Name: Report: Trump Thinks His Attempts to Steal the Election Are Rip-Roaringly Hilarious
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Report: Trump Thinks His Attempts to Steal the Election Are Rip-Roaringly Hilarious

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As you’ve likely heard by now, Donald Trump has spent months trying to undermine confidence in the election, a plot that reached a crescendo this week when he to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and called for “the ballots” to be thrown out so that he can just be declared the winner. Obviously, the remarks were deeply disturbing to people who don’t want to live under an authoritarian regime reminiscent of Turkmenistan. But for Trump? Well, apparently he thought they were a real gas.The Daily Beast that, according two people familiar with the matter, Trump was glued to the cable-news coverage in the hours after he made his comments to the press and remarked privately how amusing it was that his suggesting he’ll stay in office no matter what was vexing the media and liberals. “He seemed to get a real kick out of it,” one of the sources said, adding that Trump seemed to relish making the press, in his words, “go crazy” over his disdain for democratic norms. “[The president] wasn’t going to be playing by their rules on this just to make them feel comfortable,” the source said.Of course, it’s not the media and liberals’ “rules”; a peaceful transfer of power is actually dictated by the Constitution, and it’s one of the ways you can tell the difference between the United States and countries where dictators rule. And while Trump and his sycophants might think it’s hilarious to sow doubt about the validity of the election and whether or not he’ll accept the outcome, not everyone is so tickled. Per the Daily Beast:Outside the confines of Trumpland, few were laughing.&nbsp;Some of the president’s own former senior administration officials said they were appalled by the comments, finding them both utterly believable indications of intent and further evidence that the man they once served wasn’t just unfit for office, but a threat to public safety. “I continue to be concerned that the President’s reckless rhetoric will incite violence from fringe extremists,” said Elizabeth Neumann, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security for counterterrorism and threat prevention who has since endorsed Joe Biden. “All leaders must understand how precarious a moment we are in, which has been noted by multiple law enforcement and intelligence briefings. They have a responsibility to be careful with their words.”According to a Justice Department prosecutor, there is internal concern&nbsp;in some department circles that Attorney General William Barr will join postelection lawsuits on behalf of the Trump campaign or its allies…. Any Justice Department intervention in election-related lawsuits would have “tremendous practical effect,” the prosecutor said. In addition to the quality of its lawyering—particularly within the solicitor-general’s office, should any case reach the Supreme Court—the attorneys hold prestige in federal appellate courts. Appointing a ninth Supreme Court justice to fill the seat held by the recently deceased Ruth Bader Ginsberg would likely act as a firewall should crucial election decisions reach the high court—something Trump and his vice president&nbsp;have mused about openly.A Justice Department spokesperson did not response the Daily Beast’s request for comment, but as the prosecutor put it, Barr “is without limit to what he’ll do.”If you would like to receive the Levin Report in your inbox daily, click&nbsp;&nbsp;to subscribe.Florida governor happy to just let COVID-19 run rampantMost PopularYou’d be forgiven for thinking Ron DeSantis, a Trump lackey, actively :DeSantis…lifted state restrictions for restaurants and many other businesses on Friday as the state moved into the next reopening phase. Mr. DeSantis, a Republican and avid supporter of President Trump who spoke at the president’s rally in Jacksonville on Thursday, signed the order, allowing restaurants and many other businesses as soon as Friday afternoon to operate at full capacity as part of Phase 3 of his administration’s reopening plan. “We’re not closing anything going forward,” the governor said at a midday news conference in St. Petersburg.Mr. DeSantis refused to mandate mask usage in the state, insisting that such a decision should be left up to local governments. Yet his administration has increasingly stepped in to prevent counties from imposing more stringent virus restrictions. Many of Florida’s largest counties are run by Democrats…. Under the state’s reopening plan, Phase 3 allows for bars and nightclubs to operate at full capacity “with limited social distancing protocols.” It was unclear immediately how the order would affect Miami-Dade County, the county hardest-hit by the virus, which has kept bars and nightclubs closed since March.&nbsp;In other DeSantis news, the governor has a new law that makes participating in protests that result in property damage or blocked roads a felony; makes donating money to protesters a potential violation of racketeering laws; and grants “protections to people who drive cars into crowds of protesters, even if someone is injured or killed.”Don Jr. calls for “able-bodied” Americans to form an “army” for his fatherIn a video released by the Trump campaign, the president’s eldest son, who appears to have either been crying for hours or recently stung by an angry swarm of wasps, tells viewers: “The radical left are laying the groundwork to steal this election from my father…. Their plan is to add millions of fraudulent ballots that can cancel your vote and overturn the election.” As ominous music plays in the background of what appears to be a hotel room, Donny warns: “We cannot let that happen. We need every able-bodied man, woman to join an army for Trump’s election security operation…. We need you to help us watch them…President Trump is going to win, don’t let them steal it.”Most PopularThis content can also be viewed on the site it from.Of course, it’s more than a little rich that Don Jr. is claiming Democrats are planning to steal the election when it’s his father who wants mail-in ballots to be thrown out and a Supreme Court of his choosing to declare the victor, but whatever gets him a shot at that semiannual hug and a “good job, sport” is worth it.Elsewhere!Ruth Bader Ginsburg becomes first woman to lie in state in U.S. capitol ()The Kremlin Is Increasingly Alarmed at the Prospect of a Biden Win ()DeJoy Says Mail-Sorting Machines Were Stripped for Parts and Can’t Be Reinstalled ()How three decades of partisan fighting enabled Trump to reshape the federal judiciary ()The Woman In Charge of Getting America Enough Clorox Wipes ()“Complete Mess”: Traders Fear Volatility Long After Election Day ()Obama announces final 2020 candidate endorsements ()Dogs used to detect coronavirus in pilot project at Helsinki airport ()Trump says debating with Biden will be like a UFC match ()Virtual Audiences Ranked by the Dystopian Energy They Emit ()More Great Stories From Vanity Fair— How Gabby Giffords Survived a Shot to the Head, and — On His Time With the President— How Jared Kushner Let the &nbsp;— Vows to Stay in Office Regardless of Election Results— An Ex-Republican Strategist — How Everyone Is Quietly — As Election Approaches, &nbsp;— From the Archive: by Their Desire to Cash In— Not a subscriber? to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. is a politics correspondent at Vanity Fair. An essential voice of our current tragicomedy, she is an incisive, hilarious daily narrator of the horrors that never seem to stop. If you need catharsis in these terrifying times—or even if you don’t!—she is a must-read. You can follow her... The freshest-and most essential-updates from Washington, Wall Street, and Silicon Valley.

As you’ve likely heard by now, Donald Trump has spent months trying to undermine confidence in the election, a plot that reached a crescendo this week when he to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and called for “the ballots” to be thrown out so that he can just be declared the winner. Obviously, the remarks were deeply disturbing to people who don’t want to live under an authoritarian regime reminiscent of Turkmenistan. But for Trump? Well, apparently he thought they were a real gas.The Daily Beast that, according two people familiar with the matter, Trump was glued to the cable-news...

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Bess Levin

Vanity Fair is a monthly magazine of popular culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast in the United States.  The first version of Vanity Fair was published from 1913 to 1936. The imprint was revived in 1983 and currently includes five international editions of the magazine. As of 2018, the Editor-in-Chief is Radhika Jones.

Report: Trump Thinks His Attempts to Steal the Election Are Rip-Roaringly Hilarious

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