Ted Turner, the billionaire media mogul who founded CNN, TNT, and TBS, has died, several media outlets reported Wednesday. 
Turner, 87, who is credited with creating the 24-hour news cycle, died on Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Florida. In 2018, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/business/media/ted-turner-dead.html">Turner revealed</a> he had Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment,” Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, <a href="https://www.wtae.com/article/billionaire-media-mogul-ted-turner-dies-at-87/71229676">said in a statement</a>. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”
President Donald Trump commented on the passing of the media mogul, referring to him as &#8220;one of the Greats of All Time&#8221; in a Truth Social post.
&#8220;Ted Turner, one of the Greats of All Time, just died. He founded CNN, sold it, and was personally devastated by the Deal because the new ownership took CNN, his &#8216;baby,&#8217; and destroyed it,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116528208383447126">wrote</a>. &#8220;It became woke, and everything that he is not all about. Maybe the new buyers, wonderful people, will be able to bring it back to its former credibility and glory. Regardless, however, one of the Greats of Broadcast History, and a friend of mine. Whenever I needed him, he was there, always willing to fight for a good cause!&#8221;
The Ohio-born, Atlanta-based businessman — nicknamed “The Mouth of the South” for his outspoken style — raced yachts, acquired vast tracts of land across the American West, donated $1 billion to establish the United Nations Foundation, and formerly owned the Atlanta Braves.
Turner&#8217;s sports empire included professional baseball, basketball, and hockey teams in Atlanta.
Turner purchased the Braves in January 1976 following a 67-94 season by the club, saying at a news conference: &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to see any more headlines calling Atlanta &#8216;Loserville U.S.A.&#8217; I want to see Winnersville U.S.A.,'&#8221; <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48693404/ted-turner-former-braves-owner-media-mogul-dies-87">according to ESPN.</a> The team went on to win the World Series in 1995.
&#8220;Our good friend and former owner, Ted Turner, was one of a kind — a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of his beloved Braves,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/Braves/status/2052037035590816064?s=20">the team said in a statement.</a> &#8220;Ted&#8217;s visionary leadership and innovative approach to broadcast television transformed the Braves into &#8216;America&#8217;s Team.&#8217;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We&#8217;ll miss you, Ted ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/ZvQoG6lwh7">pic.twitter.com/ZvQoG6lwh7</a>
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/2052040749185671585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
Turner also devoted significant time and resources to environmental conservation efforts.
<a href="https://www.tedturner.com/turner-ranches/">Through Turner Enterprises</a>, he owned more than two million acres of personal and ranch land in Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, and South Dakota. 
Before the official launch of CNN, the legendary entrepreneur produced a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6f7j1E61sM&amp;list=RDz6f7j1E61sM&amp;start_radio=1">“Doomsday Video”</a> to be used as the network’s final broadcast at the end of the world. The video features a performance of the Christian hymn &#8220;Nearer, My God, To Thee&#8221; performed by the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine bands in front of CNN&#8217;s original headquarters. The idea was that, in the event of an apocalypse, viewers would see this instead of regular news programming.
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CNN prepared a doomsday end of the world video to be broadcast by the last surviving employee. It was leaked by a former intern in 2009. The video, created at the direction of CNN founder Ted Turner before the network&#8217;s 1980 launch. <a href="https://t.co/8YPtb3P9Nr">pic.twitter.com/8YPtb3P9Nr</a>
— Morbid Knowledge (@MorbidKnowledge) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorbidKnowledge/status/1926710765215502700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Turner, who owned TNT and TBS, reshaped the wrestling industry, launching “Nitro” and scheduling it against “Monday Night Raw” in the same timeslot — a rivalry that became known as the Monday Night Wars, <a href="https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/ted-turner-former-wcw-owner-and-media-mogul-dead-at-87">according to Sports Illustrated</a>.
The media tycoon was married and divorced three times, including to actress and activist Jane Fonda.
Turner is survived by his <a href="https://www.wtae.com/article/billionaire-media-mogul-ted-turner-dies-at-87/71229676">five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.</a>

Ted Turner Featured Guest At Newsmakers Luncheon

CNN Founder Ted Turner Dead At 87

Legacy Media

Ted Turner

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro gave an update on the investigation into Cole Tomas Allen — who opened fire one week earlier at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner — and said that it was clear the would-be assassin had an inflated sense of his own capabilities.
Pirro, the U.S. Attorney assigned to Washington, D.C., spoke with CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper about the ongoing investigation in Allen&#8217;s actions and motives — and she described the shooter&#8217;s actions leading up to the moment he charged a security checkpoint manned by the United States Secret Service.
Tapper began by asking Pirro — who was in attendance at the dinner herself — whether the fact that she could have been a potential target meant that she should recuse herself from the case entirely. Pirro was adamant that the two things were unconnected.
&#8220;Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way &#8230; my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: &#8220;Has it been suggested to you, at any point, by anyone that maybe you need to recuse yourself because you were both a witness and a potential target?&#8221; 
JEANINE PIRRO: &#8220;Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way&#8230; my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my… <a href="https://t.co/clLO5SJ9DA">pic.twitter.com/clLO5SJ9DA</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2050932287219359922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Pirro went on to address Allen&#8217;s behavior and actions leading up to the assassination attempt, much of which was either recovered from his personal effects or captured by security cameras at the Washington Hilton.
&#8220;Clearly, the president is a target. And make no mistake, it is not just the manifesto. It is his actions,&#8221; Pirro said of the suspect, who referred to himself as the &#8220;Friendly Federal Assassin&#8221; throughout the manifesto he sent to family. &#8220;I mean, this guy thought he was Rambo.&#8221;
&#8220;And he takes a picture of himself. He is smug, he is proud, and he is focused on what he’s doing,&#8221; Pirro added.
&#8220;I think if you read the manifesto … it is very clear who the intended target is. It is very clear, based upon the fact that as soon as this president said that he was going to be at the Hilton for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on March 2nd, [Allen] then made the decision to hatch the plan,&#8221; Pirro told Tapper, adding, &#8220;I can tell you, we will be able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.&#8221;
She went on to say that the defense might have a difficult time if they opted to go for an affirmative defense and claim that Allen was insane: &#8220;The one issue that people might think about is, is he insane. He is far from insane. He is brilliant. He has a master’s degree. He work[ed] at a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on case against alleged press dinner gunman: &#8220;We have a lot of evidence that indicates his intent&#8230; whether it was, you know, following what the president was doing, where he was going, to the day of the of the event at the hotel. Tracking on his phone:… <a href="https://t.co/J9NtXGI3HU">pic.twitter.com/J9NtXGI3HU</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2050937470800343261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Win McNamee/Getty Images, CBS Photo Archive

