D.C. Memo: Emmer says Trump will ‘crush’ Biden in debates

 **WASHINGTON — The Trump “hush money” trial continued this week in Manhattan, with several members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, attending court to show support for the former president.

Michael Cohen, former Trump attorney and “fixer,” testified that Donald Trump arranged the payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels for political reasons, contradicting Trump’s lawyers, who argue it was to protect his wife from a damaging story.

Trump was excused from the trial on Friday to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation. He is using the time to travel to Minnesota for the state GOP’s Lincoln Reagan dinner, an event with limited media access. The Minnesota Republican Party stated that coverage is by “invite only,” advising media not to contact them or the Trump campaign for access.

KSTP interviewed Trump remotely on Wednesday. Trump expressed optimism about his chances in Minnesota, which President Joe Biden won in 2020 by 7 percentage points.

Trump, who previously opposed Rep. Tom Emmer’s bid to become House Speaker, now describes their relationship as very close. Emmer is leading Trump’s campaign efforts in Minnesota. Trump also criticized the Manhattan trial as a “witch hunt.” A Yahoo News/YouGov survey showed that 52% of Americans believe Trump falsified business records to conceal a hush money payment to Daniels, with 47% believing he committed a crime.

Biden and Trump agreed to participate in two debates, scheduled for June and September. Emmer reaffirmed his loyalty to Trump, stating on X that Trump will outperform Biden in the debates.

**Biden’s Support in Primaries and Trump’s Challenges**

Minnesota and West Virginia showed the least support for Biden among Democratic voters, with Biden securing just 70.7% of the vote in Minnesota. The low support was partly due to a coordinated protest vote over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, resulting in nearly 19% of Minnesota’s Democratic voters marking their ballots as “uncommitted.”

Trump also faces challenges, with a notable percentage of GOP primary voters casting ballots for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, despite her withdrawal from the race in early March. This week, about 20% of Maryland Republicans and nearly 10% of West Virginians voted for Haley. Trump received less than 70% of the GOP primary vote in several states, including 69.1% in Minnesota.

Rep. Dean Phillips, who ended his challenge to Biden at the same time as Haley, still received significant votes in West Virginia (7.5%) and Minnesota (7.8%).

**Effort to Censure Rep. Ilhan Omar Stalls**

A resolution to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar for comments made during a visit to Columbia University has stalled. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Don Bacon, accuses Omar of making slanderous comments against Jewish students. The resolution has few co-sponsors and no scheduled action. Omar’s comments and the subsequent controversy have fueled Republican fundraising efforts, but Omar is also seeing increased donations from her supporters.

**Police Week on Capitol Hill**

During Police Week, law enforcement officers lobbied for various priorities. House Republicans linked policing issues to the U.S.-Mexico border, sponsoring bills such as the “Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act,” which passed the House but is unlikely to advance in the Senate.

Rep. Tom Emmer hosted a roundtable with Minnesota law enforcement, discussing crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, Rep. Angie Craig introduced a bill to allow police to purchase tactical vehicles with federal funds, nullifying Biden’s executive order restricting the transfer of military equipment to police. Craig’s legislation responds to the February 18 incident in Burnsville, which highlighted the need for tactical vehicles.

Craig emphasized the importance of this equipment for law enforcement, despite past concerns about the militarization of police following George Floyd’s death. Her bill aims to remove restrictions on purchasing such vehicles with federal funds, citing the need for adequate resources in emergency situations.**