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Jennifer Harper

Jennifer Harper

jharper@washingtontimes.com

Jennifer Harper wrote the daily Inside the Beltway column for The Washington Times.

Articles by Jennifer Harper

Lawmakers rank way down on the list of America's most respected professions, according to a new Gallup poll. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Gallup: Lawmakers among least trusted for ethics and honesty

Americans praise nurses, engineers and medical doctors for their honesty and ethics in a big way. Lawmakers, however, have not earned such admiration. Senators and members of Congress, in fact, are at the bottom of the heap when it comes to the public's trust factor. So says Gallup, in its annual assessment of 22 professions.

January 9, 2020
Media analyst Brent Bozell has sent an open letter to President Trump protesting $75 million in "relief" for public broadcasting during the coronavirus crisis. (Shutterstock)

Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity named top ‘streaming’ talk show hosts

Talk radio -- broadcast live before millions of listeners -- has spawned another important audience. That would be those folks who listen to these shows when they are streamed on the internet, on-demand, and at any time of day. Yes, there is an industry source that now measures audiences who listen to popular hosts, well, whenever.

January 9, 2020
It's campaign rally season. President Trump shares a moment with the crowd during a recent campaign rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Inside the Beltway: Trump and the art of the campaign rally

There are no January doldrums in 2020. With Super Tuesday just around the corner, President Trump's campaign has lined up a fast and furious series of his signature jumbo campaign rallies — a wise decision given the competitive, chaotic nature of the political marketplace. These cheerful, high energy events are a known brand on the campaign trail, and have proved to be effective, media friendly and good for both president and his fans. These legendary rallies typically draw 12,000 cheerful Trump voters inside major arenas, with another 10,000 or so proudly partying outside in their red MAGA hats.

January 8, 2020
A new Hill/HarrisX poll finds that 90% of Republican voters give President Trump a positive favorability rating, his highest on record. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Trump wins record support from GOP voters

The liberal news media and the Democratic Party have been pushing a convenient theme for years: The election of President Trump caused a rift in the Republican Party, pitting establishment GOPers against grassroots folks who raced to the polls in 2016 and voted for Mr. Trump. That convenient and melodramatic theme just keeps resurfacing among journalists convinced that the Grand Old Party is no longer grand.

January 7, 2020
Some headlines have broached the possibility of "World War III" following President Trump's decision to order an airstrike on Iran. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Trump critics fixate on ‘World War III’

Well, there's never a dull moment. Assorted news organizations and critics of President Trump immediately escalated their outreach and broached the idea that World War III was now a possibility following the death of Iran Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani in a precision U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.

January 5, 2020
Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh is among the many broadcast talents who have made talk radio itself the top media choice among Americans. (Rush Limbaugh)

Inside the Beltway: Nielsen says traditional talk radio dominates the news media

Sorry TV titans and fancy producers, but the American media landscape is not dominated by streaming video, Sunday night football and vampire dramas. Here's the realty check. It's syndicated talk radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity -- plus their fellow broadcast talkers -- who are the winners. None other than Nielsen Media Research reveals some stark facts about public preference.

January 2, 2020
President Trump's accomplishments have continued to pile up this year, no matter what kind of coverage the media provides. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: True Trump victories: A year-end review

The news media is not keen on reporting positive news about President Trump and his administration. Yet Mr. Trump's victories continue to pile up whether the press reports them or not. What follows is a small compendium of those significant and fact-driven victories, as reported in Inside the Beltway in the final weeks of 2019.

December 26, 2019
Take a brief trip past the year's assorted outrage moments, as reported in the Inside the Beltway column by Jennifer Harper. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: The best political outrage of 2019

We have just gone through a year full of outrage, melodrama and shenanigans — and quite a few victories for President Trump, despite it all. Congratulations on making it this far, hopefully with some optimism toward the future. What follows is a small sampling of Inside the Beltway items which appeared throughout 2019, reflecting the current political landscape — with 2020 just around the corner.

December 25, 2019
In this Dec. 20, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump arrives with first lady Melania Trump to sign the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Melania Trump is quietly forging her way through President Donald Trump's impeachment. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Bookmakers say Donald Trump will win in 2020

Political discord and the impeachment vote have not marred President Trump's odds of reelection. They have actually improved, according to betting aggregators US-Bookies.com, an industry source that tracks the trends of the nation's betting, as well as the consumer aspects.

December 24, 2019
As impeachment fever continues, sales of Trump-themed gifts and merchandise are going through the roof, say multiple reports. (Courtesy of DonaldJTrump.com)

Inside the Beltway: Americans adore pro-Trump gifts

It's MAGA mania. One Boston merchandiser has discovered that selling positive Trump-themed items is good business. Very good business, in fact. Keith Lambert — who founded the pro-Trump interest group New England for Trump in 2015 — has opened five pop-up stores in the Boston area. Sales are very brisk on items emblazoned with the all-time favorites slogans: "Make America Great Again," "Keep America Great" and now, "Make America Greater."

December 22, 2019
President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Surprise report: 20% of the audiences at Trump rallies are Democrats

President Trump's huge campaign rallies have become the signature event of his presidency, well known for upbeat energy and huge crowds. Some 10,000 to 14,000 Trump fans are typically inside the host arena, with thousands more outside watching the event on multiple Jumbotron screens. Now comes a report that 20% of these rally audiences are Democrats.

December 20, 2019
President Trump blasted Democrats in public outreach to voters. He called it an "impeachment scam." Supporters have rallied around him. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: The impeachment war begins

Impeachment news coverage has erupted with a shower of caustic content, speculation and premature conclusions about the future of President Trump and his administration. Social media is brimming with hashtags such as #MerryImpeachmas while progressive activist groups march in protests. Mr. Trump, however, has his own straightforward message for the 65-million-member army who voted for him — and Americans in general.

December 18, 2019