Why Jeanine Pirro Says Would-Be Trump Assassin ‘Thought He Was Rambo’

Jeanine Pirro: DC Shooting Suspect 'Thought He Was Rambo'

Jake Tapper

Jeanine Pirro

Media

Politics

Shooting

CNN anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly insisted that President Donald Trump had openly called for &#8220;genocide&#8221; in Iran, prompting a quick response from his Sunday morning guest, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
Stefanik joined the longtime host of &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; to discuss her book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elise-stefanik-the-moment-the-ivy-league-lost-the-country">Poisoned Ivies</a>&#8221; — where she confronts the &#8220;academic and moral rot&#8221; that have taken over America&#8217;s elite educational institutions — and Tapper used her criticisms of the recent pro-Hamas protests to lay a rhetorical trap for her.
Stefanik shared a clip from Sunday morning&#8217;s interview along with her own caption that read, &#8220;@jaketapper falsely compares President Trump to the radical pro-Hamas antisemites who physically assaulted, spit on American students faces, drew swastikas on their doors, and rioted and destroyed university property. President Trump has targeted the Iranian terrorist regime to save the Iranian people and the world from the largest state sponsor of terror that has slaughtered their own people.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
And here it is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥from <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cnn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNNSOTU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaketapper</a> falsely compares President Trump to the radical pro-Hamas antisemites who physically assaulted, spit on American students faces, drew swastikas on their doors, and rioted and destroyed university property.
President… <a href="https://t.co/dXO68D98DW">pic.twitter.com/dXO68D98DW</a>
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) <a href="https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/2045872839069192558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Tapper began by noting that Stefanik had called out the anti-semitic protests at the time, saying, &#8220;You were praised by many in the Jewish community when you criticized the college presidents who refused to condemn students for chanting ‘From the river to the sea,’ which many Jews interpret to be, and you agreed — you characterized it as a genocide, a call for genocide, to wipe out all the Jews in Israel, ‘From the river to the sea.'&#8221;
But then he pivoted: &#8220;So just to be clear, you believe that wiping out an entire civilization is genocidal and nobody should make a call to do such a thing?&#8221;
Stefanik said yes, genocide is always bad.
&#8220;That’s why the question I asked, which was, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct, yes or no? I worded it because it was a very simple straightforward question. It was not a political one. And the world heard as these universities equivocated saying it depends on the context or it’s a context-dependent decision. It is not,&#8221; she said.
Tapper dropped the other shoe then, referencing Trump&#8217;s blustery Truth Social posted threatening the Iranian regime and asking, &#8220;What did you think when President Trump threatened to obliterate the entire Iranian civilization?&#8221;
Stefanik pushed back immediately, noting that Trump had been speaking directly to the Iranian regime in an attempt to verbally strong-arm them to the negotiating table.
&#8220;And what did it do? It brought the Iranians to the table. It led to the ceasefire. We know that President Trump has very strong statements when it comes to his tweets, but it has been targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;He said the entire civilization will die,&#8221; Tapper insisted.
&#8220;He was focused on the Iranian terrorist regime. And Jake, isn’t it true that it brought the Iranians to the table to a cease-fire agreement?&#8221; Stefanik continued.
&#8220;I don’t know,&#8221; Tapper replied.
&#8220;It did, because they had a ceasefire agreement going on for days. And President Trump is correct to call out the Iranian terrorist regime, which has financed Hamas and Hezbollah, which I believe has led to some of the financing of the skyrocketing antisemitism,&#8221; Stefanik said.
&#8220;Yes, but I’m not talking about the regime,&#8221; Tapper protested.
&#8220;Jake, you can ask this question, but the reality is it was targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime. It was an effective tool to bring them to the table. They have no cards,&#8221; Stefanik added.
Tapper continued to insist that he was not talking about the regime, and that what Trump had said was clearly a call for genocide — but Stefanik was not convinced.
&#8220;I just have to say it’s interesting that a 20-year-old college kid on a campus yelling ‘From the river to the sea,’ that’s worthy of condemnation, but a President of the United States who actually has—&#8221; Tapper began.
&#8220;You don’t think it’s worthy of condemnation? Jake, you don’t think it’s worthy of condemnation of students that are targeting Jewish students, that are physically assaulting them, that are spitting in their face, that are drawing swastikas on their doors, these students who have to hire security?”
“I don’t need a lesson on what it’s like to be a Jewish student,” Tapper replied.
“But you’re equivocating, like those university presidents,&#8221; Stefanik declared.
The two went on in that same vein for several minutes as Tapper tried unsuccessfully to end the interview.
&#8220;President Trump was not calling for genocide. Shame on CNN for saying that,&#8221; Stefanik jabbed as they wrapped the segment.
&#8220;I read the quote. Thank you so much,&#8221; was Tapper&#8217;s reply.

