Donald Trump understands something fundamental about foreign policy that most politicians don’t — including ones who have been active in this space for a very long time.
In the run-up to Operation Epic Fury, the critique circling on Capitol Hill wasn’t quiet. Republicans were concerned that, given the risk factors involved in a major regime change war — even one that was undertaken overwhelmingly by air and sea, not Army boots on the ground — the president had done little or nothing to warn the American people of the potential losses inherent in any attack.
Unlike the precision strikes Trump has used in the past — amazing feats of military technological capability, yes, but with lower potential loss of American lives — going after the Iranians meant inevitably setting off a barrage of missiles and drones that could attack all America’s forces in the Middle East, as well as our allies and regional partners.
Exfiltrating Nicolás Maduro and his wife without the loss of a single American life was an incredible achievement, one that was only possible thanks to the bravery and commitment of a terribly wounded helicopter pilot. Things could’ve gone sideways very quickly. Instead, the American forces under Trump pulled it off without one death. Assign it to good fortune, good planning, or the grace of God, but this is not the way such missions are expected to go.
The line from one old military hand to me in the run-up to the Iran strike was simple: How long can the old man keep going back to the table and coming up aces?
That risk, for a normal politician, would require advance mitigation. Think back to the lengthy effort George W. Bush and his associates put into making the case for war in Iraq. The many briefings, public speeches, presentations before the United Nations, and an open effort on television and in op-ed pages to make the case for war were meant to warn people of the potential loss of life and materiel. The message was clear: Steel yourselves for the worst, but understand we’re doing this because we think it needs doing. Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction require it.
Of course, after the WMD turned out to be a pittance of what was expected, and Hussein’s threats turned out to be the actions of a blowhard maintaining his hold on power, the Bush administration was forced into an uncomfortable pivot toward a war built on positive vibes and spreading democracy. The whole prewar case turned out to be built on falsehoods, albeit falsehoods every intelligence service in the West purportedly believed.
Trump became, like so many Americans, an outspoken critic of this war after the fact, as it dragged on interminably and descended into chaos that cost American lives and resources. He took the lesson, as did many politicians in the rising generation, that boots-on-the-ground regime-change wars without clear goals in mind are a pointless and expensive exercise.
But Trump seems to have taken another lesson from it, too: that the messaging build up to such action is unwise and unnecessary.
So, if the political critique of President Trump’s approach in Iran is that he didn’t make the case to the American people, it’s true — he didn’t. He understands that he doesn’t need to.
Americans assess foreign policy and national security not as ever-running aspects of their daily lives, but as a binary: success, or failure. We like to win. We hate to lose.
What Trump has done is show that he knows more about the reality of these issues politically than any longstanding politician, consultant, or commentator. He understands the importance of unpredictability. He makes his decisions in his own time and believes Americans will judge him only if his effort is unsuccessful. And if it is a failure, no amount of prior argument — readying the ground with an awareness of risk, detailing the potential benefits to energy markets or a destabilized China — will make a difference anyway.
It’s a fundamental change in the way an administration conducts foreign policy. It’s in keeping with Trump’s roll the dice approach. And it’s also based on enormous confidence in what the United States military is capable of when you ask them to blow something up instead of changing hearts and minds.
Donald Trump understands the old Vince Lombardi dictum applies here: Winning isn’t everything — it’s the only thing.

Untitled design – 2026-03-02T095935.961

Trump Didn’t Sell America on War in Iran. He Doesn’t Need To.

