I spoke to Jonathan Martin of the New York Times about a major prescription drug deal between the Trump Administration and the pharmaceutical industry that fell apart over late White House demands for “Trump Cards” that would be distributed to seniors in the home stretch of the campaign. Given the way things are going with the campaign, it’s no surprise that they’re passing up first downs and shooting for the end zone.

Even more puzzling is why the White House would not have taken a victory in hand that would have let the president extol his negotiating skills and crow about delivering for seniors.

Instead, they unveiled an executive order on a weekend that drew little coverage and is far harder for people to grasp than industry-subsidized cost relief for consumers.

“It’s objectively imprudent,” said Liam Donovan, a Republican strategist. “But when you need to change the trajectory of the race, you have to be willing to take risks.’’

Click here to read the full piece.

I spoke to Jonathan Nicholson of MarketWatch about the prospects for a Congressional Covid response deal before the election.

“Both sides appear perfectly content to head into the election thinking that the politics hurts the other side worse. Realistically, the best hope going forward is that a handful of these consensus provisions might be cherry-picked and incorporated into a clean-ish CR,” wrote Liam Donovan, principal at Bracewell LLP’s Policy Resolution Group ina note to clients.

But Donovan said in email the odds remain low, “maybe 25%.”

On the other hand, another round of $1,200 stimulus checks, reviving the federal add-on to state unemployment benefits, and bringing back the Paycheck Protection Program, which has $134 billion in unused lending authority, all have bipartisan support among Congress’ rank-and-file members.

“If you can’t figure out how to turn PPP back on with $100 billion just sitting there and bipartisan consensus, they have a lot of soul searching to do!” Donovan said.

Read the full piece here.

I spoke to CNN‘s Ryan Nobles about the Trump campaign doubling down on its rally strategy despite the pandemic, and whether it stands to help or hurt his campaign.

Liam Donovan, a former operative at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said — at this point — Republicans have to be willing to take the risk of Trump giving Democrats a gift from the stage.

“They realize that we’re mostly past persuasion and just trying to crank out as many votes in the right places as possible,” he said. “He’s bound to say anything and veer way off message from what they want to be talking about, but that’s a risk you have to be willing to take at this point.”

Read the full piece here.

I spoke to NBC News‘ Sahil Kapur about President Trump’s ongoing advantage on the economy according to public opinion surveys, and what it means for his closing message.

Trump’s other message — that Biden is controlled by anarchists who are inciting violence and crime in major cities — has fallen flat in polls.

Liam Donovan, a lobbyist and former GOP operative, said Trump’s “appeals to law and order definitely resonate with his base” but probably won’t move undecided voters. A positive economic message, however, could be a better closing argument.

“If President Trump is going to win four more years, it is because voters are hopeful about the future, not fearful. After a bumpy 2020, people are looking for some semblance of normalcy or at least hope,” he said. “The recent jobs numbers and anticipated GDP data could easily be worked into the argument that things are under control and moving in that direction.”

Read the full piece here.

I spoke to Bloomberg Opinion columnist Frank Wilkinson about what to make of the fact that erstwhile GOP consultants–a group hardly known for their firm principles–are the ones pushing back against President Trump.

Their turn against Trump is unlikely to be profitable; they surely could’ve reaped millions had they toed the Trumpist line. Meanwhile, the notion that they are somehow poised to compete for control of the Democratic Party is nonsensical on its face. 

Still, these are successful, veteran consultants who have already reaped years of lucrative fees (along with valuable business connections). They are in a position to challenge Trump, says Republican consultant Liam Donovan in an email, “particularly those who have made their mark and can afford to lean into a sense of conscience.” Elected politicians must measure acts of conscience against the likely wrath of the electorate, Donovan adds. But consultants, “however profit-driven they may be, or have been in their prime, always have a constituency of one.”

Read the full piece here.