“Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl responded to leftist criticism after attending a charity event at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last weekend.
The 47-year-old actress was quick to defend her appearance at the Wine, Women &amp; Shoes annual fundraiser benefitting the no-kill animal shelter Big Dog Ranch Rescue. Heigl said her attendance was about &#8220;animal advocacy&#8221; and had nothing to do with politics.
It was Heigl’s first public appearance since 2024.
“Animals don’t vote,&#8221; Heigl said in a <a href="https://www.justjared.com/2026/03/11/katherine-heigl-is-directly-replying-to-many-instagram-comments-slamming-her-appearance-at-dog-rescue-event-at-mar-a-lago/">statement</a> to JustJared. &#8220;The only room they don’t like is the euthanasia room at a shelter. They are completely at the mercy of us, and they have no voice of their own.&#8221;
&#8220;This event was about animal advocacy — something that has always been deeply personal to me,&#8221; the actress continued. &#8220;Anyone who knows me knows that protecting animals is one of my greatest passions. My mother, Nancy, and I have spent years advocating for animals through the Jason Heigl Foundation. As a society, we should all come together to protect the voiceless and the innocent. This should not be a polarizing issue.&#8221;
Heigl also directly responded to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVwdl3Dkbbw/?hl=en">Instagram comments</a> from people who couldn’t believe she’d dare to visit a Trump property for any reason.
After she posted &#8220;animals don&#8217;t vote,&#8221; one commenter complained, &#8220;No, but if they did they would have better judgement than you!&#8221;
Heigl responded, &#8220;Just curious…what do you do that really matters…do you think comments on an instagram post matter to animals who have had humans pour gasoline on them and set them on fire? Who have had humans vote conservative or liberal but have been left to starve and suffer? Seriously…I’m very curious what you truly think matters to the voiceless and innocent…actions or just instagram posturing?&#8221;
The commenter went on: &#8220;There are so many amazing rescues to align yourself with that aren’t hosting events there — and so many ways to get involved that aren’t putting on a dress and drinking cocktails masquerading as helping.&#8221; 
&#8220;How are you so sure about that…have you been to any?&#8221; Heigl replied. &#8220;Have you donated a significant part of your income to anything? Anything you claim to care so much about? Have you done anything more than comment on what someone else is doing or not doing to your standard? Just curious…&#8221;
Other celebrities attending included famed dog trainer Cesar Millan, Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host who now serves as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and the charity&#8217;s co-founder, Lara Trump, per <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2026/03/11/lara-trump-katherine-heigl-jeanine-pirro-big-dog-ranch-rescue-mar-a-lago/89098185007/">USA Today</a>.
Heigl has not been openly political in the past. When asked about the presidential election in 2008, she said, “I don’t do politics. It’s not my forum, man, you know? I get annoyed.”

Katherine Heigl

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Katherine Heigl Defends Herself For Attending Mar-a-Lago Charity Event

Celebrities

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Florida

Hollywood

Lara Trump

Mar-a-Lago

U.S.

