MAGA Republicans stooped to new lows this week with their extremism, hypocrisy, chaos, and — as President Biden would call it — malarkey. In case you missed it: Donald Trump (the same one with the worst jobs records since Herbert Hoover) tried to take credit for a strong economy under President Biden; Wisconsin Republicans got closer to passing an abortion ban thanks to Trump’s efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade; the Republican National Committee had its worst fundraising haul in decades; RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel encouraged Republicans to go big on their cruel plans to rip away women’s freedoms; MAGA Mike Johnson refused to condemn pro-slavery extremists; James Comer’s impeachment sham flopped yet again; and Maria Elvira Salazar became the latest House Republican to take credit for federal infrastructure funding that she voted against.

Defying logic, Donald Trump embarrassingly tried to take credit for the success of President Biden’s economy despite predicting that the stock market would crash under a Biden presidency (something he is also actively cheering for).  

The Hill: “Trump claims credit for record-high stock market under Biden”

Trump: “THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET.”

Trump: “If Biden wins, you’re going to have a stock market collapse the likes of which you’ve never had. You will have a collapse.”

Washington Post: “Falling inflation, rising growth give U.S. the world’s best recovery”

“Since 2020, the United States has powered through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the highest inflation in 40 years and fallout from two foreign wars. Now, after posting faster annual growth last year than in 2022, the U.S. economy is quashing fears of a recession while offering lessons for future crisis-fighting.”

“On Friday, President Biden hailed fresh government data showing that annual inflation over the second half of 2023 fell back to the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. Coupled with Thursday’s news that the economy grew by 3.1 percent over the past 12 months, the Commerce Department report showed that the United States appears to have achieved an economic soft landing.”

Axios: “U.S. winning world economic war”

“The United States economy grew faster than any other large advanced economy last year — by a wide margin — and is on track to do so again in 2024.”

Associated Press: “American consumers feeling more confident than they have in two years”

Forbes: “U.S. Economy Grew 2.5% Last Year, Defying Recession Calls”

Politico: “US growth shatters expectations, boosting Biden’s economic pitch”

Wisconsin Republicans got one step closer to passing an abortion ban – all thanks to Trump and his anti-abortion extremism that is making cruel abortion bans across the country possible.

Associated Press: “Wisconsin Republicans approve bill banning abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy”

Wisconsin Examiner: “The bill is Republicans’ latest proposal that would tighten abortion laws in Wisconsin since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which eliminated federal abortion protections.” 

Rolling Stone: “Trump Claims Credit for All Abortion Bans”

Trump: “For 54 years they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it, and I’m proud to have done it. … Nobody else was going to get that done but me, and we did it, and we did something that was a miracle.” 

The Republican National Committee is Ronna-ing out of money.

MSNBC: “MAGA Republicans rage at Ronna McDaniel over RNC failures” 

“Infighting and funding woes are causing chaos in the Republican National Committee.”

CNBC: “Biden, allied groups $140 million campaign war chest dwarfs Republican rivals”

“A coalition made up of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, the Democratic National Committee, the president’s joint fundraising committees and his allied super PAC began the year with far more cash in the bank than any of his potential Republican opponents, new Federal Election Commission filings show.”

NBC News: “By comparison, Biden’s campaign ended the year with $46 million in cash, far more than the $33 million Trump’s campaign held before the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Future Forward, the main super PAC backing Biden, held a little bit more in the bank than MAGA Inc., $24 million to $23.3 million, at the end of the year.”

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said that Republican candidates need to talk more about their extreme and incredibly unpopular abortion bans.

McDaniel: “One of the things the RNC has been leading on … we’ve been giving guidance to candidates to get out in front of it, talk about [abortion]. We put a memo out before the election, Kellyanne Conway and I were calling candidates saying, ‘Please don’t ignore this issue.’”

FWIW: “This week, we found more evidence that the Trump campaign has no interest in ‘moderating’ on the issue of abortion. On Monday, his team began running new Facebook video ads targeting voters in Iowa, referring to Trump as ‘THE MOST Pro-Life President in history.’”

Trump: “Getting rid of Roe v. Wade was an incredible thing for pro-life because it gave pro-life something to negotiate with. Pro-life had absolutely nothing, being stuck in Roe v. Wade, to negotiate with. … And look, everybody that was president wanted to get rid and tried to get rid of Roe v. Wade … For fifty years, this has been going on. … I was able to do it, and I was very honored to do it.”

