Trump Staffs Up & Harris Campaign Debt | 11.12.24

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary: "Trump Staffs Up & Harris Campaign Debt | 11.12.24"

Date: November 12, 2024
Host: Georgia Howe & John Bickley
Guests: Tim Pierce, Cabot Phillips, Amanda Presta Giacomo

---

1. Trump Administration Staffing

Overview:
President-elect Donald Trump is rapidly assembling his second-term administration with a focus on key areas such as border security and national security. The selections indicate a commitment to continuing his first-term policies with experienced and loyal figures.

Notable Appointments:

• Susie Wiles appointed as Chief of Staff.
• Congressman Mike Walts named National Security Advisor. A decorated Green Beret with multiple deployments, Walts emphasizes military prioritization (02:08).
• Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Known for her strong support of Israel and stance against antisemitism, Stefanik aims to influence global perceptions of the U.S. (02:56).
• Stephen Miller, former head speechwriter, promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.
• Scott Besant, Wall Street investor, favored for Treasury Secretary. Besant advocates for making Trump's tax cuts permanent and strengthening the dollar (02:56).
• Tom Homan, former Acting Director of ICE, designated as Border Czar. Homan’s role will focus on securing the U.S. border and overseeing mass deportation efforts (03:22).

Insights from Cabot Phillips: Cabot Phillips highlights that these appointments reflect Trump’s priorities without significant policy surprises. The selection of Homan underscores a serious approach to immigration control, while Stefanik’s role at the UN is strategic for international relations.

Quotes:

• John Bickley (01:03): "President elect Donald Trump's administration has started to take shape, with top positions already being filled by people committed to carrying out Trump's agenda."
• Cabot Phillips (03:45): "Trump is serious about locking down illegal immigration at the border and carrying out his plan to deport potentially millions of illegal aliens."

---

2. Kamala Harris Campaign Expenditure

Overview:
The Kamala Harris campaign raised over $1 billion during the election cycle but ended up with a $20 million deficit. This unprecedented spending spree has sparked intense criticism and debate within the Democratic Party.

Spending Breakdown:

• Advertising: Over $654 million spent, surpassing Trump’s investment (07:44).
• Payroll: More than $56 million allocated to staff compared to Trump’s $9 million (08:22).
• Event Production: $15 million spent on events featuring celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry.
• Influencer Partnerships: Significant funds directed towards social media personalities targeting younger voters.
• Miscellaneous Expenses: Six-figure spending on podcast set construction for Harris's appearance on "Call Her Daddy," which garnered under 1 million views (08:22).

Key Points from Amanda Presta Giacomo: Amanda highlights that despite breaking fundraising records, the Harris campaign's massive expenditures in various non-essential areas contributed to the financial deficit. The reliance on high-profile endorsements and events did not translate into electoral success.

Quotes:

• Jen O'Malley Dillon (10:40): "Jen O'Malley Dillon promised all of us that Harris would win. She even put videos out saying that Harris would win. I believed her. My donors believed her. And so they wrote massive checks. I just, I feel like a lot of us were misled."
• Lyndy Lee (09:45): "The campaign was a billion dollar disaster."

---

3. Democratic Party Infighting and Blame Allocation

Overview:
Following the election losses, the Democratic Party is embroiled in internal conflicts, with members pointing fingers at various aspects that led to their defeat. The criticism is directed both inward at leadership and strategy, as well as outward at Kamala Harris’s campaign.

Key Issues:

• Campaign Strategy: Accusations of over-reliance on analytics and mismanagement of funds by Harris's campaign leaders.
• Candidate Weakness: Harris is criticized for being a weak candidate who failed to energize the base or appeal effectively to moderates and progressives alike (09:54).
• Policy Positions: Far-left progressives argue that the party did not champion enough transformative policies, while moderates claim the party has shifted too far left, alienating average voters.
• Biden and Harris Tension: Reports of strained relationships with accusations that Biden's late endorsement hindered a more effective primary process (14:01).

