News Nation host Batya Ungar-Sargon mocked the weekend&#8217;s wave of &#8220;No Kings&#8221; protests, saying that what the people in the streets were actually protesting was not a king at all, but &#8220;American democracy&#8221; in practice.
Ungar-Sargon shared a clip of her appearance along with the caption referring to the mass protests — promoted and even joined by a number of elected Democrats — as &#8220;a mass therapy session&#8221; and arguing that President Donald Trump was simply doing what he&#8217;d been elected to do.
&#8220;I support white Boomers using their First Amendment rights to hold a mass therapy session about the fact that Trump won! But to call him a king is utterly preposterous. He won the popular vote. He is enacting the exact agenda he promised he would. They are actually protesting American democracy. The only appropriate response is to laugh!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I support white Boomers using their First Amendment rights to hold a mass therapy session about the fact that Trump won! But to call him a king is utterly preposterous. He won the popular vote. He is enacting the exact agenda he promised he would. They are actually protesting… <a href="https://t.co/4hOQaOYqpf">pic.twitter.com/4hOQaOYqpf</a>
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) <a href="https://twitter.com/bungarsargon/status/1980481661134381184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I want to start by saying I totally support the protests,&#8221; Ungar-Sargon began. &#8220;I think this is a very important part of what it means to be an American, to raise up your voice in any form that you wish. We have these First Amendment rights and they are precious and dear. I also think that this was not indicative or representative even of the mainstream Democratic Party.&#8221;
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&#8220;These protests were overwhelmingly white, they were overwhelmingly elderly, older people — again, white Boomers have the right to have a mass therapy session about the fact that Donald Trump won,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;But to call it a &#8216;No Kings&#8217; protest, to act like he is a king, is so utterly preposterous. This is a man who won the popular vote, he won every swing state, he is a person who is enacting the exact agenda he promised he was going to enact while he was campaigning — and so what they are actually protesting is the absolute perfection of American democracy where a person campaigned on an agenda, won the popular vote, and is now enacting that agenda.&#8221;
&#8220;So it was actually a protest of democracy, all of which is to say the only way to greet such a preposterous proposition, calling this a &#8216;No Kings&#8217; rally when it&#8217;s actually an anti-democracy rally, is to crap on it — I&#8217;m sorry — is to basically make fun of it,&#8221; she concluded.

‘We need to take back the flag’: Why patriotic symbols were all over the ‘No Kings’ protests

CNN Guest Mocks ‘No Kings’ Mob: ‘They’re Actually Protesting American Democracy’

Donald Trump

Media

Politics

Protesters

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is clearly growing frustrated as President Donald Trump continues to undercut repeated Democrat-driven attempts to pin the ongoing government shutdown on the White House.
Jeffries told reporters at a Monday press conference that he would not support standalone legislation to pay federal workers and military service members — despite the fact that Democrats have spent the shutdown going from microphone to microphone to blame Republicans for the fact that federal employees were not getting paid — and complained that it was just a political stunt.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨WATCH: Jeffries tells <a href="https://twitter.com/AndiNapier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndiNapier</a> that he does NOT support legislation that the Senate is expected to vote on this week to pay federal employees and service members calling, it a &#8220;political ploy.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/y0D9eQZhuE">pic.twitter.com/y0D9eQZhuE</a>
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1980388107922076155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It appears to be more like a political ploy giving Donald Trump discretion over which employees should be compensated and which employees should not be compensated. All employees should be compensated, and that will happen when we reopen the government,&#8221; Jeffries complained.
The Senate bill in question would ensure that members of the military would not go without their next paychecks — nor would federal workers who have continued to report to work during the shutdown — which would undercut Democrat complaints about the broad impact of the shutdown, and not for the first time.
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Democrats began the shutdown with complaints about young mothers and their children who would soon go hungry because their benefits through the Women, Infants, and Children (W.I.C.) program would run out due to the shutdown — but the Trump administration was able to find untapped funds to bridge that gap.
Democrats then pivoted to blame Trump and Republicans for the fact that a shutdown would stop payments to members of the military — but a short time later, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-our-troops-paid-trump-says-he-wont-let-military-suffer-due-to-dem-shutdown">redirected funds</a> from the Pentagon to ensure that service members received their pay on the 15th.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Holds News Conference

Hakeem Jeffries Is Big Mad Because Trump Cut The Legs Off His Narrative (Again)

