Oct 24, 2017

Axios PM

By Mike Allen
Mike Allen
1 big thing: Trump's outspoken Senate foes

Jeff Flake's surprise announcement this afternoon that he won't seek re-election adds another to the list of Trump Senate foes who won't face the voters next November.

Pair that with: Trump and retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) escalated their feud today, with Trump tweeting that Corker couldn't win an election for dog catcher, and Corker responding that Trump will be remembered for "the debasement of our nation."

Key Flake quotes from his retirement speech this afternoon:


The White House response to Flake and Corker: "petty" and "grandstanding."

And a reality check on Flake, from Axios' Jonathan Swan:

  • "Flake was dead. Everybody knew it, including Republican leadership and the NRSC. The public polls showed he was going to lose badly to Kelli Ward and I'm told the internal polling wasn't much better."
  • "The GOP has a commitment to defend incumbents but money is finite, and they're not about to pour endless amounts of cash into a losing race. Some senior officials, including several people who considered themselves close to Flake, were blindsided by his anti-Trump book."
  • "Bottom line on the politics: he was a goner. And even if he pulled off an unexpected primary victory against Ward, how would he turn out Trump voters in the general election?"
2. What you missed
  1. What Trump said behind closed doors: Inside Trump's lunch with the Senate GOP. Readout.
  2. Changing of the guard: Lord & Taylor's NYC flagship to become WeWork HQ.
  3. Another big change: After a 101-year marriage, Sears and Whirlpool are severing ties.
  4. NEW: Twitter announces new disclosure plans for some political ads. Read up.
  5. Important note: We ran a chart in Axios AM today that said conservative media sites are suffered from severe traffic declines. IJR and The Daily Caller have disputed that chart. Details.
1 wild thing

Trump's walk with Sen. Mitch McConnell to attend the Republican Senate policy lunch in the Capitol this afternoon was briefly interrupted by a protestor who apparently managed to infiltrate the press area, and threw Russian flags at the president while yelling "Trump is treason!" The video.

Mike Allen