Insights from Amanda Presta Giacomo: Amanda explains that Democrats are grappling with the reality of significant voter shifts toward the right, encompassing diverse demographics. The party is now questioning its core strategies and policies, leading to a period of intense soul-searching and potential realignment.

Quotes:

• Bernie Sanders (13:09): "Harris did not offer enough change and that it's, quote, no great surprise that the working class has abandoned Democrats."
• Sen. Tom Suozzi (13:13): "The party is pandering to the far left and that people are sick of extremism."
• Rep. Seth Moulton (13:13): "I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male. But as a Democrat, I'm supposed to be afraid to say that."

---

4. Reactions to Trump’s Staffing and Harris’s Campaign

Trump’s Administration Picks: The appointments have been largely well-received by Trump’s base, signaling a continuation of his focus on immigration and economic policies. Tom Homan's role as Border Czar, in particular, has garnered significant attention, reinforcing the administration’s commitment to stringent border control.

Harris Campaign Criticism: Democratic leaders and insiders are scrutinizing the Harris campaign’s financial missteps. Jen O'Malley Dillon and Rob Flaherty face backlash for their roles in the campaign’s overspending and strategic failures, with calls for accountability and lessons to be learned for future campaigns.

Quotes:

• John Bickley (05:36): "What price do you put on national security? Is that worth it?"
• John Bickley (10:26): "The anticipation was if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary. And as I say, Kamala may have. I think she would have done well in that and been stronger going forward."

---

5. Conclusion and Future Outlook

As Donald Trump prepares to assume the White House, his administration’s early staffing choices suggest a continuation of his first-term policies with an emphasis on national security and economic revitalization. Conversely, the Democratic Party faces significant challenges in reconciling internal divisions and addressing the strategic missteps that led to their electoral losses. The repercussions of the Harris campaign’s financial decisions and the ensuing blame game within the party signal a critical period of reflection and potential realignment for Democrats moving forward.

---

Overall Quotes with Timestamps:

• Georgia Howe (00:03): "President Trump begins filling his administrative team with key figures known for their strong stance on border security."
• John Bickley (00:09): "Criminal threats, national security threats are going to be prioritized, and that's the way it's going to be."
• Georgia Howe (07:31): "Harris's team actually broke fundraising records this election cycle, but still ended up in debt while losing the election."
• Amanda Presta Giacomo (11:35): "Democrats are undoubtedly reeling and understandably so. Americans of all age groups, income levels, and racial demographics moved to the right at historic levels."
• John Bickley (05:28): "When you want to seek asylum and go through the port of entry, do it the legal way."

---

This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the Morning Wire episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the original podcast.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

President Trump begins filling his administrative team with key figures known for their strong stance on border security.

[John Bickley]

Criminal threats, national security threats are going to be prioritized, and that's the way it's going to be.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, November 12th, and this is Morning Wire. The Federal Election Committee says the Kamala Harris campaign raised over a billion dollars. So why are they now 20 million in the hole? This is a $1 billion disaster.

[Tim Pierce]

And Democrats are pointing fingers at each other trying to assess why voters rejected their party up and down the ballot.

[Georgia Howe]

The key thing and the key failure.

[Tim Pierce]

Of both Biden and Harris was that.

[Cabot Phillips]

They could not say no to the.

[Georgia Howe]

Left flank of their party. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay t we have the news you need to know.

[Brandon]

Hey, guys, Producer Brandon here. Balanced Nature is my go to source for dietary supplements. Balance of Nature takes fruits and vegetables. They freeze, dry them, then they turn them into a powder, then put them into a capsule. The capsules are completely void of additives, fillers, extracts, synthetics, pesticides, or added sugar. The only thing in Balance of Nature, fruit and veggie capsules, are fruits and veggies. Head over to balanceofnature.com and use promo code WIRE for 35% off your first order as a preferred customer, get a free bottle of fiber and Spice. That's balanceofnature.com promo code wire.