IMG_2385

Tapper Hurls ‘Genocide’ Accusation — Stefanik Fires Off A Sharp Counterpunch

Jake Tapper Claims Trump Called For 'Genocide' In Iran. Elise Stefanik Is Having None Of It.

Donald Trump

Elise Stefanik

Global Politics

Iran

Iran war

CNN&#8217;s Michael Smerconish laid waste to calls for the 25th Amendment to be invoked against President Donald Trump — based on claims that President Donald Trump was erratic and out of control — saying that the &#8220;madness&#8221; was simply part of his process.
Smerconish argued that if Trump were truly a candidate for removal via the 25th Amendment — reserved for a president who is incapacitated or rendered incapable of doing his job — there would be signs that permeated the rest of his life outside his bombastic social media posts.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: CNN&#8217;s Michael Smerconish *OBLITERATES* calls to remove Trump from office🚨
&#8220;You&#8217;d expect the guy that posts about a whole civilization dying would be simultaneously busting up the White House furniture — but there&#8217;s NEVER been ANY reporting of Trump like that behind… <a href="https://t.co/gA2bnbRcnj">pic.twitter.com/gA2bnbRcnj</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2042987757987856866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;A crazy person doesn&#8217;t live in the White House. A person who plays a crazy person a lot on TV lives there,&#8221; Smerconish began, attributing the statement to comedian and HBO host Bill Maher.
The CNN host went on to lay out some of the president&#8217;s recent social media posts directed at Iran — specifically his demand that they &#8220;open the f*ckin&#8217; strait&#8221; and his later prediction stating &#8220;a whole civilization will die tonight&#8221; — which Democrats had cited as evidence that Trump was too erratic to be president. They quickly ramped up calls to either invoke the 25th Amendment against him or impeach him for a third time.
But as Smerconish then explained, the deliberative and lengthy process by which Trump came to the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury — detailed in a recent New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html">report</a> — was anything but erratic. The decision was reached only after days of meetings, both with the Israelis and without them, that took into account potential strategies and logistics.
&#8220;In contrast to those offensive and intemperate Truth Social posts, which were intended for Tehran, this window into pre-war decision making was for the Americans,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It shows airing of competing views, some open to dissent, reliance on legal counsel, and a deliberative process — not the impulsivity with which Trump is so often associated. There&#8217;s nothing in the Times&#8217; behind-closed-doors account of an unstable Trump at the same time that he was playing the madman card in public.&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;d expect the guy that posts about a whole civilization dying would be simultaneously busting up the White House furniture — but there&#8217;s NEVER been ANY reporting of Trump like that behind closed doors,&#8221; Smerconish observed, arguing that someone who was truly unhinged would necessarily exhibit that in other areas of his life. &#8220;In other words, it&#8217;s not that there&#8217;s a method to his madness — it&#8217;s that the madness IS his method.&#8221;
&#8220;Trump is capable of EXACTLY what his critics say he isn&#8217;t: patience, process and genuine deliberation,&#8221; he added. &#8220;90 minutes before his own deadline, a ceasefire materialized. That&#8217;s NOT nothing. &#8230; It&#8217;s certainly not the behavior of someone who needs the 25th Amendment invoked or warrants impeaching.&#8221;

WH Briefing Iran 4/6/26

CNN’s Smerconish Nukes 25th Amendment Claims On Trump: ‘Madness Is His Method’

CNN's Smerconish Nukes 25th Amendment Claims On Trump: ‘Madness Is His Method’