Donald Trump

George W. Bush

Iran

Iraq War

CNN data guru Harry Enten said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was blowing his competition out of the water — both Republicans and Democrats — when it came to his approval rating with regard to foreign policy.
Enten spoke with CNN anchor John Berman about the latest numbers, which show Trump, nearly ten months into his second term, has a 43% approval rating on his foreign policy positions. Berman asked for context, wondering how Trump stacked up against past presidents in their respective second terms.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump&#8217;s foreign approval rating is up like a rocket compared to term 1.
He has the highest foreign policy approval rating at this point in his term 2 of any 21st century president.
Big reason why: Israel-Hamas conflict. E.g. His net approval is 40 pts higher than Biden&#8217;s was. <a href="https://t.co/8rzNjCphEJ">pic.twitter.com/8rzNjCphEJ</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1991165239224656200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This is one of the areas in which Donald Trump is performing significantly better than he was in term one,&#8221; Enten explained, noting that during his first term in the White House, Trump&#8217;s approval rating on foreign policy had been significantly lower at 35%. &#8220;Up like a rocket, we&#8217;re talking about 43% now, that&#8217;s an eight-point rise. On the net approval rating, that&#8217;s a double-digit rise.&#8221;
Berman noted that it was almost expected for presidents in their second terms to pivot to foreign policy and do whatever they can to cement their legacies before leaving office — and he asked Enten how Trump stacked up in that regard.
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Enten showed a graphic comparing Trump to the two other 21st-century presidents who served two terms — George W. Bush and Barack Obama — who had foreign policy approval ratings of 36% and 37% respectively, at the same point in their second terms.
&#8220;This is something I think Donald Trump really likes to look at because the bottom line is this presidents like to build their legacies off of foreign policy, and at this particular point the American people like much more of what Donald Trump’s doing on foreign policy than either of the two other twenty-first century presidents who serve at least — or served two terms,&#8221; Enten explained.
Berman asked whether Trump&#8217;s high marks on that particular issue had anything to do with how he&#8217;d responded to the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorists controlling Gaza, and Enten said it had likely been a major factor.
&#8220;The American people liked what Trump was able to do between the Israelis and Hamas,&#8221; he said — and pointed to Trump&#8217;s net approval on the Israel-Hamas conflict (+3) compared to former President Joe Biden&#8217;s (-37). &#8220;Joe Biden was 37 points below water by the end of his presidency.&#8221;

Trump Just Beat The Last Three Presidents On One Key Issue

Barack Obama

Gaza

Harry Enten

Israel

Joe Biden

Media

Politics

Polls

Former President George W. Bush on Tuesday marked the passing of Dick Cheney, saying in a statement that the former vice president was “among the finest public servants of his generation.”
Cheney served under Bush for eight years, from 2001 to 2009, as vice president of the United States. Bush described his Oval Office partner as “a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges.”
Among the major tests of Bush’s tenure, arguably the most challenging was the 9/11 terror attack on the Twin Towers in New York City and launching the War on Terror in its aftermath.
“I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people. For those two terms in office and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved,” said Bush.
Before serving as Bush’s vice president, Cheney served in the administration of Bush’s father, George H.W. Bush, as Secretary of Defense.
Bush also spoke of his closeness to Cheney’s family, adding that &#8220;Laura and I have shared our deepest sympathies with Vice President Cheney’s wife Lynne and their daughters and granddaughters of whom he was so deeply proud.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Statement by President George W. Bush on Vice President Dick Cheney:
The death of Richard B. Cheney is a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends. Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was. History will remember him as among the finest… <a href="https://t.co/fmx7hI4eFD">pic.twitter.com/fmx7hI4eFD</a>
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBushCenter/status/1985716460648378448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
Cheney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-vice-president-dick-cheney-dies-at-84">died</a> on Monday night at his home at the age of 84. He died due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease.
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“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the Cheney family said in a statement. “Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”

Dick Cheney, George W. Bush

President Bush Remembers VP Cheney: ‘Among The Finest Public Servants Of His Generation’

