Even before he raised his right hand to take the Oath of Office for the second time, Donald Trump was warring with legacy media outlets over who would control the narrative. That battle played out all year long in headlines, press rooms, and on the Sunday morning political talk shows.
The Spin Cycle was there all year long, capturing the moments Democrats and the legacy media worked overtime to spin the narrative against President Trump and his administration. 
So, as 2025 comes to a close, let&#8217;s look back at five times that happened.
<h4>Inauguration Day:</h4>
The Sunday shows aired just hours before Trump was officially sworn in, and already a question hung in the air: was a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-today-the-world-either-ends-or-it-begins-again">second Trump presidency</a> a new beginning or the beginning of the end?
ABC News host Jonathan Karl opened &#8220;This Week&#8221; with this statement: &#8220;We come on the air this morning on the precipice of a historic moment, one that feels more like the beginning of a new era than a new presidency.&#8221;
He balanced that almost optimistic sentiment, however, by pausing to note that Trump would swear the oath in &#8220;the very building that was attacked by rioters shortly before the last inauguration.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“We come on the air this morning on the precipice of a historic moment, one that feels more like the beginning of a new era than a new presidency.” <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> has the latest on Donald Trump’s return to Washington: <a href="https://t.co/DK1VYkzLWF">https://t.co/DK1VYkzLWF</a> <a href="https://t.co/CyrF40EIEz">pic.twitter.com/CyrF40EIEz</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1880981125557891496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Of course, several Democrats voiced concerns over policy changes Trump promised to make, from tariffs to mass deportations, saying that they expected more bad than good to come out of the president&#8217;s second term. But on &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; a CBS News poll suggested that the public took a different view than the Democrats.
&#8220;There is majority optimism in the country about the next four years with Donald Trump as president,&#8221; Anthony Salvanto explained, showing a graphic of the poll results that said 60% were optimistic about Trump&#8217;s second term.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A majority of Americans say they are optimistic about Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, a CBS News poll finds one day before the president-elect&#8217;s inauguration, with high expectations for the economy after he returns to office.<a href="https://twitter.com/SalvantoCBS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SalvantoCBS</a> breaks down what we&#8217;re seeing: <a href="https://t.co/wXABLCOVNc">pic.twitter.com/wXABLCOVNc</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1881039442477232421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>DOGE Musk Be Stopped!</h4>
By February, nearly all of the new Trump administration hit the ground running — save for a few nominations <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-complains-bondi-isnt-doing-the-job-his-party-is-blocking-her-from-getting">held up</a> in the Senate. That group included billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, with Trump&#8217;s full support, spearheading efforts to streamline the federal government via the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-this-sudden-move-toward-government-accountability-doge-musk-be-stopped">dove in headfirst</a>, playing up the &#8220;chaos and confusion&#8221; caused by DOGE&#8217;s efforts, emphasizing details such as how much &#8220;access&#8221; to sensitive information DOGE employees must have in order to complete their tasks.
Raddatz had help from Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who claimed, &#8220;I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly, since Watergate. The president is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly, since Watergate,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy tells <a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a>.
“The president is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes.” <a href="https://t.co/XbLNUK9FRE">https://t.co/XbLNUK9FRE</a> <a href="https://t.co/mzJMn0uscV">pic.twitter.com/mzJMn0uscV</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1888596549212443075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Murphy did not, however, endeavor to explain what was corrupt about suggesting that the American people should not be forced to fork over tax dollars to fund Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Central and South America or build electric cars for Vietnam — just a few of the wasteful items uncovered by DOGE employees.
The Connecticut Democrat even suggested that &#8220;full-scale&#8221; opposition to Musk and DOGE was not only reasonable but necessary: &#8220;You cannot just rely on the court system when the challenge to the Constitution and the billionaire takeover is so acute and so urgent.&#8221;
The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser also weighed in, asking, “How is it possible that one unelected billionaire, the richest man in the world, can unilaterally do that without any process?”
To date, according to the DOGE website, the department has uncovered some $214 billion in savings, which amounts to more than $1,200 per taxpayer.
<h4 class="css-12aqo6z e1a9f8qs0">Beat The Press</h4>
In May, President Trump sat down for an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-trump-takes-on-nbc-anchor-in-combative-meet-the-press-interview">interview</a> with NBC’s Kristen Welker, moderator of &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; and he routinely pushed back on the framing of her questions.
Welker asked about the economy, pressing Trump to say whether or not Americans were still living in the Biden economy or in his — and he threaded the needle carefully, noting that some policies would give noticeable effects more quickly than others.
&#8220;I think certain aspects of it are. Costs are. I was able to get down the costs, but even that, it takes a while to get them down but we got them down good. … We lost $5-6 billion a day [on trade] with Biden — $5-6 billion. And I’ve got that down to a great number right now in a record time.&#8221;
True to form, NBC published a piece on the interview stating that Trump had claimed ownership of the &#8220;good parts&#8221; of the economy while blaming Biden for the bad.
Welker pressed Trump on whether or not he believed everyone in the United States — whether citizen or not — was entitled to due process and the right to plead their case before a judge, and Trump’s reply was simple: “I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer.”
&#8220;We have thousands of people … some of the worst, most dangerous on earth — and I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it,” Trump added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;We have thousands of people &#8230; some of the worst, most dangerous on earth — and I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/uNJESyWas1">pic.twitter.com/uNJESyWas1</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1919022289397452899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h4>They Really Can’t Help It, Can They?</h4>
In September, the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus prompted President Trump to issue one of the first public statements mourning his friend. He later took the stage at Kirk’s memorial, expressing sorrow and anger before a crowd of thousands.
Charlie’s widow, Erika, also spoke at the memorial service, where she said she had forgiven the man responsible for murdering her husband and leaving her two children without their father: “That young man, that young man. On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Erika Kirk forgives the man who murdered her husband:
&#8220;My husband Charlie&#8230;he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life&#8230;that young man&#8230;
I forgive him.
I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Pd1yGRMRVw">pic.twitter.com/Pd1yGRMRVw</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1969893178393206823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On MSNBC (Now MS NOW), Ayman Mohideen praised Erika Kirk — but he used her speech to attack President Trump for taking a different route.
&#8220;There is that disconnect between the grief that a mother who is just going to bury her husband, the father of her children, and a president who’s talking about the politics of this moment,” Mohideen complained. &#8220;And I think that’s what my takeaway was from that speech, you know, the opportunity for the president to try to heal and bring the country, as many had hoped he would, and not doing it in the way that many people would expect a president to do.&#8221;
On CNN, former Democratic National Committee comms director Xochitl Hinojosa gave essentially the same assessment: &#8220;I think in times like this, especially when there is political violence, you need the president, regardless of who it is, to bring the country together. And that has not happened. This was an opportunity for Trump to do that. He did not take that opportunity. The person who really did that was Erika Kirk.&#8221;
<h4>Jay Who? Sunday Shows Ignore Virginia AG Scandal</h4>
When a text scandal plagued Attorney General-elect Jay Jones (D-VA) in October, legacy media outlets all but ignored it — a move that likely aided him in coasting past incumbent and Trump-ally Attorney General Jason Miyares (R-VA) in November.
After the scandal broke, the topic was only discussed on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; — and even then, it was not the show&#8217;s host who made it a topic of discussion. Marc Short, who served as Former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, brought it up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BONKERS. Neera Tanden excuses Virginia Democrat AG candidate Jay Jones calling for the assassination of a Republican leader and his kids as just merely just a “private conversation.”
Utterly disgraceful. 🤡🤡🤡🤡 
<a href="https://t.co/N5KEyFZHPU">pic.twitter.com/N5KEyFZHPU</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1974871008147616176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Can we stop with the pearl-clutching about the mean tweets and the sombrero tweets?” he asked. “This week it came to light that a Democrat candidate for attorney general in the state of Virginia called for the assassination of a political opponent, called for the assassination of that political opponent’s family, and there’s not one national Democrat calling for him to step aside — not one! It’s disgraceful.”
Kristen Welker prompted Neera Tanden, who worked in the Biden White House, to then weigh in, and she almost immediately pivoted to suggest that Trump was worse.
“I mean, I absolutely think people should criticize that, 100%,” Tanden said. &#8220;I think it was a private conversation he had, but still awful and disgusting … it should be condemned, but then we should condemn that, but then you should condemn when the president calls the Democratic Party the ‘party of satan.’”
Short mentioned the Jones scandal in light of so many Democrats engaged in a public meltdown over a few memes featuring House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) with a fake mustache and a sombrero.
Vice President JD Vance also pushed back on efforts to scuttle the story, saying, &#8220;The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages. I&#8217;m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race.&#8221;