Government Shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries

The latest CNN poll suggests that despite their attempts to spin a very different narrative, Democrats are not coming off as the winners as the government shutdown drags on — and President Donald Trump is not losing any ground at all.
CNN&#8217;s chief data analyst Harry Enten broke down the details alongside anchor John Berman, saying that there was a world of difference between the way voters viewed the current shutdown compared to how they&#8217;d viewed the 35-day shutdown – stretching from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019 — during President Trump&#8217;s first term.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This shutdown is a different world for Trump than the 2018-19 shutdown. He&#8217;s in a much better spot.
His net approval is up slightly during this shutdown vs. dropping during 2018-19.
Why? The % who blame him a great deal for the shutdown is down significantly now vs. 2018-19. <a href="https://t.co/WHEqHaqo4M">pic.twitter.com/WHEqHaqo4M</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1980278938044694817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Turns out shutdowns are different the second time around when it comes to Donald Trump,&#8221; Enten declared. &#8220;Take a look here: you know, we speak about Donald Trump, shutdowns, net approval rating – we&#8217;re talking 20 days into it, in 2018 slash 2019, Donald Trump&#8217;s net approval rating was already falling. The shutdown was eating into his popular support, it was down three points already at this particular point and would fall considerably more, it was very much on the decline.&#8221;
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That&#8217;s not the case 20 days into the current shutdown, Enten continued: &#8220;This shutdown hasn&#8217;t eaten into Donald Trump&#8217;s support at all! His net approval rating is actually up a point, in terms of his popular support. So the bottom line is this: the first shutdown during Trump&#8217;s first term, 2018-2019, was hurting Donald Trump. This one is not hurting him at all.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s no real reason Donald Trump might say, at least when it comes to popular support, &#8216;I want to get out of this shutdown.'&#8221;
When Berman asked about the blame for the shutdown — and who might shoulder most of it — the numbers reflected a similar shift: fewer than half of those surveyed (48%) blame President Trump for the current shutdown compared to the 61% who blamed him in 2018.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a different world,&#8221; he said.

Uh-Oh: CNN Poll Says Shutdown Is Not Playing Well For Dems, And Trump’s Doing Just Fine

CNN poll

Democrats

President Donald Trump locks in a critical deal with Australia as he presses on several foreign policy fronts, the administration ramps up the Caribbean war on drugs, and a Christian couple loses their foster care license over gender theory.
It’s Tuesday, October 21, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">White House Roundup</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-988769" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Balancing-Act-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Balancing-Act-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Balancing-Act-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Balancing-Act-768x433.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Balancing-Act-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Balancing-Act-2048x1153.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The weekend protesters may have cleared out, but it’s shaping up to be another wild week in Washington – with a major presidential focus on foreign policy. 
Ukraine: President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. While it wasn’t their most contentious meeting, Trump seems less bullish on Ukraine since his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested that he’s not ready yet to provide Ukraine with the Tomahawk missiles they’ve requested.
Australia: On a more positive note, Trump had a productive meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday.
The two leaders signed a critical minerals and rare earths deal. Under the agreement, the United States and Australian governments will invest more than $3 billion in critical mineral projects over the next six months, “with recoverable resources in the projects estimated to be worth $53 billion,” according to the White House.
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The deal also includes a lot of burden sharing and making new defense investments that will strengthen the alliance between the United States and Australia.
On the home front: The president recently decided to weigh in on upcoming elections. Trump made a late-breaking endorsement of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears for Virginia governor.
The endorsement of Earle-Sears comes when the race is tightening because of a scandal lower down on the ballot with the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, Jay Jones.
In New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, Trump has endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
The New Jersey race is also tightening up significantly. Ciattarelli came close to winning in 2021. Trump endorsed him in May because Ciattarelli was in a primary battle then.
Shutdown showdown: The shutdown shows no sign of ending soon. Rumors on Capitol Hill suggest rank-and-file Democrats want to negotiate an “off-ramp” with Republicans, but no one has said what that looks like. The posture of the situation is best described as a waiting period to see what Democrats will do.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump&#8217;s War On Narco-Terrorists</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-988771" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-768x433.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Crackdown-In-The-Caribbean-2048x1153.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration is massively escalating its counternarcotics campaign in the Caribbean against suspected drug traffickers. 
Venezuela: The Trump administration saw the destruction that occurred to the United States under the Biden presidency when it came to opening up our borders. According to Trump, that pulled countries like Venezuela to send in prisoners, gangbangers, and narcotraffickers, and the president says he wants that to end for good.
Trump is pressuring the Maduro regime by carrying out dramatic kinetic strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and sending the message that there is a new sheriff in town.
Former DEA Attache for Venezuela Wes Tabor told The Daily Wire that the pressure is so extreme that he doesn’t see Maduro staying in power much longer.
“There&#8217;s an internal pressure that&#8217;s boiling between Nicolas Maduro and between the Estado Alliance, who is basically the head of the military and also in the Senate. And he has a lot of power with the military, whereas Maduro is the figurehead. He&#8217;s the president. Those two are battling it out right now in the country,” said Tabor.
“I&#8217;ve heard rumors from my sources in Venezuela,” he continued. “They&#8217;re saying, you know, there have been a few times that Nicolas Maduro was thinking about bugging out.”
Colombia: Trump wants Colombia to be wary of becoming the next Venezuela — signaling that the United States could take a stricter stance against Bogotá and its leadership if the government refuses to cooperate with his administration. The Colombian president is slowly chipping away at the longstanding relationship with a United States that has cracked down on cocaine production.
&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Anti-Christian Foster Care Case</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-988773" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-300x168.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="168" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-300x168.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-768x431.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mass.-Fostering-Prejudice-2048x1150.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The state of Massachusetts has revoked the license of foster parents Lydia and Heath Marvin, both Christians, after the couple refused to sign a “gender-affirming” policy. The couple is now taking legal action, claiming religious discrimination.
The Marvins: The Marvins have been fostering children since 2020, primarily infants and toddlers with medical needs or special challenges – the kind of children few homes are equipped to handle. Their record shows they accepted cases others turned down.
In April, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) revoked their fostering license. The stated reason: the Marvins declined to sign the state’s revised LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Policy — specifically a section requiring foster parents to affirm a child’s gender identity and sexual orientation.
The Marvins argue that signing would conflict with their sincerely held Christian convictions. They’ve initiated legal action, claiming religious discrimination and violation of their First Amendment rights.
The DCF: DCF officials insist their duty is to protect children. In their view, that means placing kids only in homes that will affirm their gender identity and sexual orientation.
Step back: Critics such as journalist and child-welfare expert Naomi Schaefer Riley say the state has lost sight of the bigger mission.
“A lot of these states have just really lost sight of the goal there — which should be providing as many options for safe, loving homes as possible to these kids,” Riley told The Daily Wire.
Riley, who has written extensively on family policy, says this case fits a growing national pattern where religious foster families feel pressured to abandon their beliefs or stop fostering altogether. That’s a serious problem because, according to a <a href="https://cafo.org/faith-foster-care-and-the-surprising-path-to-flourishing/#:~:text=This%20week%2C%20the%20Institute%20for,11%25)">study</a> released just last month, Christians are more than three times more likely to foster a child compared to those with no religious affiliation. They’re also more likely to adopt out of the foster care system.
It’s a trend: In Massachusetts, another couple — Mike and Kitty Burke — were rejected as foster parents last year after expressing Catholic beliefs about marriage and gender that didn’t align with the state’s policy.
And in Oregon, a woman named Jessica Bates was denied a foster license for refusing to commit to gender-affirming practices. Her case is now before a federal appeals court.
Riley says many more conflicts never make the headlines.
“Once they make clear they’re looking for parents who fit a certain mold, people of faith either violate their own principles to comply, or they just don’t sign up at all because they know the agency is going to be hostile to their religious practice,” she said.
Hope for the Marvins: One major court precedent is the 2021 Supreme Court decision Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In that case, the court ruled that the city violated the Free Exercise Clause when it stopped contracting with Catholic Social Services because the agency wouldn’t certify same-sex couples.
The court said that because Philadelphia’s rules allowed for exceptions, the city couldn’t deny a religious exemption.
Legal analysts say the Marvin case could hinge on similar reasoning — whether Massachusetts’ policy is truly “neutral and generally applicable,” or if it targets religious beliefs.
The Marvins’ lawsuit, filed with help from Alliance Defending Freedom, is still in early stages.