[Tim Pierce]

President elect Donald Trump's administration has started to take shape, with top positions already being filled and the name so far of people committed to carrying out Trump's agenda.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about who's been tapped for Trump's second term so far. So, Tim, sources are saying Trump will name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, but we haven't qu confirmed that yet. But things are moving pretty rapidly. Who has already been offered spots in Trump's new administration?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, you know that. Trump's campaign chief, Susie Wiles, will be his chief of staff. Trump also named Florida Congressman Mike Walts as his national security advisor. Waltz was a Green Beret with multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle east and Africa and was decorated with four bronze stars. He has been advising the president elect on military affairs. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York has been a staunch Trump ally in the House and will be his representative at the United Nations. Stephen Miller worked in Trump's first term as the former president's head speechwriter and will now be Wiles deputy chief of staff for policy. The favorite for treasury secretary is Wall street investor Scott Besant, a highly successful hedge fund manager who has been advising Trump throughout the campaign. Morningwire spoke with Besant about Trump's economic revival plan, which includes making his tax cuts permanent, strengthening the dollar and cutting regulations.

[Brandon]

Under Trump 1.0 it worked for everybody, especially working class people. Working class salaries went up more than the managerial class. Working class household net worth went up more than it did for the top 1%. And you know, the Democrats are divisive. And President Trump's message is America can work for everybody. And I think we're going to have a great four years coming up.

[Cabot Phillips]

The full interview aired this past Saturday. Then there is the name that's gained the most attention, Tom Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first term. Homan has since been named as Trump's border czar. He will be responsible for securing the US Border while organizing Trump's mass deportation effort. Finally, former Congressman Lee Zeldin will take over the top job at the Environmental Protection Agency.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, what do these picks tell us about how Trump could govern in his second term?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, there's no surprises here, but these picks do emphasize a few Trump priorities. The UN Ambassador job that Stefanik will take up won't have a policy impact, but it will affect how other world leaders view the U.S. to that end, Stefanik has a strong record in support of Israel and against antisemitism. Her tough questioning of university presidents over pro Hamas protests on college campuses has been credited for the removal of presidents at Harvard and Columbia universities. As for Miller and Homan, both men are well known for their tough stances against illegal immigration. Homan is generally thought to be well qualified to run the deportation effort in Trump's second term. And while immigration was one of Miller's top issues, he was influential on a variety of issues in Trump's first term. He was, after all, the man writing Trump speeches. Zeldin at the EPA is a little bit hard to say. Zeldin doesn't have a significant background in environmental policy, though he did work to close dredge waste sites on Long Island. Trump said in a statement that Zeldin will ensure fair and sweet, swift, deregulatory decisions to unleash the power of American businesses while maintaining the highest environmental standards.

[Georgia Howe]

So what's the reaction been to these picks so far?

[Cabot Phillips]

Homan has gotten the most attention so far. After his role was announced on Sunday, clips of his appearances on Capitol Hill and in the media began to circulate online, including this back and forth between him and Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

[Georgia Howe]

Zero tolerance was interpreted as the policy that separated children from their if I.

[John Bickley]

Get arrested for DUI and I have a young child in a car going to be separated, when I was a police officer in New York and I arrested a father for domestic violence, I separated that.

[Georgia Howe]

Mr. Homan, with all due respect, legal.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Asyl are not charged with any crime.

[John Bickley]

When you're in the country illegally is Violation 8, United States Code 1325.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Seeking asylum is legal.

[John Bickley]

If you want to seek asylum and go through the port of entry, do it the legal way.

[Cabot Phillips]

And then there is this one of Homan on 60 Minutes talking about family separation.

[Georgia Howe]

We have seen one estimate that says it would cost $88 billion to deport a million people a year.

[John Bickley]

I don't know if that's accurate or not.

[Georgia Howe]

Is that what American taxpayers should expect?

[John Bickley]

What price do you put on national security? Is that worth it?

[Georgia Howe]

Is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families?

[John Bickley]

Of course there's families can be deported together.

