When CNN anchor Jake Tapper contrasted President Trump’s blunt remarks with those of past presidents, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t hesitate. He delivered a sharp counterpunch that instantly reframed the moment.
Tapper glossed over the behavior of Democrats at Tuesday evening&#8217;s State of the Union address by suggesting that the real problem was the fact that President Donald Trump had noticed — and dared to say something about it. Speaking to Duffy after the speech, he complained that Trump effectively shattered the fourth wall when he spoke directly to the American people about the Democrats in the chamber who refused to stand for even the most basic of shared values.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JAKE TAPPER: &#8220;He said, &#8216;these people are crazy I&#8217;m telling you, they&#8217;re crazy.&#8217; That&#8217;s not something we ever heard from Obama or Biden from that that stage.&#8221;
SEAN DUFFY: &#8220;We&#8217;ve never had a Speaker rip up a speech either&#8221;
This is why Trump likes TV guys in his cabinet. <a href="https://t.co/4c2NrUvHGu">pic.twitter.com/4c2NrUvHGu</a>
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMHern/status/2026524857668649365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;He said, quote, &#8216;These people are crazy, I&#8217;m telling you, they&#8217;re crazy,'&#8221; Tapper said, referencing Trump&#8217;s brief departure from his remarks to call out Democrats who would not stand in support of key policies. &#8220;I mean, but that&#8217;s not something we ever heard from Obama or Biden from that stage.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah. We&#8217;ve never had a Speaker rip up a speech either,&#8221; Duffy punched right back, referencing former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s performance during the 2020 State of the Union, when she dramatically ripped up her copy as Trump concluded his remarks.
Duffy went on to argue that what Trump was saying at the time — addressing concerns about illegal aliens being given commercial driver&#8217;s licenses and putting American citizens at risk — should not have been a partisan issue.
&#8220;You have states that are issuing driver&#8217;s licenses to illegals — illegals who haven&#8217;t been trained to drive an 80,000-pound truck on an American road,&#8221; Duffy continued. &#8220;We have a little girl that has been — had her life impacted for the rest of her life — and she&#8217;s five years old, it was an illegal who hit her. I think the question becomes, why doesn&#8217;t every Democrat stand up and go, &#8216;No, we want well-qualified drivers on American roads.'&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s not partisan,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We don&#8217;t want illegals who can&#8217;t speak the language, contrary to American law for decades, to be on American roads. I think these are easy issues, Jake, and I don&#8217;t think we saw Democrats stand up and support them.&#8221;
Duffy noted that there was one truly bipartisan moment during the speech — when the U.S. Olympic hockey team entered the chamber after winning gold for the first time in 46 years — and said that was truly &#8220;too bad.&#8221;
&#8220;If inflation is down, Democrats should applaud it. If real incomes are up, Democrats should applaud it. Those are good things that we should support as Americans,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;Just because Donald Trump&#8217;s in office doesn&#8217;t mean you have to sit on your hands.&#8221;

Sean Duffy

WATCH: Sean Duffy Torches Tapper With One Brutal SOTU Reminder

Democrats

Donald Trump

Jake Tapper

Media

Nancy Pelosi

Politics

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is not impressed with the Democratic bench going into the 2028 presidential election cycle — and he&#8217;s not holding back his overall assessment of the likely candidates: &#8220;a total clown car.&#8221;
Enten joined CNN anchor John Berman on Tuesday to discuss the likely candidates just as a new memoir from Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — considered a heavy favorite to jump in the race — hit shelves, and his take was that Newsom was &#8220;flailing.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN&#8217;s Harry Enten just ROASTED Gavin Newsom&#8217;s 2028 ambitions &#8220;He&#8217;s definitely flailing&#8221;:
&#8220;This is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side.&#8221;
&#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear front-runner at this particular point on… <a href="https://t.co/TYijTMGKWt">pic.twitter.com/TYijTMGKWt</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2026310210013286885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Enten&#8217;s concern, as he broke down the numbers for Berman, was that there was no clear leader in the Democratic Party — and no one seemed poise for the kind of surge that would be necessary to push them to the front of the pack going into the 2028 primaries.
&#8220;Yeah, they’re all running and this is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side,&#8221; Enten said, noting that the early polls showed Newsom (at 19%) just barely in the lead over former Vice President Kamala Harris (at 18%) and that his advantage was slim enough to be within the margin of error.
&#8220;Quite a weak number for [Harris], given that, of course, she was the nominee last time around,&#8221; Enten noted.
He went on to say that other likely contenders — such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who polled at 13% and 12%, respectively — were not doing any better.
&#8220;This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear frontrunner at this particular point on the Democratic side. Who the heck knows who the nominee is going to be in two years?&#8221; Enten added. &#8220;It was been a long time, this is very unusual for the Democratic side to not have a clear frontrunner at this point. You have to go all the way back, all the way back from when I wasn’t even in elementary school yet, not even in pre-K yet, to 1992, that was the last cycle in which there was no clear frontrunner at this point. Very unusual.&#8221;
The analyst then singled out Newsom, saying that in particular, he appeared to be losing ground — and popularity — even as he moves to market his memoir.
&#8220;It seems to me that Gavin Newsom is flailing a little bit, at least compared to where he was prior,” he said, explaining that betting markets were cooling off as far as Newsom was concerned. &#8220;Three months ago, according to the prediction market, look at that, it was a 37% chance, now it’s just at 28%. Down he goes. He’s definitely flailing a little bit.&#8221;