MRN_251021_V1

Morning Brief: Trump Foreign Policy Blitz, War On Narco-Terrorists, & Foster Care’s Faith Problem

Australia

Colombia

Foster Care

Morning Wire

Ukraine

United States

Venezuela

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt gave a three word response to a HuffPost reporter looking for a comment about who had suggested the location for a specific meeting: “Your mom did.”
The reporter in question, S. V. Dáte, had asked about a meeting that was planned in Budapest, Hungary, between President  Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The concern, according to Dáte, was that Russia had previously promised not to invade Ukraine in that very city in 1994. Dáte published Leavitt’s response:
<blockquote>In response to HuffPost’s query about who suggested Budapest, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “Your mom did,” and White House communications director Steven Cheung replied: “Your mom.”</blockquote>
Steve Guest responded to the article, saying, “Congratulations to HuffPost for eliciting the most legendary response from the White House. HuffPost asked who picked the location for Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin …”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congratulations to HuffPost for eliciting the most legendary response from the White House.
HuffPost asked who picked the location for Trump&#8217;s upcoming meeting with Putin.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> responded: &#8220;Your mom did.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StevenCheung47</a> responded: &#8220;Your mom.&#8221;
Hilarious responses. <a href="https://t.co/jiRII8jGUz">pic.twitter.com/jiRII8jGUz</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1979267771083993480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Leavitt offered clarification a short time later, sharing screenshots of the full text exchange.
The way the question was framed, it was clear that the intention was to lay a trap for the Trump administration — either the person who chose that location would be framed as ignorant of the historical context, or they would be accused of selecting that location as an intentional slight to Ukraine.
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“For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points,” Leavitt posted along with the screenshot of the text exchange.
“Just take a look at @svdate’s feed, it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary. Here is my full response to his ‘inquiry,’” she continued, adding, “Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points.
Just take a look at <a href="https://twitter.com/svdate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@svdate</a>’s feed, it reads… <a href="https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa">https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa</a> <a href="https://t.co/v7owI5N4us">pic.twitter.com/v7owI5N4us</a>
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1980288128867877125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Holds Press Briefing At The White House

