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

Lara Trump

Marco Rubio

Politics

Republican National Committee (RNC)

U.S. Senate

The Department of State, established in 1789, is the oldest executive agency in the United States. Founded to handle foreign affairs, promote peace, and represent America’s interests abroad, it played a pivotal role under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State, in establishing the U.S. as a global leader for freedom and democracy during an era dominated by European monarchs and despots.
Today, the Department has dangerously drifted far from its founding mission. Thomas Jefferson would hardly recognize the institution — or the nation — it represents. Jefferson’s Department has succumbed to &#8220;woke culture,&#8221; undermining its effectiveness and jeopardizing America’s leadership on the world stage.
Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, stands poised to confront this destructive ideology and restore the Department’s focus on advancing national security and traditional American values. Senator Rubio has always been a staunch defender of American freedom, both at home and abroad, with a deep commitment to combating communist regimes, especially given his Cuban heritage. As the son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio understands firsthand the dangers of totalitarianism and the importance of standing against oppressive regimes. Rubio believes that America First means returning to the core principles of security, prosperity, and democratic values, rather than enforcing partisan <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/4976329-marco-rubio-foreign-policy/">ideologies</a>.
For years, the radical Left has sidelined traditional ideals like Senator Rubio’s in favor of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. Instead of championing democracy and reinforcing America’s foundational principles, diplomats have spent resources promoting drag theater performances in Ecuador under the guise of national <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-dept-defends-20k-grant-drag-shows-ecuador">security</a>. Rather than addressing serious threats like communism, our Cultural Officers promoted a film festival featuring incest and pedophilia in <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/the-state-department-used-your-tax-dollars-to-fund-a-film-festival-that-depicted-drag-queens-incest-and-pedophilia">Portugal</a>. The Biden-appointed U.S. ambassador to France has replaced portraits of American Founding Fathers with images of a transgender <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/us-ambassador-to-france-hides-embassys-historic-portraits-in-the-name-of-diversity/">activist</a>, a violent protester, socialist icons, and communists.
The obsession with promoting progressive social values has dangerously eroded America’s standing abroad. Adversaries like Communist China — likely amused by an ambassador swapping portraits of American heroes for communists — exploit this ideological preoccupation, bolstering their influence while the U.S. falls behind.
My personal experience attending events in Washington, D.C., with State Department officials underscores the problem. At these gatherings, I often spoke passionately about the hope many oppressed people place in America — those yearning for freedom from authoritarian regimes and seeking the basic human rights we often take for granted. After all, I saw it firsthand growing up under an oppressive government.
Instead of tackling critical global challenges, State Department representatives often steered our discussions toward their woke agenda, emphasizing progressive and ideological initiatives that mean little to oppressed populations seeking America’s leadership and support. I shudder to imagine how a younger version of myself would have felt if this had been America’s message to my family in the Soviet Union.
Consider the alarming juxtaposition of priorities: in 2022, the State Department issued an interagency strategy to promote LGBTQ+ rights abroad well before publishing the U.S. national security <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Interagency-Report-on-the-Implementation-of-the-Presidential-Memorandum-on-Advancing-the-Human-Rights-of-Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer-and-Intersex-Persons-Around-the-World-2022.pdf">strategy</a>. Meanwhile, China has increased its trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council, expanded its financial dominance in Africa and South America, and solidified security pacts in the Pacific — all without facing significant U.S. <a href="https://www.hudson.org/economics/understanding-countering-chinas-global-south-strategy-indo-pacific-john-lee">resistance</a>.
At home, the situation is equally troubling. Instead of addressing urgent threats like China’s rising power, resources are diverted to diversity recruitment and DEIA mandates. The Department’s Equity <a href="https://www.state.gov/equity/">Council</a>, with unclear authority and no oversight, prioritizes loyalty to progressive values over traditional standards like competence and integrity. Today, becoming a front-line diplomat for our country requires passing a stringent ideological test, focused more on woke credentials than on diplomatic skills.
This ideological drift undermines the credibility of our diplomacy. Foreign counterparts do not view America as a reliable partner when moralistic lectures replace constructive dialogue. For instance, reprimanding <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/vietnam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vietnam</a> for its cultural values while neglecting to address Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea is not just counterproductive—it signals a dangerous abdication of leadership.
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Inclusivity is a core American value, and sexual orientation or moral shaming should not be the focus of our diplomacy. Richard Grenell made history as the highest-ranking openly gay ambassador in U.S. history when President Trump appointed him as Ambassador to Germany. Despite his groundbreaking position, Grenell never made his sexuality a focal point of his diplomatic work or public persona. He focused on his role, advancing the President’s mission of America First, prioritizing U.S. interests. His appointment was a testament to the President’s recognition of his qualifications and leadership, not his sexual orientation. Abilities matter most, not identity.
The 21st century will be defined by America’s competition with the Chinese Communist Party, and winning that contest requires a State Department that prioritizes strategic interests over social crusades. The American electorate agrees: Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are the right people for the job. Until then, the Department is a grave risk to our national security—and America’s position in the world.
* * *
Karina Lipsman is a national security expert and visiting fellow at Independent Women’s Forum (<a href="http://iwf.org/">iwf.org</a>). She was born and raised in Soviet Ukraine and spent 14 years in the U.S. DoD and intelligence community.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Republican Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns For President Across Pennsylvania