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher attempted to claim that President Donald Trump has largely been treated like any other president — but Lara Trump, the president&#8217;s daughter-in-law, stopped him in his tracks.
Maher spoke with Trump — the wife of President Trump&#8217;s second son, Eric — on his &#8220;Club Random&#8221; podcast, and she made the point that her entire family had been put through the wringer over almost a decade. Maher pushed back, arguing that it was simply a part of being a public figure — and that it may have been more pronounced simply because he was the President of the United States — but Lara Trump thought otherwise.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a> *ISN&#8217;T HAVING IT* when Bill Maher claims her family was treated just like other presidents&#8217; families🚨
TRUMP: &#8220;Our family has been scrutinized, attacked under a microscope — I would probably argue more than any family.&#8221;
MAHER: &#8220;Well, of course — because… <a href="https://t.co/GG7MCjjyoO">pic.twitter.com/GG7MCjjyoO</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1992952437729104264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Our family has been scrutinized, attacked under a microscope — I would probably argue more than any family,&#8221; Trump began.
&#8220;Well, of course — because your father-in-law is the president,&#8221; Maher pushed back.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not just that he&#8217;s the president — it&#8217;s that he&#8217;s Donald Trump as the president,&#8221; Trump argued. &#8220;They&#8217;ve gone after all of us in such an aggressive way.&#8221;
&#8220;They would go after anybody,&#8221; Maher was not convinced. &#8220;They didn&#8217;t go after Obama and Clinton in an aggressive way?&#8221;
&#8220;Not like this, Bill,&#8221; Trump insisted.
Maher still made it clear that he wasn&#8217;t buying it: &#8220;Oh, please.&#8221;
&#8220;Really!? When did you see Obama and Clinton&#8217;s residences, personal private property, raided by the FBI?&#8221; Trump asked. &#8220;When did they have indictments against them to put them in jail for the rest of their life that everybody can agree were a little outrageous, Bill? Like, really!?&#8221;
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>.
Maher agreed that the raid on Mar-a-Lago was probably &#8220;over the top,&#8221; but went on to say that if he didn&#8217;t want his bathroom raided, Trump &#8220;probably shouldn&#8217;t be keeping files in [the] bathroom.&#8221;
Eric Trump faced a similar line of questioning in early November when &#8220;The Daily T&#8221; host Tim Stanley asked, &#8220;Some of the siege that you faced — and I understand why it was very personal and distressing — can you accept that some of it was just people legitimately disagreeing with your father’s policies and using every lever available, as people generally do in politics, in order to push back?&#8221;
The president&#8217;s son said that he certainly understood some attacks would come with public life, but argued it was &#8220;different than raiding somebody’s house. That’s different than subpoenaing their children with the intent to literally try and bankrupt a company,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;That’s different than calling every financial institution and telling them to debank a person. That’s different than making up dirty dossiers saying that there were golden you-know-whats happening with prostitution when it was totally fabricated and paid by the opposition.&#8221;

US-REPUBLICAN-CONVENTION-PARTIES-ELECTION-POLITICS-VOTE

Bill Maher Says Trump Has Been Treated Like Any Other President. His Daughter-In-Law Disagrees

Bill Maher Says Trump Has Been Treated 'Like Any President.' His Daughter-In-Law Disagrees

Bill Maher

Comedy

Lawfare

Media

Politics

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of the president, has opted against running for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’s North Carolina seat, clearing the way for Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley&#8217;s candidacy.
Whatley is expected to announce his bid to replace Tillis within the next 10 days, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/24/whatley-senate-north-carolina-trump-00473419">Politico</a>. Trump, who served as co-chair with Whatley over the RNC last year, is expected to back Whatley and keep her weekend show on Fox News.
&#8220;After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time,&#8221; Trump posted to X on Thursday morning. &#8220;While I am not running in this election, my passion for Making America Great Again burns brightly, and I look forward to the future, wherever that leads.&#8221;
Tillis announced his intention to leave the U.S. Senate after voting against the One Big, Beautiful Bill, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump.
Before heading the RNC, Whatley led the Republican Party in North Carolina and is thought to have a solid understanding of the state’s electorate, as well as relationships with key power brokers and donors.
The president is expected to name his pick to replace Whatley at the RNC around the time the current RNC chief announces his bid for the Senate.
Whatley will likely face ​​former two-term North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who top Democrats have recruited to run for Tillis’s seat. Cooper is expected to announce his bid for the U.S. Senate next week, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/us/politics/michael-whatley-north-carolina-senate.html">The New York Times</a>.
Whatley earned the approval of the president during the 2020 election, when Whatley mobilized an army of poll watchers to keep tabs on election processes in North Carolina. The president won the state by slim margins in 2020 and 2024.
The president endorsed Whatley to head the RNC and replace former chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who had fallen out of favor with the president amid questions over her record of success leading the Republican Party. RNC members approved Whatley as the party’s head in early 2024.
Lara Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lara-trump-stepping-down-from-co-chair-role-at-rnc">stepped down</a> from the RNC in December amid speculation that she wanted to replace former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who joined the president’s cabinet as Secretary of State. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis later tapped his former state attorney general, Sen. Ashley Moody, to fill the seat.

Lara Trump, Michael Whatley

Lara Trump Steps Aside, Clearing Path For RNC Chairman’s Senate Bid

Lara Trump Bows Out Of Senate Run, Clearing Way For RNC Chairman

Elections

Michael Whatley

North Carolina

Republican National Committee (RNC)