Read Karoline Leavitt’s Fiery Text To HuffPost Reporter

Huffington Post

Karoline Leavitt

Russia

Ukraine-Russia War

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher said that despite being a longtime critic of former President George W. Bush, he wouldn&#8217;t mind sitting down and having a conversation with the Texas politician.
Maher, on his &#8220;Club Random&#8221; podcast, told former &#8220;Access Hollywood&#8221; host Billy Bush that with President Donald Trump in the White House again, he had turned around on a few issues, changing his mind particularly about how important it was to talk to people even when they hold very different views.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OYUlwdUAGC8?si=HMRjhxh6btBjapj2&amp;start=6290" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>&#8221;
I was hard [on Bush]— I’m not taking it back. I wasn’t for the invasion of Iraq, or just the basic Republican policies that he championed were not exactly my cup of tea. But I also have things more in perspective. He should know that, yes, I probably, looking back, could have been more reasonable,&#8221; Maher said.
Maher did say that he was not totally opposed to Bush&#8217;s idea to privatize Social Security: &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t like the worst idea.&#8221;
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Maher also praised Bush for encouraging former President Barack Obama after he won the 2008 presidential election. &#8220;We want you to succeed,&#8221; Bush said to his successor — and Maher couldn&#8217;t resist taking a swipe at Trump and saying that was something &#8220;you can’t imagine Donald Trump saying.&#8221;
But according to multiple sources, President Trump did leave the traditional note for President Joe Biden despite a contentious 2020 campaign — and although the contents of the note were never publicly revealed, Biden described it as a &#8220;very generous letter.&#8221; Biographer Chris Whipple took the description a step further, saying that Biden had found the letter to be &#8220;shockingly gracious.&#8221;
In a 2023 interview, Trump confirmed he&#8217;d left a &#8220;nice&#8221; letter for Biden and that he &#8220;took a lot of time in thinking about it&#8221; before he put pen to paper. He stopped short of revealing what he&#8217;d written, however, saying that it would be up to Biden to decide whether or not to do so.

Bill Maher

Bill Maher Says He’d Like To Sit Down With George W. Bush

Bill Maher Says He'd Like To Sit Down With George W. Bush

comedian

George W. Bush

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) attempted to tie President Abraham Lincoln — America&#8217;s first Republican president — to Democratic socialism based on one line from his famed Gettysburg Address.
Sanders joined the hosts of ABC&#8217;s midday talk show &#8220;The View,&#8221; where the cohosts pressed him on everything from the ongoing government shutdown to his recent campaign stops with New York City&#8217;s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist.
Cohost Sara Haines asked about the shutdown, and Sanders brushed off the idea of a standalone vote on Affordable Care Act subsidies — one of the main sticking points for Democrats as the shutdown drags on — despite a promise from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to hold such a vote.
Sanders claimed that he wanted to end the shutdown &#8220;tomorrow,&#8221; but that he couldn&#8217;t vote to reopen the government as long as Republicans refused to undo the parts of the Big Beautiful Bill that he didn&#8217;t like.
&#8220;50,000 people will die unnecessarily every single year,&#8221; Sanders insisted, waving his hands to punctuate his point. &#8220;50,000 of our fellow Americans.&#8221;
He then claimed that Trump and Republicans were taking away health insurance from the poor in order to &#8220;pay for&#8221; a tax break for the wealthy.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sunny Hostin praises Sanders for campaigning far-left extremist Zohran Mamdani and tees him up to call on Democrats to move further to the left:
&#8220;Senator, you&#8217;ve been campaigning with the front-runner in New York City&#8217;s mayoral race: democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. He&#8217;s… <a href="https://t.co/YvTduTORrg">pic.twitter.com/YvTduTORrg</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1980301961707544997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cohost Sunny Hostin pivoted to ask about Mamdani, saying, &#8220;Senator, you&#8217;ve been campaigning with the front-runner in New York City&#8217;s mayoral race: Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani. He&#8217;s leading by double digits. He probably will be the next mayor of New York. Now, a recent Gallup poll showed that over half of Democratic voters prefer socialist aligned figures like yourself, like AOC, like Mamdani, to more establishment, centrist politicians. Is this the direction the Democratic Party needs to go?&#8221;
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&#8220;You know what? People are saying here&#8217;s a radical idea,&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;This is what Democratic Socialism basically means: let&#8217;s have a government that works for all the people, not just the billionaire class. Let&#8217;s end a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires in both political parties to determine who wins elections.&#8221;
Sanders concluded by suggesting that Lincoln was actually talking about the same goal when he gave the Gettysburg Address: &#8220;Let&#8217;s try to create the kind of democracy that Lincoln talked about way back when, when he said &#8216;a government of the people, by the people, for the people.'&#8221;

Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings For HHS Secretary Nominee Robert Kennedy

Bernie Sanders Suggests Abraham Lincoln Was Actually A Democratic Socialist

Abraham Lincoln

Bernie Sanders

Democratic Socialism

The View

Zohran Mamdani

Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shocked the hosts of &#8220;CBS Mornings&#8221; when she insisted that even working alongside then-President Joe Biden on a daily basis, she did not see any real signs that he was in trouble until his disastrous CNN debate with President Donald Trump.
Jean-Pierre joined Monday morning&#8217;s broadcast ahead of the release of her memoir, &#8220;Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines&#8221; — and cohosts Tony Dokoupil and Gayle King pressed her on that issue in particular.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Biden&#8217;s Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, claims she never saw any signs of mental decline with the former president:
“I never saw anyone who wasn’t there. I saw someone who was always engaged.”
This is a lie. Everyone saw the truth for four years. <a href="https://t.co/oKYkejnQCC">pic.twitter.com/oKYkejnQCC</a>
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediasLies/status/1980281582658150410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;So when this book landed on my desk, and I saw &#8216;a Broken White House&#8217; in the subtitle, I have to say, I thought you were going to say, that try as you might to convince Joe Biden to drop out of the race — &#8217;cause what we were seeing is what you were seeing, and he was struggling and couldn’t do it — I thought you were going to say you were angry at that,&#8221; cohost Tony Dokoupil began the conversation. &#8220;But mostly, what you said in this book, is you were angry at the people who tried to push him out. Some Americans are going to say: &#8216;Seriously!?'&#8221;
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&#8220;But not just the party that pushed him out,&#8221; Jean-Pierre brushed past the criticism and charged ahead. &#8220;The party as it’s behaving today in this moment when we need a Democratic Party to be fighting, to be an opposition party, and that&#8217;s really what ignited the book.&#8221;
&#8220;Right after the administration, I was just minding my business, right? No longer public servant, going to the grocery store, going to my kids’ school. People would come up to me, and strangers, and they would say, &#8216;What’s going on with the Democratic Party? Why aren’t they fighting? We knew what was going to happen after this election. Why are they not prepared?&#8217; The stakes were really high,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;So it’s connected also to the moment that we are in. I’m telling a story obviously, my story, and how I started thinking about the Democratic Party and my involvement in it. And then fast forward to today, the disappointment, the disillusionment, that millions of people have —&#8221;
King cut in then, trying to redirect the conversation: &#8220;But I want to pick up on what Tony was saying. Because I, too, thought that. And you said people said why didn’t members of his inner circle speak up about what many believe was the apparent decline of Joe Biden. And you said you are a member of the inner circle, and you never saw the decline. And after that, I wrote: &#8216;How!?'&#8221;
King could not hide her disbelief as she added, &#8220;You even write, Karine, that you were on the plane with him going to the debate, and you didn’t see anything. It’s so hard to understand!&#8221;
&#8220;Well, when we were on Air Force One going to the debate, you gotta remember, his campaign people were on the team, his family was on the team. [It] was one of those rare trips where I didn’t really see him until after the debate even though I was on the plane,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said. &#8220;So really I take — I want everyone to know that I take this question incredibly seriously. I do.&#8221;
&#8220;I was his White House press secretary, which means I had a role that saw him practically every day, and traveled with him for more than 95%,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;We’ve always said, we’re not going to say, &#8216;Oh, he didn’t age.&#8217; He aged. He poked fun at it. We always owned up. And with age comes what happens when you get older. But when we talk about the mental acuity, and again, I take this very, very seriously, I never saw anyone who wasn’t there. I saw someone who was always engaged. I saw someone who understood policy, pushed us on the policy, and also understood history.&#8221;

Kate Moennig And Leisha Hailey In Conversation With Karine Jean-Pierre: So Gay For You

CBS Host Baffled As Biden Press Sec Insists She Saw Nothing Wrong With Her Boss: ‘How?!’

