July-August are likely to mark former President Trump's worst back-to-back months since he left office.
What’s happening: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is showing the most potential 2024 strength yet — leading or tied in state polling from New Hampshire, Michigan and Florida. The House Jan. 6 hearings have delivered more drama and revelations than expected.
- Trump's favorite newspaper, the New York Post, editorialized Friday that Trump is "unworthy" to be president again. Another Rupert Murdoch paper, The Wall Street Journal, opined the same day that Trump "utterly failed" his Jan. 6 character test.
- There's a bleak outlook for many of Trump's candidates on the busy August primary slate.
Why it matters: Trump has a ceiling. Primary results so far show he's getting the hardest of the hardcore — but making few inroads outside MAGA loyalists.
What we're watching: Trump has lavished political capital on 10 allies in August primaries who promote election conspiracy theories — while seeking revenge on several House Republicans who voted for his impeachment.
- Polls show Trump's No. 1 target, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), vice chair of the House Jan. 6 committee hearings, poised to lose. But Trump's MAGA-aligned activists in other races are struggling.
- So far in '22, Trump's endorsement record is mixed in competitive gubernatorial and congressional primaries — far from the Midas touch in primaries he showcased as president.
Zoom in: The Arizona governor's race is shaping up as the biggest test of whether the party establishment can win a fight against Trump. ...
- Former Vice President Mike