MAGA Republicans this week ramped up their extremism, hypocrisy, chaos, and — as President Biden would call it — malarkey. In case you missed it: Donald Trump claimed credit for Iowa’s latest extreme abortion ban and took zero questions from Iowans during a Fox News town hall; Ron DeSantis endorsed a national abortion ban, called support for Ukraine a “secondary or tertiary interest,” faced another round of embarrassing headlines, and supported Tommy Tuberville’s undermining of our military to promote his abortion extremism; and MAGA Republicans in Congress are proposing deep cuts to critical infrastructure funding even though they were happy to take credit for projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law just a few weeks ago. 

Trump took credit for the extreme six-week abortion ban passed in Iowa last week because he appointed conservative justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trump: “If I didn’t do that, they wouldn’t be able to sign bills in Iowa or [anywhere] else.”

Donald Trump answered ZERO questions from Iowans during a so-called town hall on Fox News.

USA Today: “The hourlong town hall in the important early voting state of Iowa was pre-taped in Cedar Rapids, but one thing was missing: voters. Not once in the version that was broadcast on Fox News did an Iowan get to address the former president, and Hannity didn’t broach the subject of Trump’s primary opponents or if he would participate in the upcoming debates.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: “Reporters were barred from covering the event, which was billed as a town hall meeting but featured no questions from the audience during its Tuesday night broadcast on the cable channel.”

Ron DeSantis endorsed a national abortion ban in his latest attempt to out-MAGA the 2024 Republican field.  

Tucker Carlson: “You signed a ban on abortion after six weeks in Florida. Would you do the same as president, nationally?”

DeSantis: “Well, I’m very proud to say Kim Reynolds is here and she signed a great heartbeat bill today. We were able to do that in Florida. We had a lot of opposition to that. I’m proud to have been a pro-life governor and I will be a pro life-president, so, I mean, of course I want to sign pro-life legislation.”

Jake Tapper: “You recently signed a six-week abortion ban in Florida. Yes or no, would you support that as a nationwide ban?”

DeSantis: “So I said I’m pro-life, I will be a pro-life president, and we will support pro-life policies.”

DeSantis doubled down on siding with Putin over our allies working to protect freedom and democracy, writing off support for Ukraine as a “secondary or tertiary interest.”

DeSantis: “It’s more of a secondary or tertiary interest.”

CNN: “Gov. Ron DeSantis, in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday … continued to downplay the conflict in Ukraine.”

CNN: “Asked by Tapper if he would stop arming Ukraine or sending financial support, DeSantis wouldn’t say.”

As DeSantis continued his desperate chase for the MAGA base, he faced a brutal round of DeSastrous headlines as his campaign continues to flounder.

ABC News: “DeSantis campaign cuts roughly a dozen campaign staffers, with more shakeups expected: Sources”

ABC News: “DeSantis weighs media strategy shift as donors fret about early campaign struggles: Sources”

Associated Press: “DeSantis presidential campaign is cutting staff as new financial pressure emerges”

Bloomberg: “Ron DeSantis Resets 2024 Presidential Bid With Six Months Until Voting Starts”

CBS News: “Ron DeSantis campaign fires staffers after fundraising shows high spending rate”

CNN: “DeSantis fundraising slowed after initial campaign launch, filing shows”

The Hill: “DeSantis team a little lighter after campaign sheds staff”

Ron DeSantis came out in support of Tommy Tuberville’s monthslong blockade of HUNDREDS of military promotions in the Senate in the name of restricting service members’ access to reproductive care. 

Politico: “DeSantis backs Tuberville on military holds, denounces Pentagon abortion policy”

Politico: “Tuberville has blocked consideration of more than 200 stalled military promotions, demanding that the Pentagon overturn its policy of providing paid leave to service members seeking an abortion. Military leaders and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have blasted Tuberville, saying that the hold harms national security and military readiness.”

And it wasn’t enough for MAGA Republicans to take credit for funds delivered by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law AFTER voting and railing against it — now they’re shamelessly proposing to slash critical infrastructure funding for projects such as rail safety and ensuring school children have safe drinking water.

Washington Post: “It took decades for Congress to deliver on its promise to pour new money into the nation’s roads, bridges, pipes, ports and internet connections. Now, House Republicans are trying to slash some of the same funds. A series of GOP bills to finance the federal government in 2024 would wipe out billions of dollars meant to repair the nation’s aging infrastructure, potentially undercutting a 2021 law that was one of Washington’s rare recent bipartisan achievements. The proposed cuts could hamstring some of the most urgently needed public-works projects across the country, from improving rail safety to reducing lead contamination at schools.”