CBS News

Gayle King

Joe Biden

Karine Jean-Pierre

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) appears to be at odds with himself over what constitutes acceptable behavior in the event of a government shutdown.
During a Sunday morning broadcast of &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; NBC host Kristen Welker asked Kaine about statements he&#8217;d made during a previous government shutdown in 2019 — and pressed him on the fact that he is taking a different — opposite — position just six years later.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NBC plays a clip of <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTimKaine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTimKaine</a> in 2019 saying he&#8217;d only discuss policy after the government is re-opened.
&#8220;By your own logic, should Democrats not vote to re-open the government first and negotiate later&#8230;?&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/SenTimKaine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTimKaine</a>: No it&#8217;s different now 🤡 <a href="https://t.co/CdwzHr04on">pic.twitter.com/CdwzHr04on</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1980017649007403177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You know, Senator, back in 2019, you made a similar argument during that shutdown that Republicans are making now,&#8221; Welker began. &#8220;Republicans at the time were asking for more funding for a border wall. You said, &#8216;Let&#8217;s reopen the government first.'&#8221;
Welker went on to play a clip of Kaine from 2019, in which he said, &#8220;We first should reopen government. Why punish people who are applying for food stamps because the president is having a temper tantrum? Open the government first &#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;So Senator, by your own logic, should Democrats not vote to re-open the government first and negotiate later?&#8221; Welker asked.
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&#8220;Kristen, here&#8217;s what&#8217;s different now,&#8221; Kaine replied. &#8220;The president told Republicans to write this budget without any Democratic involvement.&#8221;
Kaine left out the fact that the Continuing Resolution currently on the table — which would at least temporarily reopen the government — is considered &#8220;clean,&#8221; meaning that it makes no changes from the previous spending levels.
Democrats have been holding out largely because they object to certain cuts made in the Big Beautiful Bill — most notably to provisions that would have allowed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-peeved-that-media-sees-through-their-no-healthcare-for-illegals-lie">illegal immigrants</a> to get health care at taxpayer expense.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s right there on paper.
Democrats are fighting for healthcare for illegal aliens, NOT the American people. <a href="https://t.co/HIRQyu9lZK">https://t.co/HIRQyu9lZK</a> <a href="https://t.co/qaj4KGzBIj">pic.twitter.com/qaj4KGzBIj</a>
— GOP (@GOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP/status/1973800680055009462?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Kaine is not the only Democrat who&#8217;s been confronted with his own previous statements on government shutdowns either. &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; host Margaret Brennan (CBS) pressed Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) about his previous comments — namely that government shutdowns should not be &#8220;used for hostage taking.&#8221;
&#8220;Aren&#8217;t you doing today exactly what you were criticizing then?&#8221; she asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
*plays clip from 2018 where <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisMurphyCT</a> says government shutdowns should never be used for hostage-taking*
CBS: &#8220;Aren&#8217;t you doing today exactly what you were criticizing then&#8230;?&#8221;
Murphy: Erm, no.
(example number one million of <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisMurphyCT</a> being a sleazy moron) <a href="https://t.co/ygJC4IdZyo">pic.twitter.com/ygJC4IdZyo</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1977397124326178971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Senate Committee Hears Testimony In Virtual Hearing From Nation’s Leading Disease Experts On Covid-19

