Since securing the nod to the Democratic nomination, Joe Biden has been busy trying to rewrite history and his record of being soft on China.
Despite making a career out of kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party, Biden, along with the media and Democratic establishment, are trying to argue that the same man who as recently as last year said China is “not our problem” nor “our competition” would be tougher on Beijing in office than President Trump.
Also rushing to Biden’s defense is a high-minded sounding group called “The Lincoln Project,” a political action committee founded by a cadre of nominally – and in many cases former – Republican strategists who have taken it upon themselves to “protect American democracy by defeating President Trump.”
Cue their latest ad, which bizarrely tries to make the case that because Ivanka Trump’s former fashion company received trademarks from China, President Trump has been unduly influenced by his own financial interests rather than committed to putting the American people first.
Of course, the entire premise of the ad is ridiculous.
What it conveniently fails to mention is that trademarks are a routine business practice, only used to protect an individual’s name and intellectual property from being exploited from copycats trying to capitalize on their fame, a practice especially rampant in China.
In fact, over 60 Chinese companies ranging from wallpaper to weight loss services have tried to trademark Ivanka Trump’s name in order to make a quick buck, something that has also happened to scores of other American companies such as Apple and Nike. All Ivanka did was try to prevent trademark squatters from stealing her name so they couldn’t hold it hostage.
President Trump and his family were successful business people before he ever ran for elected office.
It is gross that this group is attacking a successful businesswoman who stepped back from her business career in order to serve our country, all without earning a single red cent doing so.
But The Lincoln Project isn’t about to let a little thing like facts get in the way of a juicy smear.
That is why they are willing to distort Donald Trump’s record of being the first president with the political courage to take on China in decades, something he has proven time and again, from issuing tariffs to renegotiating better trade deals with our allies in the Asia-Pacific to banning travel from China once it became clear that is where the coronavirus was emanating from.
Not only that, but while the Lincoln Project will go to great lengths to lie about President Trump’s record vis a vis China, they are willing to completely ignore the various pay-for-play, get rich quick schemes the Bidens have profited from over the years, including in China.
The inconvenient truth for them is that unlike the Bidens, the Trump family made their money prior to government service, not as a result of it.
What’s especially ironic about the Lincoln Project’s unfounded attacks on President Trump’s family is their organization’s own record of grift.
While they like to portray themselves as committed to upholding conservative principles, a deeper delve shows the Lincoln Project’s real raison d’etre seems to lie more in profiting off attacking President Trump than it does anything else.
Financial disclosures show that over 90 percent of the Lincoln Project’s recent donations went towards nothing other than lining the pockets of those who run the group.
It’s what is referred to as a “scam PAC,” an organization that tricks donors into giving under the illusion the money will be used to advance a cause, but actually goes right into the bank accounts of the individuals running it.
The bottom line is that it’s no surprise a group whose co-founder disparages all Trump supporters as dumb and illiterate would be shameless enough to slander President Trump and his family in a desperate attempt to gain some semblance of relevance.
The real Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”
The Lincoln Project might be able to fool a few people here and there that they represent the “real” Republican Party and care about defending “true conservatism,” but the American people are smart enough to see through vain attempts at legitimacy.
They know that President Trump has been tough on China from Day One, something we’ve seen on full display as he continues to lead our country through the coronavirus crisis, and it is just one of the many reasons they will elect him to a second-term in November.
Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) has served as chair of the Republican National Committee since 2017.