‘Social Crusades’: Ending The Woke Agenda At The State Department

'Social Crusades': Ending The Woke Agenda At The State Department

Antony Blinken

Foreign Policy

LGBTQ

Opinion

State Department

Woke Culture

Time is money, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-government-efficiency-doge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Government Efficiency</a> might have a low hanging fruit in its quest to save both.
DOGE, an outside advisory group led by Trump allies Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, has expressed interest in abolishing Daylight Saving time in the United States as part of their broader crusade to cut government waste. Daylight Saving time (DST) is observed between the 2nd Sunday of March to the 1st Sunday of November – every year Americans move their clocks forward, then back, in an effort to maximize the number of waking daylight hours.
Advocates of DST have argued that it boosts economic efficiency by decreasing the need for artificial lighting and encouraging people to spend more time outdoors – however, a <a href="http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2021/ph240/segal2/">meta-analysis</a> of several dozen studies conducted by Stanford University in 2021 found that DST only reduced energy consumption by ~0.34%. A <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w14429/w14429.pdf">2008 study</a> by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that DST might actually increase energy consumption by as much as 1%.
Meanwhile, the arbitrary shift forward or backward by an hour complicates international travel and can cause scheduling errors for travelers or businesses who aren’t used to observing the change.
The economic costs of disrupting American’s sleep schedules by moving the clock forward an hour could also be quite high – one <a href="https://www.chmura.com/blog/2016/march/11/sleepbetter-lost-hour-economic-index">study</a> by Chmura Economics and Analytics linked the DST time change to a consistent increase in heart attacks, workplace injuries, and a drop in workplace productivity. The study estimated these side effects cost the American economy $434 million dollars every year.
Recently, Musk and Ramaswamy have both suggested that they would support getting rid of DST.
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“Looks like the people want to abolish the annoying time changes!” Musk said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to a user who requested the end of DST as a birthday present.
“It’s inefficient &amp; easy to change.” Ramaswamy responded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It’s inefficient &amp; easy to change.
&mdash; Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) <a href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1861808163512627652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DST is a relatively recent phenomenon in the United States – while the U.S. briefly observed it during both World Wars in an effort to save power, moving the clocks forward and backward by an hour wasn’t standardized until 1966. Hawaii and most parts of Arizona already do not observe DST, and there have been mounting efforts to stop the annual time change in recent years.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), another Trump ally whom the President-Elect nominated to become Secretary of State, sponsored a bill to stop the regular time changes (“The Sunshine Protection Act”) in 2018, 2021, and 2023. More than a dozen senators from both parties co-sponsored the most recent edition of the bill.
“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid,” Rubio <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/777356/daylight-saving-time-costs-us-almost-434-million-in-productivity-study/">said</a>. “Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support.”

Businesses Prepare For Earlier Daylight Savings Time

DOGE Considers Ending Daylight Saving Time

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Elon Musk

Executive

U.S.

