Tucker Carlson announced this week that he’s leaving the Republican Party. And while many conservatives reacted with shock, <a href="https://x.com/GatesGarciaFL/status/2069500906471879012?s=20">I took to X to frame it in a different light. </a>
While I disagree with his decision, it didn&#8217;t catch me off guard. This has been building for years.
Many see the Nick Fuentes interview as the moment everything changed. I see it as one breadcrumb in a trail that had been leading here all along. His criticism of Republican politicians gradually became criticism of the Republican Party itself. After the Iran conflict, Carlson said he regretted supporting Trump and apologized for misleading people. That’s a major shift from criticizing a decision to questioning his support for the central figure of the movement. What once sounded like a call for reform increasingly sounded like preparation for an exit.
Carlson joins a long line of media figures — and even politicians themselves — to reach that conclusion, and he won’t be the last. But his announcement raises a more important question that all politically engaged Americans eventually face: What do you do when your party disappoints you?
America, for better or worse, is a two-party system. Since the Republican Party emerged as the nation’s second major party in the 1850s and elected Abraham Lincoln in 1860, no third-party candidate has won the presidency, and this is not for lack of trying. Some efforts have influenced the national conversation, no doubt. Some have even temporarily disrupted the political landscape (e.g., Teddy Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party, Ross Perot, and others). But all have failed to replace the reality that American politics is ultimately a contest between two major movements.
Once we accept this reality, another one becomes obvious. Neither party will ever perfectly represent your beliefs. I’ve personally criticized Republicans for abandoning the fiscal discipline they all champion on the campaign trail.
But political parties are coalitions, not churches. They are alliances of people who agree on enough major issues to work together while disagreeing on countless others. It’s no different from a corporate board, where rarely does everyone sit around a table agreeing on every issue. There are disagreements over priorities, strategy, and spending. But so long as the company is still moving forward and adhering to its mission statement, you stay, persuade, and build consensus. In other words, you work to move the organization in a better direction.
Rational citizens understand this. When voting, they ask: Which party advances my principles more often than not? The irrational citizen asks: Which party never disappoints me? The catch is, only one of those questions has an answer.
For me — especially as a father — the calculation isn’t particularly difficult. When I canvass the major cultural and political battles of our time, I know which side I’m on.
I believe unborn children deserve protection. I believe parents, not the government, should raise their kids. I believe women and girls deserve fairness in sports and privacy in bathrooms. I believe religious liberty is worth defending. I believe the Second Amendment matters. I believe in strong borders. I believe strong families matter. I believe government functions best when it’s limited and accountable. I believe America, despite its flaws, remains a force for tremendous good in the world and should be celebrated rather than apologized for.
Does the Republican Party bat a thousand on these issues? Of course not. Often, the party compromises when it shouldn’t and fails to deliver on promises. But if you’re looking for a party that perfectly executes on its foundational principles, you’ll be looking forever. But if the question is which political coalition advances those principles more consistently, the answer is incontestable.
And that’s where Carlson makes a mistake. He confuses disappointment with abandonment. Because the party falls short of perfection, it is no longer worthy of his support.
Carlson claims that many people will follow him. And while I doubt this, it introduces a problem. When you withdraw support from a political party closest to your beliefs, you don’t create a vacuum. You strengthen the coalition furthest from them.
Nonetheless, it is undeniable that Carlson has a meaningful following. And thus, we must acknowledge that every political decision carries consequences beyond oneself. One approach says, “My party isn’t perfect, so I’m leaving.” The other says, “My party isn’t perfect, so I’m staying and fighting to improve it.” One caters to personal satisfaction while the other strives to achieve outcomes. One protects your purity. The other protects your principles. One is selfish. One is selfless. The former feels better. The latter accomplishes more.
None of this implies blind loyalty. Parties should be criticized — your own, perhaps more. Politicians should be challenged and held accountable. Bad ideas should be rejected. In fact, healthy political movements depend on internal debate. This is the beauty of elections and is a defining characteristic of our American political system, which our Founders put in place 250 years ago.
But there is a profound difference between reforming a coalition and abandoning it. One strengthens the movement. The other weakens it. The American tradition has never been built by people waiting for perfect institutions. It has been built by citizens willing to work within imperfect systems.
That is how abolitionists transformed the Republican Party. That is how Reagan conservatives transformed the Republican Party.
They didn’t leave. They stayed, persuaded, organized, fought… and won.
So, Tucker Carlson is free to leave the Republican Party. That is his inherent American right. But for those who still believe in protecting children, defending families, securing borders, preserving religious liberty, protecting constitutional freedoms, and limiting government power, join me.
Because I’m staying, fighting, building, and will continue working to leave the party better than I found it.
***
Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast &#8220;We The People.&#8221; Follow him on Instagram and X @GatesGarciaFL.