President Trump Delivers Remarks In North Carolina

Spin Cycle: Five Times The Legacy Media, Trump Battled For Narrative Control In 2025

ABC News

CBS News

Donald Trump

Legacy Media

Media

NBC News

Politics

Marina Zenovich, the director of the upcoming documentary “I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not,” said she felt relieved when the actor made a snarky remark early in filming.
Zenovich <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/im-chevy-chase-youre-not-cnn-doc-snl-community-1236618483/">told</a> Variety that she wanted to explore Chase’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-chevy-chase-really-that-terrible-either-way-he-doesnt-care">notoriously bad reputation</a> in Hollywood, noting that multiple colleagues have gone on record describing him as mean and hard to work with. She said an early exchange with Chase gave her the opening she was looking for.
At the very beginning of the documentary, Zenovich can be heard off-camera telling Chase, “I’m just trying to figure you out.”
“No sh**. It’s not going to be easy for you,” he replied.
“Why is it not going to be easy?” Zenovich asked.
“You’re not bright enough. How’s that?” Chase said, then smiled. 
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
“I’d never done an interview where someone was so rude to me,” Zenovich told Variety, saying she was relieved he behaved that way. “But I was so worried going into that first interview with him about how I was going to say to him, like, ‘Everyone thinks you’re an a**hole.’ I thought if I did, he would throw me out of his house. So the minute he said that to me, I had a way in.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Comedy Icon Unfiltered | “I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not” Official Trailer | CNN" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIHEjXEI-l0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“I wanted to figure out who was the real person behind the conflicted, guarded and somewhat fragile man we see on camera,” the director continued. “What was behind the surface of his slightly intimidating superstar bravado? Was there any self-awareness there? Having interviewed Chevy at length, I have to say that yes, it’s all there – and a whole lot of pain and heartache too.”
While many of Chase’s co-stars refused to be interviewed for the documentary, including almost everyone involved in the NBC sitcom “Community,” several shared insights. Zenovich spoke with the actor’s friends and family, as well as celebrities including Mike Ovitz, Dan Aykroyd, Beverly D’Angelo, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds, and Martin Short.
The documentary airs on CNN on January 1. It explores Chase&#8217;s career, beginning with his breakout role on “Saturday Night Live” and on through three failed marriages and drug addiction.

Chevy Chase

‘You’re Not Bright Enough’: Chevy Chase’s Snark Sets Tone For New Documentary

Celebrities

Documentaries

Entertainment

U.S.

Legacy media hosts spent a good part of Sunday morning discussing the hundreds of thousands of pages of photos and documents — all related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — that were released to the public on Friday.
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.
Nearly all of them were concerned that too much information had been redacted, and some were also complaining that the document dump — despite its volume — did not account for the remainder of the information that had been covered under the Epstein Transparency Act.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — who can be counted among the majority of Democrats who exhibited zero interest in releasing the Epstein files when his party had control of the House, the Senate, and the White House — joined ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl on &#8220;This Week&#8221; to complain about the fact that not everything was released on Friday.
&#8220;I think there needs to be a full and complete explanation and then a full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reacts to the partial release of the Epstein files: “I think there needs to be a full and complete explanation and then a full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required.” <a href="https://t.co/edYpn3KR1k">pic.twitter.com/edYpn3KR1k</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2002753628575015170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) suggested that it was a mistake to release any of the files if they were not going to release everything at once: &#8220;Any kind of indication that there&#8217;s not a full reveal on this will just plague them for months and months more. So my suggestion would be, give up all the information, release it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Paul calls the partial release of the Epstein files “a big mistake” for the administration: “Any kind of indication that there&#8217;s not a full reveal on this will just plague them for months and months more. So my suggestion would be, give up all the information, release it.” <a href="https://t.co/ezw1nuZJ40">pic.twitter.com/ezw1nuZJ40</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2002766554379800837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CBS News, &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; guest Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) claimed that the Justice Department was &#8220;flouting the letter and the spirit of the law&#8221; with the Friday document dump because it was incomplete and because it was so heavily redacted.
&#8220;I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied,&#8221; Massie said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Department of Justice is “flouting the spirit and the letter of the law” with its initial release of thousands of new records related to Jeffrey Epstein that include heavily-redacted pages, says Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). He tells @margbrennnan the Trump administration’s… <a href="https://t.co/05MgVtIqrf">pic.twitter.com/05MgVtIqrf</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002811224153633040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;They sent a six-page memo to Congress and they cited pre-existing laws as reasons that they weren&#8217;t going to follow our law,&#8221; Massie added, claiming that he knew of a number of men accused of sex crimes related to Epstein whose names were not included in the released documents, and was unsure as to whether they&#8217;d ever be released.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) says he has been told of at least 20 men accused of sex crimes known to the FBI related to Jeffrey Epstein, but tells <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> he didn’t see the names in the files the Justice Department has released so far and isn’t optimistic they’ll ever be… <a href="https://t.co/xInQWaxKOD">pic.twitter.com/xInQWaxKOD</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002812237052801150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Khanna suggested that Congress could hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt over the release, adding, &#8220;I believe we’re going to get bipartisan support in holding her accountable and a committee of Congress should determine whether these redactions are justified or not.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) say they’ll take action against the Trump administration for its partial release of the Epstein files, including using Congress’ inherent contempt powers against Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“I believe we’re going to get bipartisan… <a href="https://t.co/0kBoVdCA9V">pic.twitter.com/0kBoVdCA9V</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002812622324785652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
One of the storylines a number of them fixated on came from early reports that suggested a number of the redactions were made to protect not just victims but people who were considered to be politically connected. This narrative picked up steam quickly as it was revealed that a handful of the photos that were released in Friday were quickly pulled down — a move that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said was made out of concern that some of the women in the photos might need to have their identities redacted.
Of course, the fact that one of the photos appeared to include President Donald Trump quickly became media fodder as well, and host Margaret Brennan asked Khanna about that directly.
&#8220;I am less concerned about that photo,&#8221; Khanna said of the Trump photo. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know the facts. My concern is the major documents that we know are out there that haven&#8217;t been released.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
When asked about 15 images being pulled down from the Justice Department&#8217;s Epstein files website, including a photo of a drawer with a picture of President Trump, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) says, “I am less concerned about that photo.”
“I don&#8217;t know the facts. My concern is the major… <a href="https://t.co/P3ivwYLeRu">pic.twitter.com/P3ivwYLeRu</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002813144784134144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; NBC anchor Kristen Welker asked Deputy AG Todd Blanch directly about the Trump photo — and asked whether any of the redactions had been done because of potential embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.&#8221;
Blanche&#8217;s reply was simple: &#8220;Absolutely, positively not.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NBC: Has anything in the Epstein Files been redacted on that basis of &#8217;embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity&#8217;?
Todd Blanche: &#8220;Absolutely, positively not.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bwGtieJJgC">pic.twitter.com/bwGtieJJgC</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2002749527623876652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — who also showed no interest in releasing the Epstein files until President Trump won reelection — said that he was ready to pull out all the stops in his effort to ensure the Trump administration was held accountable for failing to issue a full and complete release.
&#8220;Everything is on the table,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Jamie Raskin: &#8220;Everything is on the table&#8221; to force DOJ to release all Epstein files <a href="https://t.co/cIYBzVrZjm">pic.twitter.com/cIYBzVrZjm</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2002775268793241749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Patrick McMullan Archives

