The former White House Press Secretary in question is Kayleigh McEnany, who earned her MAGA stripes as one of the sole pro-Trump voices on CNN in 2016. She showed up, day in and day out, in uber-hostile territory, and went to bat for him -- even when he didn't deserve it, in my view. I vividly recall watching her appearances and disagreeing with her relentless Trump support, a stance that I did not share. But I begrudgingly admired her preparedness, her tenacity, and her willingness to stare down mega-panels of sneering opponents, all of whom openly wanted to crush both her and the man she was defending. Having gone through that very public gauntlet, McEnany was eventually rewarded for her loyalty and performances: Trump named her his top spokesperson in early 2020. The Trump universe loved her, sharing and celebrating her frequent, combative exchanges with reporters.
She joined Fox News a few months after her boss lost to Joe Biden and has been a colleague ever since. In full disclosure, we still don't always agree (though we often do), and I've gotten to know her a little bit. She strikes me as smart, kind, and very polite. She is a conservative. And in addition to her enthusiasm over the accomplishments of the Trump administration, as a Floridian, she also admires Gov. Ron DeSantis. She says positive things about both men on the air. But because she allegedly misspoke about the size of Trump's polling lead in one particular survey, Trump now says he's done with her:
Kayleigh was one of the only voices defending Trump on CNN when he ran in 16. I often disagreed with her, but she was prepared, relentless & unafraid of being heavily outnumbered. She then served Trump as chief spokesperson when he was president. She also likes DeSantis. Result: pic.twitter.com/ZwToHGOvpm
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) May 31, 2023
This isn't really just about one comment about polling analysis. McEnany likes DeSantis and isn't openly siding with Trump, so the former president's transactional, self-obsessed, one-way loyalty test has been broached, in his mind. So now she's a 'Milktoast [sic] RINO globalist,' or whatever. McEnany becomes the latest in a seemingly endless line of former Trump supporters, surrogates, and high-ranking officials whom Trump openly trashes, mocks and belittles. He's angrily feuding with numerous members of his own former cabinet, plus his unflinchingly loyal Vice President -- who fell out of favor by refusing to violate the constitution in pursuit of an insane election-reversal scheme.
Recommended
I suppose some of the hardest-core Trump fans relish these purges and live for the endless, high-octane drama. But I'd wager that some sizable element within the 'always Trump' contingent grows weary of this stuff. Imagine how 'soft' Trump supporters, and especially election-determining independent and swing voters feel about it. But as Trump derisively cuts loose his own top spokeswoman for insufficient fealty, he's garnering applause from a disgraced former Democratic New York Governor. Please recall that this shameless man forced seniors with COVID into nursing homes, then covered up the disastrously lethal fallout, falsified and altered data, and lied endlessly about all of it:
Donald Trump tells the truth, finally.
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) May 30, 2023
New York got hit first and worst but New Yorkers acted responsibly. Florida’s policy of denial allowed Covid to spread and that’s why they had a very large second wave. https://t.co/dZb59fsSPu
In his zeal to throw anything and everything at DeSantis, Trump has been claiming that New York handled COVID better than Florida. New York's horrible ex-governor agrees, of course, even if the facts (and our memories) do not:
The study ranks Florida 28th in mortality, in the middle off the pack and about the same as California, which ranks 27th despite its far more stringent lockdowns and school closures. But Florida ranks third for the least education loss and 13th in economic performance. California ranks 47th overall because its shutdowns crushed the economy (40th) and in-person school (50th). In other words, Florida did about average on mortality as other states, but it did far better in protecting its citizens from severe economic harm and its children from lost schooling...New York, whose former Governor Andrew Cuomo was celebrated as a Covid hero, ranks 49th. Albany’s severe and overlong economic shutdown (48th) had no payoff in mortality (47th).
A left-wing MSNBC host is peddling the same Trump- and Cuomo-endorsed story, but look at the actual age-adjusted COVID death rates:
Here is what the CDC has to say about age-adjusted mortality with COVID-19 as the underlying cause, Florida vs. California, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York pic.twitter.com/RiYDqscWyC
— Kyle Lamb (@kylamb8) May 27, 2023
Florida (anti-lockdown) is on par with California (heavy lockdown), and both are better than New York (heavy lockdown). Some of those numbers are additionally explained here. And on the separate metric of overall 'excess mortality' during the COVID span (through early 2022, after which nearly all lockdowns and mandates were being lifted or ignored everywhere):
Newsom wants to run for POTUS & is attacking DeSantis accordingly. I suspect DeSantis would relish a FL vs CA debate on open schools, mental health, jobs/economy (FL much stronger), population growth (FL) vs shrinkage (CA)…& perhaps pandemic excess deaths stats via @USMortality: https://t.co/O9KyAXfm5c pic.twitter.com/orjj5bM33v
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 14, 2022
And then, of course, there are the titanically important economic, mental health, and educational policies and related consequences -- on which Florida vastly outperformed these blue states. But because he's obsessed with DeSantis right now, Trump is parroting harmful, pro-lockdown, pro-Cuomo propaganda:
No way to read this other than Trump thinks DeSantis should have locked down harder pic.twitter.com/HUcK8F8UHb
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 30, 2023
So I have to ask, if Donald Trump is elected President again in 2024 and another pandemic is released, will he lock down the country again?
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) May 30, 2023
And if you say no, I’m gonna have to ask for evidence why he won’t. He still brags about what he did. Brags about the vax too. pic.twitter.com/euIvgGgT1b
To that last point, I was and remain very pro-COVID vaccine, particularly for vulnerable populations. I got two shots in the early days, but have declined any boosters, after conversations with doctors. I've opposed mandates. And despite the inaccurate and exaggerated way in which the vaccines' efficacy was marketed on preventing transmission, the vaccines have been life-saving for countless people. Operation Warp Speed deserves commendation (although Trump giving Fauci a medal on his way out the door is tough to stomach, given the other things that man did). I see it as one of Trump's great achievements, and he evidently agrees with me. But in the currently political moment, how will Trump handle these issues and decisions, if pressed on them? And is the 'New York did COVID better than Florida' line persuasive to anyone -- aside from the neurotic, anti-data, still-outdoor-masking crowd? I'll leave you with this, on Fauci and the crazy anti-Florida tirades:
"If you are faced with a destructive bureaucrat in your midst like a Fauci, you do not empower somebody like Fauci. You bring him into the office and you tell him to pack his bags: You are fired!" - @RonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/G2G2wKSu54
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) May 31, 2023
Most Qs at this DeSantis gaggle are about Trump, and he’s taking every chance to attack, especially on Trump saying Cuomo did better on COVID than Florida.
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) May 31, 2023
“Hell, his whole family moved to Florida under my governorship.” pic.twitter.com/QkejJK1CqP
Join the conversation as a VIP Member