Trump back on the campaign trail after long absence, Hurricane Lee grows: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Trump back on the campaign trail

USA TODAY National Political Correspondent David Jackson looks at the significance of former President Donald Trump's return to the campaign trail for the first time in weeks. Plus, former Trump aide Peter Navarro has been convicted for defying a subpoena, the legal fight continues over Texas border buoys, USA TODAY National Correspondent Elizabeth Weise discusses a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll on climate change, and what it tells us about distinct American views on the issue, and Hurricane Lee becomes a Category 5 storm in the Atlantic.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Friday, the 8th of September 2023. Today, Trump hits the campaign trail for the first time in weeks. Plus, a former Trump aide is convicted for defying a subpoena, and there's a major divide on how Americans view climate change.

♦

Former President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail for the 2024 presidential race today. I caught up with USA TODAY National Political Correspondent David Jackson for the latest. Thanks for making the time, David.

David Jackson:

Hey, thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Former President Donald Trump is making his first appearances on the campaign trail in weeks, today and tomorrow. Let's start with today, David. Where does he plan to visit?

David Jackson:

Well, oddly enough, he's going to South Dakota for what's billed as a Monumental Leaders Summit, but it's also the home of Governor Kristi Noem, who's long been rumored to be a possible vice presidential candidate if Trump secures the nomination. That's what people are going to be looking for, but he's having a weekend full of events. On Saturday, he's going to be attending the Iowa/Iowa State football game. We're not sure he's going to speak there, but I think he's just going to go to see and be seen and maybe gab with some donors who are attending that game, which is a very big deal in Iowa. Obviously the two major universities having their annual football rivalry. So yeah, we'll be seeing Donald Trump on the campaign trail for the first time in several weeks this weekend.

Taylor Wilson:

David, why is it significant that Trump is once again making campaign stops this week?

David Jackson:

He's basically returning to the trail after two more indictments. I mean, he's been indicted in Washington D.C. on charges of trying to steal the 2020 election, and he's been indicted in Atlanta on similar state charges out of Georgia. He's got a lot to catch up on and we're all anxious to hear what he's got to say.

Taylor Wilson:

As you mentioned, Trump's legal issues have dominated the buildup to the 2024 election up to this point. We know that he's leaned into these issues, David, as his base has stood by him. Will that continue to be part of the Trump camp strategy going forward?

David Jackson:

We're assuming so, yes. While he hasn't been on the campaign trail in recent weeks, he has been active on social media and doing interviews. And in every one of those situations, he talks about how unfair it all is. Basically, he's appealing to the fact that many of his voters don't like the government anyway. His argument is that the government's trying to get me and throw me in jail and prevent me from running for president, and they're targeting you as much as they're targeting me. He's really finding that a very good sell with his voters, so I'm sure we'll hear a lot more about it both this weekend and in the months ahead.

Taylor Wilson:

Fundraising is of course important for every presidential candidate, but especially one facing all of these massive legal fees as well.

David Jackson:

Right.

Taylor Wilson:

David, is there a distinction between Trump raising money for his campaign and for paying his lawyers? And just how crucial is fundraising to these appearances on the campaign trail for Trump at this point?

David Jackson:

Very important, and in fact, also the South Dakota event is also a fundraiser, so money is a big part of it. Technically, there is a difference between money he raises for the campaign and money he raises for his legal fees. But in the practical world, it's basically becoming all of the same. He's raised a ton of money for both, and he's spending a ton of money on legal fees. That's another big concern within Trump world, is his expenses are really rolling up and I think there's some concern about how he's going to pay for it all.

By the way, I should mention that he's also helping raise money for some of his co-defendants. For example, just last night he attended a fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani, his former lawyer who's in the legal soup as well. We're told by his aides, Trump is also planning to raise money for other co-defendants in some of the other cases as well. The bottom line is that his legal problems and his presidential campaign are increasingly intertwined.

Taylor Wilson:

David Jackson, thanks as always.

David Jackson:

Thanks for having me.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

Meanwhile, a former Trump aide, Peter Navarro, who was a trade advisor to the former president, was convicted yesterday of two misdemeanor accounts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena. The House committee that investigated the January 6th attack, subpoenaed Navarro for testimony for documents and strategies to overturn the 2020 election. But Navarro defied the subpoena arguing that he was protected by executive privilege to keep communications with Trump confidential. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta had rejected Navarro's request to dismiss the charges, ruling he couldn't document that Trump himself had invoked executive privilege. Sentencing is scheduled for January.