happy family with the flag of america USA at sunset outdoors

Political And Cultural Battles Are Wars For The Soul. Choose Wisely.

Conservatism

DW Opinion

Political Ideology

Republican Party

Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson on Thursday downplayed and defended Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo.
On the Canadian &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzL_fmyMJJ0&amp;list=PLAxb11SPUbo6zjovYj1FPmfsMPxqtG387">Can’t Be Censored</a>&#8220; podcast<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzL_fmyMJJ0&amp;list=PLAxb11SPUbo6zjovYj1FPmfsMPxqtG387">,</a> the former Fox News host sat down with Travis Dhanraj and Karman Wong to discuss President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israel, Iran, and why he says he can no longer support the Republican Party.
Carlson raised eyebrows with his defense of Platner’s candidacy to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, where Carlson also lives. Republicans across the country have targeted Platner over a series of personal scandals, including a Nazi tattoo that women around him have said he understood the meaning of.
“Look at Graham Platner, this guy who&#8217;s running in the state of Maine, where I live … he&#8217;s a Democrat, he&#8217;s liberal, I don&#8217;t have strong feelings about it,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/JustinUSA/status/2067951494289145935?s=20">Carlson said</a>. &#8220;But rather than respond to what the guy&#8217;s positions are, they just have called him a Nazi for the last month, because he had a tattoo that was not a swastika, but apparently it was connected to the German military at some point, it&#8217;s not even clear he knew that.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
As expected, Tucker Carlson has rushed to Graham Platner’s defense.
He claims Platner didn’t even know about his Nazi tattoo, and insists the real reason people are attacking him is because he’s “not sufficiently supportive of Israel.” <a href="https://t.co/R30ZKXdtSv">pic.twitter.com/R30ZKXdtSv</a>
— Justin (@JustinUSA) <a href="https://x.com/JustinUSA/status/2067951494289145935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
Then, the podcaster speculated why Republicans don’t support the Bernie Sanders-backed leftist. 
“They&#8217;ve attacked the guy, and his personal life. They don&#8217;t like him because he&#8217;s not sufficiently supportive of Israel,” Carlson added. 
Several women, including an ex-girlfriend, have gone on the record to say Platner knew the meaning behind his infamous Nazi tattoo, with one telling the <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/11/us-news/graham-platner-cheated-on-fiancee-bragged-about-nazi-tattoo-ex-girlfriend/?utm_term=MANUAL&amp;utm_medium=browser_notifications&amp;utm_source=pushly&amp;utm_content=All%20Push%20Subscribers&amp;utm_campaign=142895716">New York Post</a> the symbol reminded him that “the U.S. was the evil bad guy overseas.” The Senate hopeful’s former political director also disputed Platner’s account and accused him of “a pattern of dishonest behavior.”
The Platner campaign insists he picked a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-accuser-platner-said-nazi-tattoo-reminded-him-u-s-was-the-evil-bad-guy-overseas?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=23&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=New+Accuser+Reveals+What+Platner+Said+About+His+Nazi+Tattoo">skull-and-crossbones tattoo off a wall</a>” to “commemorate surviving Ramadi and his friends who were killed there.” 
“Graham has also since covered up the tattoo and answered countless questions about it,” a spokesperson for the campaign has said. 
In the same interview, Carlson cast doubt on the motive behind Charlie Kirk’s assassination. 
“He was not murdered for his opinions on transgenderism,” Carlson insisted with no evidence. “Obviously, he was — I believe, and most people who knew him well, as I did, and was friends with him as I was — believe he was most likely murdered for his evolving views on Israel.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Charlie Kirk was not murdered for his opinions on transgenderism. Obviously.
Those of us who knew him best and called him a friend believe he was most likely murdered for his evolving views on Israel. 👀
— Tucker Carlson 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/D1mf5UXwHi">pic.twitter.com/D1mf5UXwHi</a>
— Travis (@NihiloX) <a href="https://x.com/NihiloX/status/2067799643979759965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
Prosecutors say Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of assassinating the Turning Point USA founder, wrote in a message to his trans-identifying boyfriend that he had an “opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-the-twisted-confession-tyler-robinson-is-accused-of-making-to-his-boyfriend">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. 
Carlson, a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, said he has no interest in running for president but announced a permanent split with the Republican Party.
“The Republican Party in Washington is just completely out of control. I don&#8217;t share their values on any level, their personal values, the way they live, greedy, bizarro sex lives, loyal to a foreign country above the United States,” Carlson said, before taking shots at individual elected officials. 
“Beginning with the speaker of the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, and extending to the president and the leaders in the Senate. I have nothing in common with these people at all. I do not share their values. I find their priorities appalling, and so I&#8217;m just not going to participate in that party,” he said.