California Governor Gavin Newsom Interview

They’ve Lost CNN: Chief Data Guru Says 2028 Democrat Bench Is A ‘Total Clown Car’

They've Lost CNN: Chief Data Guru Says 2028 Democrat Bench Is A 'Total Clown Car'

2028 presidential election

Democrat

Gavin Newsom

Harry Enten

Kamala Harris

Pete Buttigieg

The 2028 presidential primaries may have just begun to peek over the horizon, but media personalities are already starting to put their thumbs on the scales as they go about interviewing those who seem likely to throw a hat into the ring.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
On Sunday, two competing interviews — one with Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week&#8221; and the other with Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; — gave viewers a glimpse of what they might expect from legacy media as the next presidential election approached.
Early polling suggests that both Shapiro and Newsom could be considering a 2028 run for the White House, and as is often a precursor to such a campaign, both have published recent memoirs in an effort to test the waters. But the tone of those interviews shed some light on how the legacy media might treat the two governors differently during a presidential campaign.
On &#8220;This Week,&#8221; host Martha Raddatz was conciliatory toward Shapiro as long as he was keeping the attack focused on President Donald Trump.
At one point, knowing that Shapiro had been at a meeting with the president at the time, she asked him to describe Trump&#8217;s demeanor when he learned that his tariffs had been shot down by the Supreme Court.
Shapiro said that Trump had been taking questions from the governors at the meeting when an aide approached and handed him a piece of paper detailing the ruling. &#8220;I think he said, ‘we lost?’, as a question, the aide nodded in affirmation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Josh Shapiro describes what happened when President Trump found out about the Supreme Court ruling during a meeting at the White House: “I think he said, ‘we lost?’, as a question, the aide nodded in affirmation.” <a href="https://t.co/ZpBwNhvycr">https://t.co/ZpBwNhvycr</a> <a href="https://t.co/vimv2UdJcN">pic.twitter.com/vimv2UdJcN</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025595617683333368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Raddatz went on to ask about Trump&#8217;s new plan — to use Section 122 to levy tariffs rather than the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as he had previously — and Shapiro once again condemned Trump.
&#8220;I wish he would just adhere to the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling and stop the pain for the American people,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on President Trump’s plan to use Section 122 to levy tariffs: “I wish he would just adhere to the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling and stop the pain for the American people.” <a href="https://t.co/oAxlKTXb3i">https://t.co/oAxlKTXb3i</a> <a href="https://t.co/gcKLdxKBFU">pic.twitter.com/gcKLdxKBFU</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025600792900878810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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When asked about the possibility of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in Pennsylvania, Shapiro toed the party line: &#8220;We do not want that kind of chaos in our communities in Pennsylvania, so don&#8217;t come. But if you come, we are prepared to address it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania is preparing for a potential ICE surge: “We do not want that kind of chaos in our communities in Pennsylvania, so don&#8217;t come. But if you come, we are prepared to address it.” <a href="https://t.co/KOQRly9D1A">https://t.co/KOQRly9D1A</a> <a href="https://t.co/ISi98wnkw2">pic.twitter.com/ISi98wnkw2</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025602518022340772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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But then Raddatz pointed to a recent New York Times piece about a long-running feud between Shapiro and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). Shapiro, clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning, said only that his relationship with Fetterman was &#8220;constructive&#8221; — and would not commit to supporting the senator if he chose to run for reelection.
&#8220;I think he needs to decide if he&#8217;s running, and then we&#8217;ll make a decision from there,&#8221; Shapiro said, arguing that the feud was a fabrication on the part of journalists attempting to stir up drama.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Josh Shapiro says he has a “constructive relationship” with Sen. John Fetterman, but did not say if he would support a re-election bid: “I think he needs to decide if he&#8217;s running, and then we&#8217;ll make a decision from there.” <a href="https://t.co/dGjJbpGGuw">https://t.co/dGjJbpGGuw</a> <a href="https://t.co/uxs577D8Oy">pic.twitter.com/uxs577D8Oy</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025602050915221871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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On &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; the tone shift was slight but noticeable. Newsom was given a lot of the same opportunities to bash Trump — &#8220;he&#8217;s flailing,&#8221; the California governor said of the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling striking down the tariffs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Newsom reacts to Supreme Court ruling striking down most of Trump&#8217;s tariffs: &#8220;He&#8217;s flailing&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/tI1yiSoZw1">pic.twitter.com/tI1yiSoZw1</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2025602757479084482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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But then Newsom was given far more room to sell himself throughout the interview, from questions about how he dealt with the death of his mother to a detailed explanation about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia and how he now views that as a &#8220;superpower.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin Newsom on his lifelong struggle with dyslexia: &#8220;I do think it&#8217;s a superpower&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/7Q0J8d0xks">pic.twitter.com/7Q0J8d0xks</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2025602206624292896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The most difficult question posed to Newsom was how he planned to handle it if his career and the career of his old friend — former Vice President Kamala Harris — ended up on a collision course in 2028. When Newsom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-laughs-off-potential-face-off-with-kamala-in-2028-thats-fate-if-it-happens">dismissed the question</a> out of hand as up to &#8220;fate,&#8221; Bash simply let the matter drop and allowed him to pivot right back to talking about his book.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin Newsom on possibly facing Kamala Harris in the 2028 presidential primary: &#8220;I&#8217;ve never gotten in the way of her ambition&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/PDm8CmkR96">pic.twitter.com/PDm8CmkR96</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2025602268746145959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“That’s — you know, fate will determine that,” Newsom shrugged. “And I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever. I haven’t. And I don’t imagine I would in the future. But I don’t —”
“But if you run against each other for president —” Bash tried again.
“That’s fate,” Newsom said again, dismissing the question entirely. “You only can control what you can control. I think this entire book is that fundamental lesson. And this notion of controlling what you control, and taking responsibility for what you control, is a big part of what I try to communicate in this book. That’s the third thing, it’s like how this book will be received. It’s the third thing, I can’t control it. I can’t control whatever decisions she makes.”
As the primaries approach, the delineation will get clearer — but it&#8217;s already clear that Newsom has the media&#8217;s attention, and media outlets want to be sure he has yours too.

