After a series of reported disagreements with President Donald Trump, former Exxon Mobil chief executive Rex Tillerson is <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/13/secretary-of-state-tillerson-out-amid-clashes-with-trump-to-be-replaced-by-cia-director-pompeo-wapo.html">out</a> as Secretary of State.
President Trump announced on Tuesday morning via Twitter that Tillerson would be replaced by Mike Pompeo, the current director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Heading the CIA will now be Gina Haspel, currently serving as deputy CIA director, added Trump.
&#8220;Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen,&#8221; posted Trump. &#8220;Congratulations to all!&#8221;
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Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
&#8212; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/973540316656623616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
Trump published the tweet following a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-ousts-tillerson-will-replace-him-as-secretary-of-state-with-cia-chief-pompeo/2018/03/13/30f34eea-26ba-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html?utm_term=.4753bd10498c">report</a> from The Washington Post concerning the shake-up.

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BREAKING: Rex Tillerson OUT As Secretary of State, Replacement Named

CONTINUE READING

On the one-year anniversary of the near-assassination of President Donald Trump, a journalist who was with Trump at the rally in Butler shares inside details about that fateful day – and how the president has been profoundly changed. 
Pennsylvania journalist and author Selena Zito was not only with Trump at the Butler rally, but she spoke to him just before he went on stage. She was a first-hand witness to the bullet that nearly took his life, and spoke to him several times in the days that followed the attempt on his life. 
Appearing on The Daily Wire’s Morning Wire podcast, Zito revealed her conclusions from her seven conversations with Trump in the days after his he nearly lost his life. 
“There was definitely a change” in Trump, Zito said. “This is a man who understands that he has purpose, and he understands that God was there in that moment.”
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“Now, do I think he&#8217;s going to be someone that goes to mass every Sunday? No. But do I think God is ever present in his mind? Absolutely,” she continued. “You see it every day.”
“In the days after the assassination attempt on Trump, he called me seven times,” Zito continued. “We talked a lot about, ‘What is my purpose?’ — about him and the hand of God in that moment. He said, ‘I have no explanation as to why I turned my head. I have no explanation as to why that chart came down. That can only be the hand of God.’ And that, ‘I have purpose outside of Donald Trump, the man. I am supposed to do the right things by the country.’”
“And you see that every day in him,” Zito added. “You see that since the moment he was inaugurated, he has put his head down and gone straight forward. And even if something doesn&#8217;t work, he finds a way to get around that and make it work eventually. And that is that sort of purpose-driven life that I think I know he lacked before that. And you can see the difference between the first six months of 2017, and the first six months of 2025.”
Zito recalls exactly where she was when Trump was nearly shot, and even what she was thinking. Shebeing ushered to the “buffer” area – the space between the podium and the rally attendees that’s typically for Secret Service agents and photojournalists – right before Trump took the stage. 
“He gets to the podium,” Zito said. “And then he does two things that he never does, ever – I&#8217;ve covered dozens of Trump rallies.”
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/trump-s-return-to-butler" rel="noopener">WATCH: Trump&#8217;s Return To Butler</a>
“He decides to put a chart down, and I remember saying to my daughter (who’s a photojournalist), ‘Who does he think he is? Ross Perot? Why is there a chart?’” she said. “And then he does something else that he never does: he turns his neck away from the audience members.”
Trump was looking at a chart detailing immigration numbers at the moment he was shot in the ear in Butler. The president has repeatedly called the chart “beautiful” and said he would have been shot “right in the head” if he hadn&#8217;t turned his head to look at the graphic. 
“And why that is significant is, if you&#8217;ve ever been to a Trump rally or even if you&#8217;ve ever watched one, the relationship between the attendees and President Trump is very transactional,” Zito explained. “He feeds off of them and they feed off of him. So he may turn his body to face different audiences, different sections, but he never turns his neck away, never.”