Tucker Defends Platner’s Nazi Tattoo, And Adds A Shot At The GOP

2026 Midterms

graham platner

Maine

News

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>
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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

President Trump

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The search for a missing Oklahoma state Senate candidate came to a tragic conclusion Thursday after authorities <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/barry-christian-missing-state-senate-candidate-erick-oklahoma/71179582">discovered the body</a> of 54-year-old Barry Christian in a remote wildlife management area.
</div>
<div>
Christian, a Republican candidate for Senate District 38, had been the subject of an intensive search after failing to appear for a scheduled meeting on Tuesday. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), Christian was last seen in Sayre, Oklahoma, driving a 2024 charcoal gray Ram pickup truck.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: Oklahoma State Senate candidate Barry Christian (R) found dead in his car after being reported missing <a href="https://t.co/Ps6JEbD2O6">pic.twitter.com/Ps6JEbD2O6</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2049995455723938059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<div>
The breakthrough in the case came Thursday morning when a deputy from the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office, patrolling the Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area, was flagged down by a hunter. The witness reported seeing a vehicle that had crashed off a high ridge overlooking Fish Creek. Upon reaching the scene, investigators confirmed the vehicle belonged to Christian and discovered his body inside.
</div>
<div>
The OSBI has since taken over the investigation, and Christian’s remains have been transported to the medical examiner’s Office to determine the official cause and manner of death.
</div>
<div>
Christian, a staunch conservative who launched his bid for the state Senate last year, had built his platform on traditional values, including border security, energy independence, and the protection of constitutional freedoms. His campaign gained attention through his apparent friendship with musician Kid Rock, who appeared in an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWzH8FFCV-v/">Instagram</a> video on Christian&#8217;s page, calling him a candidate with &#8220;common sense and a voice for the people.&#8221; Only days before his disappearance, Christian was reportedly <a href="https://x.com/collinrugg/status/2049981227009196380?s=46&amp;t=5nB3R1hthzMlYMrXjZyN8Q">seen</a> at the Mangum Rattlesnake Derby.
</div>
<div>
In a heartbreaking statement released to KOCO, Christian’s daughter, Brooklyn, expressed the family’s shock and grief. &#8220;Our world is upside down right now,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We are still not sure of everything that happened, so please act with grace and treat my dad&#8217;s legacy with dignity.&#8221; She also expressed gratitude to the volunteers and media outlets that assisted in the search.
</div>
<div>
His youngest daughter also shared a tribute via <a href="https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/barry-christian-oklahoma-senate-candidate-found-dead">News 9</a>, describing her father as a man who &#8220;lived only for his kids&#8221; and &#8220;wanted nothing more than to provide and protect his family.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
As the investigation continues, the tight-knit community of Erick and the broader Oklahoma political landscape are left mourning a candidate whose life and campaign were cut short. Authorities have not yet indicated whether foul play is suspected.
</div>