SPIN CYCLE: Two Interviews Reveal How The Press Is Framing 2028

Dana Bash

Josh Shapiro

Martha Raddatz

Congressional candidate Justin Pearson (D-TN) refused to name even one illegal alien he would deport — even when asked directly — and instead delivered a series of comments attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Pearson began with a general complaint about ICE, claiming that no one in President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration could be &#8220;trusted&#8221; to hold themselves accountable to the people. He argued that both ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in their current forms should be dissolved entirely, and that new organizations with different priorities should be built from the ground up.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Two-plus minutes of <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottJenningsKY</a> trying to get a Dem congressional candidate (Justin Pearson-TN) to say whether or not we should deport illegal aliens (he didn&#8217;t) <a href="https://t.co/QiZq1Z0UNf">pic.twitter.com/QiZq1Z0UNf</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/2025061257976365328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Even after the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, they didn&#8217;t want to share information about what was happening,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Which is why we have to abolish ICE, why we have to abolish the Customs and Border Patrol in the way that they currently exist, and replace them with something that actually does the work that we need for them to do. Which is why we need a Congress that works —&#8221;
Republican commentator Scott Jennings interrupted then, asking, &#8220;What work is that, by the way?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what the work is not,&#8221; Pearson replied. &#8220;The work is not killing American citizens.&#8221;
&#8220;No, you said the work we need them to do. I&#8217;m interested in your opinion,&#8221; Jennings pressed. &#8220;What is the work we need them to do?&#8221;
&#8220;Absolutely,&#8221; Pearson said. &#8220;The work is not killing American citizens —&#8221;
&#8220;But what is the work we need them to do?&#8221; Jennings asked again.
&#8220;Well, first let&#8217;s look at what they don&#8217;t need to do,&#8221; Pearson said, prompting a chuckle from Jennings. &#8220;They don&#8217;t need to go into communities like Memphis —&#8221;
&#8220;Do they need to deport illegal aliens?&#8221; Jennings asked directly.
&#8220;— they&#8217;re currently traumatizing our communities —&#8221;
&#8220;Do they need to deport illegal aliens?&#8221; Jennings repeated the question. &#8220;Can you say it?&#8221;
Jennings asked the question several times, and while Pearson was ready and willing to say many times what ICE should *not* do, he could not come up with one thing that a newly-formed immigration law enforcement agency *would* do, other than aid in finding a path to citizenship for illegal aliens who were already in the United States.
At no point was Pearson able to provide Jennings with an answer to his question as to what ICE should be doing or whether there were any illegal aliens he believed should be deported — and after several minutes, host Abby Phillip stepped in to change the topic.