Spin Cycle: The Epstein And [Redacted] Files

Alan Dershowitz

Ghislaine Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten had to chuckle on Thursday morning when he looked at the latest poll numbers concerning whether or not the American people approve of the actions of Democrats currently in Congress.
Enten shared the grim news with anchor Kate Bolduan, noting that Democrats were going into a midterm year with dismal approval ratings — and attributed at least some of the disfavor to the recent government shutdown that ended without Democrats getting any of the things they&#8217;d set out to gain.
Enten shared video of the breakdown via X on Thursday, saying, &#8220;Cong Dems now have a -55 net approval, an all-time low &amp; lower than the Dead Sea. 2 causes: Dems gives them a -6 pt net approval(!), &amp; they&#8217;re at -61 pts with indies! The effect? Dems lead on the generic ballot is less than half of what it was at this [point] in the 06 &amp; 18 cycles.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Cong Dems now have a -55 net approval, an all-time low &amp; lower than the Dead Sea.
2 causes: Dems gives them a -6 pt net approval(!), &amp; they&#8217;re at -61 pts with indies!
The effect? Dems lead on the generic ballot is less than half of what it was at this pt in the 06 &amp; 18 cycles. <a href="https://t.co/Os17D7BkHR">pic.twitter.com/Os17D7BkHR</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2001663474015916278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea,&#8221; Enten began, laughing a bit as he added, &#8220;The net approval rating for Democrats in Congress? &#8230; The lowest ever. Look at this! Overall, they are 55 points underwater. Their approval rating is south of 20%. It’s even worse when you look at independents. Look at this: -61 points! That means that their approval rating is 61 points lower than their disapproval rating!&#8221;
&#8220;Quinnipiac has been polling this question for the better part of the 21st century. They have never found Democrats, at least those in Congress, in worse shape than they are right now,&#8221; Enten added.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The longtime data analyst went on to say that the biggest problem for Democrats was that some of the decline in their popularity was coming from voters in their own party.
&#8220;This is Democrats on Democrats!&#8221; he exclaimed, and pointed out that Congressional Democrats had been up 22 points with their own voters in October — and had plummeted to -6 in just one month&#8217;s time. &#8220;That’s a 28-point decline! Falling through the floor!”
Enten attributed the dramatic shift to the shutdown and the fact that Democratic voters had not been happy with the way the shutdown had turned out — and he said that while he thought it was still possible for Democrats to turn the ship around and win control of the House in 2026, it wasn&#8217;t something they should take for granted.
&#8220;When you have numbers like this, hold the phone just a second,&#8221; he warned.

