Tech billionaire Elon Musk reportedly plans to fund a massive ground operation to boost Republicans and spend up to $200 million ahead of the November midterm elections. 
Musk plans to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-jumps-back-in-to-help-with-trumps-midterm-fight">relaunch America PAC</a>, the same political group that spent hundreds of millions helping elect President Donald Trump in 2024, with a heavy focus on battleground states. The revived operation will prioritize door-knocking, digital advertising, and direct mail to energize conservative voters who typically skip midterms.
The former DOGE chief, who quit Washington after a falling out with the White House, is expected to spend between $100 million and $200 million, with a major focus on Texas, where <a href="https://polymarket.com/event/texas-senate-election-winner">one prediction market</a> currently favors Democrat James Talarico to upset Republican Ken Paxton in the make-or-break U.S. Senate race. <a href="https://archive.ph/Hsut7#selection-1927.104-1927.127">Wired</a> first reported on the development. 
“America PAC was an essential partner for our historic GOTV operation in 2024, and their return for 2026 is a huge boost for Republicans across the country,” James Blair, President Trump’s senior political adviser, told <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/29/musk-pac-midterm-election">Axios</a> in July. “We will again outsmart our opponents and ruthlessly execute our mission for the GOP between now and Election Day.” 
It’s a striking reversal for the X owner, who just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-goes-after-trump-over-epstein-files-time-to-drop-the-really-big-bomb">last year accused Trump </a>of covering up convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and implied the president himself was implicated.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk said in June 2025, before adding a follow-up: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
“This is an unfortunate episode from Elon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-responds-to-elon-musk-epstein-claims-an-unfortunate-episode-from-elon?utm_source=chatgpt.com">The Daily Wire</a> at the time, saying Musk was “unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.”
Musk, who also threatened to financially back a third political party, later de-escalated the feud and deleted several of his most inflammatory social media posts — including his Epstein allegations — and publicly acknowledged that some of his attacks on Trump “went too far.” 
Following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Musk and Trump publicly reconciled at <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969870768201777180?s=20">Kirk’s memorial service</a> in Arizona, where the two shook hands and spoke for the first time since their falling out. The reunion fulfilled a promise the late conservative activist made, who also helped elect Trump and transform an entire generation of young conservatives. 
“I know both these guys… I am hopeful, optimistic, and will do everything I possibly can to try and bring this back together,” Kirk <a href="https://www.wral.com/archive/22170145/">said</a> in June of last year.
Since then, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been a social media advocate for the administration’s policies, despite recently acknowledging he got “carried away” during his brief stint with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. 
“I think I got a little too involved in politics,” Musk <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5988248-doge-initiative-shut-down/">told</a> The Economist. “I got carried away, frankly.”
Still, Musk&#8217;s cash infusion will add to Republicans’ already formidable financial advantage heading into the midterms. President Trump’s super PAC has amassed a $400 million war chest. In contrast, the Democratic National Committee reportedly owes about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flat-broke-dnc-meltdown-sparks-panic-on-the-left" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$2 million</a><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flat-broke-dnc-meltdown-sparks-panic-on-the-left">. </a>
With control of both the House and Senate up for grabs, Republicans face significant headwinds heading into Election Day, including <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">elevated gas prices</a>, the lingering <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=U.S.+Hammers+Iran+After+Tehran%E2%80%99s+Attempt+To+Take+Out+American+Troops">war with Iran</a>, and President Trump’s low approval ratings. The latest <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/generic-congressional-vote">RealClearPolitics </a>polling average gives Democrats a roughly 6.5-percentage point lead on the generic congressional ballot.

President Trump Holds Press Conference With Musk As He Departs DOGE

Musk Expected To Spend Up To $200M To Boost GOP In Midterms

2026 elections

campaign funds

Elections

Elon Musk

Midterms

Money

News

President Trump

Super PACs

The United States national debt surpassed $40 trillion for the first time on Tuesday, reaching another historic milestone as the federal government continues to run massive deficits. 
The debt topped $30 trillion for the first time just four years ago. When the country crossed the $1 trillion mark more than four decades ago, President Ronald Reagan pointed to the milestone as a warning about federal spending.
“If we as a nation needed a warning, let that be it,” President Reagan said in a televised address.
The national debt has continued to climb as federal spending has outpaced revenue under successive presidential administrations.
Financial firm River published a chart citing U.S. Treasury data that depicts federal spending across presidential administrations. Since the Nixon administration, federal spending and the national debt have virtually increased under each administration.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1161717" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-5.59.53-PM.png" alt="" width="1456" height="1012" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-5.59.53-PM.png 1456w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-5.59.53-PM-300x209.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-5.59.53-PM-829x576.png 829w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-5.59.53-PM-768x534.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1456px) 100vw, 1456px" /></div>
President Trump made reducing the national debt part of his 2024 campaign. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later said his job was to raise $1 trillion in revenue, while Elon Musk, who spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, was tasked with cutting $1 trillion in spending.
Trump himself sounded the alarm about federal borrowing more than a decade ago. In 2012, he described a $17 trillion national debt and a $1 trillion budget deficit as a “national security risk of the highest order.”
The federal government continues to spend substantially more than it collects, adding to the national debt. The Treasury Department <a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/us-government-debt-passes-40-trillion-mark-for-the-first-time.html" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="639" data-end="749">reported</a> a $432.3 billion deficit in July, the largest monthly deficit since March 2021, when President Joe Biden signed his COVID-19 stimulus package.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a longtime advocate of reducing federal spending, has repeatedly called for the government to return to pre-pandemic spending levels.
“What we are doing to our children, how we are robbing them of the opportunities and diminishing their prospects, that&#8217;s truly immoral,&#8221; Johnson <a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/gop-sen-ron-johnson-explains-why-he-opposes-trumps-budget-in-its-current-form" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="1379" data-end="1498">said</a> during an interview discussing funding for Trump&#8217;s Big Beautiful Bill. &#8220;And we need to recognize that fact and we need to stop it.”
The $40 trillion milestone comes as Congress faces another government funding deadline. Lawmakers must fund the federal government for fiscal year 2027, or pass a continuing resolution, by September 30 to avoid a funding lapse.

US-ECONOMY-DEBT

Reagan Sounded The Alarm At $1 Trillion. America’s National Debt Just Hit $40 Trillion.