Vivek Ramaswamy

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> announced on Monday that vetting is underway to find a replacement for Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marco-rubio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marco Rubio</a> (R-FL), who has been picked to become President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>&#8216;s secretary of state, with a goal to appoint this replacement by early next year.
In a <a href="https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1858539688581066820" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to X, DeSantis said Rubio is &#8220;expected&#8221; to resign from the Senate when Trump&#8217;s second term begins on January 20, which he noted would create a vacancy two months from now. The governor then shared details on what is being done to find Rubio&#8217;s successor, who would keep the seat <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2024/11/13/ron-desantis-replacement-marco-rubio-donald-trump-senate-florida/76265330007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">until 2026</a>, when a special election would be held for the final two years of the senator&#8217;s term.
&#8220;We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;Florida deserves a Senator who will help President Trump deliver on his election mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative principles, and has a proven record of results.&#8221;
President-elect Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officially-taps-rubio-for-secretary-of-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last week that he would nominate Rubio, a GOP rival from the 2016 presidential race who came around to support Trump, for the secretary of state position. Normally, a candidate for such a position would have to pass through a Senate confirmation process, but Trump has indicated that he wants to use <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-how-recess-appointments-work-and-how-they-could-help-trump-fill-his-cabinet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recess appointments</a> to install his Cabinet members.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
&#8220;Leading the U.S. Department of State is a tremendous responsibility and I am honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me,&#8221; Rubio <a href="https://x.com/marcorubio/status/1856790684981698934" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X. &#8220;As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else.  I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20.&#8221;
Other politicians Trump has so far chosen to join his administration who hail from Florida include <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-gaetz-resigns-from-congress-following-attorney-general-nomination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-former</a> Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-nominates-matt-gaetz-for-attorney-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for attorney general</a> and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-taps-mike-waltz-as-national-security-advisor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for national security adviser</a>.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

DeSantis Says Vetting Is Underway To Find Rubio Successor

Congress

Donald Trump

Florida

Ron DeSantis

I am not yet tired of winning. The winning just continues. 
I am truly enjoying the staffing of the new Trump administration so far. According to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-selects-florida-rep-mike-waltz-as-national-security-adviser-104414fe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>, there are a couple of picks that have been made. One has been announced: Florida GOP Representative Mike Waltz, a Green Beret veteran, to be White House national security adviser. The Journal also reported that President-elect Trump is expected to nominate Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as Secretary of State.
President Trump is moving fast. He is staffing professionally. He&#8217;s finding people who are loyal to the Trump vision, the “peace through strength” vision.
President Trump was on this show two weeks before Election Day, and I specifically asked him about his foreign policy. He said repeatedly that peace through strength is his foreign policy.
That’s what over 75 million Americans voted for: Trump&#8217;s peace through strength.
Trump’s picks are going to do his bidding in the foreign policy realm; they will reinforce his Trump doctrine, which is, “Cross this line and I will punch you so hard in the face you will not want to do it again.” 
That is the Trump doctrine and it is a great doctrine, an excellent foreign policy doctrine, which is why we had four years with no wars. Contrary to certain popular opinions, war is only prevented by preparing for war so you don&#8217;t have to do it. That is the actual way that you prevent war. 
Submission and cowardice were tried with Joe Biden. It didn&#8217;t go particularly well.
