A barrage of gunfire erupted steps from the White House on Saturday after a suspect pulled a weapon and opened fire on Secret Service officers at a nearby checkpoint. Agents returned fire, killing the suspect.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers,” the U.S. Secret Service said in a <a href="https://x.com/SecretSvcSpox/status/2058341552234115202?s=20">statement.</a> “Secret Service police officers returned fire, hitting the suspect, who was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.”
The New York Post is reporting the guy who started shooting is 21-year-old Nasire Best.
<div class="nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a title="Open a slideshow of all 11 article images." href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/23/us-news/white-house-on-lockdown-after-dozens-of-shots-fired/#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" data-slideshow-modal="trigger" aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 11 article images." data-slideshow-slide-number="1" data-slideshow-slides-total="11"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-39470813" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?w=809" sizes=" (max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" srcset="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1070w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=237,300&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 237w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=768,973&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=809,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 809w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=474,600&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 474w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=465,589&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 465w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=392,496&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 392w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=509,644&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 509w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=388,491&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 388w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=223,282&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 223w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=163,206&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 163w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=56,71&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 56w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=32,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 32w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=55,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 55w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=43,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 43w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=158,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 158w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=231,293&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=322,408&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=300,380&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=348,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 348w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=47,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 47w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=63,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 63w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=46,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 46w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=123,156&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 123w, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/superior-court-district-columbia-criminal-128614615.jpg?resize=39,50&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 39w" alt="Obtained by the NY Post Nasir Best, 21, opened fire on a White House checkpoint on Saturday evening." width="466" height="590" /></a></div>
He used a revolver and only got off a few shots before he was quickly shot and killed in a hail of bullets from federal officers.
While authorities have not confirmed a motive, sources told The New York Post that Best is believed to be mentally troubled, allegedly claimed to be Jesus Christ, and was already known to the Secret Service. Sources also said he had previously violated a court order requiring him to stay away from the White House.
A bystander was also hit during the shooting, though investigators say it remains unclear whether the person was hit by the suspect’s gunfire or during the “subsequent exchange of gunfire.”
<div id="attachment_1101169" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1101169" class="wp-image-1101169 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366955-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Around 6 p.m., reporters gathered on the White House North Lawn were suddenly rushed into the briefing room after hearing what sounded like nearly 30 gunshots nearby.
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” <a href="https://x.com/selinawangtv/status/2058312115098697760">ABC reporter Selina Wang</a> posted on X.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="LISTEN: Reporter hides as barrage of gunshots erupts outside White House" width="422" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4KblC3jmce0?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>
The Secret Service said none of its officers were injured during the shooting and confirmed that President Donald Trump “was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents are assisting with the investigation.
<a href="https://x.com/OpenSourceZone/status/2058317467391255004?s=20">More dramatic video</a> showed U.S. Secret Service agents shouting at reporters to evacuate their camera positions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Secret Service orders members of the press to abandon their reporting pods on the north lawn of the White House and go toward the briefing room after dozens of shots were heard nearby
Via <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsNation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NewsNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/XDPJhCybVP">https://t.co/XDPJhCybVP</a> <a href="https://t.co/rPTGsgCGZz">pic.twitter.com/rPTGsgCGZz</a>
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenSourceZone/status/2058317467391255004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2026</a>
<div id="attachment_1101167" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1101167" class="wp-image-1101167 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2277366620.jpg 1621w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Ulysse BELLIER / AFP via Getty Images)</div></blockquote>
The shooting came roughly an hour after Trump announced that a deal aimed at ending the conflict with Iran was close to being finalized.
&nbsp;