Tim Kaine Goes Head-To-Head With … Tim Kaine On Government Shutdown Ethics

Hillary Clinton

Meet the Press

NBC News

Tim Kaine

Just over a week after President Trump brokered a deal that brought home the last of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists — and laid out a plan for lasting peace between Israel and Gaza — the latest reports indicate that Hamas militants have taken to publicly executing Palestinian civilians. So of course, CNN wanted to talk about — and to — former Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-commutes-sentence-of-former-gop-rep-george-santos">Trump announced</a> on Friday that he was commuting the remainder of the 7-year sentence that Santos was serving after he pled guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire-fraud charges in relation to his 2022 congressional campaign. Prior to that he&#8217;d been ousted by Congress after serving less than a year of his first term: Lawmakers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/01/gop-rep-george-santos-faces-expulsion-vote-in-house.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 311-114 to oust Santos in December 2023 after a GOP-led House Ethics Committee report accused Santos of stealing campaign donors’ money to spend on Botox, OnlyFans, and other items.
Trump swiped at Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in the Truth Social post announcing the commutation, saying, &#8220;I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal came up again. As everyone remembers, “Da Nang” stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face &#8230; This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!&#8221;
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So on Sunday, despite the continued bloodshed in Gaza and the ongoing Democrat-driven government shutdown, much of the conversation on CNN was focused squarely on Santos.
Anchor Dana Bash started with Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), asking whether she took issue with Trump&#8217;s decision to commute the sentence of the disgraced congressman.
&#8220;[Santos] did plead guilty to defrauding his donors and constituents of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he will no longer be required to pay back because of this commutation. Is this acceptable to you?&#8221; Bash asked.
&#8220;Look, I will let Congressman Santos speak for himself,&#8221; Britt replied. &#8220;What I appreciate is President Trump&#8217;s commitment to the American people.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: “[Santos] did plead guilty to defrauding his donors and constituents of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he will no longer be required to pay back because of this commutation. Is this acceptable to you?”
BRITT: “Look, I will let Congressman Santos speak for… <a href="https://t.co/3SvurPWDHk">pic.twitter.com/3SvurPWDHk</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979939429633380426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bash then took the question to Santos directly, asking him whether he planned to make restitution.
&#8220;You were ordered by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded… Will you work to try to do that?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don&#8217;t know what that is,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;If it&#8217;s required of me by the law, yes. If it&#8217;s not, then no.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: “You were ordered by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded… Will you work to try to do that?”
SANTOS: “I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don&#8217;t know what that is… If it&#8217;s required of me by the law, yes. If it&#8217;s… <a href="https://t.co/EVBHKzKGTg">pic.twitter.com/EVBHKzKGTg</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979942437411057676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bash then pivoted to note that some were critical of Trump&#8217;s decision to commute his sentence, and Santos pushed back, essentially arguing that there would be people criticizing Trump no matter what he did.
&#8220;I&#8217;m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics,&#8221; Santos said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
George Santos shrugs off criticism of Trump commuting his prison sentence: “I&#8217;m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics.” <a href="https://t.co/YxjwjV5F6u">pic.twitter.com/YxjwjV5F6u</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943369892679734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I&#8217;m very grateful to President Trump, Dana, and I sit here quite literally, I don&#8217;t know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I&#8217;m humble or remorseful, but I can just do the best in my actions moving forward,&#8221; Santos added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
George Santos responds to former Republican colleagues who say he shouldn’t have been freed from prison: “I&#8217;m very grateful to President Trump, Dana, and I sit here quite literally, I don&#8217;t know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I&#8217;m humble or remorseful, but I… <a href="https://t.co/1TyrdeeDXl">pic.twitter.com/1TyrdeeDXl</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943593436479708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He went on to say that he&#8217;d already thought of a way that he could potentially begin to give back, saying, &#8220;I told this to the president, that I&#8217;d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way, in real human ways, in a way that we effect it, that it helps society, it helps these individuals rebuild their lives and we have a better system with less incarcerated people … If I can be a part of helping that, I think that would be a great road to follow in the future.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Santos: “I told this to the president, that I&#8217;d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way, in real human ways, in a way that we effect it, that it helps society, it helps these individuals rebuild their lives and we have a better system with less… <a href="https://t.co/6qXkS9c3z3">pic.twitter.com/6qXkS9c3z3</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943752346353792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And it didn&#8217;t end there: Santos was also the topic of a panel discussion to round out &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said she wasn&#8217;t in favor of Trump&#8217;s decision, but that she planned to withhold judgment and give Santos a chance to prove he&#8217;d changed.
&#8220;I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and I hope he is a changed person who&#8217;s going to focus on his second chance on doing good. I do not agree with the commutation. I think it was a wrong decision, primarily because this is somebody who stole millions of dollars from his donors. He defrauded the public and his voters … I wish him well. I hope he does good, and I hope he sticks to his word that he&#8217;s a renewed person.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis on Trump commuting George Santos’ prison sentence:
“I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and I hope he is a changed person who&#8217;s going to focus on his second chance on doing good. I do not agree with the commutation. I… <a href="https://t.co/I77ZfKoMw7">pic.twitter.com/I77ZfKoMw7</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979948410368061661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And then Paul Begala tried to make it about Trump &#8230;
&#8220;This is a story about a con man, a liar, a grifter, somebody, a felon, disgraced his high office, and also about George Santos,&#8221; he quipped.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Paul Begala: “This is a story about a con man, a liar, a grifter, somebody, a felon, disgraced his high office, and also about George Santos.”
GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Brad Todd, and Faiz Shakir join Dana Bash to react to President Trump’s controversial decision to commute… <a href="https://t.co/W7SQ50hJpp">pic.twitter.com/W7SQ50hJpp</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979949001135763632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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U.S. Congressman-elect George Santos

Spin Cycle: Let’s Talk About … Santos?

Spin Cycle: Let's Talk About ... Santos?

ABC News

George Santos

Prison

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) still could not commit on Sunday to endorsing Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist who won his party&#8217;s nomination in the New York City Mayoral race.
Jeffries, who&#8217;s been asked about endorsing Mamdani on a number of occasions, told ABC&#8217;s Jonathan Karl that he was looking forward to &#8220;continuing&#8221; conversations with Mamdani — and although he didn&#8217;t rule out an endorsement altogether, the fast-approaching general election is becoming more and more likely to pass before he does so.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that he has not endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race, but says he is looking forward to “continuing” conversations.
Read more: <a href="https://t.co/wHsSsY4AJk">https://t.co/wHsSsY4AJk</a> <a href="https://t.co/hlxOyFmicq">pic.twitter.com/hlxOyFmicq</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1979930411577831734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I want to also ask you, we&#8217;re getting closer to the New York mayor&#8217;s race,&#8221; Karl began. &#8220;You still haven&#8217;t endorsed Zohran Mamdani, have you?&#8221;
&#8220;I have not,&#8221; Jeffries declared.
&#8220;Why is that?&#8221; Karl wondered.
&#8220;Well, as I&#8217;ve indicated, I expect to have a conversation with him at some point this week, in advance of early voting which begins next weekend in New York City,&#8221; Jeffries replied. &#8220;And I will certainly have more to say about the mayor&#8217;s race and about our Democratic nominee prior to early voting beginning.
Karl continued to press, however, asking, &#8220;What is though that has held you back? I mean usually, this is someone that won a Democratic primary, you know, usually it wouldn&#8217;t be that much of a question whether or not a Congressman from the city of New York, the Democratic leader would endorse him. What&#8217;s giving you pause?&#8221;
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&#8220;Well, we&#8217;ve had very good conversations over the last few months in advance if the government shutting down,&#8221; Jeffries said, although he did not directly address Karl&#8217;s question. Instead he referred to those conversations as &#8220;forward-looking,&#8221; &#8220;community-based,&#8221; and focused on &#8220;efforts to make New York City more affordable.&#8221;
He gave a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-mamdani">similar answer</a> when he was asked over the summer whether he&#8217;d throw his weight behind Mamdani, saying at the time that he wanted to have &#8220;a conversation&#8221; with the candidate first.
&#8220;Our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him. And so that’s the next step in terms of this process to discuss his vision for moving the city forward and addressing the issues that are important to the communities that I represent,” he said, and called on Mamdani directly to “clarify” his position on Israel.
“Globalizing the Intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries concluded. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward. With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”
Others have suggested that Jeffries, who represents a district that is 11% Jewish, has concerns about Mamdani’s support for BDS — “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” — against Israel or his claim that, as mayor, he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York City.