U.S. Senate

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired back on Tuesday after former President Barack Obama issued a statement attacking her claims and those of President Donald Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe that Obama and his team manipulated intelligence to sabotage Trump’s first term.
“Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader,” Trump said. “Hillary Clinton was right there with him, and so was Sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them — [former FBI Director Jim] Comey, [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper, the whole group. They tried to rig an election, and then they got caught.”
Obama’s statement followed the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-receives-tusli-gabbards-criminal-referral-for-obama-russia-intel-controversy-report?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=30&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=DOJ+Receives+Tulsi+Gabbard%E2%80%99s+Criminal+Referral+For+Obama+Russia+Intel+Controversy%3A+Report">reportedly</a> confirming it had received a criminal referral from Gabbard. DNI files have shown that on December 7, 2016, an intelligence assessment reiterated that Russia did not interfere with the 2016 election infrastructure. Still, the next day, the editor of that assessment canceled the brief “based on new guidance.” The day after that, Obama convened the National Security Council principals and ordered a new assessment. On January 6, 2017, the new unclassified assessment was released.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,&#8221; Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush stated on Tuesday. &#8220;But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
“It’s the art of deflection, coming from Obama, as well as his friends, who are still in Congress today&#8230;really all basically saying that exact same statement, which doesn’t actually address the issue that was revealed in great detail in the over 100 documents that we released last week and the documents that we will be releasing later this week,” Gabbard told guest-host Lara Trump on Fox News&#8217;s Will Cain Show.
“The intelligence community had one assessment, that Russia did not have the intent or capability to try to impact the outcome of the U.S. election leading up to  Election Day,” she continued. “The same assessment was made after Donald Trump was elected by the American people as president in 2016 defeating Hillary Clinton. And it wasn’t until after that pulled president’s daily briefing document that you referenced that the Principals Committee was called and the National Security Council, and President Obama then directed his then DNI, James Clapper, to lead the effort to create this new intelligence community assessment.”
“Neither the message from President Obama’s office, neither the statements coming from Democrats in Congress today and their friends in the propaganda media, none of them are addressing this fact: that there was a shift, a 180-degree shift from the intelligence community’s assessment leading up to the election to the one that President Obama directed be produced after Donald Trump won the election that completely contradicted those assessments that had come previously,” she stated.
“You saw John Brennan, James Clapper and James Comey stated with high confidence this January intelligence community assessment that they drafted at the direction of President Obama,” she pointed out. “The fact is that they used already discredited information like the Steele dossier; they knew it was discredited at that time yet they used it as a source for this document that they claimed to have high confidence in. They used intelligence that some of these intelligence community professionals rejected previously because of the lack of credibility and the lack of the ability to vet with any kind of confidence whether or not that information or intelligence was accurate and could be used for an assessment.”
“There’s a long laundry list of facts and intelligence reporting that directly contradicts the statement coming from President Obama’s office and those who are trying to deflect away from what actually happened, which was after Donald Trump was elected, led by President Obama, there was an effort to create in a doc, a document that was created to serve as a foundation for what would be a years-long coup against President Trump, therefore trying to subvert the will of the American people who sent him to the White House in 2016,” she asserted.
“I’m very encouraged by the fact that we have whistleblowers coming forward who are intelligence community professionals who were there when this happened and who were disgusted by it and are heartened at the possibility and the hope that the truth will see the light of day,&#8221; Gabbard added.
“The most important thing is that the American people see accountability, which is why we are referring and have already sent all of the documents that we have currently and any others that we get in the future to the Department of Justice to bring about that accountability, to ensure that the integrity of our democratic republic exists,” she concluded.
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President Trump Presides Over Cabinet Meeting

Gabbard Fires Back At Obama After He Denies Guilt In Russia Collusion Hoax: ‘The Art Of Deflection’