Donald Trump does precisely the reverse. As I said on Fox Business, President Trump is the best foreign policy president of my lifetime, bar none.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2083-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Marco Rubio entered with the Tea Party wave back in 2010, and then ran for president against Donald Trump in 2016.
Trump has a unique capacity to let bygones be bygones, which is why, of course, despite the fact that JD Vance said some unkind things about him back in 2016, Vance is his vice president. Rubio has proven himself to be a formidable asset on the campaign trail; he was loyal to President Trump&#8217;s vision and was an early Trump endorser in the primaries.
Not only that, Rubio has proven himself on foreign policy. He&#8217;s on the Senate Intelligence Committee, he&#8217;s great on television, and he knows all the players. In one instance, he was walking down a hallway being harassed by a pro-Hamas heckler from Code Pink.
It didn&#8217;t go well for <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/1856171518994329616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the heckler:</a>
<blockquote>Heckler: Senator Rubio, will you call for a ceasefire?
Rubio: No, I will not. (turning to someone accompanying the heckler) Are you filming this? I want you guys to get this. (turning back to heckler) I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on. These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes. And I hope you guys post that.
Heckler: What about the civilians killed every day?
Rubio: I blame Hamas. Hamas should stop hiding behind civilians, putting civilians in the way. Hamas knew that this was going to lead to this, so Hamas should stop building their military installations underneath hospitals.
Heckler: So you don&#8217;t care that 15,000 died. You don&#8217;t care about the babies that are being killed every day.
Rubio: Absolutely I care. I think it’s horrifying. I think it&#8217;s terrible. I think Hamas is 100% to blame. That&#8217;s what I think. Make sure you post that, please.</blockquote>
Rubio has also said that if you come to the United States on a visa and you proceed to spew anti-American, anti-Semitic nonsense, you should be gone. 
He <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/english-espanol-senate-democrats-block-rubio-resolution-calling-on-biden-to-revoke-visas-of-hamas-sympathizers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> on the Senate floor: 
<blockquote>What I am saying is common sense. You’re a visitor. You are not even American. You’re a foreign national. You’re here because we gave you a visa to be here temporarily, and now you’re out there defending and supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization? You need to go. That’s what this resolution asks the administration to do. I hope we can get a vote on it in the Senate, so everyone will know where everyone here stands.</blockquote>
Rubio is repeating the Trump line with regard to Ukraine, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not that the United States is going to cut and run from Ukraine.
Trump does not like losing. He likes to win, as we have noticed. And what does that mean?
It doesn&#8217;t mean endless war in Ukraine. What it means is that the United States supports Ukraine sufficient to prevent a Russian invasion of Kyiv, but also looks for an off-ramp with Putin settling the lines where they are already settled. That is what the deal has looked like since 2022.
Rubio pointed out that the Biden administration had no plan in Ukraine, <a href="https://x.com/SenMarcoRubio/status/1854252665418772536" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying:</a>
<blockquote>If you ask the Biden administration, they will tell you we are funding a stalemate. I think the Ukrainians have been incredibly brave and strong in standing up to Russia. But at the end of the day, what we are funding here is a stalemate war, and it needs to be brought to a conclusion because that country is going to be set back 100 years. Now, that doesn&#8217;t mean that we celebrate what Vladimir Putin did or are excited about it. But I think there has to also be some common sense here, and that is that right now what we are funding is a stalemate that&#8217;s costing lives. It&#8217;s going to take 100 years to rebuild that poor country with everything they are facing now.</blockquote>
He is not wrong about that. And that is why President Trump is attempting to seek an offramp there.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>
Mike Waltz has been a bulldog on national security. Waltz slammed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to his face in a hearing, saying:
<blockquote>Mr. Secretary, I have here the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, the invasion of Ukraine, the unholy alliance between Russia and China, Hamas and Hezbollah attacks on Israel, Houthi attacking international shipping, hostages in Gaza, Iran flush with cash, the reemergence of ISIS-K now six thwarted attacks in Europe, increased Chinese aggression and the collapse of our influence in central Africa … You&#8217;re going to tell the American people with this list they&#8217;re safer?</blockquote>
Peace through strength.
Trump means it.