Barry Christian

Missing Oklahoma State Senate Candidate Found Dead

Death

Elections

Oklahoma

Politics

A Republican candidate for governor in Massachusetts is facing renewed scrutiny over his role in bringing a Chinese state-owned manufacturer into the Boston subway system, a decision that represents both a financial debacle and a potential national security risk.
Brian Shortsleeve, who is running in a three-way GOP campaign ahead of the September 1 primary election, has built much of his campaign around his tenure as chief administrator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. But newly surfaced research obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire is casting that record in a harsher light, focusing on a $277 million contract awarded during his leadership to China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, or CRRC.
At the time, Shortsleeve defended the deal as fiscally responsible. “The decision we made today was a good business decision,” he said in December 2016, touting the new Chinese-built subway cars as a cost-saving measure for the struggling transit system. He also appeared at a 2016 ceremony marking construction at CRRC’s Springfield facility, publicly celebrating the partnership.
That relationship has since become a liability, with the project becoming plagued by delays and mechanical issues, and only a fraction of the promised cars delivered years behind schedule. In 2023, CRRC reportedly submitted unfinished cars for inspection, and in August 2025, federal agents detained several new MBTA subway car shells at the Port of Philadelphia amid an investigation into potential forced labor connections.
Security concerns surrounding CRRC have also grown over time. Lawmakers and industry experts have warned for years that Chinese state-owned rail manufacturers could pose a surveillance or sabotage threat to U.S. infrastructure. A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/14/business/chinese-train-national-security.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cVA.i653.VI8KwYILj5Dk&amp;smid=url-share">2019 report</a> in The New York Times highlighted fears that subway cars built by CRRC might be equipped with technology capable of tracking passengers’ movements or communications.
Those concerns have been echoed at the federal level. In a <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/05/30/marco-rubio-dont-let-chinas-spies-near-the-nyc-subway/">2019 op-ed</a>, then Florida Senator Marco Rubio warned that CRRC is part of a broader effort by the Chinese Communist Party to expand its influence in critical infrastructure sectors, calling it “one tactic China is employing to supplant America.” Federal agencies have since classified CRRC among Chinese military-linked companies, and Congress has moved to restrict federal funding for transit projects involving such firms.
Independent research has reinforced those warnings. A <a href="https://www.rtands.com/passenger/intercity/crrcs-chief-obligation-is-to-the-chinese-state-report/">report</a> published in an industry magazine described CRRC as having “indelible ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” noting that executives often serve dual roles as corporate leaders and party officials. The company, the report found, operates in close alignment with Beijing’s industrial strategy, including efforts to dominate global transportation networks under initiatives like “Made in China 2025.”
Meanwhile, the Rail Security Alliance <a href="https://railsecurity.org/fiasco-mbtas-contract-with-crrc/">has called</a> the MBTA’s contract with CRRC a “fiasco,” citing delays, alleged coverups, and mechanical failures. The group and others have argued that Chinese state-owned enterprises benefit from heavy government subsidies, allowing them to undercut competitors and win contracts that may not serve long-term U.S. interests.
All of that is now intersecting with Shortsleeve’s political ambitions; the 53-year-old Marine veteran and Harvard MBA is positioning himself as a fiscal conservative capable of fixing Massachusetts’ economic challenges.
His business background has been emphasized in <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/02/19/brian-shortsleeve-governor-massachusetts-gop-baker-romney">local reporting</a>, and he argues that the state needs “a chief executive … that understands how to get costs under control, provide tax and regulatory relief and get jobs growing.”
But his record complicates that message. While he is now campaigning on a more hardline conservative platform—taking tough positions on immigration and energy policy and attacking Democratic Gov. Maura Healey—Shortsleeve’s political history reflects a more moderate, establishment trajectory. He worked closely with former Gov. Mitt Romney, serving as political director for his 2002 gubernatorial campaign and fundraising for both his 2008 and 2012 presidential runs.
Shortsleeve, a self-described “Cape Cod voter” and founder of venture capital firm M33 Growth, has donated to several Democrats in recent years, including members of Congress and state officials.
He has also shifted party affiliations over time, at one point registering as a Democrat before later switching between Independent and Republican. As recently as 2021, he moved to “unenrolled” status following January 6, before rejoining the Republican Party in 2023.
Political strategist Wendy Wakeman noted that Shortsleeve is now running “a little more Republican, a little more right” than in the past, as he competes in a primary shaped by the Trump-era GOP.
That dynamic leaves him in a delicate position. To win the nomination, he must appeal to a conservative base that has grown increasingly skeptical of establishment figures and foreign economic dealings, particularly those involving China. Yet to compete in a general election in deep-blue Massachusetts, he would likely need to regain support from moderates and independents.
The controversy over the MBTA’s CRRC contract underscores the tension at the heart of his candidacy. What was once presented as a pragmatic, cost-saving decision is now being reframed as a cautionary example of the risks tied to foreign state-owned enterprises—and a potential vulnerability for a candidate trying to redefine himself in a changing Republican Party.

