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Trump’s Health Secretary Pick in Trouble Over Insider Trading Accusations Facing Historically Low Approval Ratings, Trump Assails the Polls
(about 2 hours later)
■ President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for health secretary is in hot water over trades in health care stocks. ■ President-elect Donald J. Trump assailed polling that puts his popularity at historic lows for an incoming president, and went after John Lewis again.
■ Mr. Trump’s pick for health secretary is in hot water over trades in health care stocks.
■ A tale of two Bibles — for the Trump Inauguration.■ A tale of two Bibles — for the Trump Inauguration.
The billionaire Betsy DeVos goes before a Senate committee for her confirmation hearing on Tuesday, with her ethics form still incomplete. He held off when last week a Quinnipiac University poll put his approval rating at 37 percent. He kept his digits off the Twitter account when a Gallup poll on Friday put approval of the way he is handling his transition at 44 percent, about half of Barack Obama’s as he neared his swearing-in.
Mr. Trump again clashed with congressional Republicans on policy, this time over taxes. But on Tuesday, when a Washington Post-ABC News poll had his favorability rating at 40 percent, compared with Mr. Obama’s 79 percent before inauguration and George W. Bush’s 62 percent, the president-elect had enough.
A CNN-ORC poll Tuesday also put Mr. Trump’s approval rating at 40 percent, “the lowest of any recent president and 44 points below that of President Barack Obama, the 44th president.”
No doubt, many people from both sides of the Trumpian divide will sympathize with his antipathy for pre-election polling — although Hillary Clinton’s two-percentage point win in the popular vote was about in line with national polling. The post-election polls are well outside the margin of sampling error in their comparisons to other presidents.
Mr. Trump consoled himself with all the buses and airplanes heading to Washington this week for the inauguration weekend.
Unmentioned: More than 200,000 of those people are going to protest the 45th president. Bikers for Trump has vowed to defend him.
While on Twitter, the president-elect decided to again go after Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia — even though last week’s Twitter confrontation is still reverberating among African-Americans and beyond.
It is, in fact, true that Mr. Lewis, a civil rights icon who had his skull cracked in Selma, Ala., questioned the legitimacy of President Bush, the last president elected despite losing the popular vote.
It is also true that Mr. Lewis is just not someone easily attacked by either political party.
First came The Wall Street Journal, which reported just before Christmas that Representative Tom Price of Georgia, the president-elect’s pick for secretary of health and human services, had traded more than $300,000 in health care stocks over four years while advocating or sponsoring legislation that could have increased their value.First came The Wall Street Journal, which reported just before Christmas that Representative Tom Price of Georgia, the president-elect’s pick for secretary of health and human services, had traded more than $300,000 in health care stocks over four years while advocating or sponsoring legislation that could have increased their value.
Then The New York Times followed with word that Mr. Price, Representative Chris Collins of New York, and a handful of other insiders had been offered a sweetheart deal on stocks for a tiny Australian company that then quintupled in value.Then The New York Times followed with word that Mr. Price, Representative Chris Collins of New York, and a handful of other insiders had been offered a sweetheart deal on stocks for a tiny Australian company that then quintupled in value.
On Monday, CNN weighed in with a story that revealed that Mr. Price had purchased shares in a medical device company just a week before introducing legislation to delay regulations that could significantly harm the firm.On Monday, CNN weighed in with a story that revealed that Mr. Price had purchased shares in a medical device company just a week before introducing legislation to delay regulations that could significantly harm the firm.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, called for an investigation. “This new report makes clear that this isn’t just a couple of questionable trades, but rather a clear and troubling pattern of Congressman Price trading stock and using his office to benefit the companies in which he is investing,” he said.Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, called for an investigation. “This new report makes clear that this isn’t just a couple of questionable trades, but rather a clear and troubling pattern of Congressman Price trading stock and using his office to benefit the companies in which he is investing,” he said.
There may be no time for that. But Mr. Price’s Senate confirmation hearings this week before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Finance Committee, already set to be contentious, what with Medicare and the Affordable Care Act being hot topics, now promise to be scorching.There may be no time for that. But Mr. Price’s Senate confirmation hearings this week before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Finance Committee, already set to be contentious, what with Medicare and the Affordable Care Act being hot topics, now promise to be scorching.
President-elect Trump — not exactly known for his piety — will be sworn in as the 45th president with not one Bible but two — the one that Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration and his own personal Good Book.President-elect Trump — not exactly known for his piety — will be sworn in as the 45th president with not one Bible but two — the one that Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration and his own personal Good Book.
Tom Barrack, who is leading the inaugural committee, said in a statement:Tom Barrack, who is leading the inaugural committee, said in a statement:
Mr. Trump’s Bible was apparently presented to him by his mother upon his graduation from the Sunday Church Primary School at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, on Children’s Day, June 12, 1955.Mr. Trump’s Bible was apparently presented to him by his mother upon his graduation from the Sunday Church Primary School at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, on Children’s Day, June 12, 1955.
The president-elect may not have studied it closely. At a speech to the evangelical Liberty University during the campaign, he famously referred to “Two Corinthians,” a faux pas in Christian circles (he also cursed, twice). It’s Second Corinthians.The president-elect may not have studied it closely. At a speech to the evangelical Liberty University during the campaign, he famously referred to “Two Corinthians,” a faux pas in Christian circles (he also cursed, twice). It’s Second Corinthians.
The late-day confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, a billionaire and Mr. Trump’s pick for education secretary, is expected to feature fierce questioning from Democrats over her still-incomplete ethics form.The late-day confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, a billionaire and Mr. Trump’s pick for education secretary, is expected to feature fierce questioning from Democrats over her still-incomplete ethics form.
Ms. DeVos, the heiress to an automotive fortune who married into the even more vast fortune of the family that owns Amway, is one of few nominees to go before a Senate panel before completing an ethics questionnaire for the independent Office of Government Ethics addressing her financial holdings. According to prepared remarks, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, will say:Ms. DeVos, the heiress to an automotive fortune who married into the even more vast fortune of the family that owns Amway, is one of few nominees to go before a Senate panel before completing an ethics questionnaire for the independent Office of Government Ethics addressing her financial holdings. According to prepared remarks, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, will say:
Mr. Trump had already upended Republican plans to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act, then replace it several years down the road, by demanding that a new health care law be ready within weeks.Mr. Trump had already upended Republican plans to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act, then replace it several years down the road, by demanding that a new health care law be ready within weeks.
He made matters worse for Republicans when he told The Washington Post this past weekend that any replacement plan should offer insurance to all Americans, and that Republicans should embrace the long-held Democratic proposal to empower the federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare and Medicaid.He made matters worse for Republicans when he told The Washington Post this past weekend that any replacement plan should offer insurance to all Americans, and that Republicans should embrace the long-held Democratic proposal to empower the federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare and Medicaid.
“Too complicated,” Mr. Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.“Too complicated,” Mr. Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
“Anytime I hear border adjustment, I don’t love it,” Mr. Trump said. “Because usually it means we’re going to get adjusted into a bad deal. That’s what happens.”“Anytime I hear border adjustment, I don’t love it,” Mr. Trump said. “Because usually it means we’re going to get adjusted into a bad deal. That’s what happens.”
He’s not making it easy.He’s not making it easy.