Graham Platner needs Trump playbook to hang on in Maine
Center Right
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is counting on help from an unlikely source to get him elected: President Donald Trump. Platner was always hoping to ride a wave of anti-Trump anger in the midterm elections on the way to defeating Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the most liberal and last New England-based Republican in Congress. […]
People may debate whether Graham Platner or Ken Paxton is more unfit to serve in the United States Senate. But the answers will mostly depend on one’s partisan preferences. For a few folks, their own particular detestation of certain vices might be material. You may think that Paxton is worse because many of the allegations…
Republican House Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for his endorsement ahead of the GOP primary election on Tuesday, but critics – including his Democratic opponent – were quick to remind the lawmaker that he’s not been seen on the House floor for nearly 90 days.“Kean hasn’t voted in the House or appeared in public in months, yet he’s being endorsed for re-election by Trump,” wrote John Bresnahan, co-founder of Punchbowl News, in a social media post on X Monday night.Kean’s most recent appearance on the House floor was on March 5, and in the months since, his extended absence has become a growing “concern” for GOP leaders given the competitiveness of the district he represents. Kean has said his absence was due to a “personal medical issue” without providing further detail, with Time labeling Kean as a “ghost” in its report last week.Trump’s endorsement of Kean was issued on Monday via a statement on social media, in which the president claimed Kean was “working tirelessly” to support his agenda. Rebecca Bennett, Kean’s Democratic opponent in the race, flagged Trump’s endorsement of a lawmaker who’s been absent for nearly three months in her pitch to voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election.“Here’s the difference between us: I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Kean swore an oath of loyalty to Trump and his MAGA allies in DC,” Bennett wrote in a social media post on X. “This November, we’ll send him packing and start holding the Trump Administration accountable.”Paul Kane, a longtime Capitol Hill reporter, said he’d “never seen anything like this,” particularly given Kean’s district being among the most competitive districts this election cycle.“Kean was last seen March 5. Today was the 88th [day] since his disappearance,” Kane wrote in a social media post on X. “He’s in a critical swing seat that [Republicans] desperately need to hold. Never seen anything like this.”So @KeanForCongress was last seen March 5. Today was the 88th since day his disappearance. He’s in a critical swing seat that Rs desperately need to hold. Never seen anything like this. https://t.co/RPVxP1DcTT— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) June 2, 2026
President Donald Trump attacked several of his political foes, whom he called "corrupt and irrelevant," in a raving late-night posting spree on Truth Social. Trump is routinely up late at night posting images of himself or firing off long-winded attacks against his political enemies. In the past, he's posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick man in bed, threatened to wipe out the Iranian civilization, and reposted multiple conspiracy theories about how the 2020 general election was allegedly stolen from him, even though his lawyers couldn't prove that point in more than 60 cases. The president continued that streak on Monday night, posting more than two dozen times on Truth Social. Some of the posts were standard endorsements of MAGA candidates while others seemed to come from a darker place in Trump's mind. In one post, Trump lashed out at the way the media has covered his war in Iran. "If Iran surrenders ... the Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close. The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!" Trump wrote. He also attacked several Republican congressmen who lost their primary races to people who are more closely aligned with Trump. "In the last two weeks I've taken out many bad Political 'Leaders' and Pundits including Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lightweight 'Congressman' Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, REALLY DUMB Stephen Colbert of CBS, and others," Trump wrote in one post. "My score, for two weeks, is 38-0, with three more limping Late Night Talk Show Hosts, including Low Ratings Bill Maher and his Fake "Laughing Machine," to go. It is my Honor to be working so hard for our Country!"Trump also attacked New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who successfully prosecuted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment he gave to adult actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair he had with her before the 2016 general election. "Alvin Bragg created a new crime just for 'Donald Trump.' He took misdemeanors that didn’t exist, and turned them into felonies that never existed," Trump wrote. "They have a “charge” for Donald Trump that nobody has ever been charged with in the History of Manhattan, and they didn’t charge Hillary Clinton’s lawyer who became the Chief Prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, and the Judge’s Daughter was the Chief Fundraiser for Kamala Harris and Sleepy Joe Biden. Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians!"If all of that wasn't enough, Trump also called for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state in a post where he shared an article about the country falling into a recession.
President Donald Trump is still optimistic the US can reach an interim peace deal with Iran soon, after the Islamic Republic threatened to suspend talks because of Israel’s escalating attacks in Lebanon.
The Israeli military launched deadly new strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday after reporting attacks from Hezbollah overnight, despite President Donald Trump saying both sides had agreed to de-escalate after Iran threatened to pull out of peace talks