Barack Obama

Direct of National Intelligence

Russia Collusion Hoax

Scandals

Tulsi Gabbard

With the signing of the Big Beautiful Bill in the rearview mirror, most media networks pivoted back to panicking over the tariffs that are set to &#8220;boomerang&#8221; back to the levels initially set by President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration by August 1 — but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took the opportunity to talk about where the Defense Department is headed under his leadership.
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.
Hegseth spoke with the president&#8217;s daughter-in-law on &#8220;My View&#8221; with Lara Trump, and he addressed the controversy over the recent strike on Iranian nuclear targets — carried out by the United States Air Force — in addition to laying out some of his goals for the military in the coming months.
One of the key points Hegseth brought up was how he saw President Trump giving him free reign to do what was best for American service members.
&#8220;I wish everybody could have the opportunity to watch how President Trump operates. How he truly puts America first in EVERY scenario,&#8221; Hegseth explained.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> joined <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a>
Sec. Hegseth: “I wish everybody could have the opportunity to watch how President Trump operates.
How he truly puts America first in EVERY scenario.” <a href="https://t.co/I4lIRXQ1n2">pic.twitter.com/I4lIRXQ1n2</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941667228530651559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As he has in previous statements, Hegseth addressed the military&#8217;s physical training standards, promising to deliver on his promise to raise the standards across the board. &#8220;We&#8217;re trying to set the standard and raise the standard,&#8221; Hegseth said, arguing that PT was &#8220;one of the most basic things&#8221; that the military did — and noted it didn&#8217;t matter whether the service members were male or female, their responsibilities would still be the same.
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OUR STANDARDS WILL BE HIGH. <a href="https://t.co/7NrjZpvsrg">pic.twitter.com/7NrjZpvsrg</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941669472013520967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth, a decorated Army National Guard veteran himself, jabbed at previous Defense Secretaries, many of whom were so far removed from the rank and file by the time they&#8217;d achieved that position that it often seemed they were out of touch with the troops they&#8217;d been charged with leading.
&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t that long ago I was in their shoes (our military), feeling like someone like the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Army, feeling like they are so detached they can&#8217;t understand,&#8221; Hegseth said, explaining why he made a point of doing PT with the troops as he traveled from base to base around the world. &#8220;I&#8217;ve tried to close that gap.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t that long ago I was in their shoes (our military), feeling like someone like the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Army, feeling like they are so detached they can&#8217;t understand.
I&#8217;ve tried to close that gap.” <a href="https://t.co/kqWvjvlfjG">pic.twitter.com/kqWvjvlfjG</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941672209367306579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump got a taste of what service members go through on a regular basis, joining the Defense Secretary in a PT session with the troops as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a> joined America&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> for PT <a href="https://t.co/QbfLT1tuIa">pic.twitter.com/QbfLT1tuIa</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941672426686812411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth took some of the time to talk about the recent strikes on Iran, saying that the overall success of Operation Midnight Hammer had shown &#8220;the skill and capabilities of the United States Military.&#8221;
&#8220;The rest of the world paid attention too,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Other countries noticed what America can do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a> &#8220;Walk us through what you can of this mission (Operation Midnight Hammer) and why it was so significant.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;It shows you the skill and capabilities of the United States Military&#8230;
The rest of the world paid attention to. Other countries noticed what… <a href="https://t.co/f4n8Il1Aj6">pic.twitter.com/f4n8Il1Aj6</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941673876246716600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump asked Hegseth about the legacy media reports that had undercut the mission&#8217;s success, citing Iranian sources that had claimed the nuclear targets had not actually been destroyed.
&#8220;They are so deranged by President Trump (the fake news) they HAVE TO FIND A WAY to undermine him,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> on the legacy media reporting of Operation Midnight:
&#8220;They are so deranged by President Trump (the fake news) they HAVE TO FIND A WAY to undermine him.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/BhLC3vr3E5">pic.twitter.com/BhLC3vr3E5</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941677809266491600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The overall message that Hegseth wanted to share was simple: President Donald Trump had American service members top of mind when he made decisions about what the military was going to do or how certain actions would be carried out.
&#8220;Watching President Trump make those decisions reveals again the core that everybody knows and loves about him. Which is that he puts America and Americans FIRST,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our warfighters can sleep at night knowing that their commander-in-chief has their back.
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;Watching President Trump make those decisions reveals again the core that everybody knows and loves about him.
Which is that he puts America and Americans FIRST.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/c9NRjyMTfh">pic.twitter.com/c9NRjyMTfh</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941675235176046798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As for his goals for the remainder of President Trump&#8217;s second term in office, Hegseth made it clear that he was keeping things simple: his plan, he told Trump, was to &#8220;keep going.&#8221;
&#8220;Driving change into institutions is a difficult thing to do,&#8221; he said, but noted that the military — across all branches — was already seeing a positive response to the changes in record-setting recruitment numbers. &#8220;There&#8217;s still resistance to change in certain places &#8230; Washington, D.C., can be very good at paying too much and taking too long. And if you have a businessman — which we do, as commander in chief — he has an expectation that we get it under cost and faster. So there&#8217;s a ton of work left to be done.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a> &#8220;What are your goals going forward over the next three and a half years?&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;KEEP GOING.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/5vOvxooTtz">pic.twitter.com/5vOvxooTtz</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1941678271805968803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Defense Secretary Hegseth Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee

Spin Cycle: While Most Pivot Back To Tariffs, Pete Hegseth Gives Update On Defense Priorities

