We’ve shown how Newsmax hyped Donald Trump’s rally and speaking appearances during his New York trial, even as it was letting Trump complain that the trial was keeping him from campaigning — and Trump (and Newsmax) squeezed in one more promotional appearance during the trial. Sandy Fitzgerald touted it in a May 1 article:
Former President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to speak at the Libertarian Party’s national convention later this month and to answer members’ concerns while commenting that if Libertarians join forces with Republicans, “the election won’t even be close” between him and President Joe Biden.
“Libertarians are some of the most independent and thoughtful thinkers in our country, and I am honored to join them in Washington, D.C., later this month,” the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said in an announcement from the Libertarian Party to Newsmax. “We must all work together to help advance freedom and liberty for every American, and a second Trump administration will achieve that goal.”
Trump’s speech is scheduled for May 25, and he said the event will be “attended by many of my great friends.”
“We all have to remember that our goal is to defeat the worst president in the history of the United States, BY FAR, crooked Joe Biden,” Trump said.
Libertarian Party National Chairwoman Angela McArdle, meanwhile, said the party plans to share a list of its top 10 issues with Trump before the convention in hopes of making an impact on his policy positions.
A May 7 article by Fitzgerald touted Robert Kennedy Jr. — whose Democratic-turned-independent campaign Newsmax has touted off and on depending on whether doing so would help Trump — declaring that he wanted to debate Trump at the Libertarian convention.
For the May 25 speech itself — which Newsmax apparently did not air, unusual for a Trump speaking appearance — a wire article served as a preview, in which it was revealed that Trump planned to attack Kennedy. It was left to another wire article to summarize how Trump “was booed and heckled by many in a raucous audience at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday night, a marked change from the adulation he receives at rallies from his fervently loyal supporters.” So it was left to Newsmax Trump-toady talking heads to put the best spin on it. A May 26 article by Fitzgerald touted Trump-fluffing from former Republican Rep. Jack Kingston:
Trump was not met with enthusiastic support during his speech at the Libertarian National Convention Saturday night, but Kingston lauded him as “fearless.”
“He will go out and preach the gospel, the message of smaller government, more personal freedom, less regulations, and he’ll do it in the Bronx,” said Kingston. “He’ll do it in Rome, Georgia, he’ll do it at the liberal convention and I hope it goes next to Hollywood and then maybe to liberals in Silicon Valley and San Francisco.”
[…]Meanwhile, Trump stressed to the libertarians that he’s been indicted on 91 different counts, and he promised that he would use the federal government against his enemies. Kingston said this is a message that Americans understand.
“Americans understand the DOJ has been weaponized, and that’s why Trump is doing so well,” he said. “People get it. This is a political prosecution.”
Yes, we understand that Trump has voted to make his presidency one of retribution and vengeance.
A hour or so later, Fitzgerald hyped another Republican politician gushing over Trump’s speech:
Former President Donald Trump is “spot on the target” to court the Libertarian vote, as he is a “pragmatic leader” who believes that the nation’s sovereignty matters, Rep. Ryan Zinke said on Newsmax Sunday, while discussing the presumptive GOP nominee’s speech at the Libertarian National Convention Saturday, where he was met with boos rather than his usual enthusiastic support.
“I think as a candidate, Donald Trump did exactly what he should be doing,” the Montana Republican said on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Weekend.” “He goes right in it, as he always does. And look, Donald Trump is a movement as much as he is a candidate.”
A May 29 column by Debra J. Saunders blamed the Libertarians’ mixed reaction to Trump on “a number of bars in the lobby and full plastic cups in the convention hall,” then praised Trump’s Libertarian outreach:
By showing up at the Libertarian confab, Trump showed a willingness to fight for the support of voters whom the political class often ignores.
He calls them “the forgotten man.”
With that, Trump’s top billing might hurt the Libertarian Party among members, but the move certainly didn’t hurt the Trump campaign.
My guess is Trump left the event with more votes than he had before he began his 35-minute remarks.
And President Joe Biden seemed to be the last thing on the minds of those in the room.
Since 2015, Trump has been offering Republicans a choice: relevancy over purity.
In speaking to Libertarians, Trump has expanded this choice to the country’s third largest political party.
Saunders concluded by gushing: “Do I think Trump will put a Libertarian in his Cabinet if he wins a second term? Yes, I do.”