Michael Smerconish

Tucker Carlson&#8217;s popularity has collapsed and is in &#8220;absolute free fall&#8221; among Republican voters as President Trump blasts the former Fox News host as &#8220;<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/07/us-news/trump-tears-into-tucker-carlson-over-iran-war-claims/">a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on.</a>&#8221;
The commentator&#8217;s favorability rating among Republican-leaning voters has dropped by a stunning 47 percentage points over the last two years, according to a <a href="https://www.uml.edu/docs/2026-Nat-Pol-March-Topline_tcm18-417813.pdf">poll</a> from YouGov and UMass Lowell. The poll was conducted at the end of March, before Trump&#8217;s full onslaught, but well into the war in Iran.
In March 2024, Carlson held a +54 favorability rating with conservative voters. Two years later, that figure has cratered to just +7, the poll shows.
The numbers reflect a trend that began with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress after a bitter split with the president. Trump-backed Republican Clay Fuller <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-pick-replacement-for-former-trump-ally-marjorie-taylor-greene?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Voters+Pick+Replacement+For+Former+Trump+Ally+Marjorie+Taylor+Greene">won the special election</a> Tuesday night to fill the seat.
CNN&#8217;s polling expert described Carlson as &#8220;electoral poison,&#8221; pointing to data showing that California Gov. Gavin Newsom would beat him by 11 percentage points in a general election. Vice President JD Vance, on the other hand, would win by 3 points over Newsom.
&#8220;When you go up against Donald Trump and you want to appeal to the Republican base, to quote the movie &#8216;Good Burger,&#8217; you&#8217;re going in the grinder, and that&#8217;s exactly what has happened to Tucker Carlson, who has absolutely collapsed among Republicans,&#8221; Enten said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Tucker Carlson has been in absolute free fall among the GOP. His net favorable has dropped by 47 points.
Meanwhile, Trump crushes Tucker among the GOP. Trump&#8217;s net favorable is 54 pts higher than Carlson&#8217;s.
When you up against Trump, you in the grinder to quote Good Burger. <a href="https://t.co/oz30tsWGhW">pic.twitter.com/oz30tsWGhW</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2042628510729277697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
Kalshi prediction markets only give Carlson a five percent chance of securing the 2028 GOP nomination, with Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio running well ahead.
Republican voters &#8220;choose Donald Trump basically every single time,&#8221; Enten added, a point raised by conservative commentator Meghan McCain.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how every single podcaster and influencer hasn&#8217;t realized by this time that republicans will choose Trump over them &#8211; absolutely every single time,&#8221; McCain said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I don&#8217;t know how every single podcaster and influencer hasn&#8217;t realized by this time that republicans will choose Trump over them &#8211; absolutely every single time. <a href="https://t.co/Wi4z78YhQ5">https://t.co/Wi4z78YhQ5</a>
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeghanMcCain/status/2042639626427375790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
The fresh data comes after President Trump went scorched earth Thursday night on Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, calling the four podcasters &#8220;low IQ,&#8221; &#8220;losers,&#8221; and &#8220;nut jobs.&#8221;
&#8220;They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some &#8216;free&#8217; and cheap publicity,&#8221; Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116376634773749603">Truth Social post</a>.
In response, the Tucker Carlson Network started selling &#8220;low IQ&#8221; hats, &#8220;calling all nut jobs, troublemakers, and third rate podcasters&#8221; to buy their merchandise.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Calling all nut jobs, troublemakers, and third rate podcasters! New merch just dropped: <a href="https://t.co/PICYxuIV5A">https://t.co/PICYxuIV5A</a><a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TuckerCarlson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@megynkelly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealCandaceO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RealAlexJones?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealAlexJones</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mtgreenee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mtgreenee</a> <a href="https://t.co/O8s6DRpC29">https://t.co/O8s6DRpC29</a> <a href="https://t.co/XOKveI5h41">pic.twitter.com/XOKveI5h41</a>
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/TCNetwork/status/2042614462645956621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
All four commentators have become <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-goes-nuclear-on-tucker-megyn-and-candace?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Goes+Nuclear+On+Tucker%2C+Megyn%2C+And+Candace">increasingly critical</a> of the president over his decision to launch “Operation Epic Fury” against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Earlier this week, Carlson urged U.S. military members to refuse Trump’s orders and fumed at the president&#8217;s Easter Sunday message.
“Who do you think you are? You’re tweeting out the f-word on Easter morning?” Carlson said. “No president should mock Islam.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Tucker Carlson slams US President Trump for mocking Islam.
&#8220;No President should mock Islam.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ZnOtsLrDB6">pic.twitter.com/ZnOtsLrDB6</a>
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/BRICSinfo/status/2041312617717813468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></blockquote>

Donald Trump/Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson Popularity Is In ‘Absolute Free Fall’

Elections

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Polls

Tucker Carlson

CNN&#8217;s chief data analyst Harry Enten threw cold water on the Democratic Party as the 2026 midterm elections approach, saying that at least in terms of popularity, they were well behind where they had been in previous years.
Enten joined anchor John Berman on Monday morning to discuss the elections — less than eight months away — and said that Democrats were nowhere near where they had been in previous midterm elections when the president was a Republican.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Republicans lead in net favorability ahead of the 2026 midterms
&#8220;Democrats are, just simply put, running behind their previous benchmark&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/VeE4MdDqsx">pic.twitter.com/VeE4MdDqsx</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2041156139274948973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Just take a look at this, net favorability, party ahead at this point, midterm years with a GOP president. In 2018, Dems were up by 12,&#8221; Enten said. &#8220;In 2006, on net favorability, which party do you like more, Dems are ahead by 18. Republicans are actually ahead on net favorability at this [point] by five points. So Democrats are just, simply put, running behind their previous benchmarks and they need to be running well ahead of them if they want to take back the United States Senate, given that math.&#8221;
Just a few minutes earlier, Enten laid out the <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/cnn-data-guru-reveals-gop-may-keep-the-senate-thanks-to-dems-historically-low-midterm-lead/">reasons</a> he believed that Democrats had a relatively decent shot at taking control of the U.S. House in the midterms, but would have a much harder time gaining a majority in the Senate.
Citing a small lead for Democrats on generic ballots, Enten said that spread might just be enough to overcome the slim Republican margin in the House of Representatives.
&#8220;I would say this, Mr. Berman, and that is that this lead is historically low for Democrats at this point with a Republican president,&#8221; Enten explained. &#8220;Because, take a look here, and I’m taking a look at the average of all the polls, Dem generic congressional ballot lead at this point in the cycle with a Republican president. On average, their lead’s actually slightly less, it’s five points. That’s less than it was back in 2018 when it was eight points, and way less than it was during the 2006 cycle when it was 11 points.&#8221;
&#8220;So, yeah, Democrats are ahead, but they’re only ahead by five with a president whose net approval rating is bordering on -20 to -30, depending on what polls you look at. You’d make the argument Democrats should be way ahead. And they’re just only sort of, slightly ahead,&#8221; he added.
That math, according to Enten, would not help Democrats in the Senate because of the map in play in 2026.
&#8220;I think five points is enough to take back the House, but in the Senate, five points is almost certainly not enough if you apply it to the Senate map,&#8221; Enten argued. &#8220;Why do I say that? Because let’s just take a look, GOP would win the Senate with this map. Let’s say Republicans only hold onto the states that Trump won by greater than 10 points. That would, in fact, give them the Senate 51 to 49.&#8221;
Given the current Senate makeup — 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats — Democrats would have to flip at least four seats in November in order to take the majority. On a map that Enten identified as far more friendly to the GOP, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/U.S._Senate_battlegrounds,_2026">Ballotpedia</a> has identified ten seats in total — eight of them currently held by Republicans — as potential &#8220;battlegrounds&#8221;: Alaska (R), Montana (R), Texas (R), Nebraska (R), Wisconsin (D), Ohio (R), Florida (R), North Carolina (R), New Hampshire (D), and Maine (R).