[Cabot Phillips]

And here's a clip of Homan on Fox News on Monday morning, responding to a handful of states who have preemptively said they will refuse to cooperate with Trump's deport effort.

[John Bickley]

I've seen some of these Democratic governors say they're going to stand in the way they're going, they're going to make a hard force. Well, a suggestion if you're not going to help us, get the hell out of the way. But we're going to do it. We're going to do the job without you or with you.

[Cabot Phillips]

Pullman's appointment appears to signal that Trump is serious about locking down illegal immigration at the border and carrying out his plan to deport potentially millions of illegal aliens.

[Georgia Howe]

So it sounds like all picks that should be pretty welcomed by his base. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Thanks for having me.

[Brandon]

Hey guys, Producer Brandon here. Men's closets were due for a radical reinvention and Roane has stepped up to the plate. Roan's signature four way stretch fabric features wrinkle release technology and is treated with gold fusion anti odor capabilities. Rhone's style versatility keeps you looking sharp in every situation, whether that's clean cut and professional at work or ready to snag a beer with friends. After Roan has you covered, head over to roane.comwire and use promo code WIRE to save 20% off your entire order. That's 20% off when you head to rhone.comwire and use code wire.

[Georgia Howe]

The Kamala Harris campaign blew through more than $1 billion this election cycle, sparking criticism from fellow Democrats.

[Tim Pierce]

Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo. Hey Amanda. So Harris's team actually broke fundraising records this election cycle, but still ended up in debt while losing the election. What happened here?

[Tom Homan]

Well, Democrats are asking that same question and pointing a lot of fingers right now. Some Democrats blame the money spent on TV ads that just did not land or the huge amount of money allocated to consultants. Others blame Joe Biden for not leaving the race sooner. But let's dig into the numbers a little. Reporting from the Washington examiner shows that the total was likely more than $1.6 billion. When you combine other Harris aligned groups and consider that there's still another filing due from October. Still, the campaign reportedly ended up $20 million in debt.

[Tim Pierce]

So a lot of money. How was that money spent? What's the breakdown?

[Tom Homan]

The Harris team outspent Trump in basically every area. On advertising, Harris and her affiliates spent upwards of $654 million. For comparison, Trump spent less than half of that, according to examiner analysis. On payroll, Harris spent more than $56 million compared to Trump's 9 million. Harris team had hundreds more staffers. Aside from ads, Team Harris spent most of its money on polling and travel and that includes a private jet company. But what really stands out here are some of the expenses Harris racked up on influencers and celebrities. The campaign paid $1 million to Oprah Winfrey's production company on October 15th. That followed a star studded town hall hosted by Winfrey. The campaign also dropped $15 million on event production that's been tied to celebrity performances for Harris from Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and others. In another head turning expense, they dropped six figures to build a set for her appearance on the sex and relationship podcast Call Her Daddy. That episode, which focused mostly on abortion, didn't even break 1 million views. And keep in mind, Harris famously skipped out on the massively popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Additionally, Democrats in general dropped big money on social media personalities to try to influence younger voters.

[Tim Pierce]

Right, you mentioned some Democrats have shifted the blame to Biden for supposedly staying in the race for too long. Where else is the blame falling?

[Tom Homan]

Well, certainly Democrats are not happy with Harris herself. She's not a particularly strong candidate. But there's also been finger pointing at Harris campaign leaders Jen O'Malley Dillon and Rob Flaherty, leading Democrats, told nonprofit Notice that the pair let the campaign become over reliant on on analytics and mismanaged funds. Lyndy Lee, who sits on the DNC National Finance Committee, tore into the Harris campaign and O'Malley Dhillon, specifically Lee, speaking on Fox News, called the campaign a billion dollar disaster.

[Georgia Howe]

Jen O'Malley Dillon promised all of us that Harris would win. She even put videos out saying that Harris would win. I believed her. My donors believed her. And so they wrote massive checks. I just, I feel like a lot of us were misled.

[Tim Pierce]

So switching gears over to the Trump campaign, which raised far less money than Harris, how much did they end up spending?

