Biden Ramps Up Campaign as Trump Faces Financial Headwinds

The Biden campaign raised around $26 million from a New York City fundraiser last week attended by celebrities and two of the three former Democratic presidents. This adds to the president’s and the Democrats’ large fundraising advantage over Donald Trump and the Republicans.

The fundraiser consisted of musical performances by Queen Latifah and Lizzo, along with a panel discussion with Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton and hosted by comedian Stephen Colbert.

Biden’s team has tapped into their funds for a $30 million ad blitz in the swing states, where he largely trails Trump. Biden has closed some of the gap with Trump in these states, but he still trails Trump in the RealClearPolitics polling aggregate, both in the swing states and nationally.

Trump, facing financial setbacks as a result of his legal troubles, may have gotten a needed boost when his social media company, Truth Social, went public last week under the ticker DJT. The long-awaited listing allowed the company to reach a market capitalization of over $8 billion. Trump’s 58% stake in the company gives the former president $5.2 billion, in addition to his existing wealth from real estate and other investments.

However, a large selloff of his holdings may cause the stock price of Trump Media & Technology Group to fall, reducing the liquid wealth from which he can draw. Trump also faces a lock up period in which he cannot sell his shares for six months. He may, however, obtain a waiver from this restriction or borrow money against his holdings.

 

Former Costa Rican First Lady Marita Camacho Quiros Celebrates 113th Birthday

Marita del Carmen Camacho Quirós, the former First Lady of Costa Rica, celebrated her 113th birthday today. Born on March 10, 1911, in San Ramón, she married businessman and politician Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich, a descendant of Croatian immigrants, who became president of Costa Rica in 1962, serving until 1966. Both shared March 10 as their birthday. 

During her husband's presidency, she promoted children's education and shelters throughout the country. She and her husband also met US Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson on official state visits.

Her husband died a few years after leaving office at 62 in 1969. Now at 113, Camacho Quirós is the world's oldest former first lady ever, the oldest living Costa Rican, and the 28th oldest living person in the world. She is the oldest living person who remains notable for reasons other than their longevity. 

Camacho Quirós in 1962
Credit: US State Department

More information on her life and images of her throughout her life can be found on her Gerontology Fandom page.

Haley Vows to Stay in Until Super Tuesday

While former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has failed to win any states so far in her quest for the Republican nomination, she has vowed to remain in the primary race until Super Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump has finished first in all states that have voted so far, including Haley’s home state of South Carolina.

Haley is the last major candidate still challenging Trump for the nomination, with all other major GOP challengers dropping out prior to the Iowa caucuses or shortly after. A longshot contender, Texas pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley, dropped out of the race this week and endorsed Trump.

Trump leads Nikki Haley in the RealClearPolitics average of polls 78.7% to 14.5%. So far, Haley has performed much better in each state that has voted than 14.5%, though in Michigan, the latest state to hold its primary, she failed to break 30% of the vote.

Trump’s campaign has appeared to transition to general election campaigning, with Trump choosing not to mention Haley in his victory speech after the South Carolina primary.

 

Odysseus Lunar Lander Shuts Down After Week-Long Mission

The Odysseus lunar lander has been shut down by its operators after successfully transmitting data for the past week. The lander, developed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines and launched by a SpaceX rocket, was part of the first private mission to the moon, as opposed to government-sponsored missions.

The mission did face a challenge when the lander tipped over shortly after reaching the lunar surface, a result of a harder-than-expected landing that broke two of its legs, but the lander continued to communicate with the earth-based team.

Intuitive Machines hopes that the lander will be able to be brought back online once solar power becomes available to its solar panels again.

 

Biden, Trump Make Dueling Visits to Texas Border Cities

President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump both made visits to the Texas-Mexico border on Thursday. Biden visited Brownsville, the southernmost city in the state, and Trump visited Eagle Pass, one of the most active crossing sites for migrants for the past several years.

Trump landed first in Del Rio before traveling to Eagle Pass, where he was joined by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and by National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, both staunch backers of Trump in his rematch against Biden in November.

In his speech, Trump blasted Biden, calling him the “worst president” in American history and pledged to reinstate the policies of his presidency, including Remain in Mexico, where asylum claimants waited in Mexico while their claims were adjudicated.

In Brownsville, Biden met with local leaders and border patrol agents, where he had a brief tour of the border and then gave a speech at the border patrol station. After he spoke briefly on the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, he called on Republicans to pass a bipartisan bill that would allocate money to hire more border patrol agents and judges.

Democrats have accused congressional Republicans of bowing to pressure from Trump to not pass the bill in order to prevent Biden from claiming credit in reducing the number of migrants coming to the US. Republicans counter that Biden can take executive action without the bill and that the bill should not be tied to funding for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The trip to Brownsville is Biden’s first trip to South Texas and his second to the US-Mexico border.