Chuck Schumer & Hakeem Jeffries

The Midterm Warning Signs Are Flashing For Democrats, And Even CNN Sees It

2026 elections

2026 midterm

Harry Enten

Former acting ICE Director and current White House Border Czar Tom Homan blasted congressional Democrats over the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding standoff, accusing lawmakers of trying to strong-arm policy changes by withholding funding.
Speaking on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Homan said the dispute is not about budgetary constraints, but about efforts to curb immigration enforcement.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;President Trump wants the entire <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> funded,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/RealTomHoman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealTomHoman</a>.
&#8220;They&#8217;re holding the department hostage because they don&#8217;t like what ICE is doing — and ICE is enforcing laws they enacted.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bMDcSIJ7IB">pic.twitter.com/bMDcSIJ7IB</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2038246477261119706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“President Donald Trump wants the entire Department of Homeland Security funded. He wants the government open and funded,” Homan said. “But the bottom line is they want changes in ICE tactics. They want changes in policy.” Homan argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is simply carrying out laws that have remained consistent across multiple administrations.
“The same laws ICE follows today have been in place during the Clinton, Obama [administrations], and now,” he said. “The law hasn’t changed.” According to Homan, lawmakers are privately pushing to limit arrests rather than openly advocating for abolishing ICE.
“They can say they don’t want to abolish ICE — I’m in the room,” he said. “They want to change operations so we arrest fewer people.” The remarks come as Congress remains locked in a dispute over DHS funding, with negotiations increasingly tied to immigration enforcement demands. Some lawmakers have pushed for additional oversight measures and operational restrictions, including expanded use of body cameras and clearer guidelines around enforcement locations.
Homan noted that ICE has already engaged in discussions on some of those issues, including funding for body cameras, which he said has been allocated at roughly $120 million. But he rejected claims that agents are routinely targeting sensitive locations such as churches or hospitals.
“They can’t point to a single instance—not one—where we’ve arrested anybody in a church or inside of a hospital,” Homan said. “We already practice discretion. We don’t do operations there unless there’s a significant national security threat.”
He added that while discussions over enforcement practices could continue, they should not come at the expense of funding the department. “Why can’t these discussions continue while we keep the Department of Homeland Security open?” Homan said. “They’re holding the department hostage because they don’t like what ICE is doing.”
At the center of the dispute is a fundamental divide between the House and Senate over whether immigration enforcement agencies should be fully funded. The Senate passed a bipartisan measure to reopen most of DHS but excluded funding for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, an approach backed by Democrats but rejected by House Republicans. 
House Republicans instead pushed a short-term <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/28/us-house-stopgap-dhs-funding-bill-republicans-senate?">funding bill</a> that includes full funding for ICE, arguing that enforcement agencies should not be carved out of appropriations. That measure passed narrowly but faces strong opposition in the Senate, prolonging the stalemate. 
The deadlock has had tangible consequences across the country. Tens of thousands of DHS employees, particularly Transportation Security Administration workers, have gone without pay for weeks, leading to staffing shortages, airport delays, and mounting pressure on the administration to act. 
President Trump has attempted to mitigate the fallout by signing an emergency order to ensure TSA agents receive pay, which Homan later <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/29/us-news/tom-homan-reveals-when-tsa-will-start-getting-paid-again-following-trumps-executive-order/?">said</a> during the interview “There is a plan to get these TSA agents paid, hopefully by tomorrow or Tuesday,” but many other DHS functions remain affected as lawmakers continue to clash over immigration policy and enforcement reforms. 
Democrats have insisted that any long-term funding deal must include new restrictions or oversight on ICE operations, while Republicans argue that such demands amount to undermining existing law enforcement authority, mirroring the criticism Homan leveled in his interview.
Homan framed the dispute as a fundamental separation-of-powers issue, arguing that Congress should change the law if it disagrees with enforcement outcomes.
“If they don’t like what ICE is doing, then change the law,” he said. “That’s their job.”
As negotiations continue, the standoff underscores a broader clash in Washington over immigration enforcement, one that is increasingly spilling into funding battles with real consequences for federal agencies and the everyday Americans they employ.