House Minority Leader Jeffries Holds Capitol Hill Press Conference

Even CNN’s Data Guru Has To Laugh As Dems Hit Lowest Approval Numbers Ever

Democrats

Harry Enten

Polls

The world reeled on Sunday with news of one deadly shooting at Rhode Island&#8217;s Brown University and another at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia — and somehow, Democrats tied both to President Donald Trump and American firearm policies.
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.
The two attacks, based on multiple reports, could not be more different aside from the method used to carry them out.
At Brown University, a masked gunman barged into a classroom where students were reviewing for an economics exam and opened fire, killing two and wounding several others. Initial reports stated that the suspect &#8220;shouted something&#8221; but it was not clear what. The suspect fled the scene, but local authorities and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbis-patel-promises-all-out-24-7-campaign-to-deliver-justice-after-brown-university-shooting">FBI Director Kash Patel</a> announced that a &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/officials-detain-person-of-interest-in-deadly-brown-university-shooting">person of interest</a>&#8221; was apprehended within a matter of hours.
On the other side of the world, in Australia, at least two suspects opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney&#8217;s Bondi Beach. They killed at least 15 and wounded others. One of the shooters was briefly interrupted when a civilian charged him, wrestled his firearm away, and then held him at gunpoint. He eventually was able to run to where he&#8217;d stashed another firearm, and immediately started shooting again.
In an interview with Ali Velshi that aired on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) addressed both shootings.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ilhan Omar asked about shoot*ngs at Brown and in Australia on MSNOW:
&#8220;It is a tragedy that this has become a normal occurrence not just in the United States&#8230;&#8221;
“…but now seeing it in Australia, who&#8217;s worked really hard to create gun prevention laws to prevent the kind of… <a href="https://t.co/oatZmnVUX5">pic.twitter.com/oatZmnVUX5</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/2000291864029839661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This is yet another bad day for America,&#8221; Velshi prompted.
&#8220;Yeah, we are still recovering from the shooting at Annunciation church,&#8221; Omar began, referencing a school shooting that had taken place just weeks earlier in her home state. &#8220;It is a tragedy that this has become a normal occurrence, not just in the United States but now seeing it in Australia who&#8217;s worked really hard to create gun prevention laws to prevent the kind of tragedy that took place today.&#8221;
Omar made no mention of the fact that the shooting in Australia had taken place in spite of that nation enacting the kind of restrictive gun laws that she and others within the Democratic Party would be only too happy to foist on the American people. She also gave no attention to the obvious motive in the Bondi Beach shooting, in which Australian Jews were targeted while celebrating Hanukkah together.
On CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-dem-wastes-no-time-blames-brown-shooting-on-donald-trump">Chris Murphy</a> (D-CT) laid the blame for the Brown University shooting at President Trump&#8217;s feet, claiming that he&#8217;d been engaging in an active &#8220;campaign&#8221; to promote more and more violence.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In the wake of the Brown University shooting, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy tells Dana Bash that President Trump &#8220;has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely in this country.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/FSSbCqWrRo">pic.twitter.com/FSSbCqWrRo</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2000272611067019336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It’s not shocking, because over the last year, President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country,” Murphy began, clearly insinuating that the Trump administration was encouraging violence.
“He’s restoring gun rights to felons and to people who have lost their ability to buy guns, he eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Protection, and he has stopped funding mental health grants and community anti-gun violence grants that Republicans and Democrats supported in that 2022 bill,” Murphy continued.
“He has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely, and I think you’re unfortunately going to see the results of that on the streets of America,&#8221; he said.
Murphy was referencing a rule proposed by Trump&#8217;s Justice Department in July – a rule that would allow certain people with criminal records to have their Second Amendment rights restored, but only after they were evaluated to ensure that they did not actually pose a risk to others.
CNN anchor Dana Bash pressed Murphy on that assertion, saying, “That’s a pretty big statement, he’s in a campaign to make violence more likely?”
&#8220;Of course! I mean, he’s knowingly restoring gun rights to dangerous people. He is cutting off grants that have bipartisan support to try to interrupt violence in our cities, or to try to get necessary mental health resources to families and children in need,” Murphy claimed. “The evidence tells you that when you stop funding mental health, when you stop funding community anti-gun violence programs, when you give gun rights back to dangerous people, you are going to have increase in violence. That is knowable and that is foreseeable.&#8221;
On NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; Senator Raphael Warnock — who also supports restrictive gun laws — weighed in on the Brown University shooting and suggested that it had occurred because legislators had not done enough to limit access to firearms.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Any nation that tolerates violence like this year after year, decade after decade is broken and in need of moral repair. <a href="https://t.co/5q2d0rCZmG">pic.twitter.com/5q2d0rCZmG</a>
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorWarnock/status/2000288654241988745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We have to pray not only with our lips but with our actions,&#8221; Warnock told anchor Kristen Welker. &#8220;Any nation that tolerates this kind of violence year after year, decade after decade, in random places, on our college and school campuses, without doing all that we can to stop it is broken and in need of moral repair.&#8221;
Just hours earlier, Warnock made a similar comment in a post on X, saying, &#8220;Saddened by the tragic news of the shooting at Brown University. May God give peace to the parents and families of the victims, strength and courage to our country to do all we can to stem the awful scourge of gun violence.&#8221;

Spin Cycle: Dems Make Shootings Worldwide About Trump, American Policy

antisemitism

Australia

Gun Violence

Terrorism

Democrats and and their media surrogates have made it abundantly clear that they&#8217;re not going to let go of their chosen narrative surrounding War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Admiral Mitch Bradley, and how many strikes are necessary to neutralize the threat posed by Venezuelan narco-terrorists.
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.
A story that should have been on life-support by Sunday morning — published eight days earlier by The Washington Post — somehow still had legs. The initial story cited anonymous sources and described the scene that played out after SEAL Team 6 struck a boat that intelligence had identified as part of a drug-running operation.
According to the WaPo report, Hegseth issued a clear order: &#8220;Kill them all.&#8221; When the first strike left two survivors, the story alleged, a second order was given and another strike followed — this one taking out the remaining individuals on the scene.
What followed was a mad scramble for Democrats and media to take up the torch for those two survivors and give them the most sympathetic makeover possible. They were helpless, Democrats claimed, clinging to the wreckage of their boat and just hoping against hope that they might survive. Targeting unarmed survivors, they claimed, was nothing short of a war crime.
Over the following days, however, new reports added dimension to the story. ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz — who had helped sell the &#8220;helpless survivor&#8221; narrative just days earlier with &#8220;This Week&#8221; host Jonathan Karl — reported that the boat had apparently been disabled but not destroyed by the first strike. In addition, she cited sources who&#8217;d said the operators were in contact with the Judge Advocate General&#8217;s office in real time — and that because they&#8217;d believed the survivors were attempting to contact someone for help and salvage their illicit cargo, they were deemed lawful enemy combatants.
Still, the hosts of the Sunday morning shows brought in a whole new slate of guests, most of whom continued to hawk the war crimes narrative in any market where they believed it would fly.
On &#8220;This Week,&#8221; Rep. Adam Smith raised the question of land strikes in Venezuela, complaining that President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration — the War Department in particular — had not kept him and others in Congress in the loop.
&#8220;They have not kept us informed on this, they did not inform us of these strikes,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith tells George Stephanopoulos that he has not been briefed on the possibility of land strikes in Venezuela. Referring to the Department of Defense, he said: “They have not kept us informed on this, they did not inform us of these strikes.” <a href="https://t.co/K7SoJZoCdk">pic.twitter.com/K7SoJZoCdk</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1997701054511632452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Smith also called for the public release of video from the strike in question, claiming that President Donald Trump was trying to avoid doing so.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith calls for the release of the videos shown to lawmakers of U.S. strikes against one suspected drug boat on Sept. 2. <a href="https://t.co/AtDV1HPtg3">pic.twitter.com/AtDV1HPtg3</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1997698092397645930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Following the release of the Inspector General&#8217;s report — regarding Hegseth&#8217;s use of the Signal messaging app to share information about a strike on Houthi terrorists — Smith also suggested that the War Secretary wasn&#8217;t taking the right approach: &#8220;It&#8217;s perfectly okay to look back at past actions and say, ‘Yeah, I didn&#8217;t do that right.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith criticizes Sec. Hegseth’s response to the inspector general&#8217;s report on the alleged release of sensitive information on the Signal messaging app.
“It&#8217;s perfectly okay to look back at past actions and say, ‘Yeah, I didn&#8217;t do that right.’” <a href="https://t.co/eIjxnABn3b">pic.twitter.com/eIjxnABn3b</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1997682715890700594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CBS News, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) constructed what was supposed to look like a thought experiment, behind which he hid an attack on Admiral Bradley&#8217;s character.
&#8220;Anyone who has ever worked with Admiral Bradley will tell you that he has a storied career and that he is a man of deep, deep integrity. And frankly, I have no reason to doubt that,” Himes said before pivoting to wonder aloud whether Bradley might compromise that integrity under pressure. “What happens when an apparently good man like Admiral Bradley is placed in a context where he knows that if he countermands an order that he is perhaps uncomfortable with, it is very likely that he will be fired? It’s interesting to think about how a good man in that context maybe does something that if he weren’t in that context he might not do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On the alleged Venezuelan drug boat strikes, <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> asked Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/jahimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jahimes</a> (D-CT) if he has confidence in Admiral Bradley.
“Anyone who has ever worked with Admiral Bradley will tell you that he has a storied career and that he is a man of deep, deep integrity. And frankly, I… <a href="https://t.co/Lv7AhPQYa1">pic.twitter.com/Lv7AhPQYa1</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1997761860200771693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Himes also claimed that the people on the boats were likely low-level drug runners, meaning that the cartel bosses were not necessarily feeling the sting.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/jahimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jahimes</a> (D-CT) tells <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> he does not believe all the identities of those on the alleged Venezuelan drug boats are known. He says the U.S. strikes are hitting low-level operatives, not high-ranking cartel leaders, leaving the top figures in comfortable villas while… <a href="https://t.co/fec6gEQjI5">pic.twitter.com/fec6gEQjI5</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1997763814524096587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) used back on &#8220;This Week,&#8221; however.
Democrats &#8220;have such X-ray vision and clairvoyance that they know the intentions of narco-terrorists on boats, yet were so blind to see that they had a President for four years that was operating as a vegetable&#8230; Forgive me if I&#8217;m a little skeptical,&#8221; he declared.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenEricSchmitt</a>: Democrats &#8220;have such X-ray vision and clairvoyance that they know the intentions of narco-terrorists on boats, yet were so blind to see that they had a President for four years that was operating as a vegetable&#8230; Forgive me if I&#8217;m a little skeptical.&#8221; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/fgyMRbrnel">pic.twitter.com/fgyMRbrnel</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1997687852566737239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

