Arizona U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs Sat Out State of the Union Address: ‘I Do Not Respect Joe Biden’

Rep Andy Biggs

U.S. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) confirmed in a Monday appearance on C-SPAN that he was not in attendance for the joint session of Congress to hear the State of the Union address delivered by President Joe Biden last week, citing his lack of respect for the 81-year-old president.

Asked about the State of the Union address Monday on The Washington Journal, Biggs characterized Biden’s remarks as “a campaign speech” before revealing he watched from his office and did not attend in person.

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Commentary: Republicans Can Expose Joe Biden’s Phony Nationalism by Embracing MAGA

Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, like his entire presidency, was an astonishingly cynical performance. There were plenty of hollow boasts about things Biden hasn’t actually achieved, but he went further than the usual partisan spin. He conveyed, to a primetime audience, a Potemkin village version of his administration’s goals. While he did plug gun control and an anti-police bill, there were few mentions of identity or race. He mostly talked about economics. In fact, he presented himself as a champion of national revitalization.

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Republicans Say Biden Lied About Their Position on Social Security, Medicare to Scare Seniors

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wasn’t alone Tuesday night in openly arguing President Biden in his State of the Union address misstated House Republicans’ position on the future of Medicare and Social Security. 

“I think, because he lied, it was a frustration,” Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie told Just the News after Biden’s roughly 72-minute address.

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Sanders Tapped to Give Republican Response to State of the Union

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will give the Republican address following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week. 

“Americans are still struggling from inflation, a border crisis, record crime, and a failing school system,” said Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in a news release. “As House Republicans work to fix these problems in Congress with our Commitment to America, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is addressing them head-on with her conservative agenda outside of Washington.”

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COVID Czar Jeff Zients Expected to Replace White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain: Reports

Former White House COVID-19 czar Jeff Zients is expected to replace President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain, according to multiple media reports. 

Klain is expected to resign in the coming weeks, likely after Biden’s State of the Union address next month, and news emerged Sunday that Klain tapped Zients to fill his position, Axios reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

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Commentary: Under President Trump, We Really Had a Wonderful Life

In the film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey is able to see what the world would have been like had he never been born. Everything changes. George wasn’t there to save his younger brother from drowning. And, that in turn, meant that his brother wasn’t there to save the lives of hundreds of men on board a U.S. military troop ship. Everything has a domino effect.

Unfortunately, we get to have a similar experience. We see how one terrible leader imposing his disastrous policies on the American people has negatively impacted every American. We also witness how Joe Biden’s immature foreign policy has produced unrest and war.

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Biden Approval Gets Big Bump After State of the Union, Russia Invasion: Poll

President Joe Biden’s approval rating received a significant bump after his State of the Union address and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National poll released Friday.

The poll, conducted March 1-2, showed Biden’s approval rating increase to 47%, an eight point jump compared to the last poll released in February. The change is mostly due to gains among Democrats and independents, rising to 90% and 39% approval, respectively.

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Senator Johnson Responds to Biden’s State of the Union Ahead of President’s Visit to Wisconsin

Just before President Joe Biden visited Wisconsin on Wednesday, a U.S. Senator from the state released a scathing statement on the 46th president’s Tuesday night State of the Union address.

“In spite of President Biden’s inaugural speech promise that his number one goal was to heal and unify our nation, today, America is even further divided due to his mismanagement of the economy, our southern border, foreign policy, and COVID-19,” Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said in a statement.

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Commentary: Seven Major Failures of the Biden Presidency

Joe Biden

With President Joe Biden set to deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night, it’s a good time to ask: How has Biden done as president and what is the actual state of our union?

According to the American people, things aren’t going great.

A CNN poll in early February asked Americans what they thought of Biden’s presidency and what he’s done right since entering office Jan. 20, 2021.

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‘Squad’ Member Rashida Tlaib Will Give Rebuttal to Biden’s State of the Union

Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib will deliver a response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Tuesday on behalf of the left-wing Working Families’ Party.

News of her speech, first reported by Politico, comes weeks after Democratic moderates have slowed much of Biden’s domestic agenda, much to the chagrin of their colleagues further to the left. According to a summary of the remarks obtained by the outlet, Tlaib is expected to hammer the moderates responsible for the obstruction, which all but killed Biden’s plan to boost domestic spending and fight climate change.

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Mollie Hemingway Commentary: Taking on the Establishment

Before the 2018 midterm elections, Trump’s political advisors were thinking about the president’s re-election bid and noticed a curious commonality among incumbent presidents who didn’t get re-elected: they all faced challengers from within their own party.

Five U.S. presidents since 1900 have lost their bids for a second term. William Taft lost to Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover lost to Franklin Roosevelt, Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton. While each election is determined by unique factors, all five of these failed incumbents dealt with internal party fights or serious primary challenges.

