In attacking Mark Kelly, Trump is elevating a 2028 contender

Nearly two weeks later headlines about Donald Trump s violent threats against a group of Democratic lawmakers and Arizona Sen Mark Kelly in particular aren t fading away New plot lines keep emerging that are ensuring the focus remains on the Arizona senator which carries a possible threat for Republicans in The inciting affair came on Nov with the release of a video message featuring Kelly and five other Democrats Sen Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Reps Jason Crow of Colorado Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania aimed at members of the military and intelligence area This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence district professionals against American citizens the group reported The threats to our Constitution aren t just coming from abroad but from right here right at home Our laws are clear You can refuse illegal orders No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution The language used by the Democrats all of whom are veterans or former intelligence personnel was intentional mirroring what can be exposed in the Uniform Code of Military Justice That didn t matter to Donald Trump Two days later he erupted on social media The Democrats were traitors who should face prison and the death penalty SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR punishable by DEATH read one of the president s posts He later denied he had made any threats Trump s threats triggered a message of solidarity from the lawmakers reiterating their message But the story kept evolving On Nov Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth established that the Pentagon was inspecting whether Kelly a retired Navy captain and combat pilot had violated military law with the video According to the declaration the senator could be recalled to current duty to face court-martial proceedings or administrative measures The following day it was revealed that the FBI was opening a probe into the lawmakers conduct and would be attempting to schedule interviews with each of the six lawmakers Trump s actions have had unintended consequences He has elevated Kelly as a anticipated rival if not for himself then for his MAGA successor By virtue of the Pentagon scrutiny as well as rumors of his presidential ambitions Kelly has received the lion s share of attention That s bad news for Republicans and constitutes a major error on the part of Trump whose actions have had unintended consequences He has elevated Kelly as a probable rival if not for himself then for his MAGA successor whether that ends up being Vice President JD Vance Secretary of State Marco Rubio Donald Trump Jr who s in second place behind Vance according to a newest poll or even Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene who in recent months reported her retirement from Congress Like any politician worth their salt Kelly is taking advantage of the increased attention from Trump s attacks Over the past days the senator has been on a media blitz With the notable exception of Fox News he has chalked up appearances on every major grid and cable news channel There was his Nov interview on CBS s Face the Nation followed by multiple appearances on MSNOW including Morning Joe on Nov and The Rachel Maddow Show on Nov ABC was next Kelly appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Nov He pulled double duty over the holiday weekend sitting down with Kristen Welker on NBC s Meet the Press and Dana Bash on CNN s State of the Union In interview after interview Kelly denounced Trump s comments and underscored his reason for making the video We re concerned because of this president with this secretary of defense that we could have a key difficulty he notified Welker I m not gonna be intimidated I m not gonna be bullied Especially by people like Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth Related Trump s threats against Dems show he is unfit to lead For a multitude of anticipated voters this will be their first substantial introduction to Kelly who initially achieved national recognition as the supportive husband of former Rep Gabby Giffords D-Ariz who was severely wounded in a shooting and for winding down his career as a NASA astronaut to aid her recovery In he won a special Senate ballot to fill the remainder of the late GOP Sen John McCain s term and two years later he was elected to a full term After Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race in Kelly located himself a contender to serve as then-Vice President Kamala Harris running mate While the senator has used his modern media appearances to defend his report to members of the military and to push back against Trump and Hegseth s threats he has also seized the opportunity to go on the offense and talk about other issues On State of the Union Kelly all but called Hegseth a war criminal in response to a contemporary document that the defense secretary issued a verbal kill-them-all order when Joint Special Operations were preparing a Sept strike on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean that the administration alleged was carrying drugs bound for the U S The senator also minced no words in attacking Trump over his mass deportations When he says things like third-world countries what is he really saying Kelly requested I think what he s saying is he doesn t want brown people in our country And that is disturbing and it s un-American Such comments are doubtless heartfelt But they are also likely intended to quell concerns among progressives who might look askance at one factor in Kelly s Senate record On Capitol Hill he s known for his efforts to reach across the aisle scoring in the top of bipartisan senators according to the greater part contemporary Bipartisan Index disclosed by The Lugar Center and Georgetown University s McCourt School of Residents Guidelines Want more sharp takes on politics Sign up for our free newsletter Standing Room Only written by Amanda Marcotte now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts For all his achievements Kelly is not a natural showman A sober presence in interviews and on the stump he has tended to fade into the background in the Senate But Kelly also has an unquantifiable quality that more voters at least over the past couple of decades have associated with Republican politicians BDE This understated confidence is something that Trump with his hurricane of narcissism and swagger has never possessed It s a trait that has been on full display in every interview Kelly has given since he became the target of the administration s ire It s unclear how much thought if any the mercurial Trump gave to attacking Kelly In the past going after a combat veteran and a war hero in the affair of McCain a Vietnam POW has not mattered to Trump s MAGA base or to independent voters who broke for him over Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton in Modern weeks have shown that the Donald Trump of is not the Donald Trump of nine years ago Exclusively put whether due to misjudging the country s mood or the increasingly obvious effects of poor strength and aging the president has been off his encounter His poll numbers are in sharp decline After GOP candidates were roundly drubbed in November s off-year elections Trump was faced by a wave of bad press questioning his abilities and casting him less than a year into his term as a veritable lame duck In acts that would have been unheard of as in recent weeks as the summer congressional Republicans are beginning to publicly defy him After GOP Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina as well as Trump s perennial thorn in the flesh Thomas Massie of Kentucky refused to withdraw their backing for releasing the Justice Department s files on the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein under immense pressure from the White House the president was forced to change his position and help a bill mandating their disclosure According to a POLITICO statement that was disputed by the White House Trump was poised to unveil a physical condition care initiative that would have included continued subsidies for the Affordable Care Act But it reportedly never saw the light of day because Republicans on Capitol Hill balked We need your help to stay independent Subscribe in contemporary times to assistance Jason Kyle Howard s commentary Now a Nov YouGov America poll has uncovered that a majority of Americans have effectively sided with Kelly over Trump with of U S adults approving of lawmakers reminding active-duty institution members of their legal duty to refuse to carry out illegal orders Of those strongly approved Thirty-two percent disapproved while were unsure Among self-described independents approved disapproved and were not sure Kelly has also taken to fundraising off Trump and Hegseth s attacks sending out two rounds of emails with subject lines that read President Trump is calling for me to be hanged and The Department of War is coming after me Tellingly the proceeds will not solely benefit Kelly So far the multiple emails in each of the two rounds were also sent on behalf of New Jersey Sen Cory Booker who is up for reelection in California Sen Adam Schiff Nevada Sen Catherine Cortez Masto and the Nevada Democratic Party Although Kelly s media appearances have been well received it s unclear how his subdued manner and record of bipartisanship will play among an angry Democratic base that wants to see their leaders fight But the senator with a remarkable assist from Trump is making it clear that he plans to give it a shot Read more about this topic MAGA s war on empathy was started by a woman AI fuels a new wave of political lies Trump s Animal House is floundering The post In attacking Mark Kelly Trump is elevating a contender appeared first on Salon com