House Minority Leader Jeffries Holds Capitol Hill Press Conference

Hakeem Jeffries Won’t Commit To Endorsing Commie Mamdani For NYC Mayor

Hakeem Jeffries Won't Commit To Endorsing Commie Mamdani For NYC Mayor

Gaza

Israel

Jewish

New York City

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) claimed on Sunday that he would not call for a Republican to drop out of a political race if texts surfaced in which said Republican had advocated for the assassination of a political opponent.
Kaine&#8217;s assertion – made to host Kristen Welker on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; — comes against the backdrop of the scandal rocking the attorney general&#8217;s race in his home state. Democratic nominee Jay Jones, in texts sent three years earlier, had advocated violence against then state House Speaker Todd Gilbert and had even suggested that Gilbert would never change political positions unless he and his wife were forced to watch one of their young children die.
The Virginia Senator has condemned the text messages, but has argued more than once that he knows Jones well — and that on balance, he will not withdraw his endorsement.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tim Kaine is asked if a Republican sent the same texts that Jay Jones did, would he call on them to drop out of the race?
Kaine: &#8220;Absolutely not.&#8221;
The insane Democrat lies and spin to cover for this deranged lunatic continue. <a href="https://t.co/p48mpSyWMU">pic.twitter.com/p48mpSyWMU</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1979911470868480431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Welker pressed Kaine on the issue, saying that critics wondered whether he would call for a Republican to drop out of the race if the shoe were on the other foot.
&#8220;Absolutely not,&#8221; Kaine declared. &#8220;It is — it&#8217;s directly equivalent to things that the Republican gubernatorial candidate has publicly said, not in private texts. &#8216;Murder is murder, and your time will come,&#8217; she said that in a public meeting speaking about pro-choice activists. I&#8217;ve not called for her to drop out of the race.&#8221;
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&#8220;The voters began voting in Virginia on September 19th,&#8221; Kaine continued. &#8220;These are fair items for voters to consider as they cast their vote, but no, we&#8217;re not calling for Republicans to drop out of races, we say apologize, you have to take account for your actions, and voters can look at the actions and look at your sincerity if you apologize. Apologies are in short supply in politics these days.&#8221;
Jones did offer an apology during his debate with Attorney General Jason Miyares (R-VA), but even Democrats were commenting at the time that it had fallen flat.
&#8220;Oooof. This Jay Jones sounds totally robotic and his apology and counter-responses totally FLAT. Then he pivoted to conventional, obvious, and typical Democrat attack lines against any generic Republican. His apology lacked any EMOTION whatsoever and just pivoted to Trump. This is a disaster,&#8221; Michael LaRosa, who served as spokesman for former First Lady Jill Biden observed.
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Oooof. This Jay Jones sounds totally robotic and his apology and counter-responses totally FLAT. Then he pivoted to conventional, obvious, and typical Democrat attack lines against any generic Republican. His apology lacked any EMOTION whatsoever and just pivoted to Trump. This…
— Michael LaRosa (@MichaelLaRosaDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelLaRosaDC/status/1978947944406732962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Kaine has also taken some criticism for his repeated claim that he&#8217;s known Jones &#8220;for 25 years,&#8221; in large part because Jones is 36 years old — which means that Kaine is saying that he&#8217;s known the Democratic candidate since he was just 11 years old.
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Jay Jones is 36 years old… So is Kaine saying he’s known him since he was 11? Anyone wanna follow up on this? <a href="https://t.co/upxez7awjF">https://t.co/upxez7awjF</a>
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1975953488397111593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The other comments Kaine referenced, that were made by Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Sears, also came from three years earlier. Speaking about pro-choice activists, Sears was making the argument that abortion was murder and that those who supported it would have to look themselves in the mirror and acknowledge that — she was not calling for anyone to be killed.

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Tim Kaine Says He Wouldn't Call On Republican To Drop Out Over Jay Jones-Style Texts

Jay Jones

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