“And in that moment, the chart goes down, he turns his neck away, and I hear four shots,” she continues. “And I knew instantly what it was, I&#8217;m a gun owner. I could hear people say, ‘Is that firecrackers?’ But I knew instantly that there were gunshots. I knew instantly he was shot. I saw him grab his ear and I see this blood streak across his face.”
“You can see him flinch, you know he&#8217;s hit,” the journalist recalled. “And he takes himself down, which was important – this is the first thing I&#8217;m noting in my head, okay, he&#8217;s not knocked down, he took himself down. This means he may not be gravely injured.”
After Secret Service agents rushed on stage, Zito said she heard “the next four shots.”
“I still don&#8217;t take myself down,” she said. “I&#8217;m in this moment believing that I have a purpose. There&#8217;s a reason I&#8217;m there. I&#8217;m not supposed to be there, and I need to chronicle this.”
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-rally-vip-recounts-heroism-amid-assassination-attempt-chaos" rel="noopener">WATCH: Trump Rally VIP Recounts Heroism Amid Assassination Attempt Chaos</a>
Seconds after those shots were fired off, a campaign press advance man for Trump’s team, named Michel Picard, “literally tackles me to the ground and takes me down,” Zito said. “And he covers my body to make sure that I&#8217;m okay until it&#8217;s all clear. And I will never forget what that young man did.”
Zito may have been the last person to speak to Trump before he took the stage, though it was just briefly.
She was supposed to interview Trump before the rally, but the interview got pushed to after the event. Trump, though, still asked to speak to Zito just before he got on stage. Zito explained that Trump typically talks with people who want to meet him before his rallies, typically “state troopers and firemen and first responders.” 
“I go around, and President Trump always says I have the best hair in America, and it&#8217;s pretty funny,” she recalled. “I get really embarrassed because there&#8217;s all these people around. There&#8217;s mostly state troopers and firemen and first responders – they&#8217;re back there to meet the president. He always does that. And he asks, he gives me a big hug. He asks about my grandchildren – he knows that I have a lot of grandchildren. We talk about each other&#8217;s grandchildren.”
Trump then departed for the rally stage, and minutes later the shots rang out. 
Zito has known Trump for years, and her journalism on the Rustbelt served as a bellwether for Trump’s 2016 upset win against Hillary Clinton. Zito is known for capturing his appeal with working class voters. “The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally,” she once famously <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/trump_election_delayed_seriously_not_literally.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
“I remember him covering him coming down the escalator,” Zito said. While journalists were focused on his comments about “Mexicans” and “a wall,” Zito said she noticed how Trump talked about the forgotten Americans. 
“I&#8217;m from Western Pennsylvania, so my coverage is very different. I&#8217;m not saying it&#8217;s better, it&#8217;s just different. And I heard him talk about the dignity of work, and how communities felt left behind,” she said. “And I cover the people that feel that way. And I thought, this is profound. This is really, really important. And so that was the beginning of covering him.
Zito recalled interviewing Trump back in 2016 and noticing how he treated everyday Americans. 
“After I did the interview with him, he said, ‘You want to take a walk with me, Zito?’ There were no cameras, we weren&#8217;t recording, and I just watched how he was so much more interested in talking to the people that were making the convention that he was speaking at work,” she said. “You know, the janitors, the people who were the caterers, the electricians, the plumbers, all those people who made that convention outside of the walls look beautiful. That&#8217;s where he was connecting with people. And he was asking them about their lives, and what they do, what&#8217;s your family like? And it was a really interesting glimpse into the curiosity that he has about people.” 
Zito said she told Trump that he was straddling two different worlds. “Voters take you seriously, but they don&#8217;t take everything you say literally,” she said to Trump. “Where my profession takes everything you say literally, and they don&#8217;t take your candidacy very seriously.”
“It was in that moment of understanding who he was, and the voter that people didn&#8217;t see – and more importantly, the voter that a lot of reporters didn&#8217;t respect – that I think that he and I developed a mutual respect for each other,&#8221; she continued. 
Zito released a new book on July 8, titled, “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Butler-Untold-Assassination-Americas-Heartland/dp/1546009140" rel="noopener">Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland</a>,” which is available for order <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Butler-Untold-Assassination-Americas-Heartland/dp/1546009140" rel="noopener">here</a>.