♦

A federal appeals court yesterday allowed floating border buoys to remain in place in the Rio Grande for now. A judge this week had ordered Gov. Greg Abbott and the State of Texas to remove the buoys placed in the river as part of the state's effort to control the border with Mexico. In his initial order, senior U.S. Judge David Alan Ezra ruled that the U.S. Justice Department will likely succeed in its lawsuit against Abbott and the state that it filed in July. In his order, the judge ruled that the floating barrier is an obstruction to the navigable capacity of the river and that the move required authorization from Congress, which the state did not receive. The governor ordered the 1,000-foot string of floating devices in the border river to try and discourage migrants from entering Texas from Mexico without legal authorization and to fight cross-border drug trafficking. Yesterday's appeals court stay allows the barrier to remain in the water while a legal challenge continues. Last month, a body was found near the buoys, but Texas officials said that preliminary information showed the person drowned before floating near the barriers.

♦

There's a gaping American divide over climate change. That's according to a new exclusive USA TODAY/Ipsos poll. I spoke with USA TODAY National Correspondent Elizabeth Weise to learn more. Howdy, Beth.

Elizabeth Weise:

Hey, how are you doing?

Taylor Wilson:

Good, thanks. Thanks for hopping back on. Let's start here. What did this poll reveal about the links between how Americans perceive the weather and their views on climate change?

Elizabeth Weise:

It is fascinating, really. I mean, as we know, America's very polarized at this exact moment in our history, and Americans overall perceive that weather events are getting more intense. There's more wildfires, there's more intense storms, there's more flooding, hurricanes, all of the above. Overall, they will say that this is linked, at least in part, to climate change. However, when you then break it down to, do you identify as a Democrat or Republican or an Independent, you start seeing some really different interpretations of reality, is the only way I can put it.

Taylor Wilson:

I think folks are probably not surprised to see this aspect of politics, but I was surprised at just how stark it was. Can you go into some of the numbers here, Beth, on the politics?

Elizabeth Weise:

Yeah. So, first off, is climate change being caused by human activities? Democrats 82% say yes. Independents 56% say yes. 11% of Republicans say it's not really happening at all. No Democrats agreed with that statement. 41% of Democrats say they were significantly more concerned about the effects of climate change now than they were a couple of years ago. It's 20% of Independents and 9% of Republicans.

There's just this very deep political divide, and not only that, but when we did this poll, our specific interest was saying we've seen all these intense climate events this summer. I mean, wildfires, smoke, flooding, intense rains, hurricanes. It's been a summer of climate extremes in a lot of the country, and we wanted to see how are people perceiving it. And whether or not you're a Republican or a Democrat really influences what you believe is happening. Democrats were much more likely to say they'd experienced these extreme weather events, 57% to 44%. Even how you perceive what's happening around you depends upon how you see yourself politically.

Taylor Wilson:

Beth, some Americans also seem concerned that they'll eventually have to move because of climate change. What are the deciding factors in how they feel about this?

Elizabeth Weise:

That was a number that actually surprised us a lot, I've got to say. We asked people, do you believe climate change is affecting events where you live? Then we asked them, do you think that this is going to affect whether or not you can continue to live where you live? I was thinking, I mean, if I lived in the Florida Keys, I'd be very concerned, but maybe not the rest of the country.

But in fact, one in five of the people we surveyed said they were so concerned that they think global warming will make it more difficult to live in their area. Not necessarily that they have to move, but it's going to get more difficult exactly where they live. That is the same number of people who say they either don't know if climate change is happening or don't believe in it at all.

Taylor Wilson:

Wow, and when it comes to the future, Beth. How pessimistic overall are Americans about climate change?

Elizabeth Weise:

Yeah, pretty darn pessimistic, I got to say, in some interesting ways. A third of people agreed or strongly agreed that progress is being made to slow or reverse climate change, so that's good. That's a third of people, but more than 60% of the people said that while we could do things to slow or reverse climate change, we're not, and it's because people aren't willing to change their behavior to accomplish it. They're basically too lazy to do it. So yeah, I guess that's just sad. I don't even know what to make of it.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah. Some startling findings in this poll for sure. Elizabeth Weise, thanks as always.

Elizabeth Weise:

You're so welcome.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

While Americans can't agree on climate change, major weather events possibly impacted by it keep happening. Hurricane Lee roared to Category 5 intensity yesterday, still far out in the Atlantic Ocean according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm's winds reached 160 miles an hour last night and are expected to top 180 this morning. What's still not clear is whether Lee will make landfall. For now, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along much of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday, according to the Hurricane Center. Though long-term forecasts show the storm may curve north back out to sea next week before reaching Florida. Meanwhile, the season's 13th named storm, Margot, formed yesterday in the Atlantic.

Before we go, if you have an iPhone or iPad, you might want to update your software right now. Apple issued an emergency warning yesterday saying the latest update fixes security vulnerabilities that could be used to attack the devices.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're produced by Shannon Rae Green, and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Special thanks to Cherie Saunders. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with another episode of 5 Things.