mbta-brian-shortsleeve-fb

Three-Way GOP Race Heats Up As China Deal Haunts Hopeful

Communist China

Massachusetts

The GOP-led Senate moved early Thursday morning to pass a budget plan that would provide funding for the Department of Homeland Security and allocate another $70 billion for immigration enforcement for the remainder of President Trump&#8217;s time in office.
The proposal <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/votes_new.htm">passed</a> the closely divided chamber 50-48, with Republicans backing the measure and Democrats voting in opposition. Republicans said that the measure, which now goes to the House, would help to secure the border. The passage means the resolution moves forward toward the reconciliation process, meaning Republicans can pass a funding bill without having to get past the filibuster.
“We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end, Republicans will have helped ensure that America’s borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-ND).
Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) criticized Democrats for blocking funding for the Department of Homeland Security 16 times. The department has been defunded since February 14, 2026.
“Democrats are playing to the most radical members of their party.  Through their actions, Democrats are putting the safety and security of our nation behind the safety and security of their own political careers,” he said from the Senate floor.
Democrats tried to add a number of amendments to the proposal that they claimed would address the cost of housing, childcare, and health care.
“Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said.
A number of Republican-backed amendments also fell short after Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sided with Democrats. Those senators voted against a proposal from Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood.
&#8220;One recent study found that in three years alone, Planned Parenthood got a billion and a half dollars from Medicaid and Medicare.  Money to be used on these risky surgeries and [transgender] procedures for our children. This is wrong,” Hawley said. “This is a terrible misuse of federal funds, and we should put a stop to it today.”
Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mitch McConnel (R-KY), Murkowski, and Collins and also <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00096.htm">voted</a> with Democrats to block an effort from Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) to attach the SAVE Act, which would require photo ID to vote in federal elections, to the proposal.