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Guest Lineups for the Sunday News Shows

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Govs. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., and Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla.; Grenita Lathan, interim superintendent of the Houston Independent School District.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Polis; Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.; Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health; Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio; Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md.; Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta; Dr. Michael Drake, incoming president of the University of California.
CNN’s “State of the Union” — Clyburn; Mayors Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon; Gov. Tate Reeves, R-Miss.; Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
“Fox News Sunday” — President Donald Trump.

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Guest Lineups for the Sunday News Shows

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Adm. Brett Giroir, the Health and Human Services Department official overseeing the nation’s coronavirus testing efforts; Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Giroir; Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md.; Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Florida’s Miami-Dade County Public Schools district.
CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Dr. Jerome Adams, U.S. surgeon general; Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix; Terry Shaw, president and CEO, AdventHealth; Tom Wyatt, CEO of KinderCare.
CNN’s “State of the Union” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Education Secretary Betsy DeVos; Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
“Fox News Sunday” — DeVos; Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar Calls Minneapolis Police ‘Rotten,’ Can’t Explain Who Will Respond to Violent Crimes Without Them

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was unable to provide details on who will respond to violent crimes in her city without a police force, but said the Minneapolis Police Department is “rotten to the root” during a Sunday interview.

“What takes its place?” CNN host Jake Tapper asked the congresswoman. “Who investigates crimes? Who arrests criminals? What happens?”

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Trump Praises Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act During State of the Union Address

President Trump voiced support during his State of the Union Address earlier this week for the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, which would create a $5 billion annual tax credit for donations to state-based, locally-controlled scholarships. The act aims at giving one million children the opportunity to attend their school of choice.

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Gov. Whitmer Will Deliver Dem Response to State of the Union from Daughters’ Public School

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address from East Lansing High School, where her two daughters attend school.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced in January that Whitmer would deliver the Democratic response to the annual address, which is scheduled for Tuesday night.

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Bernie Sanders Stands by ‘Fake Border Crisis’ Comments, Criticizes Trump’s Deal with Mexico

by Jason Hopkins   Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dodged questions Sunday when explicitly asked if he would call the situation at the U.S.-Mexico a “crisis.” CNN host Dana Bash asked Sanders on CNN’s “State of the Union” about a tweet he sent Wednesday in which he called the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border a “fake border ‘crisis.’” Bash, however, noted that U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered over 144,000 illegal migrants in May, the highest number in 13 years. “Border facilities are dangerously overcrowded. Migrants are actually standing on toilets to get space to breathe. How is that not a crisis?” Bash asked the Vermont senator. In response, Sanders accused President Donald Trump of wielding a political strategy that involves demonizing illegal immigrants and Muslims in order to divide the country. He then called for changes to asylum laws that bring in “a whole lot more legal staff and judges.” Bash interjected, asking again if he would call the situation a crisis. “It is a serious problem, but it is not the kind of crisis that requires demonization of desperate people who in some cases have walked a thousand miles with chair children,” Sanders said. “It is an issue we have to deal with.…

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Ilhan Omar’s State of the Union Guest Says Trump Should be ‘Ashamed of Himself’

Every member of Congress gets one guest ticket for the annual State of the Union address, and it’s often used to score quick political points. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), for instance, invited Linda Clark, an immigrant from Liberia who is at risk of deportation because of President Donald Trump’s decision to terminate the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program. “Clark came to the United States in 2000, after fleeing Civil War in her home country of Liberia,” a press release from Omar’s office explains. “As a result of Trump’s decision, thousands of Liberian Americans could be removed from the U.S. at the end of March if DED is not renewed. Minnesota is home to the largest community of Liberian Americans of any state in the nation.” Omar said that Clark is “exactly the type of Americans success story we should celebrate,” calling her “someone who came to this country seeking a better life, played by the rules, and built a life for herself.” “I am pleased to have her join me at the State of the Union and urge the Trump Administration to renew DED status for Liberian Americans,” Omar said. “The president himself has expressed open hatred towards people fleeing…

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Trump in State of the Union Address: ‘We Must Choose Between Greatness and Gridlock’

President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union address Tuesday night in front of a bitterly divided Congress. His address touched on a number of sensitive issues, including the southern border wall, and the recent pro-abortion legislation passed in New York. He began, however, with a call for unity, urging Congress to “govern not as two parties, but as one nation.” “The agenda I’m laying out this evening is not a Republican agenda, or a Democrat agenda. It’s the agenda of the American people,” Trump said. “Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country.” Trump called illegal immigration a “moral issue,” saying the “lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-being of all Americans.” “We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today who follow the rules and respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways,” Trump said. He went on to claim that the issue of illegal immigration “illustrates the divide between America’s working class…

