Thorny Global Issues Abound A Year Into Trump Presidency

A new Gallup poll finds just 41% of Americans say they are “extremely proud” to be American, the fifth consecutive year this reading has been in the 38% to 43% range.

Quinta Jurecic and Benjamin Wittes: “The United States has gone for two-and-a-half centuries without a constitutional rule concerning presidential immunity, and it has been able to do so for a very simple reason: Most presidents aren’t criminals and don’t use their official functions to commit crimes.” “The question of whether a president has some form—and if so, what form—of immunity for official acts thus hasn’t come up much.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), a top ally of Joe Biden, said Wednesday that if the president steps aside from the election, he would expect to see a “mini-primary” ahead of the Democratic National Convention with Kamala Harris and Democratic governors vying for the top two spots on the party’s ticket, Politico reports. Said Clyburn: “You can actually fashion the process that’s already in place to make it a mini-primary, and I would support that absolutely.

Politico: “Democratic attorneys generals around the country are already gearing up for the possibility of a second Trump administration by beginning to map out an aggressive legal strategy to fight him again in court — this time with a fresh sense of urgency.”

A new Wall Street Journal poll finds Donald Trump has opened a 6-point lead over Joe Biden among voters nationally, 48% to 42%. A stunning 80% say that Biden is too old to run for a second term and just 34% now view the president in a favorable light. The survey finds widespread discontent with both candidates, as nearly half, some 47%, would replace both men on the ballot if they could and 53% say they aren’t enthusiastic about anyone running for president.

A new CBS News poll finds Donald Trump now has a 3-point edge over Joe Biden across the battleground states collectively among likely voters, 51% to 48%, and a 2-point edge nationally, 50% to 48%. The survey found a big factor here is motivation, not just persuasion: Democrats are not as likely as Republicans to say they will “definitely” vote now.