Margaret Brennan: “Would you [sign a national abortion ban]?”

Haley: “I’ve said I’m fine with a federal law.” 

New York Times: “Nikki Haley Says She Would Have Signed Six-Week Abortion Ban as Governor”

MAGA Mike Johnson has worked with and refused to condemn an extremist activist who has argued for and justified slavery.

Daily Beast: “The Daily Beast requested comment from Johnson’s office about the speaker’s ties to far-right Christian leaders and traditions. The comment request specifically asked whether Johnson thought biblically sanctioned violence conflicted with his duties as an officer of the constitution, whether he denounced the teachings of hardline fundamentalists who have endorsed biblical slavery and rejected constitutional provisions like liberty and justice, and whether he personally believed the Bible permitted slavery.

“A spokesperson for the speaker provided a statement that didn’t answer any of those questions.”

“In 2019, Johnson delivered a keynote speech to the Council for National Policy, an elite and secretive pro-Christian group that wields immense influence in conservative politics. That group was co-founded by Gary North, an influential Christian dominionist who has endorsed biblical slavery.”

“Rushdoony and North have also made arguments justifying, even endorsing, biblical slavery.”

Another one of James Comer’s “whistleblowers” testified that President Biden had done nothing wrong, cementing Comer’s impeachment inquiry into Biden as nothing more than a sham to help Trump’s campaign.

MSNBC: “James Comer’s latest anti-Biden flop adds to Republican’s troubles”

“A man House Republicans had previously claimed was a whistleblower on Joe Biden’s corruption categorically debunked all of the GOP’s accusations in a closed-door hearing on Tuesday. Eric Schwerin, a longtime business partner of Hunter Biden, testified in front of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees in a closed-door interview.” 

“I spoke to a source with direct knowledge of Schwerin’s transcribed interview who confirmed that the witness said President Biden was not involved in, did not profit from, and took no official actions in relation to his family’s business dealings.”

“Indeed, just days before Schwerin failed to tell Comer what he hoped to hear, Rob Walker sat down for a deposition and also made clear that GOP conspiracy theories are wrong. Before that, it was Mervyn Yan who disappointed Republican investigators with answers that undercut their partisan goals.

“And that’s just from the last week. Before Schwerin, Walker, and Yan, the list of witnesses includes Georges Berges, Carol Cox, Kevin Morris, and of course, Devon Archer. What do they all have in common? They were brought in to answer Republicans’ questions about the Bidens, and they provided testimony — under oath — that left little doubt that the GOP’s crusade is without a factual foundation.

“The result is an investigation that even other Republicans have described as ‘clueless,’ a ‘disaster,’ and a ‘parade of embarrassments.’

“This week, that parade grew a little longer.”

Republicans still can’t help themselves from taking credit for President Biden’s historic legislation that’s helping lead an American manufacturing boom. 

@justin_chermol: “WATCH: Rep. @MaElviraSalazar continues to take credit for projects brought to #FL27 made possible by bipartisan legislation she voted against like the CHIPS & Science Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“When pressed by @CBSMiami, Salazar says she forgot how she voted.”

New Republic: “In an interview on CBS News Miami, Salazar aggressively skirted direct questions about her voting record on the CHIPS and Science Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, at one point telling the host that she needed to speak to her staff to remind her of her voting record in Washington, D.C.

“‘The money that you talk about—the $40 million that you bring back to the district—sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against,’ pressed CBS News’s Jim DeFede. ‘You voted against the CHIPS Act and yet you praise the fact that the south Florida climate resilience tech hub is going to be started in Miami, right? You voted against the infrastructure bill and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport.’

“‘So, at the same time that you’re taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district in Washington, you’re voting against these projects on party line votes,’ he added.

“‘Listen I, that was, I think, last cycle, I cannot really remember right now, but just look, just look at the Americas Act,’ Salazar started before DeFede cut her off, asking why she doesn’t want to explain her vote.

“‘I mean right now, and I’m not trying to be a politician, there’s so many bills that I’ve introduced and I know that many of them—,’ Salazar continued while DeFede interjected again that she had voted against the bills.”