Military

Pete Hegseth

Tariffs

Former Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said on Tuesday that she was grateful for journalist Jake Tapper apologizing to her months after a heated debate over former President Joe Biden&#8217;s mental acuity, but added that the CNN host&#8217;s change of heart &#8220;feels a little bit too late.&#8221;
Following the release of his book, &#8220;Original Sin,&#8221; which documents the cover-up of Biden&#8217;s decline in the White House, Tapper said he apologized to Trump for berating her after she pointed out Biden&#8217;s mental struggles during an interview in October 2020. Trump, the president&#8217;s daughter-in-law, confirmed that Tapper called her &#8220;about two months ago&#8221; to promise that he would go on TV to apologize. Trump said she appreciated &#8220;that he did keep his word.&#8221;
&#8220;He said, &#8216;I have this book coming out, and I know everybody is saying that I should apologize to you. I plan, whenever the book comes out, to go on TV and I will say you were right and I was wrong.&#8217; And I guess to Jake&#8217;s credit, he did that,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/lara-trump-reveals-story-behind-cnn-anchor-jake-tappers-a-little-bit-too-late-apology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
&#8220;I think the overarching thing here is that the damage is done,&#8221; she added. &#8220;We were so close to something so dangerous happening to this country. &#8230; And Jake Tapper saying that this is like a Watergate-level type of situation, now that he played a role in it, it feels a little bit too late to me. I do appreciate that he did keep his word, though, and has come out and said that I was right.&#8221;
During the October 2020 interview, which took place just weeks before the presidential election between Biden and Trump, Tapper pushed back against Mrs. Trump for questioning Biden&#8217;s mental acuity, arguing that Trump was exploiting Biden&#8217;s stutter.
&#8220;I think what we see on stage, Jake, is very clearly a cognitive decline,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;Ok &#8230; I think that you were mocking his stutter. And I think that you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody&#8217;s cognitive decline,&#8221; Tapper replied.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
&#8220;I&#8217;m not diagnosing him. What I&#8217;m saying, Jake, is that we can clearly see that Joe Biden is struggling at many times on stage, and it&#8217;s very concerning to a lot of people that this could be the leader of the free world,&#8221; Trump shot back.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Seems like a good time to remind everyone that in 2020 Jake Tapper, first, accused me of making fun of people with a stutter (an atrocious accusation) and then attempted to shut me down and ended our interview when I tried to warn people of Joe Biden’s very obvious cognitive… <a href="https://t.co/ZOxSGQP13J">pic.twitter.com/ZOxSGQP13J</a>
— Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump/status/1806420367415914571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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While on a media tour to promote his book earlier this month, Tapper <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6wrn09T30I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> British TV host Piers Morgan, &#8220;Knowing what we know now, and looking back on that interview, which I feel tremendous humility about, she [Lara Trump] was right, and I was wrong.&#8221;
&#8220;I did not see, in the moments he was having, I did not see that as cognitive decline,&#8221; he added.
Tapper has been blasted for publishing a book about Biden&#8217;s mental decline — an issue conservatives had been raising for years — after the former president left office.
&#8220;No matter how much he wants to come out now and say, &#8216;You know what, we&#8217;re going to start calling the shots like we see them actually now.&#8217; It&#8217;s too late,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t do this time and time again to people and continue to lie to people in the way they did and think that you&#8217;re going to get any different result. It&#8217;s the reason Donald Trump is in the White House right now.&#8221;

