memeorandum: Trump defends dictator comments amid NYC soiree filled with MAGA diehards (Jason Beeferman/Politico)

4:30 PM ET, December 10, 2023

Top Items:

Jason Beeferman / Politico:

Trump defends dictator comments amid NYC soiree filled with MAGA diehards — At an event with key figures within the MAGA movement, the former president repeated comments that he wants to be a dictator on “day one.” — NEW YORK — The chairman of an Austrian political party founded by ex-Nazis …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Hill and Wall Street Journal

Politico:

Playbook: Trump doubles down on ‘dictator’ desire — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — At an event last night sponsored by the New York Young Republican Club, DONALD TRUMP unsurprisingly defended his comments at a Fox News town hall …

Discussion: NBC News and Rolling Stone

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Talk of a Trump Dictatorship Charges the American Political Debate

Discussion: The Hill, The Messenger and New York Post

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

Trump the ‘human gumball machine’ will ‘impose his will’ on the nation if elected, Romney says — “A thought or a notion comes in and it comes out of his mouth. There's not a lot of filter that goes on,” he said of Trump. — Some Republicans have read former President Donald Trump's comment …

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, NBC News, The Guardian, Axios, Washington Times and Breitbart

Quinn Scanlan / ABC News:

Liz Cheney's plea: ‘Our focus has got to be on defeating Donald Trump’ in 2024 — She sat down with “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl to discuss her new book. — “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl interviews former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. — Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney …

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner, USA Today, The Guardian, Axios, Breitbart and HuffPost

Eva Surovell / The Messenger:

Mitt Romney Says Joe Manchin Is the 'Joe I'd Like to Vote For' in 2024 — The Utah senator, a vocal Trump critic, did not rule out voting for President Joe Biden — Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Sunday said he would prefer to vote for Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., come 2024.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, NBC News and Political Wire

The Guardian:

Republicans to meet allies of Hungary's Viktor Orbán on ending Ukraine aid — Hungarian appearance at two-day event part of Orbán's transatlantic attempt to bolster Russia's war — Allies of Hungary's far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán will hold a closed-door meeting …

Discussion: The Messenger, The Kyiv Independent, Saywhat Politics and Political Wire

George Packer / The Atlantic:
‘We Only Need Some Metal Things’

Discussion: The Hill

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:

As Fury Erupts Over Campus Antisemitism, Conservatives Seize the Moment — Republicans have been attacking elite universities for years. After a tense congressional hearing last week, many on the left are joining them. — For years, conservatives have struggled to persuade American voters …

Discussion: Twitchy, Why Evolution Is True and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

Daniel Arkin / NBC News:
University of Pennsylvania president steps down amid criticism of antisemitism testimony

New York Times:
Penn's President Resigns After Her Responses About Antisemitism

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Jack Smith reveals sweeping scope of bid to debunk Trump election machine claims — In a new filing, his team described interviewing more than a dozen of the top intelligence officials in Trump's administration. — Special counsel Jack Smith on Saturday sharply rejected Donald Trump's contention …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Giuliani spread lies about Georgia election workers. A jury will decide what he owes them. — A damages trial begins Monday in a case in which a judge has already ruled that Rudy Giuliani is liable for defamation. — When Rudy Giuliani steps into federal court on Monday …

Discussion: The Guardian, New York Times and USA Today

Washington Post:

Less appetite — and opportunity — to serve as fake Trump electors in 2024 — Amid a growing number of criminal investigations into the 2020 election, some who once cast electoral college votes for the former president say they would not do it again — Republican Party activist Ken Carroll thought …

Discussion: Business Insider and The Nation

NBC News:

In a reversal, Donald Trump says he will not testify in his own defense in New York fraud trial — Trump was scheduled to take the stand Monday as the months-long $250 million civil fraud trial against him and his company enters its final week. — In an 11th hour reversal …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Business Insider, UPI, Raw Story, KNWA FOX24, KEYT-TV, The Hill, Mediaite and CBS News

Rashad Simmons / The Hill:
Trump lawyer says he will take stand in fraud trial regardless of gag order

Discussion: CBS News, Associated Press, KEYT-TV, New York Post, Raw Story, Civil Discourse …, Fox News, Political Wire and Reuters

NBC News:

She's with him: Hillary Clinton steps out as a key player in Biden's re-election effort — Clinton hosted a $1 million fundraiser at her Georgetown home. — WASHINGTON — On the final Monday in November, in a Washington home stately enough to have a name — Whitehaven …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Politico and HotAir

Ry Rivard / Politico:

I Covered Joe Manchin for Years. He Might Not Care If He Sinks Joe Biden. — The senator's brand of centrism helped him survive West Virginia's rapid transformation from blue to red. But it also helped sow the seeds of the Democratic Party's demise back home.

Discussion: Associated Press and The Messenger

Washington Post:

Biden's primary challenger steps up attacks, prompting Trump comparisons — Long-shot Dean Phillips has called Biden a threat to democracy. It is exasperating to some Democrats who are rebuking similar criticisms from Trump, who has tried to deflect from his own embrace of authoritarian stances.

Discussion: CNN, Business Insider and Fox News