair Liz Cheney's "push to focus the report primarily on former president Donald Trump." 

These sources "have bristled at the committee morphing into what they have come to view as the vehicle for the outgoing Wyoming lawmaker’s political future," The Post reports on today's A1, "Jan. 6 panel report is the subject of dispute." 

The sources also have "expressed concerns that important findings unrelated to Trump will not become available to the American public."

🔥 Jeremy Adler, spokesman for Congresswoman Cheney, said in a statement to The Post and Axios: "Donald Trump is the first president in American history to attempt to overturn an election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power. So, damn right Liz is 'prioritizing' understanding what he did and how he did it and ensuring it never happens again.

"Some staff have submitted sub-par material for the report that reflects long-held liberal biases about federal law enforcement, Republicans, and sociological issues outside the scope of the Select Committee's work.

"She won't sign onto any 'narrative' that suggests Republicans are inherently racist — or smears men and women in law enforcement, or suggests every American who believes God has blessed America is a white supremacist. 

"Rep. Cheney has been clear the committee report will cover every aspect of the attack of Jan. 6, including the security response, and the role of domestic violent extremist groups, but they will not blame federal law enforcement officers for Donald Trump's attack on our democracy."

🥊 Reality check: The hearings focused on Trump. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the report will, too. 

Dems spooked by Cheney's focus on Trump for Jan. 6 report

The hearings focused on Trump. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the report will, too.

This is Liz Cheney speaking at a microphone.

Liz Cheney at a Michigan campaign event in early November. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Liz Cheney

Donald Trump and his allies have ramped up their war against newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith, reviving a playbook they hope will defang the latest unprecedented legal threat bearing down on the former president.

Why it matters: This isn't 2017. The political and legal conditions that allowed Trump to emerge virtually unscathed from Robert Mueller's Russia investigation no longer apply. No amount of mudslinging — or claims he "won't partake" in the investigation — will protect Trump from indictment if Smith determines he has the goods.

"I was described by Steve Bannon ... as a pit bull," former top Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissman tweeted. "Jack Smith makes me look like a golden retriever puppy."

"Jack Smith came after me. If he goes after Donald Trump with the same unrelenting ferocity, Trump will be in trouble," Intercept journalist James Risen wrote in a column detailing Smith's role in a CIA leak prosecution.

Driving the news: Trump's allies on Capitol Hill and in conservative media have already accused Smith — who is still working remotely from Europe, where he was a war-crimes prosecutor at The Hague — of political bias, citing his wife's donations to Democrats.

Garland appointed Smith to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest after Trump declared his 2024 candidacy, but that hasn't stopped some Republicans from accusing the registered independent of being a secret liberal.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are among those who have sought to discredit Smith's appointment, branding it as the latest example of DOJ "politicization" under President Biden.

Catch up quick: Smith, a widely respected veteran federal prosecutor, was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland to take over two of the most explosive investigations involving a former president in modern history.

The first is the Justice Department's sweeping probe into Trump's efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power after the 2020 election, including the scheme to certify false slates of electors on Jan. 6, 2021.

The second is examining whether Trump illegally retained classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and obstructed the government's efforts to get them back.

Between the lines: At least three major factors distinguish the new special counsel from the challenges and constraints of the Mueller investigation:

Protection: Trump is no longer in office, meaning the Justice Department policy that barred Mueller from indicting a sitting president does not apply. The tools Trump wielded to discredit and jam up the investigation — threatening to fire DOJ officials, dangling pardons and using his bully pulpit — are no longer available to him. Nor is his loyalist Attorney General Bill Barr, who cushioned the blow of the final Mueller report by releasing a summary before making it public.

Timing: Both Garland and Smith have stressed that the appointment will not slow the pace of either investigation. Smith is inheriting teams of prosecutors and agents that have already made significant headway, unlike Mueller, who had to "fly and build the plane simultaneously," as Weissman wrote in a recent N.Y. Times column.

Scope: The sprawling Mueller probe involved both criminal and counterintelligence elements, with much of the key information buried in the bowels of a hostile foreign power. By comparison, the House Jan. 6 committee has already unearthed massive amounts of evidence expected to be referred to DOJ, while the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case is viewed by many legal experts as open-and-shut.