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Ocasio-Cortez Names Her State Of The Union Guest

by Molly Prince   Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed on Monday that she will be bringing the left-wing activist who notably cornered and shouted down former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator as her guest to the State of the Union. “I’m proud to announce that my #StateOfTheUnion guest will be [Ana Maria Archila],” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Ana Maria is the NY14-er who famously jumped into the elevator with Sen. Flake to elevate the stories of survivors everywhere.” I’m proud to announce that my #StateOfTheUnion guest will be @AnaMariaArchil2. Ana Maria is the NY14-er who famously jumped into the elevator with Sen. Flake to elevate the stories of survivors everywhere. She‘s living proof that the courage within all of us can change the 🌎. https://t.co/OLSeNbP4Z2 — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2019 “She’s living proof that the courage within all of us can chance the [world],” Ocasio-Cortez continued. Archila is a co-executive director for the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), a left-wing advocacy group that promotes progressive politics. The Open Society Foundation, which was founded and funded by George Soros, is one of CPD’s largest funders, giving millions to the organization over the past few years. CPD rose to prominence…

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Trump To Announce 10-Year Plan To Fight HIV During State Of The Union: Report

by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump will announce a 10-year plan to fight HIV in the U.S. during his State of the Union speech Tuesday, according to four unnamed sources cited by Politico. The Trump administration’s strategy would “target the U.S. communities with the most HIV infections and work to reduce transmissions by 2030,” reported Politico Monday. Because of modern medicine, an HIV/AIDS diagnosis is no longer a death sentence, but the epidemic still affects roughly 40,000 new patients each year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Trump’s reported announcement may seem out of the blue, but it is not that surprising given that the CDC’s relatively new director, Robert Redfield, had an extensive career researching HIV/AIDS, reported Politico. Redfield took over the CDC in March 2018 and has predicted the HIV/AIDS epidemic could be over by 2025. “Ending the AIDS epidemic in America? It’s possible. I think it could be done in the next three to seven years, if we put our mind to it,” Redfield said at a CDC staff meeting on his second day at the agency in 2018, reported STAT News. The 10-year HIV plan has a lofty goal: stopping all new infections within the…

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Knoxville Parents Whose Son Allegedly Killed in Crash by Illegal Immigrant Will Join Sen. Blackburn, Rep. Burchett at State of the Union

A Knoxville Fire Department captain whose son was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant in an automobile crash will join U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) at the State of the Union address Tuesday. Blackburn said in a statement Thursday that KFD Capt. DJ Corcoran, father of the late PIerce Corcoran, will be her guest. She tweeted, “It is an honor to join with @timburchett to bring DJ and Wendy Corcoran as our guests to the State of the Union. #JusticeForPierce” It is an honor to join with @timburchett to bring DJ and Wendy Corcoran as our guests to the State of the Union. #JusticeForPierce pic.twitter.com/gsMyRSi8En — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 31, 2019 U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) is bringing Wendy Corcoran, Pierce’s mother, as his guest. Blackburn met with the Corcoran family in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 16, according to a tweet. This afternoon, I met with the Corcorans, whose son and brother Pierce was tragically killed two weeks ago by an illegal alien. My prayers are with #AngelFamilies across this country. No family should ever have to experience such a tragedy. #JusticeForPierce pic.twitter.com/dP4e9RDkiq — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 16, 2019 Blackburn said in a statement, “The tragedy…

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Georgia Gubernatorial Loser Stacey Abrams Will Deliver Democratic SOTU Response

National Democratic leadership revealed Tuesday that failed Georgia gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams will deliver the party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes claimed Tuesday morning that a “reliable source” told him that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called Abrams three weeks ago to request that she deliver the Democratic response. 🚨NEWS🚨 A reliable source tells me that Chuck Schumer called STACEY ABRAMS three weeks ago to ask her to deliver the Democratic response to the State of the Union. — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 29, 2019 National Journal Senate correspondent Zach Cohen later confirmed the news, reporting that Schumer told him he was “very delighted when [Abrams] agreed.” Schumer confirms. “I was very delighted when she agreed.” https://t.co/WLuXgMlHqC — Zach C. Cohen (@Zachary_Cohen) January 29, 2019 “Speaker Pelosi and I are going to issue an official statement shortly. But yes, three weeks ago I called Stacey Abrams and asked her to deliver the response to the State of the Union,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “She is just a great spokesperson, she’s an incredible leader, she has led the charge for voting rights, which is at the root of just about everything…