Dick Cheney

Executive

General

Dick Cheney, who served two terms as vice president under former President George W. Bush, died at his home on Monday night, his family said. He was 84.
Cheney died due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. The former vice president struggled with heart disease for decades and underwent a heart transplant in 2012. He died surrounded by his family.
Cheney had a decisive role in the White House, influencing foreign policy in the Bush administration at a level typically not seen among vice presidents. He also served as Secretary of Defense under former President George H.W. Bush.
“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the Cheney family <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dick-cheney-dies-079591b529f048489650e7569bc675d2">said</a>. &#8220;Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lynne, and his daughters, Liz and Mary.
Cheney&#8217;s career in politics spanned decades. He served in the Nixon administration and eventually made his way up to White House Chief of Staff under former President Gerald Ford. In 1978, he was elected to Congress, serving Wyoming&#8217;s lone district until 1989, when he was nominated by George H.W. Bush to become Secretary of Defense. As Defense Secretary, Cheney directed the U.S. invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm, which liberated Kuwait from Iraqi forces.
In 2000, Cheney joined George W. Bush on the Republican ticket in a controversial presidential election that reached the Supreme Court, before Bush and Cheney were ultimately declared the winners over Democrat Al Gore and his running mate, Joe Lieberman.
As vice president, Cheney played an instrumental role in pushing for the United States to declare a &#8220;war on terror&#8221; and invade Iraq following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. As American public perception turned against the Iraq War, Cheney held that it was the correct decision to send troops into Iraq in 2003 and topple the government of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
&#8220;It was the right thing to do then. I believed in it then, and I believe it now,&#8221; Cheney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv-HnTQVXoQ">said</a> during a CNN interview in  2015. &#8220;No apologies.&#8221;
Cheney was not shy about his criticism of the administrations that followed his time in the White House, blasting former President Barack Obama and later becoming a staunch anti-Trump voice. In 2015, Cheney described Obama as &#8220;a president whose policies are doing lasting damage to the United States of America.&#8221;
In recent years, Cheney feuded with President Donald Trump as his daughter, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, became the face of anti-Trump Republicans. In 2022, Cheney appeared in an ad for his daughter, who was running in a primary against Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman.
&#8220;In our nation’s 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,&#8221; Cheney said in the ad. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters.”
Cheney&#8217;s anti-Trump positions continued into the 2024 election, when he announced last September that he would vote for then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
“As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/dick-cheney-kamala-harris-president">said</a>.
Cheney, who suffered five heart attacks throughout his life — with his first heart attack at age 37 — expressed a profound gratitude that he was able to live as long as he did. Following his heart transplant in 2012, Cheney called the surgery &#8220;the kind of gift that&#8217;s unbelievable,&#8221; adding, &#8220;You wake up every morning with a smile on your face because you&#8217;ve got a new day you never expected to have.&#8221;

Former Vice President Dick Cheney Dies At 84

Death

U.S.

Vice President

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher said that despite being a longtime critic of former President George W. Bush, he wouldn&#8217;t mind sitting down and having a conversation with the Texas politician.
Maher, on his &#8220;Club Random&#8221; podcast, told former &#8220;Access Hollywood&#8221; host Billy Bush that with President Donald Trump in the White House again, he had turned around on a few issues, changing his mind particularly about how important it was to talk to people even when they hold very different views.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OYUlwdUAGC8?si=HMRjhxh6btBjapj2&amp;start=6290" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>&#8221;
I was hard [on Bush]— I’m not taking it back. I wasn’t for the invasion of Iraq, or just the basic Republican policies that he championed were not exactly my cup of tea. But I also have things more in perspective. He should know that, yes, I probably, looking back, could have been more reasonable,&#8221; Maher said.
Maher did say that he was not totally opposed to Bush&#8217;s idea to privatize Social Security: &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t like the worst idea.&#8221;
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Maher also praised Bush for encouraging former President Barack Obama after he won the 2008 presidential election. &#8220;We want you to succeed,&#8221; Bush said to his successor — and Maher couldn&#8217;t resist taking a swipe at Trump and saying that was something &#8220;you can’t imagine Donald Trump saying.&#8221;
But according to multiple sources, President Trump did leave the traditional note for President Joe Biden despite a contentious 2020 campaign — and although the contents of the note were never publicly revealed, Biden described it as a &#8220;very generous letter.&#8221; Biographer Chris Whipple took the description a step further, saying that Biden had found the letter to be &#8220;shockingly gracious.&#8221;
In a 2023 interview, Trump confirmed he&#8217;d left a &#8220;nice&#8221; letter for Biden and that he &#8220;took a lot of time in thinking about it&#8221; before he put pen to paper. He stopped short of revealing what he&#8217;d written, however, saying that it would be up to Biden to decide whether or not to do so.