US-POLITICS-CRIME-WHITE HOUSE

Secret Service Recounts White House Firefight After Suspect Started Shooting

News

President Trump

Secret Service

White House

New York Giants defensive lineman Abdul Carter is taking major heat after posting publicly to criticize teammate Jaxson Dart for introducing President Donald Trump onstage at a New York rally Friday night.
“thought this sh!t was AI, what we doing man,” Carter posted on X, after clips of Dart standing beside Trump exploded across social media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
thought this sh!t was AI, what we doing man <a href="https://t.co/ePR3b4MZEv">https://t.co/ePR3b4MZEv</a>
— Abdul Carter (@1NCRDB1) <a href="https://twitter.com/1NCRDB1/status/2058138900187545756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The reaction immediately sparked backlash from conservatives and NFL fans, many of whom accused the rookie defender of disrespecting both Trump and his own teammate over what many viewed as a patriotic moment.
“If your QB wants to support the President, he’s allowed to,” one user wrote under Carter’s post. “Your head coach is a huge Trump fan also, and so is more than half the league. The Left injected their woke bullsh*t into sports for decades, and you didn’t say sh*t. You know nothing of the world.”
Another user blasted Carter even more directly: “lol you’re about to find out that he’s the franchise and you’re not bud,” the commenter wrote. “Also your new coach voted for Trump too. Grow up and get over it. If you voted for kamala who wants our tax dollars to pay for weirdos sex change surgeries, that’s your business bro but not everyone is dumb.”
Others went even further, with some bringing up Carter’s past legal controversy involving an alleged altercation with a tow truck driver during his college years: “The reason I never wanted the Giants to draft you was because I read the police report where you beat the tow truck driver within inches of his life. You are a complete psychopath. It was hard enough to look past the Muslim thing. You can’t sack the QB to save your life and you sleep in meetings. Total bust. Good riddance. At least Jaxson is a Christian American who loves America.”
The viral reaction came shortly after Dart joined Trump onstage at a rally supporting Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), where the rookie quarterback warmly introduced the president before Trump praised him as a future “hall of famer.”
Carter, a former Penn State star selected third overall by the Giants in last year’s NFL Draft, has openly embraced his Muslim faith and made headlines during draft night after wearing traditional Islamic clothing on the red carpet.
“Just paying homage to what got me here,” Carter said at the time. “Just praying to God, praying to Allah, you know, dressing like Muslims. That’s what got me here.”
At Friday’s rally, Trump praised the rookie quarterback moments after Dart introduced him to the crowd.
“I want to thank Jaxson Dart,” Trump said. “This is going to be a Hall of Famer in my book.”
Dart&#8217;s appearance at the rally was brief. He led the crowd in a chant for the Giants and then introduced the president, making no political statement.

Muslim NFL Player’s Post Criticizing Pro-Trump Teammate Backfires

New York

“This problem will be solved, as the president’s made clear, one way or the other.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered that blunt warning while hinting the Trump administration could be on the verge of a major breakthrough with Iran after weeks of escalating tensions tied to Operation Epic Fury and the growing standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to India, Rubio repeatedly teased that behind-the-scenes negotiations are actively underway and suggested a major development could come within days.
“There may be news later today,” Rubio said. “There may not be. I hope there will be. I’m not sure yet.”
Rubio’s comments also come as Trump appears to be quietly reshuffling his schedule because what’s happening between the United States and Iran is becoming increasingly serious behind the scenes.
Trump announced Friday that he would skip Memorial Day weekend plans and miss Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration in the Bahamas in order to remain in Washington during what he described as an “important period of time” for the country.
Trump previously told reporters he had “a thing called Iran” preventing him from fully committing to attending the wedding.
The Trump administration has continued ramping up pressure on Iran following Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign targeting Iranian military infrastructure and nuclear-linked facilities earlier this year.
Since then, tensions across the Middle East have continued boiling over as the White House pushes Tehran to back down from several key demands.
Among the administration’s biggest conditions: Iran must fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Rubio suggested that progress may finally be happening.
“There’s been some progress done, some progress made,” Rubio said. “Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done.” 
He added that the administration could potentially have something to announce “later today, tomorrow, or in a couple days.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Rubio drops major hint about Iran as Trump clears his schedule" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ReBFhI675RU?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>
The Strait of Hormuz is now turning into one of the biggest pressure points in the entire Iran showdown.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves through the narrow waterway, meaning any disruption could immediately send shockwaves through the global economy and energy markets.
Rubio also reiterated one of President Donald Trump’s biggest red lines: Iran can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“They need to turn over highly enriched uranium. We need to address that issue. We need to address the issue of enrichment,” Rubio said.
At the same time, Rubio emphasized that Trump still prefers to resolve the conflict diplomatically instead of militarily, though he made clear the administration believes the issue will ultimately be resolved regardless.
“These are the president’s points consistently,” Rubio said. “His preference is always to solve problems such as these through a negotiated diplomatic solution.”
Meanwhile, Iran appears to be publicly signaling some openness to negotiations for the first time in weeks.
Iranian officials confirmed that Tehran is working to finalize a “memorandum of understanding” with the United States through talks reportedly being mediated by Pakistan.
Still, Iranian officials are simultaneously insisting the United States has “nothing to do” with how the Strait of Hormuz is managed, showing just how shaky any possible agreement still is.
Rubio previously warned during a NATO foreign ministers meeting earlier this month that if Iran refuses to cooperate, the United States and its allies may ultimately be forced to intervene.
“Then someone’s going to have to go in and do something about it,” Rubio said at the time.