Tom Homan

Tom Homan Torches Congress As DHS Fight Hits Boiling Point

Government Shutdown

State of the Union

Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter discussed Iran’s attempted ballistic missile strike Saturday targeting Diego Garcia, the joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean more than 2,000 miles from Iran.
Appearing Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash, Leiter was first asked about the missile strikes in Israel on Saturday evening that caused significant damage.
“Israel&#8217;s emergency response service declared a mass casualty event, as I mentioned. Can you give an update on the ground there? And also, what kind of response do we expect from Israel?” Bash asked.
Leiter said there were “a number of fatalities” and that more than 150 people were injured in the attacks on Arad and Dimona.
“The response is going to be to continue with this campaign until we bring this regime to its knees,” Leiter stated. “We cannot live anymore with a country that is malign, that has intent on destroying us, that declares it&#8217;s going to destroy us all the time, and is now firing ballistic missiles into all of its neighbors. This has to stop.”
Bash then pressed Leiter on the ICBMs that were fired at Diego Garcia: “Doesn&#8217;t that fly in the face of the claim by the president and the prime minister that the missiles that the Iranians have have been obliterated?”
Leiter hit back, saying that the missile launch reinforces the point that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have made, which is that Iran lies.
“The Iranian regime lie. These are murderers who lie. It shouldn&#8217;t surprise us — and they said they don&#8217;t have intercontinental ballistic missiles. Well, now they prove that they do have them. Not only do they have them; they&#8217;re willing to shoot them,” the ambassador said. “They claimed, until now, there was no such thing as an ICBM in Iran. They didn&#8217;t develop them.”
Leiter then painted a frightening scenario, asking Bash to imagine that the ICBMs Iran lied about having don’t simply travel 2,000 miles, but 4,000 miles or more, which would allow them to strike a major city in the United States.
“That&#8217;s what they&#8217;re planning to do. Now, imagine that those ICBMs are tipped with nuclear warheads, which they were planning to do as well. So, we have to face a very difficult situation,” he said before noting that while gas prices are temporarily higher as a result of the war, they will return to normal.
“But this malign government is intent on taking lives. Lives don&#8217;t come back, okay? It’s a temporary issue we have to face economically in order to protect lives and save lives from malign regime interested in taking lives.”
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Israeli Ambassador to US Michael Leiter says the war in Iran will continue &#8220;until we bring this regime to its knees&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/z24YbIaCYZ">pic.twitter.com/z24YbIaCYZ</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2035721927210225772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Missile

Israeli Ambassador Reacts To Iran Strike With Message That Raises Stakes

Israel

World

CNN data analyst Harry Enten is pushing back on claims of a growing fracture within the Republican base, arguing that new polling shows continued and near-total loyalty to President Donald Trump among self-identified MAGA voters, even as a high-profile rift plays out on the right over Iran.
Speaking on CNN, Enten pointed to what he described as a number that “jumps off the screen”: Trump’s approval rating among MAGA Republicans sits at 100%, with zero percent disapproving. “You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know you can’t go higher than 100%,” Enten said, comparing Trump’s standing within the movement to the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Enten also dismissed the idea that the figure is being inflated by an exodus of disaffected voters. According to the polling he cited, “The MAGA base within the GOP is not shrinking. If anything, it is slightly larger,” rising from 28% to 30%.
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There&#8217;s no break in MAGA. Trump&#8217;s approval with MAGA GOP is literally 100%.
90% of MAGA GOP approve of US military action in Iran.
Those who disapprove of Trump are not MAGA at this point.
Importantly: MAGA makes up the same share of voters as it did when Trump won in 2024. <a href="https://t.co/LqMRHm8t1B">pic.twitter.com/LqMRHm8t1B</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2034294893929968050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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But that analysis is colliding with an increasingly visible backlash from prominent voices on the right, who argue that Trump’s posture toward Iran cuts against core promises that defined the MAGA movement. Tucker Carlson blasted the policy in stark terms, <a href="https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga/story?id=130622270">calling it</a> “absolutely disgusting and evil,” adding: “This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’s war. This war’s not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives.”
Carlson further warned the conflict “will be catastrophic” and could “end Trump’s presidency” or “shuffle the deck in a profound way.” Donald Trump responded directly, <a href="https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2029650210125652143">saying</a> Carlson “has lost his way” and declaring “he’s not MAGA.”
In the same camp, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene argued the move represents a fundamental break from the movement’s original platform.“We said on every single rally stage, no more foreign wars, no more regime change … this is a complete betrayal of those campaign promises,” Greene <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/16/politics/video/cnn-sitroom-pamela-brown-mtg-marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-president-war-iran-campaign">said</a>. “This is absolutely absurd. And it’s 100% a betrayal to what MAGA was supposed to be when we voted in 2024, and it’s turned into some perverted, deranged version of MAGA now that nobody wants.” 
Despite that rhetoric, Enten argued the available data does not show a measurable break within Trump’s base. Citing Republican views on potential U.S. military action in Iran, Enten said 90% of MAGA Republicans approve, compared to 54% of non-MAGA Republicans. Among MAGA voters, just 5% expressed disapproval.
“Those who disapprove… they ain’t MAGA,” Enten said.
The disconnect highlights a broader question emerging from the debate: whether the current divide represents a genuine fracture within the Republican electorate, or a loud but limited conflict among high-profile figures and online activists.
Critics of Enten’s analysis could argue that topline polling may not fully capture shifts in enthusiasm or intensity, particularly on an issue like foreign policy that has historically divided Republican factions. Supporters, meanwhile, can point to the numbers as evidence that Trump’s hold on the movement remains intact. For now, the data and the discourse appear to be telling two different stories, one of consolidation, and one of conflict, with the true state of the MAGA coalition to be tested in the midterms this November.