Bill Maher

Bill Maher Says He’d Like To Sit Down With George W. Bush

Bill Maher Says He'd Like To Sit Down With George W. Bush

comedian

A new study finds that 55% of self-identified leftists thought murdering President Donald Trump would be somewhat justifiable.
The <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Network of Contagion Research Institute (NCRI)</a> joined <a href="https://sites.rutgers.edu/lee-jussim/social-perception-lab/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab</a> to conduct the study titled “Assassination Culture: How Burning Teslas and Killing Billionaires Became a Meme Aesthetic for Political Violence,” which states that an “assassination culture” appears to be “emerging within segments of the U.S. public on the extreme left, with expanding targets now including figures such as Donald Trump,” The Federalist <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2025/04/07/survey-55-of-self-identified-leftists-say-killing-trump-is-justifiable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>.
“These attitudes are not fringe — they reflect an emergent assassination culture, grounded in far-left authoritarianism and increasingly normalized in digital discourse,” the report declares.
The report states that 55% of respondents who viewed themselves as left-of-center said the murder of Trump could be somewhat justified; 48% said the same of Elon Musk. Among all respondents, 38% said it would be somewhat justified if Trump were assassinated, while 31% said the same about Musk.
The report claims the social media platform BlueSky “plays a significant and predictive role in amplifying radical ideation.”
“NCRI also found that users are increasingly tying the ‘memification’ of (Luigi) Mangione with calls for political violence against Trump, Musk and others, ‘reflecting the growing cyber-social presence of assassination culture,'&#8221; The Federalist reported.
“This report points to disturbingly high levels of support for political violence, particularly targeting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” the report asserts. “Across survey responses, nearly one-third of respondents—and a significantly higher share of left-leaning respondents—expressed some degree of justification for acts of lethal violence.”
“Unless political and cultural leadership explicitly confronts and condemns this trend, NCRI assesses a growing probability of real-world escalation,” the report warns. “Given the current economic volatility and institutional distrust, the online normalization of political violence may increasingly translate into offline action.”

Donald Trump Injured During Shooting At Campaign Rally

55% Of Leftists Say They Could ‘Somewhat Justify’ A Trump Assassination: Study

assassination attempt

Leftists

Ronald Reagan

President Donald Trump is closing in on one month on the job, and his administration&#8217;s breakneck pace has barely slowed down since day one.
In honor of Presidents&#8217; Day, we thought we&#8217;d break Trump&#8217;s second term down by the numbers, and see how he compares to other presidents at this point in the year.
Here&#8217;s how he stacks up.
<h3>Executive Orders: Winning!</h3>
So far during his second term Trump has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/page/11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> 68 executive orders, far more than any other president in recent history. By this time in his first term, he had signed only a dozen orders, a sign of how much more aggressive Trump intends to be this time around.
Joe Biden had signed 32 executive orders by Presidents&#8217; Day — some on racial equity and requiring COVID face masks — while Barack Obama had signed 14 executive orders. George W. Bush had signed seven, Bill Clinton six, and Ronald Reagan five.
Trump immediately took a slew of actions against illegal immigration, sending troops to the border, launching a massive deportation operation, and ordering border wall construction. He took action to end the weaponization of the federal government, and cut regulation.
He also took aim at gender ideology, banning federal funding for transgender drugs and procedures for children and prohibiting public schools from promoting gender ideology or allowing men on women&#8217;s sports teams or in their bathrooms. He also took an axe to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies.
<h3>Cabinet Nominees: Winning!</h3>
Meanwhile, Trump&#8217;s cabinet nominees are working their way through their Senate confirmations, with 16 out of 22 nominees confirmed so far. By this time in Trump&#8217;s first term, he had only nine nominees confirmed.
Biden had only six nominees confirmed at this point, while Obama had 11. Bush had all 14 of his nominees confirmed, Clinton had all but one of his 14 nominees confirmed, and Reagan had all 13 of his nominees confirmed.
On Thursday, Trump was able to get his most controversial pick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
<h3>Job Approval: Better Than Last Time</h3>
Despite years of relentless attacks from the media, Trump&#8217;s job approval is significantly better now than at this point during his first term.
Trump&#8217;s approval rating <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/approval-rating" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sits</a> at 48.8% as of Monday, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher</a> than the 40% he scored at this point in his first term, but below where recent Democrat presidents were.
Biden&#8217;s approval rating <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> 54.8% at this point in his presidency, as he enjoyed a brief honeymoon period while Americans hoped he would quickly end the pandemic. His approval rating started plummeting that summer, just before the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. It  never recovered, at one point dipping below 36%.
Obama&#8217;s approval rating was 62% this time in his first term, George W. Bush was at 57%, Bill Clinton at 51%, and Ronald Reagan <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/ronald-reagan-public-approval" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at</a> 55%.
<h3>Diplomacy: Winning!</h3>
Trump has also taken a forceful approach to bringing home Americans detained abroad.
Since taking office last month, Trump has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/02/wins-come-all-day-under-president-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secured</a> the <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/5147175-hamas-releases-israeli-american-ceasefire-deal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">release</a> of at least 12 hostages held by Hamas terrorists, the Taliban, Russia, Venezuela, and Belarus. The administration is working closely with Israel to free hostages in Gaza.
Biden <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-donald-trump-hostages-1933435" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last year that he had secured the release of more than 70 hostages over his entire four years in office.
Trump has also begun negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to end the decades-long war that accelerated when Russia invaded Ukraine a year after Biden took office.
Trump has also already hosted three foreign leaders at the White House. Biden did not have a foreign leader at the White House <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-hosts-japans-suga-as-first-foreign-leader-at-the-white-house/2021/04/15/cd56f946-9e1a-11eb-b7a8-014b14aeb9e4_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">until</a> April, when he hosted the Japanese prime minister.
<h3>Super Bowl Attendance: Winning!</h3>
Trump was the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl, delivering him a resounding victory in this category — which is more than you can say for the Chiefs.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders At The White House