CHINA-US-DIPLOMACY

Rubio Drops Major Hint About Iran As Trump Clears His Schedule

Iran

Marco Rubio

This sounds like the plot of a spy thriller movie, except federal prosecutors say it was real and the target was Ivanka Trump.
Federal prosecutors say a suspected Iran-linked terrorist plotted against Ivanka Trump as payback for President Trump ordering the strike that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani back in 2020.
According to the New York Post, recently captured terror suspect Mohammad Baqer Al-Saadi vowed to target Ivanka Trump after Soleimani was killed in the U.S. drone strike ordered during Trump’s first term.
Sources told the Post the suspect viewed Ivanka as a symbolic way to “burn down the house of Trump” in retaliation for Soleimani’s death.
The report claims Al-Saadi had a map of the Florida enclave where Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, own a multimillion-dollar home, along with threatening social media posts warning that neither “palaces nor the Secret Service” would protect Americans.
Federal prosecutors say Al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey earlier this month before being extradited to the United States.
According to court filings cited by the Post, investigators accuse him of involvement in multiple terror attacks and attempted attacks targeting American and Jewish sites across Europe and North America, including alleged firebombings, stabbings, and shootings tied to Iran-backed extremist networks.
The Post also reported that Al-Saadi maintained close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iraqi militia groups connected to Soleimani.
Photos included in federal filings reportedly show the suspect meeting with Soleimani at military facilities, posing with missiles, and posting threats online for years.
One image allegedly posted by the suspect showed a map near Ivanka Trump’s Florida neighborhood alongside an ominous message about “surveillance and analysis.”
The allegations arrive as tensions involving Iran and Iranian-backed terror groups remain a major focus for the Trump administration following Operation Epic Fury.
Neither Ivanka Trump nor the White House publicly commented on the alleged plot.