$40 Trillion

Congress

Deficit

National Debt

National Security

Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, clearing the way for a general election showdown to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) after a contentious primary that tested the future of Florida’s conservative movement.
With 90% of the vote counted, Donalds is cruising to victory with about 48%, well ahead of Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R-FL) at 25% and businessman James Fishback (R-FL) at 10%. <a href="https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2026-08-18/florida-governor-republican-primary">Decision Desk HQ</a> called the race at 8 p.m. ET.
&#8220;I want to start by thanking God for all His blessings and protection over my family, and over my team,” Donalds said in a Tuesday night celebration speech. &#8220;Tonight, the primary is over. Tonight, we put aside our differences. Tonight, we are one united Republican Party.&#8221;
Donalds, like Trump, was born in New York City but has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District — which covers Southwest Florida along the Gulf Coast — in Washington since 2021. Widely viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party, Donalds was even floated as a potential vice presidential pick during the 2024 election cycle, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/byron-donalds-on-vp-buzz-im-a-real-simple-dude-i-just-want-to-win">The Daily Wire</a> reported. 
“It’d be a great honor, but it’s his decision,” Donalds said in a Nashville interview with The Daily Wire at the time. “He’ll decide what he wants to do, and whatever his decision is, I’m going to support that. I just want to win,” he added. “I’m a real simple dude. I just want to win and be successful. That’s it.”
That attitude appeared to win over Trump, who jumped into the race in May, endorsing Donalds as a “highly respected” congressman who would help advance the “America First Agenda.”
“I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116642799421262985">said</a> on Truth Social. “Byron Donalds will be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” 
On the campaign trail, Donalds<a href="https://byrondonalds.com/issues/"> ran</a> on advancing President Trump’s agenda, cracking down on illegal immigration, ending “woke ideology” in schools, and calling for an<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR4qqMWegVs"> end</a> to Cuba’s communist regime in an effort to win over Florida’s large Latino electorate. 
The former Democrat has also spoken openly about his born-again Christian conversion, which he says happened in a<a href="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2025/09/08/byron-donalds-cracker-barrel-parking-lot"> Cracker Barrel</a> parking lot. As a young man, Donalds faced charges at 18 for marijuana possession and again at 20 in connection with a bank fraud scheme involving a bad check. The marijuana charge was dismissed after Donalds completed a pretrial diversion program, and he later had the fraud record sealed and expunged.
Fishback, who has himself faced questions over <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/florida-school-gop-james-fishback-sexual-misconduct-allegations-rcna249963">sexual misconduct allegations</a>, <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/811578-judge-orders-james-fishback-to-pay-his-former-hedge-fund-employer-1-3m/">financial disputes</a>, and <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/politics/decision/james-fishback-stays-on-ballot-florida-governors-race-residency-claims/3839164/">residency requirements</a>, sought to capitalize on Donalds’ past but faced backlash after calling the GOP front-runner a “DEI hire” and a <a href="https://x.com/Patriot_Clips/status/2075663909227253891?s=20">“slave”</a> to corporate interests.
“I will apologize for calling Byron Donalds a slave when he gives back the $81 million he has taken from AIPAC, hedge-fund billionaires, and special interests who are trying to pave over the state and turn us into a concrete jungle,” Fishback <a href="https://x.com/Patriot_Clips/status/2075663909227253891?s=20">told</a> reporters. 
The 31-year-old, who is closely <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vtjidiZRTg">aligned with Tucker Carlson</a>, ran a headline-grabbing, grievance-filled campaign built around issues he believed would resonate with the Gen Z right, including banning data centers, suspending aid to Israel, implementing a “sin” tax on OnlyFans, and ending what he called the H-1B visa &#8220;scam.&#8221;
DeSantis, barred from seeking a third term, largely stayed on the sidelines as the primary unfolded. He praised former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner while withholding an endorsement and took a pointed swipe at Donalds last year.
“We’ve achieved victories in Florida,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/politics/elections/desantis-endorse-governor-candidates-florida-2026/67-d41d3df8-f85c-44e5-bbbc-82067c738590">said</a> during a press conference last year. “A guy like Byron, he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the Left over these last years.”
Donalds and DeSantis were once close allies, but their relationship fractured in 2023 after Donalds broke with the governor over controversial education standards. The standards said enslaved people developed skills that could later be “applied for their personal benefit,” according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/byron-donalds-donald-trump-florida-governor-desantis-7cf12bdb0899d0165c4cbd98e5b3abe3#">Associated Press</a>. 
Donalds pushed back publicly at the time, writing on social media: “The new African-American standards in FL are good, robust, &amp; accurate. That being said, the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong &amp; needs to be adjusted.”
Looking ahead, Donalds said <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/814808-byron-donalds-still-expects-ron-desantis-to-back-him-after-primary/">he expects</a> to earn the governor’s support as he prepares to carry the DeSantis legacy forward. Donalds has vowed to continue Florida’s fight against “woke” ideology in schools and state government. 
Under DeSantis, Florida has become a national battleground over culture-war fights, including DEI, abortion, and transgender issues. The state recently scored a major legal victory in its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/three-year-culture-war-fight-ends-with-major-win-for-desantis?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=35&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Three-Year+Culture+War+Fight+Ends+With+Major+Win+For+DeSantis">three-year fight</a> over a law restricting minors from attending sexually explicit live performances, including drag shows.
November&#8217;s election will effectively mark the end of the DeSantis era, which transformed Florida from a purple swing state into a ruby-red bastion for conservatives nationwide. Florida’s Republican advantage has grown dramatically in recent years, holding a roughly <a href="https://dos.fl.gov/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-reports/voter-registration-by-party-affiliation/?lv=true&amp;quot=&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">1.5 million-voter registration edge</a> over Democrats. To win statewide, the Democrats would need to overcome the GOP’s registration lead by winning back Hispanics and persuading a large bloc of conservative-leaning voters who have backed Republicans in statewide elections.
This fall, Donalds will face Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman turned Democrat who wants to repeal Florida’s abortion ban and is leaning into identity politics. 
“Culture wars divide and demonize. Florida should reject the politics of division and hate, and instead create a home where everyone is valued, respected, and welcomed,” Jolly’s <a href="https://davidjolly.com/issues/">campaign website</a> reads. “Florida should embrace our immigrant community and celebrate their contributions to our state&#8217;s culture and economy.”
The <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/governor/race/479481">Cook Political Report</a> rates the race as Solid Republican.

Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Byron Donalds Campaigns Ahead Of Primary Election

Byron Donalds Cruises To Victory In Fight To Succeed DeSantis As Florida Governor

2026 Midterms

Byron Donalds

Donald Trump

endorsements

Florida

James Fishback

Politics

Republicans

Ron DeSantis

The Democratic National Committee adopted a resolution Saturday urging congressional Democrats to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alongside a competing measure calling only for reforms to the agency, at the party&#8217;s summer meeting in Austin, Texas.
The abolition measure, known as Resolution 27, cleared the DNC&#8217;s Resolutions Committee on Thursday in a 25-12 vote with one abstention before heading to the full membership, Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/dnc-votes-back-eliminating-ice-trump-expands-deportations-12327959">reported</a>. Both resolutions were bundled into a larger package and approved by the full membership on a unanimous voice vote, <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/15/dnc-passes-dueling-ice-resolutions-establishment-insurgents-clash/">according</a> to the Washington Times. The vote is nonbinding and does not change the party platform for 2028.
The reform measure, sponsored by DNC Chairman Ken Martin, drew broader support in committee than the abolition proposal.
The vote comes amid internal party debates over immigration policy ahead of this year’s midterm elections as President Donald Trump expands deportation efforts. In July, border czar Tom Homan said ICE was on schedule to set arrest records for a second consecutive month and described the push as “<a href="https://x.com/johnnymaga/status/2080472034807541833">deportation-maxxing.</a>”
The resolution calls on Democratic members of Congress to enact legislation dissolving ICE and winding down the immigration detention system. It seeks to restrict Department of Homeland Security funding unless certain enforcement activities end, including workplace raids, mass roundups, arrests at courthouses, arrests at ICE check-ins, and actions near schools and houses of worship. It also calls for terminating contracts with private detention providers.
Martin said official party platforms are set every four years at the national convention, and argued Democrats are still united in opposing the administration&#8217;s enforcement approach even as they split over what should replace it.
“Our official party positions are determined at the convention every four years in our platform,” Martin said in a statement to Newsweek. “However, clearly, the one thing that unites Democrats, regardless of their position on reform versus abolish or whatever other ways to change what’s happening, is people believe that what ICE is doing right now and CBP and the federal government should stop. There has to be a better way.”
The White House criticized the action. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Newsweek on Saturday:
&#8220;Extreme radical Democrats want to abolish ICE and defund the police. Instead of trying to abolish ICE, Democrats should be thanking ICE law enforcement officers for putting their lives on the line to arrest and remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members from American communities. Many of these criminals were released from jails by Democrat radical politicians. President Trump&#8217;s efforts to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities is already delivering results including the lowest murder rate in 125 years.&#8221;
The resolution also calls for closing detention facilities, releasing most immigration detainees, and expanding civil rights oversight.
Michele Johnson, a DNC member from Louisiana who proposed the abolition measure, said Democrats need to take a clear position, pointing to the dissolution of ICE&#8217;s predecessor agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as precedent, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-dnc-2028-primary-immigration-ice-106d35d404491c87b4f3a64b4119677e">according</a> to the Associated Press.
“I think one of the reasons why people are not trusting the party is because we sound so academic,” she said. “We sound focus group tested, we sound poll tested because we’re worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing and not just like, just stand on business, like take a position.”
DNC member Yvonne Reeves-Chong voted against it, saying it would win over only part of the party&#8217;s base while drawing fire from another group of voters, according to the AP.
“I would strongly suggest we get to the business of winning races so we can make the policies that make a difference,” she said.
Earlier this year, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stopped short of calling for ICE’s elimination while demanding reforms such as banning face coverings for agents, requiring visible identification, and restricting enforcement near schools and churches.
Polling suggests voters are focused elsewhere. Marquette Law School&#8217;s most recent national <a href="https://today.marquette.edu/2026/08/new-marquette-law-school-poll-national-survey-finds-inflation-and-cost-of-living-the-most-important-issue-economy-next-most-important/">survey</a>, released August 5, found inflation and the cost of living ranked as the top issue for 35% of adults, with immigration and border security at 5% — down from 14% in January.
The same poll found Trump&#8217;s overall approval had risen to 40%, his first uptick in a Marquette survey this term, and border security was the only issue on which he cleared 50% approval.
ICE itself remains unpopular. A Marquette <a href="https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2026/02/04/new-marquette-law-school-national-survey-finds-60-disapprove-of-the-work-of-ice-with-democrats-and-independents-opposed-to-ice-and-republicans-in-favor/">survey</a> conducted in late January found 40% of adults approved of the agency&#8217;s job performance and 60% disapproved. But the same poll found 56% still favored deporting illegal immigrants, and among that group, 65% approved of ICE&#8217;s conduct.
Sarah Pierce, director of social policy at the center-left group Third Way, has argued that immigration should not be Democrats&#8217; first message to voters because it is not their top concern — but that ignoring the issue is also a mistake. Democrats &#8220;cannot allow Republicans to be the only party offering a vision&#8221; on immigration, she told Newsweek.

Ken Martin, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) state convention, Rochester, Minn., May 29, 2026