President Trump And Pete Hegseth Address U.S. Senior Military Leaders At Quantico

Spin Cycle: Media, Democrats Still Mad At Pete Hegseth For Doing His Job

Military

Pete Hegseth

The Washington Post ran with an anonymously-sourced <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/">hit piece</a> claiming that War Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered Seal Team 6, when executing a strike against narco-terrorists in the Caribbean, to &#8220;kill them all&#8221; — and legacy media outlets fell all over themselves platforming guests who would question whether or not such an order, if given, was legal.
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.
Once the story began circulating on Saturday, Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1994552598142038358">addressed it directly</a>, saying, &#8220;As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.&#8221;
&#8220;As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be &#8216;lethal, kinetic strikes.&#8217; The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people,&#8221; Hegseth continued. &#8220;Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.&#8221;
The focus across media outlets was on what happened after the initial missile strike: operators watched a live feed that showed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of the boat. Then, according to The Washington Post&#8217;s report, a second strike was carried out in order to comply with the directive to &#8220;kill them all&#8221; — and the legality of that second strike in particular was where they focused the majority of the attention.
On ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abc-personalities-run-with-wapo-hit-piece-on-hegseth-ignore-war-secs-response">Jonathan Karl</a> brought in global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz to discuss the issue, and she questioned whether the second strike, reportedly carried out when the two survivors were not known to be an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; might stand in violation of the &#8220;rules of war.&#8221;
&#8220;Did those two men clinging to the side of the boat pose an imminent threat?” she asked, and she wondered aloud whether the order to strike a second time had been given with the knowledge that survivors were hanging on for dear life, and whether the lawyers had been consulted about the legality of such a strike.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Did those two men clinging to the side of the boat pose an imminent threat?”<a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a> weighs in on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean. <a href="https://t.co/qh5zs8hdWr">https://t.co/qh5zs8hdWr</a> <a href="https://t.co/alnukF1hlq">pic.twitter.com/alnukF1hlq</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1995139913990255102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Karl then set up Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) with the framing of the second strike as a &#8220;war crime.&#8221; Van Hollen agreed that it would certainly be a &#8220;war crime,&#8221; but only if one accepted the Trump administration&#8217;s assertion that the United States was, in fact, at war with the cartels.
&#8220;But it could be worse than that. If that theory is wrong, then it&#8217;s plain murder,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But even if you accept their legal theory, then it is a war crime.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I do believe that the Secretary of Defense should be held accountable for giving those kind of orders.”
Sen. Van Hollen comments on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean. <a href="https://t.co/CeUj71b7jA">https://t.co/CeUj71b7jA</a> <a href="https://t.co/eqaL76Vd4o">pic.twitter.com/eqaL76Vd4o</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1995153144502767839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) took the same position as Raddatz, arguing that he could not see how two men hanging onto wreckage in the water amounted to an &#8220;imminent threat.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s hard to believe that two people on a raft trying to survive would pose an imminent threat,&#8221; he said, but argued that he didn&#8217;t believe Hegseth would give an order to kill survivors after an initial strike.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Don Bacon on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean: “It&#8217;s hard to believe that two people on a raft trying to survive would pose an imminent threat.” <a href="https://t.co/Nh3a5IomlB">https://t.co/Nh3a5IomlB</a> <a href="https://t.co/NmxgtniEnp">pic.twitter.com/NmxgtniEnp</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1995159073562509713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CBS&#8217;s &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) argued that he was unsure of the legality of any of the strikes against narco-terrorists. &#8220;It’s time for Congress to rein in a president who is deciding to wage war on his own say so, which is not what the Constitution allows,&#8221; he said.
He also argued that a second strike &#8220;rises to the level of a war crime if it&#8217;s true.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) says the “shoddy” legal rationale the Trump administration provided Congress for its military strikes on alleged drug boats “was not at all persuasive that these are legal actions.”
“It’s time for Congress to rein in a president who is deciding to wage war… <a href="https://t.co/KrMKfTNhYb">pic.twitter.com/KrMKfTNhYb</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1995179682661081112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) claimed that he would have disregarded the order to carry out the second strike.
&#8220;I&#8217;m a guy who — I have sunk two ships &#8230; during the first Gulf War,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;I never in that situation questioned whether those strikes were legal. We were given an order to do this, it was a time of war.&#8221;
Kelly went on to say that he, like Kaine, questioned the legality of the strikes from the start.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: You mentioned that you were a captain in the Navy. If you received that order, would you have carried it out? 
KELLY: No. No. <a href="https://t.co/CngXyLvL1f">pic.twitter.com/CngXyLvL1f</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1995155167302353331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A second strike on top of that — particularly when the men in the water supposedly posed no immediate threat — would rise to the level of a &#8220;war crime,&#8221; Kelly said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Kelly: U.S. military carrying out second strike on a suspected drug vessel killing unarmed survivors &#8220;seems to&#8221; constitute a war crime. <a href="https://t.co/eTJl19bVxm">pic.twitter.com/eTJl19bVxm</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1995155407535260011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Big Weekend Show,&#8221; however, Marine Corps veteran Joey Jones pushed back and argued that an “imminent threat” does not always have to come in the form of guns pointed at American citizens.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 Joey Jones just ended the left with one quote:
“Spare me the tears over terrorists when you don’t cry over Americans who’ve died from them. Spare me the tears over terrorists when you didn’t have anything to say when President Obama droned American citizens.”
🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/6ISsgZkWzD">pic.twitter.com/6ISsgZkWzD</a>
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) <a href="https://twitter.com/ginamilan_/status/1994905288915521570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jones noted that if the survivors were able to radio others in their drug trafficking network, that could be just as grave a threat — and could also quickly result in men with guns showing up to defend them.