Ivanka Trump Targeted In Chilling Plot Tied To Iran-Linked Terror Network

Ivanka Trump

terror

Reality check for Democrats — literally.
Spencer Pratt, the once-infamous &#8220;The Hills&#8221; villain turned viral political outsider, is suddenly within striking distance of becoming mayor of Los Angeles, and the new numbers are the kind that should make City Hall break into a cold sweat.
New Cygnal <a href="https://www.cygn.al/news/la-mayor-poll-pratt-within-striking-distance-bass-remains-flat/">polling</a> released this week shows Pratt climbing to 25% support once voters hear more about the race, putting him tied with incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, whose numbers remain completely flat.
That’s a brutal position for an incumbent mayor in a city where voters increasingly believe everything is spiraling in the wrong direction.
Just 30% of voters say Los Angeles is headed the right way, while 58% say the city is on the wrong track.
Their top frustrations? Cost of living, homelessness, and corruption, essentially the entire modern Los Angeles experience.
Cygnal CEO Brent Buchanan said Bass appears “flat, capped out,” while Pratt still has room to grow, particularly among independents, men, and Northeast Valley voters.
And suddenly, what once looked like a Hollywood punchline is starting to look like a genuine outsider campaign.
Pratt has built much of his campaign around viral videos blasting Los Angeles leadership over crime, homelessness, drugs, and wildfire failures, while positioning himself as the anti-establishment candidate in a city voters increasingly feel has been badly mismanaged.
The whole thing even caught President Donald Trump’s attention during a recent exchange with Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan.
“Do you see yourself in him at all? A former reality TV star?” Olohan asked Trump.
“I’d like to see him do well. He’s a character. I don’t know. I don’t know him. I assume he probably supports me,” Trump replied. 
When Olohan said she believed Pratt did support him, Trump leaned into the comparison.
“I heard he does,” Trump said. “I heard he’s a big MAGA person. He’s doing well.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="President Trump shares his thoughts on Spencer Pratt" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bQklPAw66Fw?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>
Trump then pivoted into criticism of California’s voting system, arguing the state’s elections are “very dishonest” because of widespread mail-in voting.
“If we had Jesus Christ come down and count the votes, I would have won California,” Trump said.
And honestly, there’s a reason Democrats may be getting a little uncomfortable watching this unfold.
After all, Democrats once laughed off a reality TV star named Donald Trump, too. That worked out great for them.
Trump famously turned “The Apprentice” into a political launchpad before bulldozing his way into the White House. Now, a former reality TV villain with frosted hair and a crystal obsession is mounting his own outsider-style political rise in a city where voters appear increasingly fed up with establishment leadership.
Meanwhile, Pratt’s candidacy is already rattling Democrats enough that far-Left Los Angeles Councilwoman Nithya Raman recently warned supporters Trump was “about to endorse Spencer” while urging donors to stop a “MAGA Republican mayor.” 
Pratt responded with an eye-roll GIF from a mayoral debate.
Which honestly feels like the most Spencer Pratt political response imaginable.
But beneath the memes and reality TV history, there’s something much bigger happening here: voters in one of America’s bluest cities appear so frustrated with the status quo that they’re willing to seriously consider a celebrity outsider promising to clean things up.
And for Democrats in Los Angeles, that may be the biggest reality check of all.

Why Democrats May Be Headed For Reality Check Round Two

California

Democrats

Donald Trump

Los Angeles

Spencer Pratt

Last night’s primary election news was all about dominance.
It’s worth pausing in this news-filled political season to appreciate just how dominant President Donald Trump’s political operation has become. They have, over the past month, racked up a litany of wins in Indiana, Louisiana, and Georgia, and last night cemented things in Kentucky by having Trump’s favored candidate easily outpace Mitch McConnell’s chosen heir.
The nuking of Thomas Massie, who exited stage left complaining about Jews, was just the icing on the cake. As CNN quoted a Senior White House adviser yesterday: &#8220;It’s not a retribution campaign, it’s a send a message campaign. It&#8217;s about reminding people of the political power. It&#8217;s not about retribution. This is basic political management of a party. You have to keep everybody on the reservation. Occasionally, you have to shoot a hostage. The next one is Thomas Massie.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here&#8217;s what one official told me on the President&#8217;s revenge tour and Massie ahead of tonight:
&#8220;It’s not a retribution campaign, it’s a send a message campaign,&#8221; a Senior White House adviser told CNN. &#8220;It&#8217;s about reminding people of the political power. It&#8217;s not about…
— Kristen Holmes (@KristenhCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/KristenhCNN/status/2056861347368116525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While the White House has to be pleased to have eliminated an irritating House member, the statewide choices are far more important. In Louisiana, Trump’s pick to replace incumbent Bill Cassidy, Julia Letlow, came in first by a wide margin. Burt Jones, Trump’s pick for governor, topped the field in Georgia. And after clearing a path for him by offering Nate Morris an ambassadorship, Andy Barr won easily in Kentucky.
It wasn’t always this way. The long-tenured Republican establishment used to have the ability to pick winners and losers, long past the point where Trump had become president the first time around. Now he and his team are paying a lot more attention to which loyalists can win and where, and in most cases, they’ve timed his endorsements for outsized impact.
It didn’t look like Trump was going to weigh in on the Texas Senate runoff, but a day after early voting began, he dropped John Cornyn like a rock. The Ken Paxton endorsement is one that Republicans in Washington, D.C. had strongly opposed — partially out of loyalty to Cornyn, but as much out of fear that Paxton could weigh down their efforts to keep the House in newly drawn Texas districts.
There’s also the fact that Paxton has struggled to raise money over the course of his career and may need more money from the national party, which is already facing tough contests in Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, and Michigan. But the Trump team, and the man himself, are feeling confident enough to make the call for a lockstep loyalist, no matter how flawed.
Why shouldn’t they be confident? After all, even when the Trump political team loses, they snatch victory from defeat. Gripes about insufficient spending on what turned out to be a very winnable Virginia redistricting battle at the ballot box had barely started when the Virginia Supreme Court bailed them out with a (justified) constitutional ruling. Sometimes you just get lucky.
This is all momentary, and the candidates in question are entering a cycle in which the headwinds against Republicans are still very strong. But this is an indication of Trump’s unprecedented dominance over a party that now operates according to his priorities. The idea that lasted far too long in some shrinking Republican circles is that there would be a reversion to a vague mean, some political reset that takes place when Trump is no longer in the White House. There is no point in holding on to that fantasy any longer. The party is his, and his alone.
&#8220;There&#8217;s only one rule in the jungle — when the lion&#8217;s hungry, he eats.&#8221;