Justin Pearson

WATCH: Asked Who He’d Deport, Dem Candidate Performs Verbal Tightrope Act

Deportations

illegal alien

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Scott Jennings

Even liberal outlets like CNN appear to be struggling to accept some of the wild claims made by Governor Wes Moore (D-MD), widely considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender even as he has denied plans to run.
CNN anchor Kasie Hunt put Moore on the spot during a recent interview, citing a <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/wes-moore-says-the-kkk-chased-his-great-grandfather-out-of-south-carolina-historical-records-tell-a-different-story/">recent report</a> from The Washington Free Beacon that questioned the veracity of some of his claims — in particular, his assertion that his great-grandfather had been &#8220;exiled&#8221; to Jamaica by the Ku Klux Klan.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN&#8217;s Kasie Hunt pressed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore yesterday on my <a href="https://twitter.com/FreeBeacon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FreeBeacon</a> reporting showing that his great-grandfather was not &#8220;exiled&#8221; to Jamaica by the Ku Klux Klan as he often claims.
Hunt asked Moore if the records I found are wrong.
Moore ignored the question. <a href="https://t.co/1HNUQixpFY">pic.twitter.com/1HNUQixpFY</a>
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKerrNC/status/2024525618885341455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;You say you are who you are,&#8221; Hunt began, adding, &#8220;The Free Beacon recently wrote about a story that you often tell about your great-grandfather and your family, and how and why they left the United States. They say that the story is — they report — they look at church records, they say the story is not true, that the Ku Klux Klan did not force your family to leave, your family left voluntarily.&#8221;
&#8220;Now, you of course have said — and your spokesperson said — &#8216;Anyone who wants to question whether terror and intimidation were pervasive in that era should open a history book. Reach out to the KKK and ask what they were up to in South Carolina in the 1920s,&#8221;&#8221; Hunt continued, repeating Moore&#8217;s vague statement on the matter. &#8220;Fair enough. I think my question to you is, is there any truth to what The Free Beacon has written here?&#8221;
Instead of addressing the point head-on, Moore chose to smear the outlet: &#8220;There is no truth to what a right-wing blog writes about me. No. There is not. Because I know my family&#8217;s history.&#8221;
Moore then doubled down on his claim, saying that his grandfather had only been a toddler when the family, living in South Carolina at the time, had been &#8220;run out by the Ku Klux Klan.&#8221;
Moore went on to speak about how his family had then returned to the United States years later — and once again suggested that anyone who questioned his version of events should ask the KKK for confirmation.  But Hunt did not appear entirely convinced.
&#8220;And those church records that show that one of your family members left voluntarily to take over for someone who had passed away, those records are wrong?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;They should really ask the Ku Klux Klan about what their activities were during the 1920s,&#8221; he said again.
The story Moore so often repeats is that his maternal great-grandfather, Rev. Josiah Johnson Thomas, had been preaching sermons against racism in their hometown of Pineville, South Carolina, and had thus angered the local KKK. In an effort to avoid a certain lynching, Thomas escaped with his family in secret to Jamaica. His young son, Moore&#8217;s maternal grandfather, vowed the family would return one day — and they did.
But the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/wes-moore-says-the-kkk-chased-his-great-grandfather-out-of-south-carolina-historical-records-tell-a-different-story/">records cited</a> by reporter Andrew Kerr at The Free Beacon showed that Thomas had publicly accepted a transfer to a church in Jamaica — where he himself hailed from — when the pastor there had passed away unexpectedly.
In addition, neither church records nor local reporting at the time mentions any conflicts between Thomas and members of the KKK, and Virginia Commonwealth University&#8217;s map showing the reach of the Ku Klux Klan at that time does not indicate there was ever a chapter operating in Pineville.

Maryland Gov. Moore And Utah Gov. Cox Speak At National Press Club On Bipartisanship

WATCH: Even CNN Isn’t Buying Dem Darling’s Dramatic Tale Of Escape From The KKK

WATCH: Even CNN Isn't Buying Dem Darling's Dramatic Tale Of Escape From The KKK

Kasie Hunt

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Wes Moore

A new CNN documentary traces the &#8220;activation&#8221; of Christian nationalists in the United States back to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, suggesting that Kirk&#8217;s message — and his subsequent murder — had &#8220;radicalized&#8221; American Christians into believing that they are being &#8220;persecuted.&#8221;
CNN anchor Pamela Brown announced the project exposing &#8220;Christian Nationalism,&#8221; which she said she&#8217;d been working on for several months, and framed the documentary as an investigation into a perceived threat against the United States.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN&#8217;s Pamela Brown announces she&#8217;s been working on a &#8220;special project&#8221; warn against &#8220;Christian nationalism&#8221; and portrays them as a radicalized threat to the country.
She then launches into a report where she fears the assassination of Charlie Kirk uniting Christians and scoffs… <a href="https://t.co/1J63ta6EIO">pic.twitter.com/1J63ta6EIO</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2023785142230122696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;For the past several months, I&#8217;ve been working on a special project, examining the growing influence of Christian Nationalism in America,&#8221; Brown explained. She went on to describe Christian Nationalism as an ideology unto itself that was rooted in the &#8220;belief&#8221; that the United States was founded to be a &#8220;Christian nation&#8221; and as such, should reflect &#8220;Christian values&#8221; in its laws and institutions.
Brown then said that her documentary started with Kirk&#8217;s assassination: &#8220;Experts say it was a pivotal moment for the movement, and an occasion where the tragedy of his loss unified Christian nationalists and the Trump administration as they honored him.&#8221;
After a brief clip of President Donald Trump&#8217;s remarks at Kirk&#8217;s memorial service, Brown added, &#8220;Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and prominent Christian nationalist, was assassinated. It became a rallying call for those who believed in his message &#8230; and it was a call to action.&#8221;
Brown then cut to comments from Matthew Taylor, of the Georgetown University Center of Faith and Justice, who said, &#8220;[The] memorial service was one of the most potent examples of this shift in our culture that we&#8217;re experiencing right now, where a large segment of American Christians are being activated by these ideas, radicalized by these ideas that say that they are the persecuted ones and that they need to stand up for Christians rights.&#8221;
In a second clip, Taylor suggested that there was something insidious in President Trump&#8217;s promise to &#8220;protect Christians.&#8221;
&#8220;Trump has never explicitly said he believes the country should be a Christian nation,&#8221; Brown added. &#8220;But he is aligned with Christian nationalists and wants their support, and after an assassination attempt during his campaign, Trump said he believes God saved his life so he can lead the country.&#8221;
TPUSA&#8217;s Andrew Kolvet responded to the coming documentary on Tuesday, saying, &#8220;Consider this: so CNN does a piece — talking about the radicalization of people at Charlie&#8217;s memorial. Charlie was assassinated by a radical, by somebody that was animated, at least in part, by his love affair with somebody that was trans. And instead of burning down the country, like the real radicals did, we held vigils and memorials, and people bought Bibles, and they got baptized.&#8221;
&#8220;How is that a bad thing? What are we even talking about here?&#8221; he asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CNN BACKLASH IS MOUNTING: They just announced a documentary covering the &#8220;rise of Christian Nationalism&#8221; in America, and it&#8217;s not going how they expected it to go.<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewKolvet</a> let the TRUTH about America&#8217;s spiritual revival and the role Charlie Kirk has in it:
&#8220;Consider this:… <a href="https://t.co/moi2PwF17c">https://t.co/moi2PwF17c</a> <a href="https://t.co/isO2nt4bHi">pic.twitter.com/isO2nt4bHi</a>
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2023828795958964451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Addresses Turning Point USA Summit