President Trump Attends Pentagon Ceremony On 24th Anniversary Of 9/11

Spin Cycle: WaPo Hit Piece Targets Pete Hegseth, And Legacy Outlets Fall In Line

narco-terrorism

According to CNN, a stunning 21% of Americans believe it is morally acceptable to have more than one spouse.
CNN analyst Harry Enten <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=558130&amp;utm_source=cliplist&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=cliplist20251126&amp;utm_content=story558130">discussed</a> with host Erin Burnett a new <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-issues-sweeping-defense-traditional-marriage-pushing-back-polygamy">doctrinal note</a> issued by Pope Leo defending traditional marriage. The pope wrote the note in response to African bishops who represent communities where polygamy is common.
“Monogamy is not simply the opposite of polygamy,” the note stated. “It is much more, and its deepening allows a conception of marriage in all of its richness and fertility.”
“We know the pope was responding in part to concerns from African bishops who are concerned about the rise of polygamy that they are dealing with. They had wanted this statement,” Burnett said, prompting, “What are the basics? Like why? Why do this now?”
“This pope is trying to make a real sort of statement,” Enten replied.  “But more than that, you know, it&#8217;s not just Africa where we see polygamy, you know, at high levels. In America, for example, the number of Americans in a polyamorous relationship, I was crunching some numbers, we&#8217;re talking upwards of nine million Americans in a polyamorous relationship. Now, I should point out it&#8217;s an estimate because it turns out there&#8217;s no exact poll asking this question. But when you sort of put the different estimates together, we think it&#8217;s about nine million people, which is a lot of folks.”
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
“Polygamy, polyamory for a while were taboo, right?” Burnett asked. “There were certain places where it would happen in this country that people would think, you know, but it became something that wasn&#8217;t very common. Is it now more morally acceptable?”
“Building a trend line as to how many people are in a polyamorous relationship now versus 20 years ago is a little bit difficult,” Enten answered. “But we do know that the percentage who say it&#8217;s morally acceptable is up like a rocket. I mean, you compare it to 20 years ago, we were talking about just 6 percent. Look at it now, 21 percent say polygamy is morally acceptable. Now, that is a rise of more than three times. “
“One in five,” he continued. “And that is led by younger folks where that percentage is over 30 percent. “
“I&#8217;ll tell you two things you don&#8217;t know,” he continued. “First off, ‘polyamorous.’ That word did not actually enter the English language until 1990. That is a very new word. Polyamorous becoming a new word. And more than that, you might think, okay, polygamy, you might think of the state of Utah, Mormonism. But in fact, the two states where that Google polyamorous relationships the most are actually Alaska and Oregon, not very religious states.”