President Trump Holds “Make America Wealthy Again Event” In White House Rose Garden

Last Night Proved Trump’s Political Team Has A Lock On The GOP

2026 elections

DW Opinion

Republican Party

Iran keeps finding out the hard way that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy playbook does not leave a lot of room for stalling, bluffing, or endless empty negotiations.
As the regime weighs whether to respond to Trump’s latest nuclear proposal, officials and defense experts are openly warning what comes next if Tehran tries to drag this out too long: more crushing economic pressure, expanded military strikes, and a systematic dismantling of Iran’s ability to threaten the region.
Speaking Saturday morning to reporters, our commander-in-chief said he expects to hear from Iran “very soon” regarding the latest United States peace proposal and suggested Tehran still “very much” wants to reach a lasting agreement.
The president sounded cautiously optimistic but also made clear he is watching closely to see whether Iran is serious or simply trying to buy time, a tactic the regime has used throughout Operation Epic Fury.
“We&#8217;re getting a letter [from Iran] supposedly tonight, so we&#8217;ll see how that goes,” Trump told reporters Friday evening from his golf club in Virginia.
When asked whether Iran could be intentionally dragging out negotiations, Trump responded bluntly: “I don&#8217;t know. We&#8217;ll find out soon enough.”
That uncertainty is exactly why the situation still feels like it could explode at any moment.
Behind the scenes, negotiators are reportedly trying to piece together a preliminary framework tied to Iran’s nuclear program and possible sanctions relief. But former military officials say neither side actually trusts the other.
Meanwhile, the pressure campaign on Tehran has not exactly disappeared.
Just days after Iran launched missiles toward the UAE’s Fujairah Port, United States forces struck Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz.
Officials insist the operation did not officially restart the war or end the ceasefire, but it sent a very clear message that America is still holding the bigger stick.
And according to defense experts, Trump is intentionally keeping Iran guessing about how far he is willing to go.
If negotiations collapse, experts say the U.S. would likely begin by targeting the systems Iran relies on to intimidate the Middle East and threaten global shipping lanes.
That includes ballistic missiles, Revolutionary Guard infrastructure, command centers, naval attack boats, and air defense systems.
One major target would almost certainly be Iran’s fast attack boat fleet in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has long used to harass oil tankers and pressure the global economy.
At the same time, Trump appears to be tightening the economic screws even further.
Some experts say a maritime blockade alone could slowly suffocate Iran’s oil exports and leave the regime economically cornered within months.
Others warn that if Iran refuses to deal, the next phase could become much more painful.
Trump has already warned Iran that America could target key energy infrastructure and export hubs if Tehran continues pushing toward a nuclear weapon.
The contrast with previous administrations is hard to miss.
Instead of pallets of cash, endless appeasement, and weak red lines, Trump is signaling that Iran has two choices: negotiate seriously or watch America squeeze the regime even harder from every direction possible.