CNN Doc Suggests Charlie Kirk Assassination ‘Activated’ Christian Nationalists

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Christian Persecution

Christians

Judeo-Christian Values

President Donald Trump is barely into his second year of his second term, and Democrats and the legacy media are still pulling out all the stops to cast doubt on the people he has chosen to serve as Cabinet members across his administration.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
There was no shortage of breaking news on Sunday — from coverage of the Winter Olympics to the latest on the suspected kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie — but that didn&#8217;t stop the Sunday political talk shows from focusing on a few key members of the president Trump&#8217;s Cabinet. Several high profile politicians took to the airwaves to express their concern in the ability of certain Cabinet members to carry out their responsibilities.
On ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; host Martha Raddatz spoke with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) about a combative exchange he&#8217;d had with Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier in the week, and asked whether he still had &#8220;confidence&#8221; in her ability to serve in that particular role.
&#8220;I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi,&#8221; Massie said. &#8220;She wasn&#8217;t confident to engage in anything but name-calling in the hearing, so no, I don&#8217;t have confidence in her. She doesn&#8217;t have any sort of accountability there at the DOJ.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
When asked by ABC News’ Martha Raddatz whether he has confidence in Pam Bondi as attorney general, Rep. Massie responded: “I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi.” <a href="https://t.co/v6q311NGOu">https://t.co/v6q311NGOu</a> <a href="https://t.co/vqhcQ9kV3r">pic.twitter.com/vqhcQ9kV3r</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2023055290904543673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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At Raddatz&#8217;s suggestion, Massie went on to criticize Bondi for failing to address the victims of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, some of whom were present in the Capitol Hill hearing — and he argued that it was &#8220;cold&#8221; on her part and that she may have been afraid to do so.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Thomas Massie reacts to the image of Attorney General Pam Bondi not looking at the Epstein victims behind her during a hearing: “I think she was afraid to.” <a href="https://t.co/eiC9PK4xdH">https://t.co/eiC9PK4xdH</a> <a href="https://t.co/FgRK4lyPiS">pic.twitter.com/FgRK4lyPiS</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2023052573532447151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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On CBS News, &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; host Margaret Brennan pressed Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) to weigh in on discrepancies between previous admissions made by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and information that has come out of the recently-released Epstein-related documents.
Garcia said that he and some others in Congress would like to speak with Lutnick — who has conceded that he had &#8220;limited interactions&#8221; with Epstein — but that he&#8217;s gotten no response from Republicans on how and when that might come about.
&#8220;Not only did [Lutnick] visit the island, he had tons of communication with Jeffrey Epstein after it was already known that Jeffrey Epstein was essentially convicted for preying on children. So, it is shameful that he is actually in our government. He should not be the commerce secretary. He should come talk to the Oversight Committee,&#8221; Garcia said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) says the House Oversight Committee has asked Republican Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to “bring in [Commerce Secretary] Lutnick” for questioning on his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but “have had no response.”
“Not only did… <a href="https://t.co/PSkJpmwOpN">pic.twitter.com/PSkJpmwOpN</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2023094193409646947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @FaceTheNation/X.com
CNN anchor Jake Tapper raised the question regarding Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, asking several guests about recent comments she made on making sure &#8220;the right people&#8221; were voting in American elections.
Noem herself explained that she was talking about the role played by the Department of Homeland Security in ensuring that elections were secure — primarily by preventing illegal aliens from remaining in the United States and voting in American elections — and accused media personalities of &#8220;manufacturing&#8221; outrage over something that should have been straightforward.
&#8220;It must be exhausting to regularly manufacture outrage even over the most commonsense statement,&#8221; she said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to Noem&#8217;s statement, saying, &#8220;That&#8217;s a lot of bull.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;That&#8217;s a lot of bull.&#8221;
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reacts to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem&#8217;s comments about making sure &#8220;we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/6bjFePUPBr">pic.twitter.com/6bjFePUPBr</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2023039537056788898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com
Tapper pressed Border Czar Tom Homan to answer for Noem as well, but he wasn&#8217;t having it. Instead, he told Tapper that he&#8217;d have to ask Noem directly if he wanted to know what she&#8217;d meant.
&#8220;That would be a question for the secretary&#8230; That would be something she&#8217;d have to answer,&#8221; Homan said, later adding, &#8220;Do me and Secretary Noem agree on everything? No &#8230; It&#8217;s one team, one fight. I&#8217;m not going to divide this administration.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: &#8220;What does [Noem] mean when she says &#8216;electing the right leaders&#8217;? That&#8217;s not really immigration enforcement or DHS responsibility.&#8221;
HOMAN: &#8220;I don&#8217;t know. That would be a question for the secretary&#8230; That would be something she&#8217;d have to answer.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Btz1dpSf0i">pic.twitter.com/Btz1dpSf0i</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2023068352369803597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com
Tapper also raised the same question with Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY), who called Noem&#8217;s comments &#8220;un-American.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Beshear says DHS Secretary Kristi Noem&#8217;s comments about &#8220;electing the right leaders&#8221; are &#8220;wild and they are un-American.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/EOW55pqBAv">pic.twitter.com/EOW55pqBAv</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2023070275126853884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com