Polygamist With His Wives

CNN: One In Five Americans Now Say Polygamy Is Morally Acceptable

Polygamy

Pope Leo

Social Issues

Several elected Democrats got together to make a video last week in which they openly encouraged members of the United States military to take matters into their own hands and subvert their Commander in Chief – but the real problem, as far as legacy media outlets are concerned, is that President Donald Trump didn&#8217;t take it quietly.
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.
The media personalities and members of Congress who appeared across Sunday morning&#8217;s political talk shows spent the majority of their time discussing Trump&#8217;s reaction to a video that featured Democrats — who had previously served in either the military or the intelligence community — wanting current service members that they could, and should, disobey any order from Trump that was &#8220;unlawful.&#8221; And although the video was light on specifics, it was heavy on the obvious insinuation that Trump either had or would issue such an order.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-urge-military-to-disobey-orders-from-trump-admin-trigger-accusations-of-insurrection">Trump&#8217;s response</a> to the video was entirely predictable: he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115582703277798715">lashed out</a> via his Truth Social platform, and the Democrats highlighted his reaction as proof that he might do exactly as they&#8217;d warned.
<blockquote>This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!</blockquote>
Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), along with Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Jason Crow (D-CO), appeared in the video — and several of them made the rounds on Sunday morning to talk about Trump&#8217;s reaction.
On ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; host Martha Raddatz began with the fact that Slotkin had been on the receiving end of death threats — and she immediately interpreted that as a reaction to Trump&#8217;s social media posts rather than to Slotkin&#8217;s participation in a video that, by multiple accounts, actively encouraged insurrection.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who appeared in a video telling veterans and national security specialists to “refuse illegal orders,” responds to President Trump’s social media posts accusing her and others of “seditious behavior, punishable by death.” <a href="https://t.co/66zaLl3hl4">https://t.co/66zaLl3hl4</a> <a href="https://t.co/Evo4BpF5cE">pic.twitter.com/Evo4BpF5cE</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1992601694731993358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When pressed, Slotkin did ultimately concede that Trump had not given an illegal order that she knew of — yet — but she maintained the warning was justified because the Trump administration&#8217;s actions against narco-terrorists had involved some degree of &#8220;legal gymnastics.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Slotkin tells Martha Raddatz that she is “not aware” of illegal orders made, but says that “there are some legal gymnastics that are going on” in the Trump administration’s recent moves in the Caribbean and Venezuela. <a href="https://t.co/0rBn756p75">https://t.co/0rBn756p75</a> <a href="https://t.co/eJMELd3Cx9">pic.twitter.com/eJMELd3Cx9</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1992606362124136570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Raddatz pointed to a concern voiced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who argued that making the video had been unwise: &#8220;You owe that to the men and women of the military to be specific about what you&#8217;re talking about &#8230; What theses senators and House members did was unnerving, and it was unconscionable to suggest that the President of the United States is issuing unlawful orders without giving an example.&#8221;
&#8220;It makes me incredibly nervous that we&#8217;re about to see people in law enforcement … get nervous, get stressed, shoot at American civilians,&#8221; Slotkin pushed back.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Slotkin says her “primary concern” is military use within the United States: “It makes me incredibly nervous that we&#8217;re about to see people in law enforcement … get nervous, get stressed, shoot at American civilians.” <a href="https://t.co/MFiqhccKmQ">https://t.co/MFiqhccKmQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/5UVWurZgi5">pic.twitter.com/5UVWurZgi5</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1992606620132499524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), an Army Ranger veteran, also got death threats and blamed President Trump on the CBS News Sunday morning staple &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221;: &#8220;It’s very disturbing stuff. When you have the President of the United States threatening to execute and to hang and to arrest using this rhetoric, people listen to it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Jason Crow says he is taking “seriously” the “very disturbing” death and bomb threats he, his family, and his office have received in the wake of President Trump’s rhetoric over the video to U.S. troops some Democratic lawmakers released.
“It’s very disturbing stuff. When… <a href="https://t.co/u42HpdcVTq">pic.twitter.com/u42HpdcVTq</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1992644625698279426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Crow defended the video by suggesting that even if an illegal order were to be issued, members of the military might not be ready to defy the Commander in Chief if Democrats did not take decisive action to groom them ahead of time.
&#8220;If we wait until the moment that he gives a manifestly unlawful order to a young soldier, then we have failed them. We have to start that conversation now and get people thinking about the distinction, which is what we did,&#8221; he explained.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“These, unfortunately, are some of Trump&#8217;s core supporters who are rallying behind the president, and they know better,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) says of the video released by House Republicans countering the one released by Democratic lawmakers telling U.S. troops they can refuse… <a href="https://t.co/N5y49Ky3BO">pic.twitter.com/N5y49Ky3BO</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1992646525437333857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) ignored the weight of his words — and the words of the others on the video — and claimed that Trump&#8217;s words attacking them carried such &#8220;weight&#8221; that he should hold his tongue.
&#8220;His words carry tremendous weight, more so than anybody else in the country, and he should know that,&#8221; Kelly said, also suggesting that Trump&#8217;s reaction to the video was the main concern.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) says President Trump’s rhetoric in response to the Democratic lawmakers’ video to U.S. troops is “very serious,” arguing the president should “understand what political violence is.”
“His words carry tremendous weight, more so than anybody else in the… <a href="https://t.co/X3AVXTVvex">pic.twitter.com/X3AVXTVvex</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1992647577641066902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) also pointed the finger at Trump, saying his words were, &#8220;reckless, inappropriate, irresponsible.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Republican Sen. Rand Paul condemns President Trump’s social media rhetoric over the Democratic lawmakers’ video to U.S. troops, calling it “reckless, inappropriate, irresponsible.”
“It’s not something that is helping the country heal wounds. I think it stirs things up, and… <a href="https://t.co/iGN6rs70rU">pic.twitter.com/iGN6rs70rU</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1992655240638677141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; Kristen Welker pressed Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) — who was not a part of the video — on whether or not she knew of a specific &#8220;illegal&#8221; order.
Klobuchar&#8217;s reply was vague: &#8220;If [a National Guard] commander were to tell [troops], hey, go out on the streets and do this and that, that&#8217;s not following the order that is in law. So I just use that example.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Welker: &#8220;Do you know what the specific illegal acts are that your Democratic colleagues were referring to?&#8221;
Klobuchar: &#8220;If [a National Guard] commander were to tell [troops], hey, go out on the streets and do this and that, that&#8217;s not following the order that is in law. So I… <a href="https://t.co/viCkHoAxMJ">https://t.co/viCkHoAxMJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qht2S09sNg">pic.twitter.com/Qht2S09sNg</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1992703489378586890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Spin Cycle: Democrats Calling For An Insurrection Wasn’t A Problem Until Trump Didn’t Like It

Spin Cycle: Democrats Calling For An Insurrection Wasn't A Problem Until Trump Didn't Like It

insurrection

Rep. Jasmine Crockett got pushback from CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins — and a warning from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin — when she threw maximum effort into damage control on Wednesday, doubling down on comments she’d made earlier in the day.
Crockett, on the House floor, had made an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jasmine-crockett-tries-to-drop-a-bomb-but-trips-over-the-wrong-jeffrey-epstein">attempt</a> to tie a number of Republicans — from former Utah Senator Mitt Romney to Zeldin, among others — to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but her gamble went sideways when it turned out she was talking about the wrong Jeffrey Epstein.
Collins cornered Crockett on the subject on Wednesday evening, noting that after she’d claimed “somebody named Jeffrey Epstein” had donated to numerous Republican campaigns, Zeldin had informed her that those donations were made by Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, whose only connection to the disgraced financier was an unfortunate coincidence with regard to his name. Crockett, when confronted, doubled down — and prompted Zeldin to fire off a warning in response.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Jasmine Crockett responds to Lee Zeldin saying he never took donations from that Jeffrey Epstein — but instead a physician who is also named Jeffrey Epstein — following her comments on the floor. <a href="https://t.co/ReN4IbTW6K">pic.twitter.com/ReN4IbTW6K</a>
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1991344433888129365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Collins showed video of Crockett, on the House floor, saying that her team had uncovered donations from “somebody named Jeffrey Epstein” to “Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin, George Bush, WinRed, McCain-Palin, Rick Lazio &#8230;”
“Yes, Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine,” Zeldin had replied at the time.
When prompted to respond, Crockett said, “Listen, I never said that it was that Jeffrey Epstein. Just so that people understand, when you make a donation, your picture is not there.”
She then blamed her mistake on Republicans, claiming they had not given her enough time to prepare, so she threw out that accusation to teach them a lesson about the dangers of making accusations without doing proper research first.
“And because they decided to spring this on us in real time, I wanted the Republicans to think about what could potentially happen because I knew that they didn’t even try to go through the FEC. So my team, what they did is they Googled,” she said. “And that is specifically why I said, ‘a’ Jeffrey Epstein. Unlike Republicans, I at least don’t go out and just tell lies. Because it was not the same one, that’s fine. But when Lee Zeldin had something to say, all he had to say was it was a different Jeffrey Epstein. He admitted that he did receive donations from a Jeffrey Epstein. So at least I wasn’t trying to mislead people.”
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a class="c-link" href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday" data-sk="tooltip_parent">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
Crockett went on to suggest that the Jeffrey Epstein in question could still potentially be the convicted pedophile: “Now, have I dug in to find out who this doctor is? I have not. So I will trust and take what he says, that it wasn’t that Jeffrey Epstein, but I was not attempting to mislead anybody. I literally had maybe 20 minutes before I had to do that debate.”
Collins appeared taken aback by Crockett’s argument, noting,  “Yeah, but people might see that and say, well, you’re trying to make it sound like he took money from a literal sex offender.”
“But I literally did not know,” Crockett protested, adding, “Within 20 minutes, you could not find that out, not from just doing a quick search on FEC. So, number one, I made sure that I was clear that it was a Jeffrey Epstein, but I never said that it specifically that Jeffrey Epstein because I knew that we would need more time to really dig in.”
Zeldin <a href="https://x.com/leezeldin/status/1991354913612267754">fired back</a> again, saying, “When you find yourself in a hole, it’s best to stop digging.”
He said that in addition to public FEC documents stating that the donor to his campaign was a physician, it was worth noting that the donations she was referring to had been made after the convicted pedophile had died by apparent suicide in a New York jail cell.