Trump_Pigeon

The Iran Letter Trump Is Waiting For Could Decide What Happens Next

Foreign Policy

Operation Epic Fury

America is still lovin’ it.
More than a year after President Donald Trump’s viral McDonald’s campaign stop took over the internet during the 2024 election, we are finally learning how the unforgettable fast-food moment actually came together.
Speaking this week about the now-famous campaign event, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles revealed it was the campaign team that pitched the idea of Trump working the fryer at a McDonald’s during the final stretch of the race.
Trump quickly signed off on it for one very simple reason: “He eats it every single day,” Wiles said.
Back on October 20, 2024, Trump stopped at a McDonald’s in battleground Pennsylvania and instantly created one of the defining images of the election cycle.
Wearing an apron and standing behind the fryer, Trump cooked fries, joked with workers, and handed food through the drive-thru window as supporters packed the area outside.
The stop was also widely viewed as a jab at then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who had previously claimed she worked at McDonald’s when she was younger, though the story later became heavily debated during the campaign.
But the event was about more than trolling political opponents.
The campaign reportedly saw the stunt as a way to connect directly with working Americans, especially considering roughly one in eight Americans have worked at McDonald’s at some point in their lives.
The message was simple: Trump wanted to position himself as someone who respected those jobs and the people working them every day.
The unforgettable campaign gimmick exploded into a massive viral moment.
Within hours, photos and videos of Trump behind the fryer flooded social media. Memes spread everywhere. Supporters turned the moment into merchandise. Even critics who mocked the stunt admitted it completely hijacked the news cycle.
Now Wiles is pulling back the curtain on why the campaign believed it would connect so strongly in the first place.
The answer was authenticity.
Trump has spent decades openly talking about his love of McDonald’s and fast food.
Whether aboard Trump Force One or on the campaign trail, stories about his McDonald’s habit have followed him for years.
The campaign apparently understood something many political consultants still do not. Americans can spot a fake photo-op from a mile away.
But Trump standing inside a McDonald’s looked less like a consultant-crafted stunt and more like something he would genuinely be doing on a random night.
More than a year later, people are still talking about it.

Trump McDonalds

We’re Still Lovin’ It! The Story Behind Trump’s Viral McDonald’s Shift

McDonald’s

Canceled.
The worst-case scenario for any airline passenger just hit thousands of travelers at once.
Spirit Airlines customers woke up to a blunt message inside the airline’s app: every flight is canceled, effective immediately.
The message read in part that passengers should not go to the airport under any circumstances. It also made clear the airline cannot help rebook travelers on other carriers, leaving many scrambling for alternatives on their own. Instead, customers were told refunds would be automatically issued back to the original form of payment for flights purchased with a credit or debit card.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1088575 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-02-at-7.55.19-AM-296x576.png" alt="" width="296" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-02-at-7.55.19-AM-296x576.png 296w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-02-at-7.55.19-AM-154x300.png 154w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-02-at-7.55.19-AM.png 598w" sizes=" (max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px" /></div>
The message made one thing clear. There is no backup plan.
The collapse comes just days after a last-ditch effort to save the airline fell apart. A roughly $500 million bailout push failed after disagreements between the Trump administration and key bondholders stalled any deal.
President Donald Trump had signaled the administration was at least open to stepping in. “We’re looking at it,” Trump said Friday. “If we can do it, we’d do it.”
That window has now closed.
Industry groups had also been pushing for a much larger safety net, requesting as much as $2.5 billion in temporary federal support for struggling low-cost carriers. The pitch was simple. Without help, airlines like Spirit could collapse, cutting competition and driving up prices.
That warning is no longer hypothetical.
The budget carrier had been flashing warning signs for months. By the end of the week, it was clear the company’s last lifeline was barely hanging on. Overnight, that uncertainty turned into reality.
For travelers, the fallout is immediate.
Flights are gone. Plans are blown up. And for many, the scramble to find a replacement just got a lot more expensive.
Other major carriers are already stepping in to pick up the pieces. American Airlines said early Saturday it is rolling out “rescue fares” for stranded Spirit Airlines customers on overlapping routes, while also looking to add larger aircraft and extra flights where possible. The airline said it serves the vast majority of Spirit’s network and is working with the Department of Transportation to help ease the disruption. Travelers are being urged to rebook directly through American’s app or website, while displaced Spirit crew members are also being offered travel support and potential job opportunities as the airline ramps up recruiting efforts.
The shutdown marks a stunning collapse for the 34-year-old company that once built its brand on rock-bottom fares and no-frills travel.
For years, Spirit Airlines positioned itself as the go-to option for cheap domestic flights, even as complaints about fees, delays, and customer experience piled up.
The ripple effects could hit quickly. With one of the country’s most aggressive low-cost carriers suddenly gone, competition shrinks, and prices could climb, especially on routes where Spirit helped keep fares low.
Spirit Airlines said refunds will be processed automatically, but offered little else in terms of support. Travelers hoping to salvage their trips will now have to navigate other airlines, often at significantly higher prices.
For thousands of passengers, the message could not have been clearer.
Do not go to the airport.