Kristi Noem

Spin Cycle: In Shocking Twist, Dems And Media Still Don’t Like Trump’s Cabinet

Spin Cycle: In Shocking Twist, Dems And Media Still Don't Like Trump's Cabinet

ABC News

CBS News

Epstein Files

Jeffrey Epstein

Pam Bondi

The influence wielded by the far-left in the Democratic Party has grown significantly stronger in recent decades, according to CNN polling analyst Harry Enten.
Enten presented data on Thursday that shows the number of Democrats who identify as “very liberal” has surged from 5% in 1999 to 21% today, while the number who identify as “conservative” has plunged from 26% to just 8% within the same period. As the Democratic Party drifts leftward, data suggests that movement could lead to political trouble in the future.
“The far-left, which used to just be a smidgen within the Democratic Party, has gained considerable power,” said Enten.
The CNN analyst made the point following a New Jersey special election in which the progressive Democratic candidate, Analilia Mejia, beat her primary opponent in the race to represent the state’s 11th Congressional District. Mejia was backed by prominent socialists, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and lacked the support of the party establishment inside the Garden State, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-jerseys-special-election-politics-desk-rcna258478">NBC News</a>.
“The results from that special election, that Democratic primary in the 11th District in New Jersey, speak to a larger point within the Democratic Party, and that is that the far-left is significantly more powerful than they once were,” said Enten.
The percentage of self-identified democratic socialists in the Democratic Party registers at about a third, but appears to be ascending. Among younger Democrats, those under the age of 35, 42% of them identify with the far-left label.
“Bernie Sanders and [New York City Mayor] Zohran Mandani are not alone. They are a considerable part of the Democratic base at this point,” said Enten.
“What happened in New York City is not some aberration, right? It is not something that just happened in New York City, it is something that we are seeing grow within the Democratic Party at this particular point,” he added.
Americans generally appear to be growing increasingly dissatisfied with the leftward drift of the Democratic Party. Enten pointed to polling showing that a majority of Americans now feel that Democrats overall are “too liberal,” from 42% in 1996 to 58% today.
“The Democrats are moving to the left, the far-left is gaining power, and there could be some electoral repercussions because what we see right now is voters, the clear majority, say that they are too liberal,” said Enten.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
An all-time high, 58%, of voters say the Dem Party is too liberal.
This comes as 1-in-3 Democrats think of themselves as Democratic Socialists!
And the % of Dems who say they&#8217;re very liberal has quadrupled since 1999.
NJ-11, NYC mayor &amp; Bernie Sanders are no aberration. <a href="https://t.co/J0xuskHgn6">pic.twitter.com/J0xuskHgn6</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2021987601612517792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote>

Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

CNN Analyst: ‘Far Left’ Has Grown ‘Significantly More Powerful’ In Democratic Party

Democratic Party

CNN&#8217;s Kaitlan Collins may often find herself at odds with President Donald Trump, but during a recent interview, she conceded that it was White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt who stepped in to defend her rights as a journalist.
Collins explained the situation to &#8220;Absolutely Not&#8221; podcast host Heather McMahan, which unfolded when Collins traveled with the president to Saudi Arabia. She explained that the Saudi Royal Guard attempted to bar her from attending an event with Trump, and Leavitt lobbied for her to be allowed in the room.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Says Karoline Leavitt Defended Her Free Press Rights
“The Saudi Royal Guard freaked out because I dared to ask a question … and said, you can&#8217;t come into the next event … Karoline, to her credit said, no Kaitlan&#8217;s coming in with the rest of the U.S.… <a href="https://t.co/uhB9al4GVX">pic.twitter.com/uhB9al4GVX</a>
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/2021943212605165863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;When we were in Saudi Arabia, we were on a foreign trip with the president, and [Trump] came in with all the other leaders, including the Saudi Crown Prince,&#8221; Collins said, setting the scene for McMahan. &#8220;They famously do not like the media there, to put it lightly.&#8221;
&#8220;[I] shouted a question to President Trump, who had seen me when the U.S. press came in,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t answer, which is, I mean, that&#8217;s how it works: you shout questions, they either answer or they don&#8217;t, it&#8217;s their prerogative. And then the world leaders left the room.&#8221;
That, Collins said, was when things started to get sticky for her. The Saudi Royal Guard, unaccustomed to reporters being allowed to shout questions at their leaders, attempted to bar her from entering the room ahead of the next event.
&#8220;The Saudi Royal Guard kind of freaked out because I dared to ask a question, and they&#8217;re not used to that there because they don&#8217;t have a free press,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;And so they came up, and they said, &#8216;Okay, well, you can&#8217;t come into the next event,&#8217; which was like two minutes later.&#8221;
Collins said she attempted to explain &#8220;that&#8217;s not how this works,&#8221; but gained little ground with the Royal Guard.
&#8220;I could see them whispering and pointing about me,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Some of the younger White House press weren&#8217;t really sure what to do, and they went to Karoline. And, to her credit, she said, &#8216;No, Kaitlan&#8217;s coming in with the rest of the U.S. press&#8217; &#8230; which I do think is important, in that moment.&#8221;
Collins noted that similar incidents had happened on foreign trips before, such as when President Trump visited the DMZ and met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