‘Abolish ICE’ Is Now Official DNC Policy

Anti-ICE

Illegal Immigration

Tom Homan

I want to talk about the responsibility of our political leadership when it comes to conspiracies.
That is perhaps the biggest issue in today&#8217;s politics, with ramifications far beyond whatever benighted crap Candace, Joe Rogan, or Theo Von dump on their podcast.
“Whatever the spin is about Tyler Robinson, there&#8217;s some bullsh*t to it,” Rogan said. “I don&#8217;t know how much of it is bullsh*t, but there&#8217;s some bullsh*t.”
I like Joe personally. He&#8217;s a nice guy.
Also, this kind of stupidity ought to immediately make you question Joe&#8217;s capacity to discern truth from fiction. This is essentially the same as endorsing the theory that staring at hieroglyphics can solve your health problems.
Joe did that recently.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-ep-2486?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-981859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
I&#8217;m not super shocked by this kind of stuff. Joe tends to believe pretty much every conspiracy theory that he can find, because let&#8217;s be real, conspiracies are fun. They’re chatty. You can fill five hours talking with your comedian friends about how the moon landing was fake, and underwater demons who might be aliens control our lives.
Joe’s shtick is that he is basically a caveman discovering the world by talking with everyone — which never results in any firmly held beliefs. Thus he&#8217;ll endorse James Talarico, the psychotic Left-wing Howdy Doody of Texas, but also Donald Trump within two years of each other.
But it&#8217;s fun to watch the journey. It&#8217;s just sitting with your friends in college and popping open a beer or, in Joe&#8217;s case, smoking a blunt and waxing philosophic on “whether your chair really exists, man,” or “whether when you see the color red and I see the color red, is it the same color red, bro?” Or, “Which Kardashian sister is the hottest?”
Under normal circumstances, that&#8217;s fine and fun; it’s a free country; you can listen to what you want.
But.
Two things make this kind of stuff a problem for America more generally: first, when people start treating it seriously, and second, when politicians start treating it seriously.
Part and parcel of Joe&#8217;s comedic world is black-pilling. This is very common in comedy because comedy is about making fun of the world as it is. It&#8217;s not about offering solutions. It&#8217;s not about trying to come to a consensus. Comedy is inherently black-pilled.
I&#8217;m not going to blame Joe for any of this sort of stuff. One of the things that makes Joe such a successful podcaster is that he contains multitudes, including a variety of totally conflicting viewpoints.
But a bunch of young men use Joe Rogan as a sort of political litmus test. It turns out that young men will follow pretty much anybody — even using the alleged sex-trafficking Tate brothers as a moral litmus test.
Following these people is stupid. If you&#8217;re not doing it for fun, if you&#8217;re using them as political guides rather than gossipy buddies, there’s a problem.
But the more dangerous problem is when our political leaders decide to follow this group.
Which brings us to the modern GOP.
Top members of the GOP, most prominently the vice president, think the path to political victory lies in winning over the Rogan bros. And the vice president has made this pretty clear — over and over and over.
The New York Times reported: &#8220;Vance made clear to colleagues he feared losing some of the so-called low-propensity voters, the young men who were not traditional Republicans, but who had voted for the Trump-Vance ticket in 2024. This was an audience tuned into the &#8216;manosphere&#8217; podcasters like Joe Rogan, and it was worrisome that the podcast hosts themselves were now rebelling.&#8221;
And of course, the vice president has recommended that everyone ought to listen to the benighted musings of Theo Von, a double-digit IQ comedian whose discernment is on par with that of a brick.
Vance said a few months ago, “You know, I think if you want a good laugh, I love Theo Von, like he&#8217;s one of my favorite — He&#8217;s just incredible. He&#8217;s got one of these senses of humor where like 30% of the time it goes completely over my head and 70% of the time he&#8217;s the funniest person imaginable. But I think Theo has a good heart. And that&#8217;s one of the reasons why I really like listening to his show.”
So, so, so much great stuff in Theo Von. Here&#8217;s Theo Von with Joe Rogan, rapping on the conspiracy theories:
<blockquote>People are like, we’ll elect the Democrats next time. It&#8217;s like, but it&#8217;s all the same sh*t that has been happening forever. They haven&#8217;t been helping anybody forever. They&#8217;re letting politicians slurp on kids. All of our f*cking money goes to Israel and they&#8217;re using it f*cking genocide people. It&#8217;s like everybody is scared out of their wits right now. It&#8217;s like our religious leaders are afraid to speak out. And it&#8217;s like a time where it&#8217;s like Satan is amongst us and our religious leaders are talking about bullshit. It&#8217;s just like, I don&#8217;t know, man.</blockquote>
The black-pilling. This is what you need more of. You need more of the black-pilling, more of the conspiracies. Here’s more of his drivel:
<blockquote>But I think that this starts to happen. News stories get created, right?  Whether they&#8217;re fictional. Whatever goes on, you don&#8217;t even know a lot of times what&#8217;s news stories. You can send actors out to create a scene. You see a video; you believe it &#8230; then you see movies and stuff come out later about it. So it&#8217;s like you&#8217;re almost creating your own news to, then, make like a based on a real story. You know what I&#8217;m talking about?</blockquote>
This is what you need. You need a guy who tells you that news stories are actually created by actors. That&#8217;s what you really need.
Says the guy who literally acts for a living.
I can see why the vice president is recommending this genius-level talk. It is definitely edifying for the young male population of the United States to listen to people who may be borderline retarded talking about politics.
I think that Vance’s particular strategy is flawed for a couple of particular reasons.
First, you have to build your own coalition. You can&#8217;t just duplicate President Trump&#8217;s. I know the vice president of the United States thinks that if he just keeps Trump&#8217;s coalition, he wins in 2028.
This is wrong and politically stupid. No politician can duplicate the coalition built by another politician. That is not how this works. If you take Donald Trump&#8217;s coalition and you map JD Vance onto that coalition, JD Vance loses participants in literally every area of that coalition. He wins fewer women, fewer Hispanics, fewer blacks, and fewer blue-collar voters.
You can&#8217;t outcompete President Trump with blue-collar white voters; Vance does worse with the manosphere. He wins fewer of everyone.
Second, if you try to follow the people around, remember that they are fickle.
Take Joe Rogan, for example. Trump has been in three elections. Joe Rogan voted for Donald Trump once. He is now endorsing James Talarico for Senate in Texas. The notion that if you go on Joe Rogan’s show and you mirror his conspiratorial musings and black-pill super-hard the way that JD Vance actually did on Joe Rogan’s show, that all the &#8220;Joe Rogan voters&#8221; will end up with you is silly. People can change their minds.
Joe Rogan is fickle. Theo Von is fickle. All these people are fickle because they don&#8217;t have any consistent worldview.
Thus, if you just try to follow them around, there&#8217;s a very good shot they will run away from you, just on a pragmatic level.
Third, successful leaders lead, and the coalitions follow in their wake. Politicians who tend to pander and chase the crowd do not work.
This is where President Trump is unique. President Trump doesn&#8217;t go on Joe Rogan and mirror what Joe Rogan is saying. President Trump says whatever President Trump wants to say, and then whoever follows him wants to follow him. That&#8217;s how it works.
Trump is the same dude everywhere. He doesn&#8217;t change what he is saying whether he&#8217;s on Joe Rogan, Theo Von, my show, or anyone else’s.
Fourth, and most importantly, it is immoral and wrong as a leader to forego truth in favor of popularity. I know sticking to the truth has fallen out of favor. We&#8217;re supposed to just believe that our politicians’  job is to chase the people around with a butterfly net.
That is wrong. It is politically stupid, and it is also morally wrong.
There are a bunch of people purportedly on the Right now who say things like “vox populi, vox dei&#8221; meaning the voice of the people is the voice of God.
That is stupid and nonsense. It actually comes from an eighth-century letter to Charlemagne, in which the author called that idea and crowds following crowds around “madness.”
It turns out that people are often wrong. This is why we have a Constitution. You wouldn&#8217;t need a Constitution if the people were awesome all the time.
Our founders feared and despised the mob. They wanted a Constitution because they knew certain rights had to be off-limits, so the people could not run roughshod over them.
That&#8217;s why checks and balances exist. That is why they&#8217;re still there today, after the last century and a half.
But we, in all our great wisdom, decided to dismantle many of those checks and balances in pursuit of a far more activist and centralized government that does things, but then has some pretty bad side effects.
I believe that the truth always wins eventually, because reality always wins.
But the key word there is “eventually.” I get the logic as to why politicians pander and why they lie, and why they always follow the people around with the butterfly net — why they&#8217;re always chasing the parade.
This has always been true. There is nothing new about this. This is what demagoguery is.
But if you try to follow the people, you likely won&#8217;t catch up with them, especially if what you&#8217;re doing as a Republican is just pitching a softer version of what Democrats are hard-selling.
Even if you do win on that platform, you&#8217;ll lose the country, because running that car toward the cliff at 60 mph is only marginally better than running that car at the cliff at 90 mph.