Donald Trump Campaigns In Pennsylvania With One Week Until Election Day

More Winning! Trump Goes Full Peace Through Strength

2024 Election

Ben Shapiro

Mike Waltz

Ronald Reagan

Secretary of State

I am unaccustomed to this level of optimism. The bottom line is: I&#8217;m optimistic because President Trump keeps making good decisions.
We were told Donald Trump was going to come into office and immediately staff up complete idiots around him. It’s almost as though those were myths, all untrue — though we were told that by the most intelligent people. As they said, Trump had fired people like General James Mattis. After all, Trump had been at odds with so many members of his prior administration, there would be no one left. He would be forced to dip into the bottom of the barrel, they said.
But thus far, I see precisely zero evidence that is the case. The people who are apparently doing the staffing on a wide variety of issues include people like the vice president of the United States elect, JD Vance. Trump-world insiders like Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Susie Wiles are on that team. Brian Hook, who is involved in foreign policy, is as well. In other words, the people who are going to go into the Trump administration are not going to be jokers. They are going to be very serious people with very serious portfolios.
Late yesterday, Donald Trump announced he would be tapping his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as the White House chief of staff. Wiles, a very serious person, is well-respected on all sides of the political spectrum inside the Republican Party. Everyone from Jeb Bush all the way to Donald Trump has endorsed Wiles as chief of staff.
She&#8217;s a very serious politico. She has worked not only with Trump, but with Rick Scott when he was governor of Florida and with Governor Ron DeSantis when he was running for governor of Florida. Then she went back into the Trump campaign. She is wily, savvy, and knife-sharp. She is an exceptionally solid political fighter.
The Wall Street Journal article covering Trump’s announcement of White House chief of staff, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/trump-taps-campaign-co-manager-susie-wiles-as-white-house-chief-of-staff-c95f93b3?mod=hp_lead_pos1">reads</a>, “Susie Wiles, who led Donald Trump’s presidential run, will become his White House chief of staff when he retakes the presidency next year, the campaign said Thursday, making her the first woman to hold that role in U.S. history.” Remember when, according to Mark Cuban, Trump wouldn&#8217;t surround himself with strong women? Yet Wiles is, indeed, a strong woman.
Trump said in <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/07/donald-trump-susie-wiles-chief-of-staff-00188346">a statement</a>, “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns. Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.&#8221;
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2081-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Wiles keeps her cards real close to the vest. She is incredibly savvy, and she is not the type of person who is going to take kindly to people who do not have Team Trump&#8217;s best interests at heart. So she is an excellent pick by President Trump. And again, she&#8217;s well respected on pretty much every side of the Republican political spectrum.
Now, the question as to how she negotiates in Congress is still open. Usually the chief of staff has a lot of congressional negotiations. The good news for her is that while she doesn&#8217;t have tons of experience at doing that — because again, she was campaign manager in 2016 and 2020 in part, and she didn&#8217;t really involve herself in legislative affairs — she will be negotiating with Mike Johnson in the House.
In the Senate, the Senate leadership battle is still wide open at this point. There&#8217;s a lot of speculation about who is going to take over as the Senate majority leader because Mitch McConnell has announced he&#8217;s going to step down. There are some rumors that Rick Scott, for example, is trying to run for it. There are more than rumors, he does want the Senate majority leadership position.
There are some members of the base who are very hot on Scott, so he&#8217;s a possibility. John Thune is also a very solid possibility. Most of the more established members of the U.S. Senate are probably going to back Thune or John Cornyn. Honestly, any of those people will be perfectly capable of negotiating with President Trump and will do a fine job in that role.
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump and his senior advisers are privately assembling short lists of candidates for top jobs in the incoming administration. Apparently, Trump&#8217;s transition team, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/donald-trump-cabinet-transition-president-42989f5b?mod=hp_lead_pos1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>, is being “led by co-chair Howard Lutnick, who is overseeing personnel” and “has put together spreadsheets with names for the former president to consider.”
Among the people who are being considered for national security adviser is Richard Grenell. We all know him as Trump&#8217;s former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence. Grenell would do an amazing job in that role. The Wall Street Journal goes on: “Other potential candidates include Keith Kellogg, an octogenarian, retired three star Army general and former national security advisor to vice President Mike Pence; former Defense Department official Elbridge Colby; and Robert O’Brien, who served as the last of four national security advisers during Trump’s first term.”
Some of the people mentioned for secretary of the treasury include “Key Square Group founder Scott Bessent, and billionaire investor John Paulson.” A few of the possibilities mentioned for secretary of state are Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, as well as Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Both of those would be excellent picks.
Other potential candidates include O&#8217;Brien, Grenell, and former senior State Department official Brian Hook, who is largely seen as the person compiling lists on who precisely should go into the foreign policy establishment. Hook has been speaking publicly about what the administration&#8217;s Iran policy is, and it is already bearing fruit. They haven&#8217;t even taken office yet and action is already happening to bring down conflicts in the Middle East.
As far as secretary of defense, some of the names that have been thrown out are Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who Trump acknowledged in his victory speech in Florida Wednesday morning.
Republican Representative John Ratcliffe, who has served as Trump&#8217;s director of national intelligence, is being put forward as a candidate as head of the Department of Defense or CIA. Mike Waltz, a congressman from Florida, is being considered as a possible DOD leader. For Homeland Security, Chad Wolf’s and Tom Homan’s names are being mentioned, both of whom would be great. The bottom line is: All of these names would be not just acceptable, but also excellent.
Furthermore, the markets are picking up on this, and “Washington’s open for business,” as <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/07/trump-elon-musk-business-tax-cuts">Axios</a> puts it. Marc Andreessen, an investor who backed President Trump in this race, tweeted out this morning that he believes that we are going to be seeing unprecedented economic growth. He <a href="https://x.com/pmarca/status/1854768973306630479">says</a>, “America is an economic coiled spring. We should be growing at least 4% annually and ideally 6-8%+. Growth has been brutally suppressed since before I was born. But there is so much to build. And the payoff for all Americans will be incredible.”
That is the mood in the business community. As Axios reports, “Buckle up. President-elect Trump plans fast action on a business-friendly agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and expanded energy production, his advisers tell us.”
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>
This all has a downward effect on inflation, because with more productivity comes more supply which then keeps up with demand; then, prices drop. Deregulation means more investment, it means economic growth, it means more innovation. “Trump plans to load his White House and Cabinet with business- and tech-friendly executives, and stretch the powers of the presidency to force quick changes,” Axios writes. “Trump advisers believe in retrospect that they wasted early opportunities in his first term” because they did not know how to staff.
This is the nice thing for Trump’s second term. They know exactly who they have to fire. Trump is going to take office with a triumvirate. He&#8217;ll have the House and the Senate. He&#8217;s going to fill his top ranks with actual business leaders. The courts and leaders are going to support him.
The people picking staff include Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, and Joe Lonsdale. What a team that&#8217;s going to be. You want to talk about growing the economy? You want to talk about a productivity explosion? You want to talk about people who know how to build businesses and know how markets work?
You&#8217;re not going to do better than that group of people.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – NOVEMBER 6: Republican presidential candi