CNN Pollster Admits It: Reports Of MAGA’s Death Have Been Grossly Exaggerated

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Recent polling and national defense surveys underscore a period of robust Republican alignment with President Trump’s more assertive foreign policy, particularly regarding military action in Iran. Data from CNN analyst Harry Enten highlights a near-unanimous consensus within the GOP base, revealing that 89% of MAGA voters approve of the current war against Iran, while only a marginal 9% express disagreement.
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<div>
&#8220;The MAGA base really likes the U.S. military action in Iran,&#8221; Enten pointed out. &#8220;Take a look here. Okay, MAGA GOP on the U.S. military action in Iran. Look at this. Nearly nine in 10, 89 percent approve of the U.S. military action in Iran. That is the MAGA GOP base. Just nine percent disapprove of it. This is tremendously popular among the Republican base. &#8230; This war is very popular among the GOP base.&#8221;
<div>This overwhelming support suggests that the administration’s &#8220;peace through strength&#8221; approach has resonated deeply with its core constituency.</div>
</div>
<div>
This specific support for the war in Iran mirrors broader trends captured in the 2025 Ronald Reagan Institute’s National Defense Survey. The <a href="https://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-institute/press-releases/reagan-national-defense-survey-shows-record-public-support-for-taiwan-ukraine-nat">study</a> found that Americans—and MAGA Republicans in particular—are increasingly embracing global leadership and military superiority. A record 79% of MAGA voters believed the U.S. should take the lead in international affairs, a figure significantly higher than that of their Democratic counterparts. Furthermore, 87% of Americans overall believed it is vital for the U.S. to maintain the world&#8217;s most powerful military, with 71% agreeing that global peace is most likely when American strength is unrivaled.
The survey also reveals a GOP base that is prepared for sustained conflict and expansion. Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe the military should be sized to win two wars simultaneously, while a majority now supports using military force against drug traffickers in Latin America.
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Whether it is the 89% approval for the Iranian conflict or the 77% support for defending Taiwan, the data confirm that the Republican Party is solidly behind an era of proactive, well-funded military engagement under the Trump administration.

Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Election Night Event In West Palm Beach

MAGA Base Virtually Unanimously Backs Trump’s Decisive Action In Iran: CNN Data

Democrats and the legacy media have been spinning since the very beginning of President Donald Trump&#8217;s military actions against the Iranian regime. Over the span of two weeks, they have pulled out all the stops to win the battle of narratives and convince the world that it was wrong to strike Iran — or if it was right to strike Iran, this was the wrong time. And if it was the right time to strike Iran, then Trump is doing it wrong.
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 ABC News, for example, Martha Raddatz spoke with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). He agreed that Iran was &#8220;a problem,&#8221; but immediately pivoted to argue that &#8220;war&#8221; was not the proper response to every problem. He then went on to draw a comparison between Iran and previous military actions in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan — and he argued that they were all essentially the same.
&#8220;Yes, Iran is a problem. A problem that needs to be contained. But what we should have learned from Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and the Taliban is, you can have a threat and not have a military solution that’s going to make it better.&#8221;
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BREAKING: Rep. Adam Smith tells Martha Raddatz that “war is not always the answer to a problem.”
“Yes, Iran is a problem. A problem that needs to be contained. But what we should have learned from Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and the Taliban… <a href="https://t.co/C5oi0rvSQy">pic.twitter.com/C5oi0rvSQy</a>
— Axel Vesa (@AxelVesa1) <a href="https://twitter.com/AxelVesa1/status/2033209072921481404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Smith also offered a comparison to Venezuela and the recent operation to extract former President Nicolás Maduro, adding, &#8220;Iran is not Venezuela. We can’t just fly in, snatch the president and make things change.&#8221;
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Rep. Adam Smith on President Trump’s foreign policy: “Iran is not Venezuela. We can’t just fly in, snatch the president and make things change.” <a href="https://t.co/LLgvsyy61S">https://t.co/LLgvsyy61S</a> <a href="https://t.co/ns5XiVOxU0">pic.twitter.com/ns5XiVOxU0</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2033191028044271657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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On CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; anchor Jake Tapper brought in former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who promptly declared that the action in Iran was proof that &#8220;this is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House.&#8221;
Buttigieg, after claiming that former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden had secured nuclear deals that prevented Iran from gaining access to nuclear weapons, argued that President Trump had rushed into war because he was unable to get &#8220;a better deal&#8221; and had done so without any kind of planning or preparation.
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Pete Buttigieg on the war with Iran: &#8220;This is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/liOQlGQ50w">pic.twitter.com/liOQlGQ50w</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033192256820121841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Tapper took a pause to defend the media&#8217;s oppositional stance, arguing that he and others doing the same were not being critical because they wanted the United States to lose, but because they were just doing their jobs.
&#8220;Every reporter that I know wants the United States to succeed in every way, and the way that reporters help that happen is by asking questions of people in power and not blindly cheering on leaders who take the nation to war,&#8221; he claimed.
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TAPPER: “Every reporter that I know wants the United States to succeed in every way, and the way that reporters help that happen is by asking questions of people in power and not blindly cheering on leaders who take the nation to war.” <a href="https://t.co/KtfZYSnBJU">pic.twitter.com/KtfZYSnBJU</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033185159428591690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Margaret Brennan, on &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; spoke to several who reinforced the Democrat-driven narrative that the Trump administration was in over its head in Iran.
Former CIA operative Joey Gannon told her that Iran had moved to keep supreme leadership in the Khamenei family because it sent a signal to the world that the regime still had complete control.
&#8220;So, he was a gatekeeper for the supreme leader&#8217;s office in the past. He has strong ties to the IRGC and the Basij, he knows how power actually operates, and he is, effectively, a symbol of continuity right now,&#8221; he explained.
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Former CIA operative Jonny Gannon says the decision to appoint Motjaba Khameini as the new supreme leader “is the message from the regime that they are still in control.”
Mojtaba Khamenei is clearly not a charming public face; what he is is a systems operator,” he says. “So, he… <a href="https://t.co/oP6zveXtvO">pic.twitter.com/oP6zveXtvO</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033222131090084297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Samantha Vinograd, an Obama administration alum, took the same posture when she argued that Iran was essentially outwitting the United States strategically.
&#8220;The Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;They played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as well as hiring people to do their dirty work for them, to such an extent that I am concerned that they have the intent and capability to, if not direct attacks here in the homeland, to inspire them .&#8221;
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Former Homeland Security official Samantha Vinograd says “the Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive” in the way they carry out attacks.
“They played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as… <a href="https://t.co/GgKqrE9CEG">pic.twitter.com/GgKqrE9CEG</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033219553694503149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) told Brennan that he did not believe the Iranian regime — despite a 47-year record of Iran and its proxies killing over 1,000 American service members and civilians and a recent boast that the regime had nearly enough enriched uranium for almost a dozen nuclear bombs — posed an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States. What&#8217;s more, Warner argued that Iran did not pose an immediate threat to Israel — despite Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah striking Israeli targets on a regular basis.
&#8220;There was no imminent threat to the United States, and I don&#8217;t believe there was even an imminent threat to Israel from Iran,&#8221; Warner declared. &#8220;Over a period of time, particularly with the ballistic missile capability, Israel would be more under threat. The decision to go to war in this case was a choice by President Trump.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) says he stands by the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment by U.S. intelligence leaders who testified at the time that Iran had not reauthorized their nuclear weapons program.
“There was no imminent threat to the United States, and I don&#8217;t believe there was… <a href="https://t.co/MLJA4YT5Gc">pic.twitter.com/MLJA4YT5Gc</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033215927228002331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Spin Cycle: Dems, Media Wage War Over Who Controls The Narrative In Iran