President Trump And French President Macron Hold News Conference

Trump Foe Kaitlan Collins Recalls Time Karoline Leavitt Defended Her From Saudis

Regular CNN Trump Foil Admits Karoline Leavitt Defended Her Rights As Journalist

Freedom of the Press

Kaitlan Collins

Karoline Leavitt

Saudi Arabia

Once the titan of cable news, CNN is currently grappling with a historic collapse in primetime viewership, with its audience eroding by nearly two-thirds over the last ten years.
&#8220;The decrease, from roughly 1.3 million in 2016 to 553,000 now, is fueling rumors of a possible network sale,&#8221; The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/media/article-15549985/cnn-ratings-viewers-decline.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_dailymailus">reported</a>.
The downward trajectory is even more stark when examining specific windows of time. While CNN experienced a substantial ratings spike during Donald Trump&#8217;s 2016 rise, those gains have not only evaporated but have reversed into a deep deficit. In the all-important 25-54 age demographic — the group most coveted by advertisers — the numbers are particularly grim. By early 2025, CNN had slumped to just 118,000 primetime viewers in this category.
The decay is not limited to the evenings. Daytime programming, once propelled by stalwarts such as Wolf Blitzer, has seen its audience decline from 752,000 to 433,000. Compared with the same period in 2021, the network has experienced a 71% drop in primetime and a 73% decline during the day.
This ratings freefall has occurred against a backdrop of executive instability. Following the departure of its president, Jeff Zucker, and the brief, tumultuous tenure of Chris Licht, current CEO Mark Thompson has been tasked with stopping the bleeding. Thompson’s strategy involves a painful pivot away from the network’s &#8220;seminal TV division&#8221; toward a digital-centric model.
Key developments in this restructuring include: More than 200 staff members were terminated in early 2025 to reallocate resources toward digital ventures; a shift toward mobile-friendly content, allowing users to &#8220;flick&#8221; through news stories using their thumbs; a new streaming push launched in late 2025, following the high-profile failure of CNN+ years prior; and plans for a $70 million investment in subscription-based food and fitness content.
While CNN insiders argue that the decline is a symptom of a broader industry shift toward &#8220;alternative means&#8221; of news consumption, the success of rivals suggests otherwise. In January 2025, The Daily Mail reported, &#8220;Fox News, however, has continued to fly high — capturing more than 70 percent of cable news&#8217; audiences during primetime since (the 2024 election), as well as nearly 50 percent overall.&#8221;