Team Trump Gets Ready To Take Over

Bill Hagerty

John Thune

Mike Pompeo

Susie Wiles

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said over the weekend that the communist China&#8217;s recent breach of several major U.S. telecommunication companies represented the largest breach he&#8217;s ever seen.
Rubio made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan when asked about Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner&#8217;s (D-VA) recent assessment that the breach was the most serious he&#8217;s ever seen.
&#8220;Do you know if China has been able to access the audio of Americans&#8217; phone calls?&#8221; Brennan asked.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to comment on what they accessed, but I agree with Mark Warner&#8217;s statement,&#8221; Rubio responded. &#8220;It is an egregious, outrageous and dangerous breach of our telecommunications systems across multiple companies.&#8221;
&#8220;I think as time goes on, we&#8217;re going to learn more about it,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Some of it will be made public. I think there&#8217;s more that&#8217;s still being gathered. It&#8217;s a very serious situation that we face.&#8221;
&#8220;And I think one that is quite threatening, maybe not directly to the election per se, but certainly to the national security of our country moving forward,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s a vulnerability that no one imagined or anticipated, but here it is.&#8221;
China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-hacks-u-s-telecom-companies-in-major-espionage-coup-against-u-s">hacked</a> U.S. telecommunications companies as part of an espionage campaign targeting former President Donald Trump, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and others.
Microsoft cybersecurity experts dubbed the group connected to the Chinese government “Salt Typhoon” with “Typhoon” denoting that the operation is Chinese and “Salt” indicating that it is a counterintelligence operation.
The Biden-Harris administration was caught flat-footed by the breach and the Cyber Safety Review Board, which is part of Homeland Security, indicated that it will initiate a review of the hack “at the appropriate time.”
The hack also reportedly targeted aides of Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Some of the companies hacked included Verizon, AT&amp;T, and Lumen, reports said. Officials indicated that the known scale of the attack has grown dramatically as investigators continue to learn more.
The hackers are believed to have “compromised the phones of a number of prominent individuals in politics and national security, including some in the U.S. government,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
One of the concerns that officials had about the Chinese discovering who U.S. officials were calling was that it would give them a list of people to target in influence operations aimed at manipulating decision makers.
The New York Times reported that the Chinese are believed to have hacked systems used by the companies to comply with court-authorized surveillance wiretaps, including Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act collection, one of the secretive measures the U.S. has to discover terrorists and spies.
The Journal reported earlier this month that the scale of China’s espionage is “unprecedented” as it looks to become the world’s leading superpower by stealing technology.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the Chinese hacking of U.S. telecom companies is a threat &#8220;maybe not directly to the election per se, but certainly to the national security of our country moving forward.&#8221; He says he won&#8217;t comment on… <a href="https://t.co/isuRewt1qz">pic.twitter.com/isuRewt1qz</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1853118093889008051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2024</a></blockquote>

Sen. Marco Rubio

Rubio: China’s Hack Of U.S. Telecom Companies Most Serious Breach Ever

CBS News

Communist China

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10.30.24-Rubio-Letter-to-FDA-DHS-re-Ban-on-Pharmaceuticals-from-Xinjiang.pdf">letter</a> to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding they guarantee that goods imported to the United States are not made with slave labor.
In 2021, Rubio introduced the <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-merkley-uyghur-forced-labor-prevention-act-becomes-law/">Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act </a>(UFLPA), which was signed into law. The Act would “ensure that goods made with the slave labor of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and elsewhere in the People’s Republic of China do not enter the United States,” Rubio’s <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-merkley-uyghur-forced-labor-prevention-act-becomes-law/">website</a> noted.
In the letter, Rubio noted “recent reports identifying two pharmaceutical producers based in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that are permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to distribute their products in the U.S.,” adding, “This is in clear violation of current law which prohibits imports from the region due to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) egregious human rights abuses, including genocide, forced abortions, and forced sterilizations.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
“Recent analysis by the Centers for Advanced Defense Studies exposed that the FDA currently allows at least two pharmaceutical producers, Xinjiang Nuziline Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. and SEL Biochem Xinjiang Co. to import APIs and drug products into the U.S.,” Rubio continued. “Both of these companies are linked to slave labor in Xinjiang and are not listed on the UFLPA Entity List.”
“The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act assures the American people that the products they purchase were made without slave labor,” Rubio wrote. “It is clear that the lack of oversight by the FDA has not made this true. The FDA and DHS have a responsibility to rectify this dangerous error and uphold the law. Therefore, I demand both departments and the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to immediately place Xinjiang Nuziline Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. and SEL Biochem Xinjiang Co. on the UFLPA Entity List. I also ask that the FDA and DHS complete a thorough review of every company authorized to distribute pharmaceuticals and API in the United States to ensure compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.”