Jake Tapper/Lara Trump

‘Too Late’: Lara Trump Reveals More About Jake Tapper’s Apologetic Phone Call

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Legacy Media

Love him or hate him, we can’t ignore that when it comes to parenting, Donald Trump seems to be a pretty good father. The proof is evident in the behavior of his kids. Certainly, kids who have an ax to grind don’t act like his kids do.
First, adult sons and daughters who harbor deep anger toward a parent never speak highly of him or her, regardless of how famous they are. In fact, fame can be an ideal opportunity for angry kids to humiliate their parents. Trump’s older kids, Eric, Ivanka, and Donald Jr. don’t behave this way. In fact, they have no reason to publicly support their father so enthusiastically other than the belief that their father is a good and capable man. Sure, they may want to applaud him to further their own careers, but they don’t need to do this. They are each highly successful on their own. If they had lukewarm sentiments about their dad, they would at least fade into the background. But they haven’t. They have taken advantage of large public platforms to convince us that he has strong character and extraordinarily strong abilities to improve America. They wouldn’t do this if they believed that his intentions were other than altruistic. The fact that they have successfully convinced millions of Americans that he has what it takes to lead our country can only come from sincere sentiments.
Second, both his daughter-in-law and son-in-law are two of his most ardent supporters. How many in-laws boast about their father-in-law not only privately, but also publicly? Lara has no motive to boast other than genuine admiration and Jared could certainly stay silent.
When it comes to his business life, Trump puts his grown kids front and center. Fathers who want to dominate the spotlight, don’t do this. They own the public space and keep their adult kids in the background, in part, to avoid the risk that their kids will make derogatory statements about them. Trump takes the risk because he is confident they won’t humiliate or criticize him. He knows they will always support him.
When Trump’s older kids were young, he protected them from the paparazzi. He worked to keep his kids out of the spotlight until they wanted to jump into it of their own volition. His first three kids went away to school so that the press would leave them alone. Tiffany and Barron now enjoy that same privacy so they too can live their own lives. The president-elect could easily push all of them into the spotlight to make himself look like a good father, but he doesn’t. Eric, Ivanka, and Donald Jr., along with Lara Trump, put themselves in the public and political arenas to bolster President-elect Trump’s career.
When it comes to raising his family, Trump appears to have nothing to hide. Most fathers would be afraid to give their kids the freedom to say what they want about their dad. Who among us would have the confidence to give our kids such a large media presence to say whatever they want about us? Not me. Only a father who feels confident about the job he has done would do so.
Many divorced couples carry resentment and anger after their breakup with their spouse and psychologists know how damaging the animosity can be on the couple’s kids. Donald has kept his kids from a lot of pain by embracing friendships with his two ex-wives. And while Ivana Trump passed away in 2022, we still see photos of Marla Maples, Melania, and Donald standing together smiling for the camera at Tiffany Trump’s wedding.
The peculiar thing about the president-elect’s life is that he seems to have successfully split himself into two men: the father and the political genius. In his former role, he appears to have worked hard at having close relationships with his kids. To the best of his ability, he has tried to spend as much time as possible with them. This is no easy task when you are running a multi-million-dollar real estate empire and then while being president. Succeeding at both takes impossible time and energy and yet, with these challenges, he has somehow stayed close with his kids.
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The other side of Trump is hard to applaud. He has been accused of multiple incidents of sexual harassment and harmful sexual behavior toward women. He has admitted to being a poor husband at times, and his numerous public affairs with women confirm this. Good husbands don’t cheat on their wives or sexually harass other women. The peculiar part is that his five kids know this and still publicly support and encourage him. This occurs only because, in some genuinely incredible feat, Trump has found a way to communicate to his kids that being their father is a much higher priority than even being a husband, businessman, or politician. His life as a father is completely separate from his work life, and his kids must feel this. If they refused to forgive or ignore his deep flaws they would take every opportunity to denounce him on the worldwide stage.
Donald Trump is a complex man. He is both a good man and a villain. This is hard for people to understand. The truth is, however, that we are all complex beings. Like him, we are not simply good or evil, kind or cruel. We are both. Certainly, as a man, Trump has made poor decisions, and offended many people to the point where they despise him. But clearly, he has done something well when it comes to his kids. And their behavior is a testimony to his personal success as a father.
* * *
Meg Meeker, M.D., has spent more than thirty years practicing pediatric and adolescent medicine and counseling teens and parents. Dr. Meeker is a fellow of the National Advisory Board of the Medical Institute, and an associate professor of medicine at Michigan State School of Human Medicine. She is the author of the international best-seller “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Fathers-Daughters-Secrets-Father/dp/1621573303/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=">Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters</a>.”
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

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Five Reasons To Believe Trump Is A Good Dad

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Former Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lara-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lara Trump</a> said in a statement on Saturday night that she has decided to withdraw her name from consideration for replacing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the U.S. Senate after President-elect Donald Trump tapped Rubio to serve as his next Secretary of State.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she said in a statement posted to X.
“I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida,” she continued. “I have read so many of your kind messages and I cannot thank you enough.”
Lara Trump said that she had a “big announcement” planned that she will share with the public next month. It was unclear if the announcement was connected to the new incoming Trump administration.
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“I remain incredibly passionate about public service and look forward to serving our country again sometime in the future,” she said. “In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate.
I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our… <a href="https://t.co/ARdvTQki9N">https://t.co/ARdvTQki9N</a>
— Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump/status/1870600689287901423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Trump was asked last week if he thought that DeSantis would pick Lara Trump for the role, to which he responded, “No, I don’t.”
“Ron’s doing a good job, that’s his choice — nothing to do with me” Trump said.