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How The Near-Assassination At Butler Changed Trump For Good: ‘You See It Every Day’

Director of the FBI Kash Patel broke his silence on Saturday over the controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files, asserting that related &#8220;conspiracy theories just aren&#8217;t true.&#8221;
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced there was no evidence to prove that Epstein had a client list, had blackmailed powerful people, or had been murdered. The revelations have come under fire from some politicos and others online who suggest government officials are not revealing the full trust or misled the public with past statements.
Additionally, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-or-bongino-bongino-wont-remain-at-fbi-if-bondi-keeps-job-source-says?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan+and+Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=BONDI+OR+BONGINO%3A+Bongino+Won’t+Remain+At+FBI+If+Bondi+Keeps+Job%2C+Source+Says">it&#8217;s been rumored</a> that Patel, along with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, do not want to work with Attorney General Pam Bondi and were considering leaving if she remains at her post.
&#8220;The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been,&#8221; Patel said Saturday on X. &#8220;It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States [Donald Trump] — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.&#8221;
Patel has <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/fbi-director-kash-patel-shoots-down-jeffrey-epstein-conspiracy-theory-in-senate-testimony/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">said</a> numerous times publicly that he believes Epstein committed suicide in the Metropolitan Detention Center.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kash_Patel/status/1944101148903760317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
Patel also re-posted a message from his girlfriend, country singer and conservative activist Alexis Wilkins. False rumors began circulating about the 26-year-old following the DOJ&#8217;s announcement about Epstein, she says.
&#8220;I’ve spent my career saying no to anything that would compromise my character and working to restore America,&#8221; Wilkins wrote on X. &#8220;It’s disappointing to see people with no real contribution to political discourse spin ridiculous conspiracy theories out of thin air.&#8221;
&#8220;These accusations are obviously insanely ridiculous and coming from accounts that are farming because their engagement dried up after Trump’s win,&#8221; she charged. &#8220;I would encourage anyone interested to actually research the facts of my life — they’re readily available. My happy relationship, my work, my Christian Faith, and my integrity speak for themselves.&#8221;
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I’ve spent my career saying no to anything that would compromise my character and working to restore America. It’s disappointing to see people with no real contribution to political discourse spin ridiculous conspiracy theories out of thin air. These accusations are obviously…
— Alexis Wilkins (@AlexisWilkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexisWilkins/status/1943050167130746916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
The heat over the handling of the Epstein files has been largely targeted on Bondi.
Bongino is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-or-bongino-bongino-wont-remain-at-fbi-if-bondi-keeps-job-source-says?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan+and+Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=BONDI+OR+BONGINO%3A+Bongino+Won’t+Remain+At+FBI+If+Bondi+Keeps+Job%2C+Source+Says">reportedly</a> furious over Bondi&#8217;s handling of the files, and allegedly stormed out of a closed-door meeting on the matter. A source <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-or-bongino-bongino-wont-remain-at-fbi-if-bondi-keeps-job-source-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Daily Wire on Friday that Bongino has threatened to not return to his post if Bondi remains as attorney general.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/details-emerge-from-bonginos-reported-tense-meeting-with-bondi-trump-chief-of-staff?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Details+Emerge+From+Bongino’s+Reported+Tense+Meeting+With+Bondi%2C+Trump+Chief+Of+Staff">Details Emerge From Bongino’s Reported Tense Meeting With Bondi, Trump Chief Of Staff</a>

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FBI Director Kash Patel Responds To Controversy Surrounding Epstein Files

Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the FBI, had a tense meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a new report.
Bongino is furious with Bondi over the handling of the files, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-or-bongino-bongino-wont-remain-at-fbi-if-bondi-keeps-job-source-says?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan+and+Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=BONDI+OR+BONGINO%3A+Bongino+Won’t+Remain+At+FBI+If+Bondi+Keeps+Job%2C+Source+Says">The Daily Wire</a> reported Friday. A source close to the deputy director said that he’s effectively issued an ultimatum, saying he won’t work alongside Bondi.
During a closed-door meeting on the Epstein matter this past week, Bongino raised his voice while speaking to Wiles and stormed out, sources <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/inside-dan-bonginos-tense-meeting-white-house-officials-over-jeffrey-epstein-fallout">told</a> Fox News. Bongino also allegedly exchanged &#8220;heated words&#8221; with Bondi during the same meeting.
Another source agreed that Bongino was &#8220;enraged&#8221; during the meeting, but said the deputy director never yelled at either woman. A White House official similarly said Bongino did not yell at Wiles, per Fox News.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced there was no evidence to prove that Epstein had a client list, had blackmailed powerful people, or had been murdered. Bondi has been criticized for suggesting she had Epstein&#8217;s client list &#8220;sitting&#8221; on her desk months ago.
“In February, I did an interview on Fox, and it’s been getting a lot of attention because … I was asked a question about the ‘client list’ and my response was, ‘It’s sitting on my desk to be reviewed, meaning the file, along with the JFK, MLK files as well,” Bondi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rips-reporter-for-asking-about-epstein-case-as-americans-doubt-dojs-conclusions?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=13&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Rips+Reporter+For+Asking+About+Epstein+Case+As+Americans+Doubt+DOJ%E2%80%99s+Conclusions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, when asked about those past comments. &#8220;That’s what I meant by that.”
Bondi also said the missing minute from the released Metropolitan Detention Center footage was standard.
“We learned from the Bureau of Prisons that every night they redo that video,&#8221; she said on Tuesday. &#8220;So, every night the video is reset, and every night should have the same minute missing.”
Bondi added that the DOJ is looking to publish additional footage to prove the video reset happens every night.
Despite criticism and allegations that Bongino wants her gone, sources close to Bondi say she has no intention of stepping down. And the White House so far seems to be backing the idea that no one is leaving their post.
&#8220;President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims. This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity,&#8221; White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-dan-bongino-ag-bondi-clash-over-handling-epstein-files">told</a> Fox News on Friday. &#8220;Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-or-bongino-bongino-wont-remain-at-fbi-if-bondi-keeps-job-source-says?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan+and+Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=BONDI+OR+BONGINO%3A+Bongino+Won’t+Remain+At+FBI+If+Bondi+Keeps+Job%2C+Source+Says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BONDI OR BONGINO: Bongino Won’t Remain At FBI If Bondi Keeps Job, Source Says</a>

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Details Emerge From Bongino’s Reported Tense Meeting With Bondi, Trump Chief Of Staff

