Comment on Morning Must Reads: January 26

“Democratic senators who represent presidential battlegrounds agree with President Biden — polls showing him trailing former President Trump in those key states are wrong,” Axios reports. “The skepticism is especially notable because a number of Democrats from those states have a polling lead over their Republican opponents in pivotal Senate races.”

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), without evidence, accused President Biden in a Fox News interview of being “jacked up” and using “injections” in order to appear “coherent.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has been floated as a possible running mate for Donald Trump, refused to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 presidential election and repeated conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, the New York Times reports. He deflected follow-up questions by falsely claiming that Hillary Clinton had denied her loss in 2016.

Sen. J. D. Vance (R-OH), rumored to be one of Donald Trump’s vice-presidential contenders, told CBS News that the U. S “could learn from” some decisions made by authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, including controversial policies related to dealing with dissidents at universities. Said Vance: “On the university principle, the idea that taxpayers should have some influence in how their money is spent at these universities, it’s a totally reasonable thing, and I do think that he’s made some smart decisions there that we could learn from in the United States.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) brushed off the recent polls showing President Biden’s slight lead over former President Trump in his home state of Wisconsin, noting he does not trust early polling, The Hill reports. Said Johnson: “Well, as somebody who has run statewide three times and seeing polls wildly incorrect, all three times, I just would not trust the early polls.

For weeks preceding President Biden’s commencement speech on Sunday at Morehouse College—a historically Black men’s college in Atlanta—students and faculty opposed his appearance, alleging that the president should not be the guest of honor given his ongoing support for Israel’s war in Gaza. As student protests swept through other colleges and universities, even forcing the cancellation or readjustment of commencement ceremonies, Morehouse students spoke to the press about their discomfort with Biden’s appearance.