US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

Lara Trump Bows Out From Consideration For U.S. Senate Seat

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Lara Trump announced this week that she is stepping down from her role as co-chair at the Republican National Committee (RNC) because she has completed the mission she set out to achieve.
&#8220;Serving as the @GOP co-chair throughout the course of the most consequential election in American history has truly been the honor of my life,&#8221; she said in a statement.
Lara Trump said that the organization&#8217;s goals during the 2024 election were to surpass all fundraising records, build the largest army of lawyers and poll watchers to ensure election integrity, and turn out millions of Americans and low propensity voters during early voting.
&#8220;We accomplished all three,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The job I came to do is now complete and I intend to formally step down from the RNC at our next meeting.&#8221;
&#8220;Thank you to our incredible team at the RNC, our amazing @ChairmanWhatley , and, of course, thank you to President @realDonaldTrump — we are so proud of you and I’m grateful you trusted me in this position,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Serving as the <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOP</a> co-chair throughout the course of the most consequential election in American history has truly been the honor of my life.
At the RNC, we had three distinct goals:
1) surpass all fundraising records
2) build the largest army of lawyers and poll watchers… <a href="https://t.co/bcHdDHhwQq">pic.twitter.com/bcHdDHhwQq</a>
— Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump/status/1865959195045920820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
Her decision to step down from the role comes as there has been speculation that she may want to be the replacement for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the U.S. Senate if Rubio is confirmed early next year to be the next Secretary of State.
In a statement last week, President-elect Donald Trump threw his support behind RNC co-chair Michael Whatley to continue serving as chairman moving forward.
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&#8220;Michael Whatley, from the Great State of North Carolina, has been with me since the beginning, and has done an OUTSTANDING and HISTORIC JOB in running the Republican National Committee with the fantastic Lara Trump!&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He is a smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented ELECTION INTEGRITY OPERATION that protected the Vote all across America, and a GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN that delivered the Votes we needed in every Battleground State.&#8221;
&#8220;I have asked Michael to return as Chairman of the RNC to continue to build our Party, and be a trusted partner as we Make America Great Again, and ensure Free and Fair Elections,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Republicans everywhere should support him as he continues his mission at the RNC. Thank you for your hard work, Michael!&#8221;

Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally At Madison Square Garden In NYC

Lara Trump Stepping Down From Co-Chair Role At RNC

Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said over the weekend that more than 100,000 people attended former President Donald Trump&#8217;s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Lara Trump made the remarks about the historic event, a former president and presidential nominee returning to the site where just three months earlier he was shot by a would be assassin, during a Sunday interview on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
&#8220;It really was a beautiful moment yesterday in Butler,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And I think it was really important in terms of healing for this country. I don&#8217;t think any of us will forget, whether you love Donald Trump or not, where you were when you found out what had happened to him on July 13. And that&#8217;s a traumatic thing to happen to a country.&#8221;
She said that she sat next to the wife and two daughters of Corey Comperatore, the man who was killed when he was struck by a bullet as he used his body to shield his family.
&#8220;And I can tell you, when we got off the plane yesterday, I was a little bit emotional, and I got to sit right next to Helen Comperatore, Corey Comperatore&#8217;s widow, and his two daughters,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And it was a really beautiful tribute. And I think it was important for Donald Trump to go back and create new memories for the people of Butler, Pennsylvania.&#8221;
&#8220;And that&#8217;s exactly what you saw yesterday,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I can tell you there were over 100,000 people at that rally there last night. I have never seen a crowd like that. You couldn&#8217;t even see standing on the stage how far back the audience went.&#8221;
She said that the election was going to come down to whether people wanted to go back to a time where they were better off economically and the country was safer both domestically and on the global stage.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
RNC CO-CHAIR <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a>: It was a beautiful moment in Butler. I think it was important in terms of healing for this country.
I think it was important for Donald Trump to go back and create new memories for the people of Butler, Pennsylvania. <a href="https://t.co/2g17ebN0r6">pic.twitter.com/2g17ebN0r6</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1842933795894227083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2024</a></blockquote>