Where Did Everyone Go? CNN Loses Two-Thirds Of Primetime Viewers

Nielsen Ratings

Ratings

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1910-breaking-trans-school-shooter-murders-nine-in-canada?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.&#8221;
* * *
In the last couple of days, the media has been forced to acknowledge reality on multiple fronts, beginning with one of the most controversial bills going through Congress right now. Senator Mike Lee, a great Republican senator, is the champion behind the bill and it’s called the SAVE Act.
What is the SAVE Act? It&#8217;s the Safeguard American Voting Eligibility Act, which says you need to prove that you&#8217;re eligible to vote if you want to vote. 
Simple, right? This should easily pass.
Not only can they not get the Democrats to vote for it — because Democrats want the illegals to vote so that they can rig elections and steal votes from the American people — apparently, the Republicans can&#8217;t even get the Republicans to vote for this. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says there aren&#8217;t anywhere close to the votes to nuking the filibuster, which would be required to get the SAVE Act through. So, although that idea continues to be put out there, it doesn&#8217;t have a future.
Making Americans submit ID in order to vote — safeguarding American elections in the most basic way — doesn&#8217;t have a future, not just because of Democrats who obviously don&#8217;t want to secure our elections, but because of Republicans.
So, you might say, well, some of these senators, you know, they&#8217;re representing whole states and some of those states are kind of purple. You know, maybe this is really a controversial issue. You know, the Democrats hate voter ID and maybe it&#8217;s controversial among Republicans.
Thank you Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.
Here’s what CNN has to say about the issue:
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Voter ID is overwhelmingly popular with everyone except Democrat politicians.
CNN: &#8220;The bottom line is this: Voter ID is not controversial in this country&#8230; it is not controversial by party and it is not controversial by race.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/XYzmcnTw1s">pic.twitter.com/XYzmcnTw1s</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2021289992971055217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @RNCResearch/X.com
<blockquote>What&#8217;s the racial breakdown on this? Because I think a lot of people make the argument that people of color, nonwhite Americans, have a harder time procuring a photo ID to vote. But even here, take a look here. Favor photo ID to vote: 85% of white people favor it, 82% of Latino voters, 76% of Black Americans favor it. So the bottom line is this: voter ID is not controversial in this country. A photo ID to vote is not controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party, and it is not controversial by race. The vast majority of Americans agree with Nicki Minaj that, in fact, you should have a photo ID to be able to vote.</blockquote>
Not controversial in the least.
I was surprised by these racial polls — and actually by the partisan poll too. Basically every Republican supports voter ID, but even 71% of Democrats favor voter ID. Yet zero percent of Democrats who are in elected office support voter ID.
You have 76% of Black people — this is the most reliably Democrat racial group, the group that we are told is specifically being disenfranchised by voter ID — more than three quarters of them support voter ID.
When you look at Latinos, it&#8217;s even higher: 82%. We&#8217;re told Latinos are being discriminated against, it&#8217;s hard for them to get ID.
And white people are close to the Latinos at 85%.
Everybody supports voter ID except for elected Democrats, none of whom support voter ID. Why? Because they are trying to steal elections. This isn&#8217;t tinfoil hat stuff. This is the only way to explain the discrepancy between elected Democrats — politicians, operatives, activists — and ordinary voters. Basically everyone in the country supports voter ID. The only people who don&#8217;t are the ones who particularly work to run and win elections.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1910-breaking-trans-school-shooter-murders-nine-in-canada?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show on DailyWire+</a></h3>
What you&#8217;re going to hear from the establishment media is, well, actually, you know, it&#8217;s very rare for illegal aliens to vote in elections. It&#8217;s very rare for people who are ineligible to vote in elections.
Right. Sure. Okay. 
The libs have told you a lot of lies over the years, and I&#8217;m not going to go through the litany of them now but I just want to take you back a few months.
Do you remember when the Democrats shut the government down? The Democrats shut the government down because they wanted to try to juice their numbers before some special elections. And the Republicans came out and said you&#8217;re shutting the government down in order to give health care to illegal aliens.
And the Democrats uniformly said, no, we are not. We do not give health care to illegal aliens. That is not true. That&#8217;s a lie.
By the end of the shutdown, the Democrats were inveighing against the Republicans because they said this is so awful — illegal aliens can&#8217;t get food, they&#8217;re losing their health care, they&#8217;re losing their SNAP benefits. They completely contradicted themselves over the course of weeks. Not years, not even months but weeks. They told you illegal aliens don&#8217;t get health care and welfare, and then they told you we have to reopen the government so that illegal aliens can get health care and welfare again.
The Democrats tell you that illegal aliens are not voting, but they are fighting tooth and nail against the vast majority of their own voters to prevent voter ID. Why? I think it might have something to do with the fact that illegal aliens are voting. The Democrats are counting on illegal aliens to vote. Even beyond illegal aliens, there are plenty of other ineligible voters who are not illegal aliens — voters who maybe are bussed in from out of district, voters who maybe because of felonies or other issues are not allowed to vote. Regardless, they need to minimize ballot security measures.
The only explanation—the only explanation—for the Democrats to fight against their own voters on this issue is that they want to steal elections. If you don&#8217;t get that at this point, I don&#8217;t know how to help you.

Americans Go To The Polls In The 2024 Elections

CNN Polling Cuts Against A Key Democrat Narrative

Congress

Election Fraud

Elections

Michael Knowles

Opinion

Republicans

Voter ID

Voter Integrity

Voting

Regular CNN analyst Bakari Sellers veered into Nazi territory when he referred to President Donald Trump as a &#8220;cancer&#8221; and suggested that the president&#8217;s voters were vermin or even demons who needed to be completely eradicated from the United States.
Sellers, during a recent panel discussion hosted by ousted CNN anchor Don Lemon, claimed that the nation was well on its way to requiring an &#8220;exorcism&#8221; or even a &#8220;fumigation&#8221; to remove the MAGA movement in its entirety.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bakari Sellers tells Don Lemon: The country needs a “fumigation” of MAGA.
Is this acceptable rhetoric from your panelists, <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNN</a>? <a href="https://t.co/yYu4ubBetx">pic.twitter.com/yYu4ubBetx</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/2020151901086457886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You know, Joe Biden was somewhat of a bridge, he was supposed to be a bridge,&#8221; Sellers began, suggesting that former President Joe Biden&#8217;s election had been a means to an end — the tolerable middle ground that would allow the country to break away from Trump&#8217;s first administration and pave the way toward a real Democratic movement.
&#8220;A palate cleanser, or somebody who morally and ethically was antithetical to who Donald Trump was,&#8221; Sellers continued. &#8220;You know, Uncle Joe was the nice guy, an older white guy comes in and you want to eat ice cream with him, right?&#8221;
But then Sellers went on to say that President Trump&#8217;s decisive victory in 2024 had proved that using Biden as a &#8220;palate cleanser&#8221; had not been enough to put an end to the Trump&#8217;s support and clear the way for Democrats moving forward. He made no move to recognize that Biden may have failed to move the needle because he was not an effective leader, nor did he raise the possibility that Trump had coasted to reelection in 2024 because former Vice President Kamala Harris had not been a strong candidate.
Instead, Sellers responded to that assessment by arguing in favor of taking more drastic measures to &#8220;cleanse&#8221; the nation&#8217;s palate of its taste for Trump, comparing the president&#8217;s supporters to vermin that required &#8220;fumigation&#8221; and even demons in desperate need of an &#8220;exorcism.&#8221;
&#8220;I think what that episode in our country&#8217;s history showed us is that we really need some fumigation, right? We need a — a — exorcism, for lack of a better term,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We need a more aggressive approach to go in and surgically remove the cancer that is the Donald Trump and MAGA movement.&#8221;

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