Gavin Houston

‘Stop Digging’: Lee Zeldin Hits Back When Jasmine Crockett Doubles Down On Jeffrey Epstein Flub

'Stop Digging': Lee Zeldin Hits Back When Jasmine Crockett Doubles Down On Jeffrey Epstein Flub

Congress

Jasmine Crockett

Kaitlan Collins

Lee Zeldin

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

Trump Just Beat The Last Three Presidents On One Key Issue

Barack Obama

Gaza

George W. Bush

Israel

Joe Biden

A handful of Republicans have broken with President Donald Trump on whether or not to release files related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — so naturally, they were the ones who got most of the airtime on Sunday morning&#8217;s political talk shows.
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.
Two of the loudest Republican voices with regard to releasing the files, a move largely opposed by the White House, are Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) — and as an added bonus, Trump had trashed both in insult-riddled social media posts just one day earlier. Massie appeared on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week&#8221; to discuss the situation, and Greene sat down with &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; anchor Dana Bash on CNN. The remaining airtime was largely filled with Democrats who, despite having zero interest in releasing the files when former President Joe Biden was in office, have been flooding the zone with demands that they be made public immediately.
On &#8220;This Week,&#8221; even the framing of the story was presented as an attack on President Trump. His call for Epstein&#8217;s ties to former President Bill Clinton were portrayed as a deflection at best and political retribution at worst — and Attorney General Pam Bondi was painted as an obedient lapdog rather than a public official doing her job. The only people whose comments on the issue were presented were Democrats or Republicans who viewed that investigation as politically motivated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The release of thousands of documents from Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s estate is sparking questions about the sex offender’s relationship with President Trump. <a href="https://twitter.com/marykbruce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@marykbruce</a> reports on the president’s response and pushback from longtime ally, Rep. Taylor Greene. <a href="https://t.co/g76EssDMR5">https://t.co/g76EssDMR5</a> <a href="https://t.co/9egecaZObI">pic.twitter.com/9egecaZObI</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1990065870609993949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Massie joined host Jonathan Karl to discuss whether or not the issue would even get a vote in the Senate, and Massie suggested that absent a vote called by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), senators could potentially force a vote by attaching the matter as an amendment to an unrelated bill.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I just hope John Thune will do the right thing.”
After championing a House vote, Rep. Thomas Massie tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonkarl</a> there are “other ways” the release of the Epstein files can be brought up for a vote in the Senate. <a href="https://t.co/DVClWBcAj0">https://t.co/DVClWBcAj0</a> <a href="https://t.co/V3uM3PvQwK">pic.twitter.com/V3uM3PvQwK</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1990069136223805484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Massie went on to say that he didn&#8217;t expect to see Donald Trump implicated by the release of the files, but that he would not be surprised to learn that the president was protecting people who might be. &#8220;I’ve never said these documents will implicate Donald Trump. I think he’s trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Massie says that he expects a “deluge” of House Republicans will vote to compel the release of the Epstein files: “I’ve never said these documents will implicate Donald Trump. I think he’s trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends.” <a href="https://t.co/DVClWBcAj0">https://t.co/DVClWBcAj0</a> <a href="https://t.co/fPhMYOYabf">pic.twitter.com/fPhMYOYabf</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1990069219791085663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) took the opposite approach, telling Karl that he absolutely expected to see Trump &#8220;seriously implicated&#8221; when the files were released. &#8220;This is most likely the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“This is most likely the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country.”
Sen. Murphy says that he believes President Trump is “seriously implicated” in the Epstein files, as the WH said that Epstein&#8217;s emails &#8220;prove absolutely nothing.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/jFXObPLHp1">https://t.co/jFXObPLHp1</a> <a href="https://t.co/JYCnKHSjwj">pic.twitter.com/JYCnKHSjwj</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1990078895178027281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CBS News, &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; host Margaret Brennan spoke with Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) – and he argued that the House should just vote to release the files and &#8220;get it over with.&#8221;
&#8220;Let’s rip the Band-Aid off and get it done. And I wish the president realized that. The more the White House pushes back on this, it just looks bad,&#8221; he said, arguing that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) — who has opposed voting to release the files — &#8220;realizes the train has left the station on this.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On the push to release the Epstein files, Republican Rep. Don Bacon says he thinks Speaker Johnson “realizes the train has left the station on this.”
“Let’s rip the Band-Aid off and get it done. And I wish the president realized that. The more the White House pushes back on… <a href="https://t.co/z4wr1N2zqf">pic.twitter.com/z4wr1N2zqf</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1990106814684254382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told host Kristen Welker that it was past time to release the files. He was far less concerned with having them made public just one year ago when Donald Trump was not the president.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/kwelkernbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kwelkernbc</a>. The Epstein class needs to go.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepThomasMassie</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mtgreenee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mtgreenee</a> are standing on Tuesday with survivors.
The vote is standing with forgotten Americans or the Epstein class. <a href="https://t.co/NNVhiRfhGw">pic.twitter.com/NNVhiRfhGw</a>
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/1990089764653985976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Greene told anchor Dana Bash that her support for releasing the files was what had led to Trump&#8217;s very public attacks on her — up to his Saturday Truth Social posts withdrawing his endorsement of her and threatening to support a primary against her.
&#8220;Unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files, and that is shocking,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I have no idea what&#8217;s in the files. I can&#8217;t even guess. But that is the question everyone is asking, is, why fight this so hard?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on why Trump is severing ties with her:
&#8220;Unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files, and that is shocking&#8230; I have no idea what&#8217;s in the files. I can&#8217;t even guess. But that is the question everyone is asking, is, why fight this so… <a href="https://t.co/lpepWLaBJO">pic.twitter.com/lpepWLaBJO</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1990096353788133671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Despite the accusations made against Trump — primarily by Democrats — the people closest to Epstein have all claimed that Trump would not be implicated in any wrongdoing related to his relationship with Epstein. Convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and late victim Virginia Giuffre both said under oath that Trump was not involved in anything illegal with regard to Epstein. In addition, Harvard professor emeritus — and Epstein&#8217;s former attorney — Alan Dershowitz has also denied Trump&#8217;s involvement in anything illegal.

Jeffrey Epstein/Donald Trump

Spin Cycle: The Epstein Files Ride Again

Menu

CNN