The bottom line: The lionization of Mueller by online liberals ended in disappointment and reinforced Trump's Teflon reputation.

Smith, like Mueller, is only human. But the similarities between the two special counsels' situations largely end with the title they share. 

In 2010, after being criticized for closing corruption cases into members of Congress, Smith told the N.Y. Times: "[I]f I were the sort of person who could be cowed — ‘I know we should bring this case, I know the person did it, but we could lose, and that will look bad,’ I would find another line of work."

Trump's new nemesis

Trump and his allies are reviving an old playbook they used to attack Mueller

Illustration of President Trump with words from the Mueller report printed over his face

Special prosecutors

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied former President Trump's emergency application asking it to block a Democratic-led House committee from obtaining his tax returns. 

Why it matters: The denial allows Trump's tax returns to be released to the House Ways and Means Committee, which has been attempting for years to obtain them from the Internal Revenue Service as part of its investigation into the service’s presidential audit program.

Tuesday's order, which was unsigned and included no dissent, vacates a temporary hold Chief Justice John Roberts placed on the documents earlier this month.

The big picture: Trump, who has been fighting for years to block the release of his tax returns, requested the high court weigh in after a federal appeals court also declined one of his requests to block the release of the documents. 

In 2019, after the Treasury Department denied the House Ways and Means Committee's request to turn over the records, its chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) filed a lawsuit enforcing its inquiry.

Lawyers for Trump have argued that the committee does not have a legitimate legislative purpose for the documents and seeks only to publish them.

The Department of Justice under the Biden administration argued in a 2021 opinion that the committee's request was legitimate and the Trump-era Treasury Department had no valid reason to refuse it.

What they're saying: "The House looks forward to promptly receiving and reviewing these documents," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. 

"These documents are vital to meeting the House’s Constitutional mandate: guarding the public interest, defending our national security and holding our public officials to account," she said, adding that "Congress must enact legislation requiring Presidents and candidates for President to disclose their tax returns."

The other side: Trump wrote in response to the court's decision on his Truth Social platform early Wednesday that the Supreme Court "has lost its honor, prestige, and standing, & has become nothing more than a political body."

Worth noting: Trump appointed three of the justices who serve on the Supreme Court bench.

What to watch: Republicans, who narrowly won control of the House in the next Congress, could scrap the Ways and Means Committee's investigation.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

Supreme Court clears way for House Democrats to get Trump tax returns

The House Ways and Means Committee has tried obtaining Trump's tax returns from the IRS for years.

Former President Trump in Dallas in August 2022.

Former President Trump in Dallas in August 2022. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Supreme Court

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Officer Howard Liebengood's suicide three days after the Jan. 6 insurrection was ruled a line-of-duty death on Monday.

The big picture: The decision by the Justice Department’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program ensures that Liebengood's family will be able to receive the health and financial benefits typically distributed to relatives of federal law enforcement who are killed in the line of fire. 

It also has larger implications for the profession, which has remained reluctant to link suicide to on-duty work due to stigma.

Liebengood was one of several officers who died by suicide in the months following the Capitol riots, where pro-Trump supporters' assault led to a slew of injuries among on-duty law enforcement.

He was patrolling the grounds on the Senate side when rioters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, the Washington Post reports. 

Though he did not physically engage rioters, he assisted in riot control and was ordered to remain on duty "practically around the clock" for three days after the attack, according to his widow.

What they're saying: "The determination is significant, healing, relieving, and we are grateful for it," the Liebengood family said in a statement through the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

"We hope the changes to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program, which allowed Howie to receive this designation, will serve as a model for other entities that offer similar benefits and recognition."

"This is an important step in a longer effort to change outdated processes and attitudes," the statement added. "We also hope that this helps other families who have felt the pain of losing a loved one to suicide."

"We look forward to continuing to reduce the stigma around mental health and suicide for public safety officers — who make sacrifices for us all."

USCP supports the decision, a spokesperson said in a statement. "Suicide has become an epidemic in the law enforcement profession. We will continue to work with the Liebengood family to address this important issue." 

Worth noting: This is the first claim awarded under the Public Safety Officer Support Act signed into law in August, according to the FOP.