IMG_6055

The Political Gamble That Could Backfire Spectacularly

Ben Shapiro

black-pill

Conspiracy Theory

JD Vance

Joe Rogan

Opinion

Theo Von

With less than three months until the 2026 midterm elections, the GOP appears to be flailing. Some of this is to be expected: Voter backlash against the party that controls the White House is the norm in the midterms; Donald Trump demonstrated in both 2016 and 2024 that while he can turn out enough votes to win a presidential election, a chunk of voters who back him also sour on him relatively fast once he’s actually in office.
Still, one additional worry is the GOP’s poor approval ratings on the economy, and voters shifting trust to Democrats on this key issue. It has a lot of conservatives, moderate Republicans, and right-libertarians asking what can be done to eke out victories and prevent a DSA-infused Democratic Party from taking the House, and potentially also the Senate, in November. Ultimately, while success will be exceedingly tough to manage, there are a few things Republicans could be doing right now to right the ship — or at least stop the bleeding.
Let’s start with policy. While few voters actually vote on it, they certainly respond to its effects. But what can have an almost immediate impact? The good news is that there are boatloads of executive actions the Trump administration could take right now to curb inflation, especially for everyday items like gas and groceries. The bad news is that several big items will be anathema to Trump because of his core ideology, and getting him to sign on will be almost impossible.
Let’s start with what’s easy…ish.
Trump should immediately order the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to shift their attention away from investigations focused on companies whose products are either free or very cheap — in other words, Big Tech — and get very visibly and vocally aggressive with big market players who are legitimately driving prices up across a variety of sectors.
Yes, taking Big Tech out of the firing line will piss off Vice President JD Vance and some of the “edgelord” constituency, and yes, this will be viewed as distasteful and gross by a lot of the Paul Ryan types who still make up much of the GOP donor class and some of the voting base who reflexively oppose antitrust action.
But for my money, it’s pretty hard to argue that <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-accuses-foreign-owned-meat-packers-of-inflating-u-s-beef-prices">big meat conglomerates</a> like Brazilian giant JBS are not driving up beef prices, or that big hospital systems like <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-new-york-presbyterian-hospital-anticompetitive-contracts-increase">New York-Presbyterian</a>, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-requires-ohiohealth-stop-using-anticompetitive-healthcare-contract-terms">OhioHealth</a> (and countless other smaller systems like, say, UCONN Health in my own state, which was accused of trying to hike rates billed to United Healthcare by <a href="https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/community-health-center-stop-accepting-united-healthcare-insurance/3621939/">45% in just one year</a> and <a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/business/article/hospitals-insurers-uconn-health-cigna-ct-22245432.php">expanding specifically so it could bill higher rates</a>) are not driving up underlying health care prices, which means higher insurance premiums. Big real estate players like <a href="https://redstate.com/redstate-guest-editorial/2026/07/19/the-real-reason-buying-a-home-costs-so-much-n2204487">Zillow</a> have also been accused of pushing property prices higher. Federal probes of at least two of these entities are already underway.
But Trump could get noisier about this and use the bully pulpit more, including against drug companies that are pushing inflation-stoking price hikes. Will he be decried by his opponents for engaging in quasi-mob tactics to force price decreases or tapered future hikes? Sure. But this is one area where his Queens-guy brawler instincts might actually pay off for the American people. And haters gonna hate anyway, right?
There are other things Trump could do, too — though they’ll be tougher for him to get on board with, given his own policy preferences and firmly held beliefs.
First, Trump needs to nix all tariffs he has instituted, and go further, by rolling back inherited tariffs from prior administrations. In tandem with this, action should be taken to maximize the refund of all tariffs paid by consumers that were subsequently found to have been unconstitutionally levied directly to those consumers. It is readily apparent at this point that tariffs have <a href="https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/04/14/tariffs-drive-up-grocery-prices-squeeze-independent-stores/">driven prices higher</a> and hit grocery prices particularly hard. So while this will be tough for Trump to stomach, it needs to happen.
Second, Trump needs to take a good hard look at Vance’s foreign policy push and consider unilaterally drawing an end to military action targeting Iran. This will sit poorly with a lot of big GOP donors, and some GOP voters (full disclosure: Three or four days out of seven, I’d probably even find myself in their ranks). It might not bring gas prices down, and if it does, there’s only an outside chance that would happen in time for November. But if gas prices are a serious worry (and they make items like <a href="https://www.kold.com/2026/04/10/13-fact-finders-war-tariffs-packaging-drive-up-prices-consumers/">groceries more expensive, too</a>), then it needs to be given serious consideration.
Third, there is something else Trump could do right now to bring gas prices down — it just might piss off chunks of farm country. Higher-than-ever EPA-imposed ethanol blending requirements are currently estimated to be tacking on an extra 20 cents to $1.00 per gallon of gas while reducing efficiency. If this election is going to turn on gas prices, paring those requirements back could be a big political boon — and for the record, limited-government conservatives would love the policy, too.
A fourth item, trickier given President Trump’s hatred of windmills, is getting wind power online quickly to keep electricity bills low-ish as power demand surges. Right now, you cannot buy a gas turbine, with major manufacturers effectively sold out; a new gas plant won’t deliver power for a minimum of five years. A wind project comes online within 12 to 18 months. More wind could meet surging power demands and keep prices – and local taxes – lower in states like Texas, Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan.
But while all of these things are important, it’s also critical not to forget actual political strategy and tactics. If Democrats are trying to make this election about the cost of living, Republicans would do best to make it about something else — and on this front, goodness knows they are trying.
I’m unconvinced that much can detract from worries about inflation (I have maintained since I was a teenager that bad inflation numbers are the ultimate political death sentence, and the year 2024 bore that out well, globally). But it cannot be ignored that one reason why Susan Collins remains in contention in Maine is the voluminous dirt-digging and exposing operation that was stood up targeting Graham Platner, which has weakened Democrats in the state overall.
In Texas, God knows Ken Paxton is trying to make the race about Democrat James Talarico’s very fringe leftist views on cultural issues ranging from abortion to transgender kids. Will it work? Possibly not, because Ken Paxton is, well, Ken Paxton. And again, when every time you fill up your tank of gas or buy groceries, you are silently screaming at the bill, who does and does not believe in a nonbinary Jesus might seem just a tad irrelevant.
But shining a spotlight on Democrats’ own easy-to-understand liabilities (Platner’s alleged rape of an ex, Troy Jackson’s apparent ongoing intimate relationship with a cousin, Talarico’s very socially lefty views) could help on the margins. It might prevent a Democratic-controlled Senate, given how tight both the Maine and Texas races appear. It might help prevent Democrats from winning a huge House majority and make it narrower. That could be useful when Democrats try to impeach Trump again; they might not have the numbers within their own caucus to make it viable (if the John Fetterman types of the world prevail).
Shining a light on the role of the DSA and their arguable or overt antisemitism may also help in spots. For example, as the DSA has risen, Rep. Mike Lawler&#8217;s political fortunes have improved, even as the national environment for Republicans has worsened. The trend won’t be evident everywhere, but this liability could strategically be deployed in some races to improve Republicans’ performance.
Another thing Trump could personally do to try to turn the tide, or at least stem the losses, is spend down some of the very healthy funds currently warehoused in his various committees to aid vulnerable Republicans. In previous midterm cycles, the president has taken flak for being stingy with his own spending. Now in his last term in office, and facing a third, fourth, fifth, or even sixth impeachment — and potentially Democrats controlling the Senate, which would make a full impeachment trial a near-certainty — it might be time to stop hoarding campaign cash and deploy it freely to try to eke out some victories not currently in the cards.
The bottom line is that unfortunately, the result of November’s election is probably almost entirely baked in at this point, and no amount of policy or strategic changes will alter the outcomes. However, the real reason to make these changes is not political; it’s because making them will improve Americans’ lives by effecting better policy now, and — at least potentially — facilitating other, better policy outcomes in the future. That’s supposedly why politicians of all stripes and ideologies step up to serve, so hopefully it can be prioritized to a greater degree over the coming months.
***
Liz Mair is the owner, founder and President of <a href="http://www.mairstrategies.com/">Mair Strategies LLC</a>.