US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

Rubio Demands U.S. Government Stop Importation Of Slave-Made Drugs

Prescription Drugs

Slavery

Uyghur

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marco-rubio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marco Rubio</a> (R-FL) said over the weekend that Israel killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah lowers the risk of an all-out war breaking out in the region.
Rubio made the remarks during a Sunday interview on NBC News&#8217; &#8220;Meet The Press.&#8221;
&#8220;I think if Nasrallah was still alive, the threat of a broader conflict is even higher,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is the guy who cheerfully said, &#8216;Death to America, death to Israel.&#8217; Now, when you&#8217;re a country and someone runs an organization that exists for the specific and defined purpose of destroying you, you have no choice but to treat that person as an enemy and to confront them likewise.&#8221;
He noted that Nasrallah cheered on suicide bombings that killed civilians, as well as the kidnapping of Israelis.
&#8220;Wiping out not just Nasrallah, but the senior leadership of this evil organization, I think is a service to humanity,&#8221; he said.
Rubio said that Iran was already constantly looking for ways to hurt Israel in their quest to dominate the region.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
&#8220;They seek to drive America out of the region and then destroy Israel,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And so any time Iran – the Iranian regime is on defense, it&#8217;s good for the world, good for America, and good for Israel. It&#8217;ll be up to the Iranians to decide what they&#8217;re going to do, but I will tell you that I believe that they will find themselves in a very precarious situation if in fact they do escalate this on their part.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sen. Marco Rubio says Iran deal is ‘unlikely’ despite Trump’s remarks: Full interview" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MtBinuPYgEE?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>

Rubio: Israel Killing Nasrallah Lowers The Risk Of Regional Escalation

Global Politics

Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah

Iran

Israel

World

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said over the weekend that he is most concerned about foreign actors interfering in U.S. elections by introducing deep fakes that go viral on social media and end up tilting who people vote for before the videos can be debunked.
Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, made the remarks during a Sunday CBS News interview on &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan.
He said that the scenario that he worries about is in the 48 hours before an election where a foreign action could release &#8220;fake audio or fake video generated using A.I.&#8221; that could influence the results of the election.
&#8220;In very close races, it could tip the scales,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I do think all the way around, here&#8217;s the bottom line. If you see something out there, a video that just seems way too scandalous, I would pause for a second and make sure that it can be verified. That&#8217;s my advice to everybody is, don&#8217;t just believe something you see for the first time. It may have been something that happened five years ago, and they&#8217;re making it look like it happened yesterday.&#8221;
&#8220;It may be something that – that has been made up using an A.I. mechanism to do so,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And so that would be my advice to people as well. Again, I&#8217;m not saying 48 hours before the election is irrelevant in America. I am saying it&#8217;s probably less impactful than it is in some of these other countries, who don&#8217;t have mail voting, early voting, where so many of the votes are already in by then.&#8221;
He then warned that the foreign operations targeting American elections could have their greatest impact at the congressional-level.
&#8220;I think some of these lower ballot races are the ones that are particularly more susceptible, because, if you&#8217;re running for Congress or Senate somewhere, let&#8217;s say a congressional seat, and someone dumps something like this on you, it&#8217;s much harder to get the truth out there in time for it to be cleared up,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There just isn&#8217;t going to be as much interest, and there isn&#8217;t going to be as much people covering it.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Marco Rubio says &quot;the dogs and cats thing&quot; has gotten more attention than immigration impacts" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VBeDccDSe3M?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>

Rubio Reveals Most ‘Concerning’ Scenario He Envisions Foreign Actors Taking To Interfere In Election