President Donald Trump on Friday night ordered officials to crack down on anti-ICE rioters, telling officials to use &#8220;whatever means is necessary&#8221; to arrest those committing crimes.
Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been targeted by anti-ICE activists in blue cities across the nation, most notably in Los Angeles. Trump on Friday said he saw &#8220;thugs&#8221; &#8220;violently throwing rocks and bricks at ICE Officers&#8221; in Texas, and called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan to tackle the issue, giving them &#8220;full authority.&#8221;
&#8220;I am on my way back from Texas, and watched in disbelief as THUGS were violently throwing rocks and bricks at ICE Officers while they were moving down a roadway in their car and/or official vehicle,&#8221; Trump posted to Truth Social. &#8220;Tremendous damage was done to these brand new vehicles.&#8221;
&#8220;I know for a fact that these Officers are having a hard time with allowing this to happen in that it shows such total disrespect for LAW AND ORDER,&#8221; the president continued. &#8220;Therefore, I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and Border Czar, Tom Homan, to instruct all ICE, Homeland Security, or any other Law Enforcement Officer who is on the receiving end of thrown rocks, bricks, or any other form of assault, to stop their car, and arrest these SLIMEBALLS, using whatever means is necessary to do so.&#8221;
Trump added that he&#8217;s giving &#8220;Total Authorization for ICE to protect itself, just like they protect the public.&#8221;
&#8220;I never want to see a car carrying a Law Enforcement Officer attacked again!&#8221; Trump closed the post. &#8220;AUTHORIZATION IMMEDIATELY GRANTED FOR ARREST AND INCARCERATION.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 07.11.25 07:32 PM EST <a href="https://t.co/eXyx1avqGB">pic.twitter.com/eXyx1avqGB</a>
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1943816566140813606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
“For weeks, we’ve seen violent leftists assault heroic ICE agents. They’ve thrown rocks at their vehicles, tried to violently obstruct enforcement operations, and yesterday someone even shot at them,&#8221; White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-sanctions-arrests-of-slimeball-ice-protestors-by-any-means-necessary/">said</a> of the ongoing attacks on ICE.
A man ambushed and opened fire on Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas, on Monday, before he was killed by local police and federal agents who returned fire. Then, on Thursday, a man appeared to have shot at federal agents in Camarillo, California. The FBI is <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-11/fbi-investigating-shooting-camarillo-immigration-operation">investigating</a> the matter.
&#8220;ICE agents are facing a 700 percent increase in assaults because of smears and lies from Democrats,&#8221; Jackson added. &#8220;This violence must end.”

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‘Arrest These SLIMEBALLS’: Trump Cracks Down On Anti-ICE Rioters With New Directive

The man behind a popular pro-Trump X account effectively had his conviction tossed on Wednesday, after the Biden-era <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> was ready to imprison him for memes that mocked Hillary Clinton voters during the 2016 presidential election.
Douglass Mackey, who was charged by the Biden DOJ some four years after posting the memes in question, was facing a stunning 10 years behind bars. After the DOJ secured a conviction, Mackey was sentenced to seven months behind bars in 2023, but the sentence was delayed by an appeals court.
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit reversed Mackey’s conviction and directed a lower court to enter a judgment of acquittal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DOUG MACKEY WINS !! MEME MAGIC HAS EMERGED COMPLETELY VICTORIOUS !! <a href="https://t.co/hyJFw5rQxe">pic.twitter.com/hyJFw5rQxe</a>
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/1942949310380880156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out my conviction for lack of evidence the case has been remanded to the district court with orders to immediately dismiss,&#8221; Mackey posted to X. &#8220;Hallelujah!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: THE SECOND CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HAS THROWN OUT MY CONVICTION FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE
THE CASE HAS BEEN REMANDED TO THE DISTRICT COURT WITH ORDERS TO IMMEDIATELY DISMISS
HALLELUJAH!
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougMackeyCase/status/1942947069745934603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
As reported by The Daily Wire, Mackey, who went by the Twitter (now X) alias Ricky Vaughn, was charged about a week after President Joe Biden took office — some four years after the memes were posted. While the DOJ claimed Mackey conspired to “injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate” people from exercising their constitutional right to vote, his legal team, other legal minds, and many politicos said the memes were obviously protected free speech.
The meme the prosecution zeroed in on was published on November 1, 2016. It shows a woman holding an “African Americans for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hillary-clinton-lands-professor-and-presidential-fellow-gig-at-columbia-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Hillary</a>” sign with overlaid text reading, “Avoid the line. Vote from home. Text ‘Hillary’ to 55925.”
<div id="attachment_945037" style="width: 528px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-945037" class="wp-image-945037 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-7.45.11-PM-518x576.png" alt="" width="518" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-7.45.11-PM-518x576.png 518w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-7.45.11-PM-270x300.png 270w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-7.45.11-PM-768x855.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-7.45.11-PM.png 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px" />Screenshot: Twitter</div>
Mackey has the support of President Donald Trump, and others in his orbit, including Donald Trump Jr., but said after Trump won the 2024 election that he would not ask Trump for a pardon, since he was anticipating a good result on appeal.
“Since so many are asking, my team and I have not asked President Trump for a pardon at this time as we are hoping for a favorable, precedent-setting ruling in the 2nd Circuit that would prevent the DOJ from politically weaponizing the law,” he said at the time. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Since so many are asking, my team and I have not asked President Trump for a pardon at this time as we are hoping for a favorable, precedent-setting ruling in the 2nd Circuit that would prevent the DOJ from politically weaponizing the law.
Thank you everybody for your support!
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougMackeyCase/status/1881538008698204562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
Mackey also posted on X, &#8220;Now we sue,&#8221; suggesting a coming suit against the federal government.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Now we sue
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougMackeyCase/status/1942947698631442630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-doj-trying-to-lock-up-a-pro-trump-meme-maker-for-ten-years-heres-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden DOJ Trying To Lock Up A Pro-Trump Meme Maker For Ten Years. Here’s What You Need To Know.</a>