Trump Tries To Curb Birthright Citizenship Anew After Court Loss

Liz Mair: Trump Holds The Power To Republican Victories In November But Does He Have The Will?

2026 election

DW Opinion

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), President Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate to succeed her late brother, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), survived a crowded Republican primary Tuesday, advancing to a runoff for the GOP nomination.
With less than half of the vote reported, Graham led the field of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/11/us/elections/results-south-carolina-us-senate-special-primary.html">eight other candidates</a> with roughly 30.5% of the vote, while Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Russell Fry (R-SC) are locked in a tight race for the second slot. <a href="https://x.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2087320545297572183?s=20">Decision Desk HQ</a> projected Graham would advance to the August 25 runoff at 7:28 p.m. ET.
Graham entered the special U.S. Senate race on July 20 following Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement, with the president encouraging Lindsey Graham’s sister to “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term earlier this month.
Graham’s advancement to the runoff underscores the power of Trump’s influence in the Palmetto State, which helped propel a little-known candidate with a largely untested political record into the final two.
During a Republican debate, Graham <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/darline-graham-breaks-with-her-late-brother-on-another-key-issue">introduced herself to voters</a>, throwing her support behind a stalled effort to abolish the 60-vote threshold to pass the SAVE America Act.
“One of the first things I did was co-sponsor the SAVE America Act. As I said earlier, I’m willing to stay through recess to get it done. What’s up with recess anyway? Who gets a month off from work?” she asked, adding, “I think we should stay up there and work and get it done.”
“This is where I differ from my brother – getting rid of the filibuster to get this done, because eventually the Democrats are going to get rid of it anyway,” she said.
To ultimately prevail, Graham will have to consolidate support from the Republican voters who backed the other candidates eliminated from the primary. Norman, a conservative Republican who endorsed Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential primary, has a long track record in South Carolina politics. He was first elected to Congress in a 2017 special election and previously served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. 
“There’s nothing enormously special about him. But, you know what you’re going to get. He is a solid conservative voter,” Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, previously told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-pick-to-replace-lindsey-graham-faces-growing-gop-revolt?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=29&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+Pick+To+Replace+Lindsey+Graham+Faces+Growing+GOP+Revolt">The Daily Wire.</a> 
Norman has secured endorsements from conservative Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT), as well as several Upstate sheriffs, while Fry, who represents South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, has won the backing of 40 Republican state legislators. Graham, meanwhile, has sought to strengthen her conservative credentials while leaning heavily on Trump’s MAGA base.
In a <a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2085743817810972817?s=20">recent campaign ad</a>, Graham touted her pro-life beliefs and called for a ban on biological men competing in women’s sports as she made the case for carrying on her late brother’s legacy.
“Lindsey taught me public service isn&#8217;t about titles; it&#8217;s about helping people. President Trump asked me to run for the Senate to work with him on the issues we care about,” she said. “While I never wanted to be in this position. I&#8217;m ready to serve the people of South Carolina.” 
If elected, she would become the first woman from South Carolina to win a full term in the U.S. Senate.
Her brother, Lindsey, unexpectedly died last month at his Capitol Hill home in what the medical examiner’s office believes was an aortic dissection. Before collapsing, Graham reportedly told a staffer he was experiencing chest pain. Lindsey Graham had easily won his Republican primary in June before his sudden death upended the race.
“I think that the president was really in a state of grief. He loved Lindsey Graham,” Girdusky said. “And he picked her, you know, very, very, very quickly.”
 The winner of the August 25 Republican runoff will advance to the November general election in a seat that The Cook Political Report rates as Solid Republican.
This is a developing story. Stay with The Daily Wire for updates.