Presidents’ Day Scorecard: How’s Trump Stacking Up To His Predecessors?

Presidents' Day Scorecard: How's Trump Stacking Up To His Predecessors?

Bill Clinton

George H.W. Bush

Trump Administration

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jenna-bush-hager">Jenna Bush Hager</a> reacted to her father, former President George W. Bush, going viral again, this time for the numerous expressions he made during President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>’s inauguration.
Speaking on the “Today” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niFefWx_kkY">show</a>, the morning host said the images of Bush making silly faces and giggling during the swearing-in of the 47th President of the United States on Monday has caused the family’s group chat to explode, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/21/entertainment/obama-was-bad-influence-on-george-w-bush-at-trump-inauguration-jenna/">New York Post</a> reported.
“You all already guessed what moment has been blowing up our family group chat,” Hager said, pointing out how her dad went viral for smiling, winking, looking surprised, and more.
“Yeah, my dad went viral for these cutaway shots during yesterday’s broadcast,” she added. “The internet’s obsessed with this little smile and goofy expression.”
In a later part of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niFefWx_kkY">show</a>, Jenna admitted inaugurations in her family are kind of like going to your kid’s holiday concert and said “you don’t really care about the whole scene. You’re just zooming in right on your kid.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jenna Bush Hager reacts to her father, George W. Bush, going viral during the inauguration on &#8216;Today With Jenna and Friends.&#8217;<a href="https://t.co/y9AFmGWXAD">https://t.co/y9AFmGWXAD</a>
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/etnow/status/1881842963820757002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
“That’s a little bit about how we watch an inauguration in my family. I’m like, ‘What’s happening with the parents,’” she added, pointing out that her dad seems to go viral for &#8220;basically anything.”
“He didn’t do anything, I mean, that’s what his face looks like,” Hager continued. “I mean that’s his face. He was actually very well-behaved.”
During the show, Jenna also reminded everyone how her father went viral eight years ago during Trump’s first inauguration, when Bush had a bit of a battle with a poncho at the ceremony. The hilarious video of him tussling with that poncho can be seen <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntYZK9ZMCaA">here</a>.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl%3D1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA..&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1737044212122000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3mp2MZNwEXBk00lKmCtOss">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a>
“Eight years ago there was a poncho,” Hager said. “He [Bush] couldn’t figure out a poncho and it became sort of a thing. This time evidently there was this video…where he and [former] President [Barack] Obama had this exchange.&#8221;
Jenna’s comment was in reference to when Obama leaned over and whispered something to Bush before the ceremony that made her father start laughing.
“You guys, you can’t just blame him because it looks like my dad was also seated next to a bad influence,” Hager said. “I just love how when they’re together, they become unusual friends.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/loved-it-jenna-bush-says-her-father-didnt-mind-when-snl-made-fun-of-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Loved It’: Jenna Bush Says Her Father Didn’t Mind When ‘SNL’ ‘Made Fun Of Him’</a>