Donald Trump

Republicans Ice Out Dems On Key Move Tied To A Top Trump Campaign Promise

Congress

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration

Southern Border

U.S. Senate

A sharp uptick in religiosity among young American men is reversing decades of cultural trends, with new polling showing the largest year-over-year increase in religious engagement for any age group in more than two decades, an outcome many on the Right have been working toward for years.
According to a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/708410/young-men-religious-young-women.aspx">new survey from Gallup</a>, 42% of men aged 18 to 29 now say religion is “very important” in their lives, up from just 28% two years prior. The 14-point jump marks the steepest increase measured across any demographic group in the poll’s recent history and returns young men to levels of religiosity not seen since the early 2000s.
The surge has also upended a longstanding gender dynamic. For decades, young women consistently reported higher levels of religious commitment than their male peers; that gap has now reversed, with young men surpassing young women in the importance they place on religion, holding a slight edge in religious affiliation, and matching them in attendance at religious services.
Gallup’s data show the increase is not merely attitudinal, as religious service attendance among young men rose seven points over the same period, reaching 40%, their highest level in more than a decade, bringing them into parity with young women and closer to older male cohorts than at any point in recent years.
The poll finds that the rise in religiosity is concentrated heavily among Republicans, with young Republican men driving much of the increase. That political alignment hints that the trend is not simply an ideological shift, but part of a broader cultural realignment among younger Americans.
For years, conservative leaders, media figures, and grassroots organizations have placed renewed emphasis on religion, tradition, and moral structure, particularly in response to what they describe as a vacuum of meaning created by secular institutions. That messaging has been especially targeted toward young men, a demographic often described as politically disengaged and culturally adrift in the social media era.
The late Charlie Kirk was among the key forces in the movement, consistently urging young men to reject modern nihilism in favor of the &#8220;ancient and the beautiful.&#8221; Shortly before his death, he <a href="https://www.christianitydaily.com/news/charlie-kirk-beautiful-to-see-young-men-reengaging-with-church.html">delivered a call</a> that resonated with the very men now appearing in Gallup&#8217;s data: &#8220;Find yourself back to church &#8230; that will reorient your life. Do what the church tells you to do: Find a woman, marry her, provide &#8230; have more kids than you can afford.&#8221;
The data now suggest that his effort bore fruit. While the broader trajectory of American religiosity remains in decline — with overall levels of belief, affiliation, and attendance near historic lows — young men have emerged as a clear exception. Their return to levels of religious importance last seen in 2000-2001 stands in stark contrast to women of all age groups, as well as older men, who remain at or near their lowest points in Gallup’s long-term tracking.
At the same time, young women have moved in the opposite direction. At just 29%, they are now the least religious demographic measured, widening a gap that now extends beyond religion into politics and culture more broadly. The result is a striking divergence: one cohort moving back toward faith, structure, and institutional religion, while another continues to drift away.
Gallup’s own analysis suggests the answer may lie in politics as much as in theology. The sustained increase in attendance among young Republican men since the late 2010s, as well as the more recent acceleration, indicates that religious engagement is increasingly intertwined with political identity. That dynamic has amplified the impact of the shift. With nearly half of young men now identifying as or leaning Republican, gains within that group are large enough to reshape the overall trend line. It marks a major victory for the conservative movement’s central argument — that cultural renewal requires a return to faith and tradition.
The data offer early signs that such a shift may already be underway among a key demographic.
Whether that trend continues or expands beyond its current base remains to be seen. For now, however, the numbers point to a clear break from the recent past: after decades of steady decline, young men are moving back toward religion in measurable and historically significant ways.

intersection of religion & politics: rear view of rows of wooden pews with religious liturgy books stored in pew racks in church

Young Men Just Surged In One Key Area And It’s Flipping A Decades-Old Gender Gap

Christianity

Gender

Polls

Religion

U.S.

A popular leftist streamer who once claimed America deserved the 9/11 terrorist attacks claimed that the Republican Party was the biggest “terrorist” in the United States and around the world.
Hasan Piker, who once suggested Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott should be killed over proposed cuts to Medicare, made the comments during an appearance on the &#8220;Pod Save America&#8221; podcast on Sunday, where he claimed that the Democrat Party was not serious about being “anti-fascist.”
&#8220;I hate Republicans,&#8221; Piker <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvAN_N2OQJQ">said</a>. &#8220;I oppose them. I say that all the time. I think that the Republicans are far more damaging. The biggest terrorists, the biggest domestic terrorist in this country, the biggest terrorist internationally is the Republican Party. And not only that, but it&#8217;s just like, they &#8230; I want to fight against the growing fascist movement in this country.&#8221;
Piker’s comments come as he has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-are-scrambling-to-campaign-with-terrorist-groupie-who-says-america-deserved-9-11">boosted</a> politicians like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-NYC), and endorsed Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA).
During the podcast appearance, Piker also claimed that Democrats were not pro-immigrant enough.
&#8220;On the one hand, you say Donald Trump is a dangerous force,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I see that. I recognize that. But then you turn around, and you take on his anti-immigrant narratives and anti-immigrant messaging from the 2020 election that you won and decide you&#8217;re going to be the sincere candidate that ends up, you know, dealing with the growth of migration in this country. It&#8217;s a failure.&#8221;
Piker, who has over four million followers between YouTube and Twitch, is known for his radical calls to action. Last year, he was banned from Twitch for comments he made about Senator Rick Scott.
&#8220;The reason why I&#8217;m saying, if you cared about Medicare or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott is because — and not make him a prominent part of the Republican Party — is because he, to this day, is still also known as committing the largest Medicare fraud in U.S. history,&#8221; he claimed.
Some Democrats, such as Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), have distanced themselves from Piker while others have dodged questions about their association with him.