[Tom Homan]

In October, the Trump campaign disclosed that they spent $354 million, a selection. According to Forbes. They're in the black tens of millions of dollars. Trump over the weekend said they have a lot of money left over since their biggest asset was earned media, referring to media earned without having to pay any money.

[Tim Pierce]

And while record amounts spent for this election, Republicans end up coming out ahead. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

[Tom Homan]

You're welcome.

[Tim Pierce]

As Donald Trump prepares for his return to the White House, Democratic infighting has reached a fever pitch with party leaders debating what went wrong.

[Georgia Howe]

Here with the details is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. So, Cabot, quite a bit of finger pointing on the left these days.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Yeah, Democrats are undoubtedly reeling and understandably so. It's not just that they lost the White House, the popular vote, the Rust Belt, the Sunbelt, the Senate, and likely the House. It's that Americans of all age groups, income levels and racial demographics moved to the right at historic levels and really rejected the Democrats core arguments. So now their question becomes what lessons will they learn from this defeat and how the party will change in response?

[Georgia Howe]

Well, now that the post mortem is underway, it sounds like party leaders are already starting to turn on each other, correct?

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Yes, they are. So on one side, you've got far left progressives who say the party did not do enough to energize their base. One of those voices is Senator Bernie Sanders who said Harris did not offer enough change and that it's, quote, no great surprise that the working class has abandoned Democrats. Folks in that camp argue that Harris should have embraced those far left policy positions that she started to run away from, including amnesty, socialized medicine, a ban on fracking, mandatory gun buybacks, et cetera. Their argument is that Harris never really picked Elaine and tried to appeal to both far left progressives and moderates and just ended up alienating both. For example, in the closing weeks of the race, the Harris campaign ran two separate ad campaigns on the topic of the Israel Hamas war in Pennsylvania where there were more Jewish voters Their ads touted Harris's support of Israel. But in Michigan, home to the country's largest Arab American population, those ads expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza. So kind of this microcosm of that tension and her trying to appeal to both.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, what about the moderates who say she needed to tack to the middle?

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Yeah, and there are plenty of those Democrats who are now saying that the party has become too far left and turned off average voters. For example, Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi said this week that the party is, quote, pandering to the far left and that people are sick of extremism. Others, like Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, pointed to Democrats embrace of transgender ideology as a reason for their loss. He said, quote, I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male. But as a Democrat, I'm supposed to be afraid to say that. That statement was met by quite a bit of pushback from Democrats. Here he is defending it on msnbc. We've got to be able to have these debates, but instead we have a wing of our party that shames us.

[Cabot Phillips]

That tries to cancel people who even.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Bring up these difficult topics and frankly shames voters.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, how they proceed on that and similar issues is going to be closely watched. Now, there's also been quite a bit of tension between Biden and Harris. What do we know on that front?

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Well, from the moment the race was called, each camp started to blame the other for the loss. Biden aides have gone to reporters expressing anger at Harris for running away from his record, which they felt was strong, and not letting him campaign with her. Remember, the Harris campaign told Biden, do not come into the swing states. They also say by working behind the scenes to remove Biden, Harris turned off voters who felt the Democratic Party wasn't acting very Democratic. Others said Harris was simply a weak candidate. As one White House staffer put it to Axios, quote, how did you spend $1 billion and not win? What the. You know what comes next. But plenty of other Democrats say Biden is to blame and should have dropped out sooner to leave time for an open primary. For example, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the New York Times that Biden essentially forced the Democrats into nominating Harris when he endorsed her moments after dropping out.

[John Bickley]

The anticipation was if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary. And as I say, Kamala may have. I think she would have done well in that and been stronger going forward. But we don't know that that didn't happen. We live with what happened. And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had been much earlier, it would have been different.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

So some really extraordinary comments there. Now the soul searching continues for Democrats who at the moment are staring down at least two years of a Republican.

[Georgia Howe]

Dominated D.C. well, I'm personally very curious to see which way they go. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

Anytime.

[Tim Pierce]

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know.