Jenna Bush Hager-2

Jenna Bush Hager Reacts To Dad Going Viral Again — This Time For Inauguration Expressions

Celebrities

Inauguration

Jenna Bush Hager

&#8220;The View&#8221; cohost <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joy-behar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joy Behar</a> claimed that she could never have a beer with former President George W. Bush because she worried that she might actually like him — and she argued that might prevent her from being able to be as critical of him as she should.
Behar raised the issue as she and her cohosts on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; discussed the post-election meeting between President-elect Donald Trump and the hosts of MSNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Morning Joe&#8221; — and Scarborough&#8217;s vociferous defense of that meeting.
While Behar admitted that dialogue was important, she complained that in Trump&#8217;s case, being willing to sit down and talk with him could have the effect of &#8220;normalizing&#8221; him.
&#8220;I think the problem that people are having with it is that there’s a certain feeling that they’re normalizing him, and he’s not normal. He’s not. He’s a very unusual case. He’s a TV talk show host, whatever it was that show he did,&#8221; she said.
Behar then pivoted to bring up her point about Bush, saying, &#8220;By the way, I have a personal thing about this because when George W. Bush was in the White House, I knew that if I had a beer with the guy, I would like him. I knew it. And so I didn’t want to have a beer with him. I had things to say about George W. Bush that were critical of him. If I had sat down with the guy, I would feel maybe I can’t anymore. That’s my problem with &#8216;Morning Joe.'&#8221;
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Behar&#8217;s concerns aside, a beer with Bush would have been highly unlikely solely because the former president, after coming to the realization that he was drinking too much, had quit drinking entirely in 1986.
And for his part, Scarborough once again defended his trip to Mar-a-Lago during Thursday morning&#8217;s broadcast.
WATCH:
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Joe Scarborough screams at his ungrateful audience (all four of them) for not appreciating his willingness to talk to Herr Trump. <a href="https://t.co/UcIr111StM">pic.twitter.com/UcIr111StM</a>
&mdash; Bluesky Libs (@BlueskyLibs) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueskyLibs/status/1864689409309708656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I always have Republicans say, ‘Oh, they’re telling you exactly what to say.’ No! Nobody’s once told me what to say here,&#8221; Scarborough said. &#8220;Well actually, one person did one time. One leader did one time. I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, if you think you can do such a damn good job, why don’t you come here and do the show four hours a day? I’m fine quitting. But I’m gonna do my show. I’ll do my show the way I want to do my show!'&#8221;