The measure was intended to expand access to benefits for family members of police officers who suffer PTSD or acute stress while on duty.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Capitol Police officer's suicide after Jan. 6 ruled a line-of-duty death

"This is an important step in a longer effort to change outdated processes and attitudes," his family said.

A memorial to Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood is displayed in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 19, 2021. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Capitol riot

2020 election

A Pennsylvania woman who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and broke into Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D) office was convicted Monday.

Driving the news: A federal jury convicted Riley Williams, 23, on six of the eight counts against her but deadlocked on the two charges that carried the most weight in the case: aiding and abetting in the theft of a laptop from Pelosi's office as well as obstruction of Congress' official proceedings.

She was found guilty of impeding police officers in their attempt to defend the Capitol and participating in a civil disorder, among other charges.

Prosecutors must decide whether to retry her on the remaining two charges. She will be sentenced in February.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Williams immediately remanded to federal prison, siding with prosecutors who said she presents a flight risk given her readiness to flee and cover her tracks after Jan. 6.

"She was profane. She was obnoxious. She was threatening," Jackson said, per Politico. "She organized others to forcibly resist."

How it happened: The Department of Justice alleged that Williams is the woman featured in a video saying, "dude, put on gloves," before a man's gloved hand reaches for Pelosi's laptop. She had told people she planned to sell the stolen item to Russia, according to prosecutors. 

Her defense lawyer Lori Ulrich countered during the trial that she hadn't taken the laptop and instead lied to her friends about what happened because she "wanted to be somebody."

Ulrich attempted to portray Williams as a naive girl who entered the Capitol unarmed wearing fuzzy boots and carrying a zebra print backpack — a stark contrast to Oath Keepers wearing tactical gear.

As such, Ulrich made the case that Williams should only be convicted "for what she did " — disorderly conduct and parading in the Capitol.

Video footage shows, however, that she took an active role in resisting police and organizing other rioters to lock arms and force the police line backward. The DOJ also said she urged people to go up a set of stairs toward Pelosi's office.

The big picture: Williams is one of over 900 people arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

Pennsylvania woman convicted of storming Pelosi's office on Jan. 6

"She was profane. She was obnoxious. She was threatening," a federal judge said. "She organized others to forcibly resist."

Photo of Riley Williams at the Jan. 6 insurrection on the left and her mug shot on the right

Civil rights leaders and groups condemned Elon Musk's recent decision to reinstate former President Trump's Twitter account, which was suspended after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Why it matters: They are calling on companies to stop advertising on the social media platform as Musk's chaotic takeover continues to bring a host of changes and upheaval to the platform.

Trump's Twitter account was reinstated on Saturday after millions of accounts voted in favor of the decision through a poll Musk posted Friday night.

What they're saying: "In Elon Musk’s Twittersphere, you can incite an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which led to the deaths of multiple people, and still be allowed to spew hate speech and violent conspiracies on his platform," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement, according to CNBC.

"Unless and until Musk can be trusted to enforce Twitter’s prior community standards, the platform is not safe for users or advertisers," #StopToxicTwitter, a coalition of over 60 civil rights and civil society groups, said in a statement on Sunday.

"For those still advertising on Twitter right now: know that you are contributing directly to an erratic billionaire’s decimation of Twitter and its rapid devolution into utter chaos," it added.

The big picture: Trump has said he wouldn't use Twitter if he is reinstated, and he agreed to some restrictions upon forming Truth Social.

Trump on Truth Social had posted about Musk’s poll saying to “vote with positivity” and ”don’t worry we aren’t going anywhere.”

Go deeper ... Elon Musk: Twitter to deemphasize "negative" tweets

Civil rights leaders slam Musk for reinstating Trump's Twitter account

"Unless and until Musk can be trusted to enforce Twitter’s prior community standards, the platform is not safe for users or advertisers."

Elon Musk in Boca Chica Beach, Texas, in August 2022.

Elon Musk in Boca Chica Beach, Texas, in August 2022. Photo: Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

Twitter

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday that the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot will release "all the evidence" it's collected "within a month."

Why it matters: With the committee set to dissolve at the end of the current Congress, it's unknown how the committee will handle several potential witnesses who have refused to comply with subpoenas from the panel, including former President Trump and several Republican members of Congress.