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Trump Supporter Gets Case Tossed After Biden DOJ Was Ready To Imprison Him For Memes

Elon Musk on Saturday evening officially announced the creation of a new political party, which he called the &#8220;America Party.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doge-is-the-monster-that-might-have-to-go-back-and-eat-elon">Musk has been at odds with President Donald Trump</a> over the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-big-beautiful-bill-at-historic-july-4-ceremony-a-triumph-of-democracy">One Big, Beautiful Bill</a>, which was signed into law on Friday. He has taken to the term &#8220;uniparty&#8221; to describe both Republicans and Democrats, claiming that neither party is willing to deal with spending.
&#8220;By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!&#8221; Musk said on X, referring to a poll the billionaire posted on Friday.
&#8220;When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste &amp; graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste &amp; graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.
Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. <a href="https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN">https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1941584569523732930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
Musk suggested the new party will focus on reducing debt and regulation. It will promote &#8220;responsible spending only,&#8221; free speech, and the modernization of the U.S. Military, among other political issues.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yeah!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1941616039827017825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
On Friday, Musk seemed to outline his targeted strategy with the new party. He said it would make sense to focus on &#8220;2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,&#8221; to effectively swing votes in Congress.
&#8220;One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,&#8221; Musk wrote. &#8220;Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts.
Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1941125459628179641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
Musk&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doge-is-the-monster-that-might-have-to-go-back-and-eat-elon">rift</a> with Trump started last month over the bill. Musk went so far as to publicly suggest the president had unsavory ties to Jeffrey Epstein and was repressing the release of the Epstein Files to protect himself, though Musk later said he regretted his attacks on Trump, saying some of them “went too far.”
Last week, Trump suggested he could have Musk&#8217;s brainchild, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), look into the tech billionaire and the massive amount of government subsidies he receives for his businesses.
“DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,” the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doge-is-the-monster-that-might-have-to-go-back-and-eat-elon">told</a> the press.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-big-beautiful-bill-at-historic-july-4-ceremony-a-triumph-of-democracy">Trump Signs Big, Beautiful Bill At Historic July 4 Ceremony: ‘A Triumph Of Democracy’</a>
The announcement from Musk comes with Trump on a roll politically. Not only has he secured a victory with Congress passing his signature legislation, but he is still riding high from negotiating peace between Iran and Israel. And on July 4, as Trump signed the One, Big Beautiful Bill into law, B-2 bombers flew overhead to honor the successful strike on Iran&#8217;s nuclear program, and remind Americans of his achievements.
The last time a third party candidate won the presidency was in 1860, when Abraham Lincoln won as a Republican.

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Elon Musk Officially Announces New Political Party After Fallout With Trump

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