ABC’s “The View” – Season 25

Joy Behar Explains Why She Couldn’t Have A Beer With George W. Bush

Joy Behar Explains Why She Couldn't Have A Beer With George W. Bush

Joy Behar

Morning Joe

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-w-bush">George W. Bush</a> finally weighed in on the 2024 election and congratulated former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> following his decisive victory against Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a post on Wednesday on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCCRcTiP3rq/?igsh=MTBlZjE4YzMxOA%3D%3D">Instagram</a>, Bush wrote that he congratulates “President Trump on his election as 47th President of the United States of America, as well as Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and their families.”
“I also thank President [Joe] Biden and Vice President Harris for their service to our country,” he added. “The strong turnout in this election is a sign of the health of our republic and the strength of our democratic institutions.”
“Laura and I are grateful to the election officials, poll workers, and volunteers who oversaw a free and fair election,” Bush continued. “We join our fellow citizens in praying for the success of our new leaders at all levels of government. May God continue to bless our great country.”
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In the late days of the election, former Republican Rep. and Harris surrogate Liz Cheney encouraged Bush to endorse Harris, but he remained silent during the entire campaign and all the way up until Trump was named president-elect.
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Speaking to David Remnick at the New Yorker Festival, Cheney said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t explain why George W. Bush hasn&#8217;t spoken out, but I think it&#8217;s time, and I wish that he would,” <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/liz-cheney-calls-george-w-bush-endorse-kamala-harris-election-1979034">Newsweek</a> noted.
The Associated Press, The New York Times, and other media giants called the race for Trump in the early morning hours of Wednesday. The call came after the outlets projected Trump to win Wisconsin with more than 95% of the vote totals reported.
When the race was called just past 1:00 a.m. on the east coast, Trump had won three of seven swing states — Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Campaign officials and advisers celebrated Trump’s victory late into the night on Tuesday and early Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, at an election night party for the former and future president. However, it wasn’t until late Wednesday morning that Harris called Trump and congratulated him on his victory, Fox News reported.
Mary Margaret Olahan contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-defeats-kamala-harris-wins-back-the-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump Defeats Kamala Harris, Wins Back The White House</a>

George W. Bush Speaks At The Struggle For Freedom Conference

‘Praying For The Success Of Our New Leaders’: George W. Bush Weighs In On Trump’s Victory

George W. Bush Reacts To Trump's Victory

2024 Election

Elections

Kamala Harris

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> Republican commentator Scott Jennings unloaded on a Monday night panel, torching Democrat panelists over claims that former Vice President Al Gore actually won the 2000 presidential election over former President George W. Bush.
Jennings dubbed the exchange, &#8220;Conspiracy Theory Night here at The Abby Phillip Show,&#8221; mocking his fellow panelist Elie Mystal for suggesting that the Supreme Court would find a way to change the outcome of the 2024 presidential election in former President Trump&#8217;s favor.
&#8220;Can someone remind me of the rules on election denialism?&#8221; Jennings asked in his caption on X. &#8220;Two panelists assured me on @cnn that the 2000 election was stolen. Plus, Dems gave the game away on Harris’s moderate rhetoric. My 10pm nightcap on Conspiracy Theory Night!&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Can someone remind me of the rules on election denialism? Two panelists assured me on <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cnn</a> that the 2000 election was stolen. Plus, Dems gave the game away on Harris’s moderate rhetoric. My 10pm nightcap on Conspiracy Theory Night! <a href="https://t.co/m0OJNletJW">pic.twitter.com/m0OJNletJW</a>
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1836046619751411937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Mystal, when given an open floor to discuss any topic he chose, ran with a recent story he&#8217;d read about the Supreme Court — particularly Chief Justice John Roberts.
&#8220;My big story this weekend was The New York Times’ excellent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/justice-roberts-trump-supreme-court.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a> on John Roberts and how he’s been putting the thumb on the scale for Donald Trump all past this term,&#8221; he began. &#8220;So my hot take is this: If Harris is lucky enough to win the Electoral College by only one state, John Roberts and his Supreme Court will find a way to flip that state back into Trump and give Trump the victory. It will be a redo of 2000. So the people in Harris’s camp need to understand they need to win by more than one state. They need to win by two, three, four states to make their margin of victory so large that the Supreme Court can’t take it away from them.&#8221;
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Anchor Abby Phillip appeared unsure how to respond, saying simply, &#8220;Hmmm, there’s a lot going on in that.&#8221;
Jennings jumped in, saying, &#8220;I mean, for the record, [George W.] Bush won Florida.&#8221;
&#8220;Come on, guys. It’s conspiracy theory night here at the Abby Phillip show!&#8221; he added when several jumped in to object.
Jennings went on to give his take on Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign&#8217;s attempt to appeal to the middle — namely that he wasn&#8217;t buying it, and he didn&#8217;t think anyone else should either.

Politicon 2019 – Day 1

CNN Pundit Torches Panelists Over 2000 ‘Election Denialism’: ‘Remind Me Of The Rules?’

CNN Pundit Torches Panelists Over 2000 'Election Denialism': 'Remind Me Of The Rules?'