Spirit_Money_Oxygen

Spirit Airlines Officially Shuts Down. See The Message Stranded Customers Woke Up To

Air Travel

Airlines

Spirit Airlines

Travel

Yet again, an assassin tried to murder President Donald Trump. Naturally, the conversation around the latest attempt quickly swung to the obvious fact that it was a <a href="https://www.alternet.org/people-cant/">false flag operation</a> designed to increase support for the new White House ballroom. That noted MAGA stalwart Rand Paul plans to introduce a Senate bill to get the ballroom built only lends credence to this totally plausible and not totally insane theory.
The ballroom, once a yuge topic of discussion, had fallen out of favor for resistance libs/”conservative” influencers. That crowd had moved on to other issues, mainly regarding Iran and Israel’s occupation of the government, though I’ve personally heard one claim that Trump’s health is failing and he’ll be forced to resign soon. This focus on other “issues” would work to Trump’s favor as he could do his building while people are distracted.
Now, though, it’s back to the fore, and people are once again seething about the Trump ballroom. This, of course, makes total sense, as having a dedicated and secure space at the White House for events such as the Correspondents’ Dinner is obviously fascism of some flavor, and Trump also assuredly wants to keep the focus on his favorite project, thus ensuring unnecessary roadblocks are placed in its way.
It’s almost kind of an understandable Rube Goldberg, if you hold your breath for a little too long and squint just right. Perhaps, though, the real estate mogul who currently occupies the White House is just really into real estate development. Sure, his tastes may be a little more flamboyant than most, but the man understands property. Also, and I know this is shocking, it’s not his ballroom. It’s a space that will be used by presidents who follow Trump, presumably some of whom will be Democrats.
If that goes against your anti-fascist, no kings sensibilities, well, allow me to retort. For starters, Trump is going to leave office; he’s not Nicolas Cage, and a ballroom is not the Constitution. It’s not a double-wide being placed on the grounds that one can simply load onto a trailer. This isn’t the Bill Clinton ballroom.
Second verse, same as the first, even if Trump were going to ferret the ballroom away with him when he leaves office, that is not a thing that is physically possible. It’s simple logistics, though if you have the know-how when it comes to stealing a 90,000 sq. ft. structure, please reach out. Architectural theft, particularly the theft of a building that one architect calls “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ballroom-white-house-east-wing-66753cd005193ac190e3702bd7353c0b">too large</a>,” is something I might be interested in. While the costs associated with said absconding would likely inflate the black-market price, one could still get a pretty penny nickel for a nicked ballroom.
Third, and this is the most important part, someone tried to kill President Trump for a third time. It should go without saying that politicians shouldn’t be assassinated, even those whom people really dislike. It’s not something to be treated <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-legacy-media-is-complicit-in-americas-assassination-vibes">as normal</a>. We’re not the Roman Empire (yet), nor are we Russia. We’re America. We’re better than this.
We’re also better than immediately jumping to a conspiracy theory when a nutjob attempts to assassinate a man who is constantly demonized as Hitler, a tyrant, a fascist, and any other -ists that roughly translate to “politician who does things differently than I’d like them done.” Consider the possibility that such demonization might encourage the less mentally stable among us to take action.
Yes, Trump wants the ballroom. It would be a very visible part of his legacy. Would he go so far as to stage a fake assassination attempt in order to get it? No, and floating such theories reveals an abnormally high level of crazy. It also belies the whole fascist king thing, as fascist kings are known for just doing things rather than relying on libertarians to serve as project managers.
If you want to harbor such beliefs, though, and again I strongly encourage you not to harbor such beliefs, it’s best to keep those to yourself. Not only do they reveal a level of callousness one shouldn’t roll with, but they’re also totally retarded. And one thing no one should ever do is go <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6WHBO_Qc-Q">full retard</a>. Just ask Sean Penn.
***
Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the Cookin&#8217; Up a Story podcast, which you can listen to here. You can also follow him on X: @rcromwell4.