Lara Trump: More Than 100,000 Attended Trump Rally In Butler

assassination attempt

Pennsylvania

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has filed voting-related lawsuits in two different states, Michigan and North Carolina, in a matter of days.
The RNC, run by chairman Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump, is suing the city of Detroit, over a &#8220;deliberate&#8221; refusal to hire an equal number of Republican election inspectors as Democrat election inspectors.
In a suit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), the RNC is seeking to force the board to require identification to prove a potential voter&#8217;s citizenship. RNC officials say the suit is necessary to comply with federal law and keep non-citizens from voting.
The RNC said in a press release sent to The Daily Wire that Michigan law requires election officials to hire an “equal number, as nearly as possible,” of poll workers from each major political party. The GOP nominated 675 election inspectors, but Detroit only appointed 52 of them; in contrast, the city has hired over 2,300 Democrat election inspectors.
&#8220;A ratio of 7 Democrats to every one Republican inspector is not even close to equal,&#8221; the RNC release said.
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“Detroit’s failure to hire Republican poll workers is the kind of bad-faith Democrat interference that drives down faith in elections,&#8221; Whatley said. &#8220;The RNC is bringing suit to remedy this completely unacceptable breach of public trust and our unprecedented election integrity campaign will continue to fight in Michigan and nationwide to protect the rights of every voter to have fair, accurate, secure and transparent elections.”
In the North Carolina suit, the RNC claims the NCSBE is violating the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). A past voter registration form the NCSBE used did not include HAVA-required identification information and NCSBE eventually corrected the noncompliant form.
However, the RNC says about 225,000 people in the state have been registered without the HAVA-required information due to the past form, and NCSBE has refused to reach out to those voters to acquire the necessary identification.
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&#8220;The NCSBE has once again failed in its mandate to keep non-citizens off the voter rolls, fueling distrust and jeopardizing our elections,&#8221; Whatley said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire. &#8220;We are committed to the basic principle – and commonsense law – that only Americans decide American elections.&#8221;
&#8220;Deliberately failing to follow the law, right before our country’s most important election, is inexcusable,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We will fight every day to ensure that NCSBE follows the law, cleans the voter rolls, and protects the vote for North Carolinians.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-allows-part-of-arizona-election-integrity-law-take-effect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court Allows Part of Arizona Election Integrity Law To Take Effect</a>

RNC Files Voting-Related Lawsuits In 2 States: ‘Hiring 7 Times As Many Dems’

Michigan

Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said on Tuesday night that the verdict in the Hunter Biden gun trial was a distraction from much more serious corruption in President Joe Biden&#8217;s family.
A federal jury convicted Hunter Biden, 54, on all three felony counts that he faced in his criminal firearm trial, including lying to a federally licensed firearms dealer, making a false claim on a federal firearms background check form, and being in possession of an illegally obtained firearm. Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines.
&#8220;Everybody knows what this trial with Hunter Biden was about,&#8221; Lara Trump said. &#8220;This is about smoke and mirrors, this is the red herring, this is a distraction from what you&#8217;ve talked about the entire show, which is that it&#8217;s not just criminality we&#8217;re worried about with the Biden family. It&#8217;s national security. We&#8217;re concerned about, we need to know as American citizens, that when Joe Biden, as President of the United States, is making decisions for this country, he&#8217;s made decisions based on what&#8217;s best for the American people and not what&#8217;s best for the bank account of the Biden family.&#8221;
Lara Trump&#8217;s remarks reference the foreign business dealings that Hunter Biden engaged in while his father was vice president during the Obama administration.
&#8220;If you think back to when Donald Trump won the election in 2016, think about what our family business was: We were a private company that had real estate and golf courses around the world,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We were in international business originally. Yet, what did we do? We said, you know what, when he won, we&#8217;re not going to do any new international business deals. The opposite of that happened when Joe Biden became Vice President of the United States. That&#8217;s when the Biden family got into international business.&#8221;
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She also noted that the contents of Hunter Biden&#8217;s laptop were confirmed as authentic during the trial, describing it as a &#8220;treasure trove&#8221; of damaging information on the Biden family.
&#8220;The American people are demanding transparency,&#8221; she added.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
RNC Co-Chair <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaraLeaTrump</a>: The American people are demanding transparency on the Biden Crime family&#8217;s influence peddling schemes.
&#8220;It&#8217;s national security we’re concerned about.” <a href="https://t.co/maxCC7XE4h">pic.twitter.com/maxCC7XE4h</a>
— GOP (@GOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP/status/1800722699838488672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2024</a></blockquote>

Lara Trump: Hunter Biden Verdict ‘Is About Smoke And Mirrors’

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