Al Gore

Supreme Court

Tim Walz claims that he was first inspired to seek public office after being denied entry to a rally for former president George W. Bush in 2004. But contemporaneous accounts of the story cast doubt on Walz’s version of the story.
Walz claimed in an <a href="https://x.com/Tim_Walz/status/1295422955028086795">August 2020 thread</a> on X, formerly Twitter, that he decided to run for office after he and his students &#8220;were denied entry because the students had previously volunteered for the democratic party.”
“The last sitting President to visit my hometown of Mankato, Minnesota was George W. Bush in 2004. As a high school teacher and football coach, I brought two fellow teachers&#8217; children to the speech as an educational experience,” Walz wrote. “It was at this moment that I decided to run for office,” Walz states in his story.
But testimonies from multiple people present at the rally suggest that the Democrat’s origin story could be missing valuable context, the Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3138767/tim-walz-political-origin-story/">reported</a> Friday.
Chris Faulkner, who says he was the state director for the Republican National Committee’s ground game in Minnesota, claims that Walz had been protesting Bush the day prior. Faulkner says that he was the one who denied Walz entry to the event.
&#8220;You were out here yesterday with a sign protesting President Bush’s visit,&#8221; Faulkner <a href="https://chrisfaulkner.substack.com/p/how-i-inspired-tim-walz-to-run-for?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;triedRedirect=true">recalls telling Walz</a>.
“He knew we would ask him to leave. He literally was standing outside our HQ the day before protesting. He brought those students as ‘cover,” Faulkner says. He also says that Walz came back with a local television crew to put on an “impromptu press conference” after being denied entry.
Replying to Faulkner on X, a man named Matt Klaber said that he and two other students were denied tickets, and arranged for a local TV crew to come to the event. According to Klaber, when they were eventually granted tickets, &#8220;our families decided to send us with Tim.&#8221; According to the Washington Examiner, Klaber was at the time an active member of a local College Democrats chapter, and never took a class with Walz.
Klaber recounted the story in an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5rr0rgg3lo">interview</a> with BBC News, but did not mention the fact that he and his friends arranged for a camera crew to come to the event. BBC reports that the students were not denied because they had &#8220;previously volunteered for the democratic party,&#8221; as Walz claims, but because &#8220;staffers observed a faded John Kerry sticker on [Klaber&#8217;s] wallet.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey, you&#8217;ve got your facts wrong. Me and two other students are who you denied tickets to, and who recruited the local TV station. We then subsequently were granted tickets and our families decided to send us with Tim. (Respect for making us wait 3hrs, tho.)
— Matt Klaber (@maphu) <a href="https://twitter.com/maphu/status/1820920444276347046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
A photograph posted on X by Michael Brodkorb, who says he worked for the Minnesota Republican Party, shows Walz and three others demonstrating, allegedly outside of the Bush rally. Faulkner confirmed in a comment to The Daily Wire that the protest was out front of a ticket pickup location the day before the rally, which allowed them to identify Walz and bar him from entering the event the following day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In ‘04, I worked for the MNGOP. President Bush visited Mankota on August 4, 2004, and I took pictures of protesters outside the event. Tim Walz (pictured on the far-right) protested Bush’s visit to Minnesota. The thread below from Walz about his role at Bush’s event is dishonest. <a href="https://t.co/rEpzoF0yE9">https://t.co/rEpzoF0yE9</a> <a href="https://t.co/ygLiIEG4p1">pic.twitter.com/ygLiIEG4p1</a>
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) <a href="https://twitter.com/mbrodkorb/status/1295434186984218624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
Walz is seen holding a sign that says “Enduring Freedom Veterans for Kerry.” Three other demonstrators can be seen in the image as well, each of whom are holding a protest sign, with one wearing a “College Democrats” shirt.
Walz has come under fire since joining Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s campaign for misconstruing his military service. Walz, who was in the National Guard, has said that he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/asked-directly-about-stolen-valor-walz-hides-behind-school-shooting-bad-grammar">carried</a> &#8220;weapons in war,&#8221; though he never deployed to an active war zone.
Neither the Harris campaign nor Klaber responded to requests for comment.

Tim Walz

Tim Walz Says He Got Into Politics Because His Students Were Kicked Out of a Bush Rally. That Doesn’t Seem to Be The Case.

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