Daily Coverage from the White House

Add Trump’s Ballroom To The List Of Unhinged Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy Theory

White House Ballroom

the_squad_gi

Dems’ ‘Cult Of Hatred’ Reveals Hard-To-Ignore Pattern After Another Assassination Attempt

Political Violence

“It was either a tray, or a bullet. I was hoping it was a tray. It wasn’t.”
That was President Donald John Trump, 79 years old, four hours of sleep a night, and now three assassination attempts into his presidency, cracking jokes at a press conference less than two hours after a man named Cole Tomas Allen tried to kill him in the lobby of the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Two hours.
&#8220;I like not to think about it. I&#8217;m not a basket case. I take it as it is. I do it for the country.&#8221;
Most of us would still be in shock. Most of us would be wrapped in a blanket somewhere, shivering, phones off, unable to form a coherent sentence. Donald Trump was standing at a podium, flanked by his cabinet and his wife, Melania, taking questions from reporters and already talking about rescheduling the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
&#8220;We&#8217;ll do it again in the next thirty days, and we&#8217;ll do it bigger and better,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We wanted to stay tonight, and I will tell you I fought like hell to stay.&#8221;
That is not the behavior of a man who is shaken. That is the behavior of a man who has made peace with the cost of his job, and who’s chosen to pay it anyway.
While reporters scrambled for details on the shooter, pundits dissected the manifesto, and the Left predictably declared the whole thing staged, almost no one stopped to sit with the human reality of what we witnessed. A sitting president of the United States nearly lost his life last night, again, and before the night was over, he was already thinking about how to get back to business.
He is a walking middle finger to the progressive Leftists who want him dead.
Scientists should study this man’s nervous system.
Trump addressed it directly at the press conference, returning to a statistic he’s cited before — one that, in the context of last night, hits differently. Race car drivers die on the job at a rate of 0.10%. Bull riders, the same. But the American presidency? 5.8% of presidents have been killed in office. 8% have been shot at.
“I’m here to do a job,” Trump said. “It’s part of the job. It’s very dangerous. I cannot imagine that there is any profession that’s more dangerous. But I love the country. I’m very proud. I’m very proud of the job we’ve done … I wanna live because I wanna make this country great.”
That right there is what allows our president to keep going. His love for our country.
And that right there is a man who has stared down at his own mortality — repeatedly — and decided that America is worth more than his own safety.
President Trump doesn’t just endure these moments. He refuses to let them change him. After the chaos settled, the president personally called members of the press — the same legacy media that has spent years fomenting the very environment that enabled these assassination attempts — to ask if they were okay. Not his team. Not his donors. The journalists who have made his life a living hell.
Worst fascist ever, checking in on those who hate him most.
We are dangerously close to taking his resilience for granted. Because he handles it so well, so consistently, we forget what “it” actually is. This is a man who took a bullet to the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, raised his fist in the air with blood streaming down his face, and said fight. This is a man who has now survived multiple attempts on his life and has not once — not for a single moment — considered quitting. Nothing and no one is deterring him from delivering for our nation.
He easily could have given up on us. No one would have blamed him. The man has built a legacy, raised a family, lived 10 lifetimes. He didn’t have to come back. He didn’t have to run again. He didn’t have to walk into a room knowing that some percentage of the people in it might want him dead.
He came back because he loves this country. It is that simple. It is that extraordinary.
Most generations get one president who genuinely believes the job is a calling rather than a career. We have ours. And he is showing up — still, again, always, despite the fact that showing up means dodging literal bullets.
He is the greatest president my generation has ever seen, and I’ll be damned if we let the Left take him out, as they did to Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
President Trump, I don’t know how you’re doing it. Maybe it’s the Diet Coke. Maybe it&#8217;s spite. Maybe it&#8217;s just that you love this country and her people more than you fear what they might do to you. But we see you. And we thank you.
Fight, fight, fight.

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