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Commentary: Trump Is Lucky in His Choice of Enemies

by Michael Walsh   No matter when or where Donald Trump finally delivers his State of the Union speech – late last night, he gave up on the notion of an alternative venue and tweeted that the speech will take place in the House according to “history, tradition, and importance of the House Chamber,” after the shutdown is over- one thing is certain the President is lucky in his choice of enemies. The Left, of course, thinks it has him on the run: his popularity can’t crack 50 percent, a Vichycon Republican majority foot-dragging during Trump’s first two years resulted in a grand total of bupkis, policy-wise (thanks, Paul Ryan!), and the progressive media has turned every news story- from BuzzFeed’s catastrophic confabulation about the Trump Moscow project to the innocent high schoolers in MAGA hats targeted for a classic propaganda stunt that’s now backfired badly- into an instant referendum on Trump. And yet he’s still standing. That’s because Trump, as combative a personality who’s ever occupied the White House, thrives on conflict. While Washington is often called Hollywood for ugly people, few of the dullards, clods, clowns, rapscallions, and mountebanks who occupy seats in the Congress or in the…

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Trump Plans Alternative State of the Union Speech

by Steve Herman   U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would make an alternative speech after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told him there would be no State of the Union address in Congress next week—an action that he termed “a disgrace.” “She doesn’t want to hear the truth,” Trump told reporters. “She doesn’t want the American public to hear what’s going on.” The president said that Pelosi’s decision not to allow the address to Congress until the government shutdown ends is “a great blotch on the incredible country that we all love,” and her action would be remembered as “a very, very negative part of history.” He then went on to declare that the Democrats have “become a very, very dangerous party for this country.” Trump did not reveal where and when he would make his alternative address. Pelosi sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday saying the Democratically controlled House “will not consider a concurrent resolution” authorizing him to give the speech in the House chamber until the entire federal government reopens. She wrote that when she extended an invitation on Jan.3, she had “no thought that the government will still be shut down” on Jan.29, the…

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Ohio Tea Party Group Invites President Trump to Give State of the Union Address in Columbus

An Ohio Tea Party organization has invited President Donald Trump to visit the state Tuesday and deliver his State of the Union address to residents and the rest of America in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi canceling the event during the government shutdown. We the People Convention Inc. sent the letter to Trump to invite him to the “excellent facility” of the Celeste Center of the Ohio State Fair Grounds in Columbus, where he would receive “a very warm welcome,” the group’s president, Thomas R. Zawistowski, said in the letter, which is available here. We the People’s invitation joins that of other invitations. Speaker of the North Carolina House Tim Moore last week invited President Trump to deliver his State of the Union (SOTU) remarks in Raleigh. Also last week, Michigan’s GOP House Speaker Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-MI-107) invited President Donald Trump to deliver his State of the Union address in the state legislature. The president may have other ideas, however, as he said, “I look forward to seeing you on the evening on January 29th,” he wrote, according to Breitbart. “It would be so very sad for our country if the State of the Union were not delivered…

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President Trump to Pelosi on SOTU: ‘I Will Be Honoring Your Invitation, and Fulfilling My Constitutional Duty’

President Trump sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi late Wednesday morning confirming his original acceptance of her invitation to deliver the annual State of the Union address from the U.S. House of Representatives chambers on Jan 29. “Thank you for you letter of January 3, 2019, sent to me long after the Shutdown began, inviting me to address the Nation on January 29th as to the State of the Union,” the letter begins. President Trump goes on to summarize the series of communiques between his office and Speaker Pelosi leading up to his official response to her: Therefore, I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union. I look forward to seeing you on the evening on January 29th in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. It would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location! White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a copy of the letter: President Trump’s letter to Speaker Pelosi on…

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Michigan’s GOP House Speaker Chatfield Joins North Carolina House Speaker Moore in Inviting President Trump to Deliver State of the Union Address in State Capitol

Michigan’s GOP House Speaker Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-MI-107) has joined North Carolina in inviting President Donald Trump to deliver his State of the Union address in the state legislature. Chatfield said Michigan also has a divided government but the Republican legislative majority is invested in the success of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, he said, in inviting Trump to come to the House chamber of the state Capitol, according to a story in The Detroit News. Chatfield tweeted, “President @realDonaldTrump, due to the unavailability of the US House for your #SOTU Address, I would like to extend to you an official invitation to deliver your important address in the Michigan House chamber. The success of our state & country is bigger than political parties!” President @realDonaldTrump, due to the unavailability of the US House for your #SOTU Address, I would like to extend to you an official invitation to deliver your important address in the Michigan House chamber. The success of our state & country is bigger than political parties! pic.twitter.com/FqFYIf8V3G — Lee Chatfield (@LeeChatfield) January 18, 2019 The News said: Chatfield’s invitation seemed to get a boost when it was retweeted by Michigan native and Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna Romney…

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