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 doubled down on supporting states monitoring women’s pregnancies; Trump refused to commit to accepting November’s results while his MAGA minions pushed more baseless election-denying lies; Trump faced another embarrassing primary result — this time in Indiana; Trump made clear he is proudly bought and paid for by Big Oil and Gas; Trump’s con artistry shined at his dinner celebrating his NFT scam; the RNC’s top lawyer resigned after criticizing Trump’s lies about the 2020 election; and Kristi Noem called off her disastrous book tour.

Donald Trump once again said he supports states monitoring women’s pregnancies after endorsing states prosecuting women who get an abortion last week.

Interviewer: “There are ads running that say that you would support certain states with bans monitoring a woman’s pregnancy.”

Trump: “Well that would be up to the states, again. They will make a decision as to how they do it.”

HuffPost: “Trump Is Fine With States Monitoring Pregnant Women So They Don’t Get Abortions”

The Hill: “Trump: It’s up to states to monitor pregnancies, prosecute abortions”

Mother Jones: “Trump Says States Could Prosecute Women for Abortions Under His Watch”

Trump refused to commit to accepting November’s election results while pushing baseless lies about the 2020 election — and his MAGA minions followed suit. 

Interviewer: “There have been other close races and men have said, ‘listen, for the betterment of the country, we’re going to move on, we’re going to accept the results of the election.’ Would that have been the right course of action?”

Trump: “No, it would’ve been a terrible thing.”

Interviewer: “Would you accept the results of this election?”

Trump: *refuses to say yes*

Washington Post: “Top Republicans, led by former president Donald Trump, are refusing to commit to accepting November’s election results with six months until voters head to the polls, raising concerns that the country could see a repeat of the violent aftermath of Trump’s loss four years ago.

“The question has become something of a litmus test, particularly among the long list of possible running mates for Trump, whose relationship with his first vice president, Mike Pence, ruptured because Pence resisted Trump’s pressure to overturn the 2020 election.

“In a vivid recent example, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) was pressed at least six times in a TV interview Sunday on whether he would accept this November’s results. He repeatedly declined to do so, only saying he was looking forward to Trump being president again.

“He continued to evade the question even as the interviewer, NBC News’s Kristen Welker, reminded him that a ‘hallmark of our democracy is that both candidates agree to a peaceful transfer of power.’”

Trump faced another embarrassing primary result — this time in Indiana. 125,000 Republicans voted for Nikki Haley, who hasn’t been in the race for *checks notes* over two months.

Newsweek: “Donald Trump Suffers Huge Vote Against Him in Indiana Primary”

“Former President Donald Trump faced warning signs in the Indiana GOP primary as former Republican rival Nikki Haley received more than 20 percent of the vote despite dropping out of the White House race two months ago.” […]

“Tuesday’s results in Indiana follow a similar story in the recent GOP primary in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, where Haley, seen by most voters as a more moderate Republican candidate, received more than 158,000 votes (16.6 percent) despite dropping out of the race in March in the wake of the Super Tuesday results.”

Politico: “Indiana delivered the former president double-point margins in 2016 and 2020. But on Tuesday night, even though Trump won all of the state’s 58 delegates, Nikki Haley posted above-30-point performances in places like Marion County, home to Indianapolis, and affluent Hamilton County, its suburb to the north.

“This is where Biden grew Democratic margins in 2020, and where Indiana Democrats have been targeting for years. And it’s the same kind of place where Trump has been weak throughout the 2024 GOP primary in other states.”

Donald the Denier asked Big Oil and Gas CEOs to give $1 billion to his campaign, vowing to roll back environmental protections and threaten American jobs to line special interests’ pockets if he’s elected. 

Washington Post: “What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign”

“You all are wealthy enough, [Trump] said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting.” […]

“Giving $1 billion would be a ‘deal,’ Trump said, because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid thanks to him, according to the people. Trump’s remarkably blunt and transactional pitch reveals how the former president is targeting the oil industry to finance his reelection bid.” […]

“The contrast between the two candidates on climate policy could not be more stark. … Trump has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ and his administration weakened or wiped out more than 125 environmental rules and policies over four years.”

Trump went full con artist, hosting a dinner with the people he scammed into buying his NFTs.

Axios: “This evening [Trump is] expected to join supporters who bought at least 47 Trump NFTs (at $99 each), according to [a] copy of the dinner invitation reviewed by Axios.” […]

“Buyers who spent nearly $10,000 to get 100 NFTs also were invited to a ‘VIP’ cocktail reception before the dinner. They’re supposed to receive physical cards with pieces of the suit and the tie that Trump was wearing when he was arrested.” […]

“The NFTs are among an array of items Trump has hawked this campaign cycle. He’s also promoted $59.99 Bibles, $399 ‘Never Surrender’ sneakers and $99 ‘Victory47’ cologne.”

Business Insider: “Former President Donald Trump’s campaign might be cash-strapped, but that hasn’t stopped him from hawking merchandise that will benefit him directly.”

The RNC’s top lawyer resigned, citing how he was “pushed out” for criticizing Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

Washington Post: “Top RNC lawyer resigns after rift grows with Trump”

“The top lawyer at the Republican Party is resigning after he cited conflicts with his other work and with Donald Trump, who grew angry about his criticism of the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, people familiar with the situation said Saturday night.”

NBC News: “Republican National Committee chief counsel Charlie Spies is parting ways with the party apparatus just months after stepping into the role. He was ‘pushed out,’ according to a source familiar with the move.”

CNN: “Spies’ departure follows weeks of growing tension with RNC officials, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. His hiring rankled many Donald Trump loyalists who viewed the veteran Republican lawyer as at odds with the former president, given his previous work for Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Ron DeSantis.”

Washington Examiner: “Spies was hired earlier this year while RNC leadership changed over to former President Donald Trump’s preferred picks of chairman Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump. He was part of a bevy of new hires made as the RNC was staffed for more Trump-aligned actions, including readying potential legal challenges in swing states. Reports suggested that Spies was skeptical of Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen.”

Kristi Noem called off her disastrous book tour after being called out for lying about meeting Kim Jong Un and failing to answer questions about shooting her dog.

Mediaite: “Kristi Noem Calls Off Disastrous Book Tour, Canceling Hits on Fox News and CNN at Last Minute”

“[Noem] has gone through multiple tense and fiery interviews in recent days as she’s attempted to promote her memoir No Going Back, answering for several controversies from the book, including the admission she killed a puppy she deemed untrainable and a now-retracted claim that she met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.”