Election

Face The Nation

In yet another move he has made to combat Communist China, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Critical-Mineral-Supply-Chain-Realignment-Act-of-2024-HLA24649.pdf">Critical Mineral Supply Chain Realignment Act of 2024</a> to incentivize safeguarding critical mineral supply chains from China.
The bill imposes mandatory tariffs on electromagnets, permanent magnets, batteries, solar panels, and solar wafers at rates of:
<ul>
<li>150% on goods manufactured by entities controlled by China, irrespective of which country the goods are manufactured in;</li>
<li>On those goods manufactured in China, 150% in the first year, 300% in the second year, 450% in the third year, and 800% each year after that;</li>
<li>25% on goods manufactured in countries that are not allies of the U.S., select free trade partners, or members of the Mineral Security Partnership.</li>
</ul>
“The U.S. and its partners must end Communist China’s critical mineral industrial monopoly. My bill will provide more certainty to industry based in the U.S. and partner and ally countries so they may be able to develop a critical mineral industrial ecosystem China’s market manipulations cannot undercut,” Rubio stated.
Last November, Rubio joined Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) to lead a call for action to secure supply chains and reduce U.S. reliance on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for minerals that are inputs for critical technologies.
The two lawmakers led a bipartisan group of senators who wrote a letter to the White House that <a href="https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/b/7/b77b564b-9f1b-47db-9d54-9d020d91ffc4/5FE33019DC7A2ED1E156EBA22FB39351.11.16.23-senate-critical-mineral-letter-to-amos-hochstein-final.pdf">stated</a>:
<blockquote>
Demand for critical minerals is growing exponentially, yet the U.S. substantially lags behind its adversaries in securing critical mineral supply chains. In fact, in many cases China controls nearly 100 percent of the end-to-end supply chain, and is actively seeking to maintain and increase its control of these resources around the globe. &#8230;
Focusing the efforts of the U.S. government, in coordination with our allies, upon standing up processing, refining, and metallurgical capacity must be a priority if we are going to succeed in reducing our reliance on China for critical minerals.
</blockquote>
Rubio and Warner also wrote a<a href="https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/1/7/17def9a2-d95c-40b1-9028-119f35769394/FCB942C1068EB79B54E8769260B13F59.11.16.23-rubio-warner-letter-to-exim-re-critical-minerals.pdf"> letter</a> to the Chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) pushing for EXIM to secure critical mineral supply chains, noting, “The stakes of our economic struggle with the PRC (People’s Republic of China) demands that we reduce our dependence on them in critical technology sectors and for critical goods, especially those with defense and energy applications.”

Former President Donald Trump Holds A Campaign Rally In Doral, Florida

Rubio Introduces Bill Protecting Critical Mineral Supply Chains From China

China

Mark Warner

Minerals

Former President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris was the best “insurance policy” President Joe Biden could have to ensure he remains the Democratic nominee for president. 
Trump made the comments at a rally at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Florida, where he discussed Biden’s disastrous debate performance and alluded to widespread speculation about who he would choose to run with him on the Republican ticket. 
During the rally, Trump <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/09/donald-trump-miami-rally-debate-joe-biden/74344647007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Harris was the “best insurance policy I’ve ever seen,” adding that her unpopularity and incompetence was helping Biden keep a grip on the Democratic Party. Trump said, “If Joe had picked someone even halfway competent,” the Democrats “would have bounced him from office years ago.”
“Our victory was so absolute that Joe’s own party now wants him to throw in the towel and surrender the presidency after a single 90-minute performance,” Trump <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-florida-rally-doral-vice-president-6893fb5c5aac589ad83f151e49729bb9">said</a>. “They want ‘Crooked Joe’ out of the race. It’s a shame the way they’re treating him. But don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a very bad guy.”
After his debate against Trump, Biden has faced calls to step down as the Democrat&#8217;s 2024 presidential nominee as media, his own party, and America question his mental fitness and physical health. Biden has vowed to remain in the race. Trump said that it would not matter if Biden would be replaced, saying he would defeat whatever candidate the Democrats ran against him in November. 
“Despite all the Democrat panic this week, the truth is, it doesn’t matter who they nominate because we are going to beat any one of them in thundering landslides and this November’s going to be amazing,” he said.
He specifically took shots at Harris, who some have suggested might take Biden’s place as the nominee, over her handling of the border crisis. Biden placed her in charge of combating illegal immigration, but Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/09/us/politics/trump-florida-vp-pick.html">said</a> that “she never showed up.” 
 Trump also alluded to speculation about who he would select to be his vice president. 
“They probably think I’m going to be announcing that Marco is going to be vice president,” he said, referring to Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who spoke at the rally. Trump said that Rubio “may or may not be there to vote&#8221; for a policy Trump has advocated for that would make money earned from tips tax-free.

Donald Trump Campaigns In Florida

Trump Says Kamala Harris Is ‘Best Insurance Policy’ Biden Has To Keep Dem Nomination

Elections

Kamala Harris

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