Darline Graham 8/5/26

Trump’s Endorsement Propels Darline Graham Into High-Stakes Senate Runoff

Darline Graham

Lindsey Graham

Ralph Norman

South Caroline

Trump

U.S. Senate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) gave a rare nod of approval to President Donald Trump, praising his crackdown on defense contractors that prioritize shareholder payouts over weapons production, saying the move has worked so well that she wants Congress to make it permanent. 
“Since the executive order was issued, each of the four largest defense contractors that engaged in stock buybacks and dividend payouts in the first quarter of 2025 cut them dramatically in the first quarter of 2026,” Warren said. “This review reveals that the president’s executive order helped protect taxpayers and improve investments by defense contractors.&#8221;
Warren is now urging Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to support legislation codifying key portions of Trump&#8217;s executive order into law.
“Given the findings of our review, we urge your support for codifying the president’s executive order into law and ensuring that the order has lasting results,” she wrote in a <a href="https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/08/Warren__Lee_Letter_to_DoD_re_Prioritizing_the_Warfighter_in_Defense_Contracting_.pdf">letter</a> to Hegseth. 
Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/prioritizing-the-warfighter-in-defense-contracting/">executive order</a> in January, prohibiting defense contractors involved in business with the Pentagon from using capital for stock buybacks and dividend payments if the companies have not made critical investments in increased production and other Pentagon-related needs for the country’s national interest.  
“Effective immediately, they are not permitted in any way, shape, or form to pay dividends or buy back stock, until such time as they are able to produce a superior product, on time and on budget,” Trump wrote in the order. 
Trump said defense companies have the right to profit from their investments and hard work, but that “America’s warfighters have the best possible equipment and weapons.” Paying out dividends is a way for companies to distribute their profits to shareholders. 
Warren’s review found that combined stock buybacks and dividends among four of the largest defense contractors, Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics, fell from about $4.2 billion in the first quarter of 2025 to about $2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The reductions were not uniform: Lockheed, Northrop, and General Dynamics all reported declines, while RTX&#8217;s payouts rose slightly year over year. 
Warren’s office also identified several contractors that it said had not meaningfully changed their behavior following Trump&#8217;s executive order, arguing that the results demonstrate why Congress should codify the policy rather than leave it solely to executive action. 
Warren and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting Act in March, legislation intended to codify key provisions of Trump&#8217;s order. Warren, now joined by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), is pressing Hegseth in the new letter to support that legislation.
“These contractors who did not respond to the president’s executive order reveal the need for legislation that emboldens the department to enforce accountability. Legislation also provides certainty, and ensures that these changes are part of a strategic shift to deliver more fiscal responsibility to the department instead of temporary changes that can be quickly reversed,” she wrote.

Screenshot 2026-08-11 at 1.42.36 PM

Elizabeth Warren Praises Trump’s Latest Move With Defense Contractors

Defense contractors

Elizabeth Warren

Pentagon

Pete Hegseth

Secretary of War

A federal appeals court on Friday blocked further above-ground construction of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, ruling that the administration cannot move forward with the project without congressional authorization.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit <a href="https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/08/26-5123-2187096.pdf">ruled 2-1</a> that Congress, not the president alone, has authority to approve the ballroom project, siding with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which challenged the construction. The court paused its ruling for two weeks to give the Trump administration time to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for executive self-help,” the court wrote. 
The ruling, however, does not completely halt all work at the site. The panel allowed below-ground construction to continue, including work related to security infrastructure, while permitting above-ground construction only when strictly necessary to protect those facilities or ensure the safety and structural integrity of the White House complex.
The decision came from a three-judge panel consisting of U.S. Circuit Judges Patricia Millett, Neomi Rao, and Bradley Garcia. Millett, appointed by former President Barack Obama, and Garcia, appointed by former President Joe Biden, formed the majority. Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented.
“Each president is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its executive residence,” Millett and Garcia wrote in their opinion. 
The judges argued that the White House belongs to the American people and that major structural changes require congressional approval. 
“We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for,” the majority wrote.
Rao argued that the courts had overstepped their authority by intervening in a presidential construction project and said Trump had sufficient authority to proceed. 
“The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach,” Rao wrote. “Because the injunction is beyond the proper province of the federal courts, construction should be allowed to continue.”
Trump announced plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom as part of a broader effort to expand event space at the White House. Trump has said the ballroom would cost roughly $400 million and would be funded through private donations rather than taxpayer money, though subsequent reporting has raised questions about the extent of public funding for security work associated with the broader project. 
The administration has argued that the ballroom is necessary for both practical and national security reasons, citing the difficulty of hosting large events in temporary structures and the need for additional security capabilities.
Government attorneys have argued that the project includes protections against threats including drones, ballistic missiles, and other attacks targeting the president and White House personnel.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that the administration lacked authority to demolish the East Wing and begin construction without additional approvals.
The White House demolished the East Wing last fall to make way for the new structure, sparking criticism from preservation groups that said the project represented an unprecedented alteration of the historic complex.
The appeals court’s decision leaves the future of the ballroom uncertain as the administration continues to weigh whether to seek intervention from the Supreme Court.

White House East Wing

Trump’s White House Ballroom Plans Just Hit A Major Legal Roadblock

Courts

Executive

federal judge

Judge

Judges

Judicial Branch

Judiciary

Trump Administration

U.S.

White House

White House Ballroom

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) secured Tennessee&#8217;s Republican gubernatorial nomination Thursday, prevailing over two conservative rivals even though President Donald Trump stayed out of the race.
With more than 90% of the vote in, Blackburn led four-term U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts with 43.5% of the vote. <a href="https://x.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2085537742864138332?s=20">Decision Desk HQ</a> called the race at 9:24 p.m. ET.
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Lynden Blake was at Blackburn&#8217;s victory party, where a cheering crowd greeted her.
&#8220;The real work begins right now,&#8221; Blackburn told supporters. &#8220;We have to unite. We have to defeat the Democrats in November. We&#8217;ve got to send a message loud and clear, we&#8217;re a solid red conservative state, and all of these socialist, communist policies end at the Tennessee state line.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Senator Marsha Blackburn takes the stage for her victory speech in the TN Governor GOP Primary. <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>. <a href="https://t.co/kk95jU8xD6">pic.twitter.com/kk95jU8xD6</a>
— Lynden Blake (@LyndenBlake) <a href="https://x.com/LyndenBlake/status/2085546775201378662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
In the Tennessee legislature, Blackburn helped lead the charge to eliminate the state&#8217;s income tax. Following her election to the U.S. Senate, she became a close ally of  Trump and has been a leading Republican voice on issues including immigration, China, election security, and restricting transgender athletes from competing in women&#8217;s sports.
The longtime Republican, who just won a second Senate term, is expected to coast to victory over Shelby County Public Defender Jerri Green (D-TN) this fall in an overwhelmingly red state that has backed Trump in all three of his presidential runs and has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2006. 
Leading up to Election Day, Rose campaigned on his rural farming roots while attacking a $30 million incentive package for a <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/06/17/john-rose-starbucks-ad-tennessee-dei/">Starbucks corporate expansion</a> in Nashville, arguing the funds should instead support local small businesses and core state services. Fritts, meanwhile, raised little money and centered his campaign on religious issues, vowing to find a First Amendment workaround to <a href="https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/07/28/tenn-governor-candidate-calls-ban-mosques-non-christian-religions/">ban mosques</a> and other non-Christian religious groups.
Strong early voting turnout reflected heightened interest on both sides, driven by the open race to replace Republican Gov. Bill Lee and the legislature&#8217;s elimination of Tennessee&#8217;s last Democratic congressional district. Polls leading up to the primary also suggested a <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/07/30/tennessee-republican-primary-poll-blackburn-rose/">tightening</a> race as Blackburn came under fire for <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/07/14/republican-gubernatorial-debate-dodged/">skipping debates</a>, limiting media access, and releasing a <a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2074953981957194064?s=20">viral campaign ad</a> in which she crushed a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant.
“How hard am I gonna crack down on China? Well, here’s a clue,” Blackburn says as she smashes fortune cookies. “It doesn’t take a fortune cookie to figure it out: here in Tennessee, we’re going to stop Communist China and protect Tennessee land.”
Blackburn has voiced her views on China in Congress since <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/taking-on-china-since-day-one-senator-blackburn-s-record">2003,</a> when she recognized the threat of Chinese intellectual property theft. In the ad, Blackburn promises to work with the Trump administration to continue the fight.
“As I’ve said from the beginning, Tennessee should be America’s conservative leader, and one of the places that we can — and should — lead is in showing the rest of America how to stand up to and confront Communist China,” Blackburn had told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marsha-blackburn-crushes-chinese-fortune-cookies-in-first-ad-of-gov-campaign">The Daily Wire</a>. “As governor, I’ll work with the legislators to tighten up those loopholes and hunt down every adversary who tries to get a foothold in our state.” 
The MAGA firebrand has also pledged to partner with the Trump White House to deport illegal immigrants, combat violent crime, expand school choice, and govern in a way that keeps Tennessee a <a href="https://marshablackburn.com/issue/ensuring-tennessee-remains-a-safe-haven-for-conservatives/">&#8220;safe haven&#8221;</a> for conservatives.
If Blackburn wins the November general election, her Senate seat will become vacant, setting up a closely watched appointment and likely a competitive special election for one of Tennessee&#8217;s two U.S. Senate seats.
<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/governor/race/479601">The Cook Political Report</a> rates the Tennessee governor&#8217;s race as Solid Republican.

GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Town Hall in Warren, MI

Marsha Blackburn Cruises To Big Primary Win In Tennessee Gov Fight

Gov. Bill Lee

Marsha Blackburn

Republican Primary

President Donald Trump on Thursday downplayed a report suggesting he had already settled on Vice President JD Vance as his preferred successor to carry his MAGA movement forward. 
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/06/trump-tells-donors-we-need-elect-jd-vp-weighs-his-future/">The Washington Post</a> reported Thursday that Trump has privately encouraged donors to support Vance&#8217;s future presidential ambitions, citing anonymous sources familiar with the conversations. 
“At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump reportedly told donors during an Oval Office meeting two weeks ago, according to the report. 
The outlet also cited six additional “Trumpworld advisors” who anonymously said they did not believe a Vance endorsement was a done deal.
“Anyone assuming it’s a lock is just getting way ahead of themselves, or just doesn’t know the president very well,” one Trump administration official told The Post. 
Hours later in the Oval Office, The Daily Caller’s Reagan Reese posed the question to Trump directly. 
“No. I heard about it a little while ago. I think he&#8217;s great,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2085462419598614610?s=20">said</a> of Vance. “We&#8217;re way too early to even be thinking about that.”  
The Post reported that Trump has grown increasingly impressed with Vance&#8217;s performance as vice president, highlighting his role in brokering the Iran ceasefire that later collapsed, leading a federal task force targeting fraud, and entering the media lion&#8217;s den to promote his book and Catholic conversion.
Vance has not publicly confirmed whether he plans to run for president. Some early polling suggests Vance is the frontrunner, though other potential contenders have gained ground.
After the vice president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio polls the strongest among Republican primary voters, according to the most recent survey data.  A New Hampshire poll released in July showed support for Vance slipping significantly in the Granite State. About 36% of likely GOP primary voters backed Vance, down sharply from 53% in February. Rubio appeared to capitalize on the shift, more than tripling his support from 7% to 26%, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-2028-poll-just-shook-up-both-parties">The Daily Wire reported. </a>
While Vance&#8217;s support has softened in some early-state polling, he continues to lead nationally. The <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2028/national">RealClearPolitics </a>polling average still shows Vance with a commanding 18.2-point national lead over a hypothetical field of Republican rivals, including Rubio, Donald Trump Jr., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Speculation about Trump&#8217;s eventual endorsement has also been fueled by divisions within the conservative movement over U.S. policy toward Iran. In a Wednesday <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2085148515593064844?s=20">interview</a> with FOX News, Vance denied any daylight with the president over foreign policy. 
“The president runs this administration. He is the very top of the administration. He makes orders. We, of course, have debates and conversations about what exactly we should do. But when the president of the United States makes a decision, we are unified in this administration in carrying out that mission,” Vance said.

Late Senator Lindsey Graham Memorialized In Washington DC

Trump Pushes Back On Report About His Political Heir

2028

2028 presidential election

J.D. Vance

Marco Rubio

When President Donald Trump departed the White House aboard Marine One on Tuesday, air traffic controllers did not stop commercial departures at nearby Reagan National Airport, prompting a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation after a brief loss of required separation between the presidential helicopter and a departing commercial plane. 
According to air traffic control audio, Marine One radioed, “National Tower, that’s Marine One, proceeding as briefed.”
 Controllers responded, “Marine One, you got, uh, traffic rotating off Runway 1, E-170.” 
The helicopter replied, “We’ll be doing a momentary delay.” 
The traffic was an American Airlines regional jet bound for Pensacola, Florida
The FAA <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/faa-plane-trump-helicopter/4138741/">said</a> its preliminary investigation found “there was a momentary loss of separation after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another.”
“The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation,” the agency added.
 Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Jacob Sugg <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/faa-is-investigating-why-a-plane-was-allowed-to-take-off-as-trumps-helicopter-approached">defended</a> the helicopter crew.
&#8220;Washington National Tower did not delay the helicopter crew, ask them to hold, or otherwise alter their flight profile,&#8221; he said. &#8220;To the contrary, the ATC team approved the requested route and provided timely and appropriate traffic information.&#8221; 
Sugg added: &#8220;There were no &#8216;close calls&#8217; with the routine Marine One movement.”
The White House echoed support for the helicopter pilots. 
&#8220;Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the President in harm&#8217;s way,&#8221; White House spokesman Kush Desai said.
The FAA is investigating why controllers did not halt commercial traffic during the presidential departure. 
The incident comes after the FAA tightened airspace procedures around Reagan National following the January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.
Under those revised rules, helicopters and commercial aircraft are no longer permitted to share the same airspace surrounding the airport. Military aircraft are also required to continuously broadcast their positions, and controllers are prohibited from relying solely on visual separation.

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