What they're saying: "Within a month, the public will have everything that we've found, all the evidence, for good or ill," Lofgren said.

"And I think we've, as we've shown in our hearings, made a compelling presentation, that the former president was at the center of the effort to overturn a duly elected election, assembled the mob, sent it over to Congress to try and interfere with the peaceful transfer of power," she added.

The big picture: Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has previously said to expect the final report in early December. 

Though the committee has completed its public hearings, it's still continued to hear from witnesses, like Robert Engel, who was the head of former President Trump's Secret Service detail on Jan. 6., according to CBS News. 

Go deeper: Jan. 6 panel slams Pence for saying he won't testify in Capitol riot probe

Rep. Lofgren says Jan. 6 committee to release final report "within a month"

"Within a month, the public will have everything that we've found, all the evidence, for good or ill," she said,

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) speaking in the Capitol in October 2022.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) speaking in the Capitol in October 2022. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Jan. 6

Editor's note: Former President Trump has formally entered the 2024 presidential race.

Former President Trump put himself in a box when he declared on election eve that he would make a "very big announcement" on Nov. 15. 

Why it matters: The midterms were a disaster for Republicans and for Trump personally. But because of his pre-midterms promise, Trump felt compelled to barrel ahead with declaring his 2024 presidential campaign on the promised date.

The big picture: Even some of Trump's own advisers privately acknowledge he has suffered the most significant damage to his political standing since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The first head-to-head polls coming after the midterms are brutal for Trump. The conservative Club for Growth has released a polling memo showing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leading Trump in multiple states.

And in another poll of likely Republican primary voters in Texas, DeSantis led Trump by 11 percentage points.

Behind the scenes: When Trump teased his rally crowd with his promise of a "very big announcement" on Nov. 15, he was actually offering a compromise to his  advisers.

That very morning, Nov. 7, Trump had told associates he planned to announce his 2024 campaign that night in Dayton, Ohio, in his rally with JD Vance.

Even though he was less optimistic than some of his advisers, Trump expected Republicans to do well last Tuesday night. And his main concern, the day before the elections, was ensuring that he would receive sufficient credit for the GOP triumphs. 

Trump figured that by announcing his own candidacy the night before election, he could increase his chances of getting the credit he felt he deserved, an adviser told Axios.

Trump was actually more bearish about the midterm elections than some of his own advisers. 

He was less sure of the sweeping "red wave" that was being promised, and he persistently suspected abortion would be more of a problem for Republicans that his advisers thought it would be. 

Trump also privately discounted GOP strategists who thought John Fetterman's debate performance was fatal to his chances in the Pennsylvania Senate race. Trump thought Fetterman would do better than many people expected because "people would feel bad for him," a source close to Trump told Axios.

Several of Trump's confidants, including GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), were alarmed when they learned he was going to toss out his team's tentative plans of announcing his campaign the week after the midterms and instead do a haphazard announcement the night before the midterms.

They thought an election eve announcement would gin up Democratic turnout the next day and harm Republicans' chances. They scrambled into action and tried to talk Trump out of it. 

He ultimately compromised by announcing his announcement date.

Since then, Trump has publicly attacked popular Republican governors  DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin. And in doing so, he has alienated even some of his own longtime allies and advisers.

Several of these allies told Axios that in the wake of Trump's attacks on DeSantis and Youngkin they were reconsidering how closely they wanted to be publicly associated with the Trump 2024 campaign.

Between the lines: By talking him out of an election-eve announcement, Trump's advisers saved him from receiving even more blame than he's currently getting for the GOP underperformance. 

But Trump's decision to promise a "very big announcement" for the Tuesday after the midterms put him in a situation where he would risk appearing weak if he retracted it. 

Still, some of Trump's advisers thought it would have been wiser for him to delay his presidential announcement until after the Georgia Senate runoff. 

"For some reason it's just stuck in his head that he's got to do this," said another source close to Trump. "And he can't be talked out it."

The source said the worst thing for DeSantis' prospective presidential campaign would be for Trump to delay running, because DeSantis would then become the de-facto frontrunner and everyone would go after him. 

Inside Trump's dicey 2024 campaign announcement

Trump wanted to announce his 2024 campaign before the midterms.

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