Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 17
Trump, White House Lash Ossoff Over Natalie Harp Jab as Georgia Poll Shows 13-Point Lead
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 17

Trump, White House Lash Ossoff Over Natalie Harp Jab as Georgia Poll Shows 13-Point Lead

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 17

Summary

  • Trump and top White House aides escalated a personal feud with Jon Ossoff after the Georgia senator mocked Trump’s work habits and his travel with aide Natalie Harp at a Sunday Atlanta rally.
  • Monday in the Oval Office, Trump compared Ossoff to Pee-wee Herman, said he would “much rather do other things,” and defended his East Wing construction project after Ossoff derided a planned ballroom and a Qatari-gifted plane.
  • Steven Cheung and Davis Ingle piled on with social-media insults, underscoring how closely the White House is tracking Ossoff as he frames the midterms around corruption, costs and failed leadership.
  • Georgia gives the clash higher stakes: Ossoff faces Trump-backed Rep. Mike Collins in November, and a June Fox News poll showed Ossoff leading by 13 points even as both parties expect the race to tighten.
  • Trump could still shape that contest financially, with MAGA Inc. holding a $400 million war chest and a first multi-million-dollar tranche approved for spending in coming weeks.

Insights

How will the unprecedented use of a $400 million foreign-gifted aircraft reshape the ethical guidelines for future executive travel?
What impact do highly trusted, unofficial gatekeepers have on the daily flow of information reaching the highest levels of government?