ABC News

CBS News

Democrats

Middle East

NBC News

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared to acknowledge that the ongoing Senate standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security is largely a political dispute rather than a pure funding crisis, conceding in a television interview that immigration enforcement agencies already have substantial funding.
The admission came during an appearance Sunday on State of the Union with host Jake Tapper, as Democrats continue blocking a House-passed bill that would fund the entire department. Tapper asked Buttigieg whether Democrats should accept what he described as a partial victory and move to reopen DHS.
“Don’t you think Democrats should take what’s something of a win and start funding DHS again?” Tapper asked. Buttigieg responded by arguing that Republicans were blocking Democratic proposals to fund most parts of the department while negotiations continue over immigration enforcement agencies.
“I think Republicans should stop blocking the Democratic proposals to fund all of DHS including TSA and other parts, except for the parts that should be negotiated over which is ICE and Customs and Border Patrol,” Buttigieg said. “Remember ICE has already gotten tens of billions of dollars of funding — it’s larger than many of the world’s militaries.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Pete Buttigieg admits Democrats are the ones shutting down DHS knowing ICE is already funded.
BUTTIGIEG: &#8220;ICE has already gotten&#8230;funding.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/EVFsBEOzwA">pic.twitter.com/EVFsBEOzwA</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2033187325153366041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The comments come as Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted to block a motion to proceed on a House-passed funding bill for DHS. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5781155-democrats-blocks-homeland-security-funding-bill/">The latest vote </a>failed 51–46, short of the 60 votes needed to advance. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to move the legislation forward.
Democrats have argued that the bill should not advance because it includes funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without changes to immigration enforcement practices.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Democrats want reforms that would require immigration agents to operate more like traditional law enforcement. “We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE,” Schumer said before the vote. “Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks.”
He added on the Senate floor on Thursday, “Who’s standing in the way? America, look at it. We’re not putting any preconditions on funding TSA; the Republicans are.”
Republicans argue the stalemate is the result of <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/democrats-republicans-dhs-shutdown-00827135">Democrats refusing to fund</a> core immigration enforcement agencies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said GOP negotiators had repeatedly offered compromise proposals, including a short-term resolution that would reopen the entire department.
“There have been offers made repeatedly,” Thune said on the Senate floor, urging lawmakers to fund not only the Transportation Security Administration but also agencies such as the United States Coast Guard and FEMA.
Democrats, meanwhile, attempted to pass funding bills for individual components of DHS, including the TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA. Republicans blocked those efforts, trying to keep the funding package whole, to prevent what would essentially be an unlegislated freeze on ICE and CBP.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) accused Democrats of political “gamesmanship” on the Senate floor. “The Democrats do not want to fund the Coast Guard because they’re hell-bent on defunding ICE,” Schmitt said.
Buttigieg’s remarks highlighting the existing funding levels for ICE could add a new dimension to the debate, as lawmakers continue to clash over whether the standoff is about government funding or broader disagreements over immigration enforcement policy.

Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Testifies On 2025 Budget In House Hearing

Pete Buttigieg Admits DHS Shutdown Has No Impact On ICE, Still Blames GOP

Pete Buttigieg

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