Web Summit Qatar 2026 – Day Three

Popular Leftist Claimed America Deserved 9/11. His Latest Comments Pour Gas On The Fire.

9/11

domestic terrorism

General

Hasan Piker

Rick Scott

In politics, it&#8217;s never too early to start looking ahead. For Republicans today, that means thinking about who will lead their party after Trump leaves the scene.
Legal and political analyst Frank DeVito believes Vice President JD Vance is the man for the job, a case he lays out in the new book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHF4L24Y?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_JPP9MYR69NK8ZJSEVTPT&amp;ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_JPP9MYR69NK8ZJSEVTPT&amp;social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_JPP9MYR69NK8ZJSEVTPT&amp;bestFormat=true">JD Vance and the Future of the Republican Party</a>.” 
“I think there&#8217;s a pretty good argument that [Trump] chose somebody who has the potential to be a post-Trump leader of the Republican Party and the MAGA movement,” DeVito told The Daily Wire. 
To say not every Republican agrees with that assessment is an understatement. While Vance has become a central figure in the Trump coalition, critics on both the populist right and the GOP&#8217;s more traditional conservative wing question whether his relatively short tenure in national office and shifting political positions make him the natural heir to the movement.
DeVito makes the case that Vance isn’t simply riding the Trump wave, but represents a deeper shift inside the GOP. He says Vance’s focus on family, faith, practicality, and a willingness to confront institutions that have clearly stopped working for normal people are a huge part of the appeal. 
“One of the priorities that he is clearly focused on,&#8221; DeVito says, &#8220;is how do we provide a world where as many people as possible can get married, have stable marriages, and raise children.&#8221;
That emphasis has landed Vance in hot water before, especially when he criticized the Left’s open hostility toward the family. But DeVito said he agrees with Vance’s stance.
“How does any civilization function?” he asked. “You have parents who have children, they raise those children as best they can … You can’t really have civilization without that.”
He points out how normalized it’s become to dismiss those foundations entirely, which leads to civilizational collapse. “If kids are being raised by institutions instead of stable parents … who exactly do we think is going to be running the country in 30 years?” he asked. 
That’s also the context behind one of Vance’s most controversial remarks about how world leaders without children may lack the long-term perspective required to govern well. The backlash was extreme, but DeVito claims the point Vance was making is just obvious. “I would hope leaders are thinking not just about the next election or their stock portfolio, but about what kind of country their grandchildren are going to inherit,” he said.
The comments were criticized not only by Democrats but by some Republicans, who warned that this kind of rhetoric could be politically damaging in a general election.
But it does help to explain Vance’s political evolution, especially his highly scrutinized shift from Trump skeptic to Trump’s running mate. While some conservatives rightly question this about face, DeVito argues it wasn’t opportunism, but a reflection of Vance reassessing Trump’s role in confronting institutional power. 
“If you think American institutions are basically healthy and just need minor corrections, then of course Trump looks insane,” he said. “But what Vance came to believe is that he was wrong about how broken those institutions really are.”
Once Vance figured out the depth of the rot, he pivoted. “They’re actually so co-opted that it might take dropping some dynamite into the system to recover a sane America,” DeVito explained. In that light, Trump isn’t wrecking things for fun, he’s doing what needs to be done to reshape the culture.
What gives Vance credibility here, DeVito insists, is his unique experience going from a broken home to running in elite circles. “How do we create an America where normal people can get married, raise kids, and have meaningful work?” DeVito said. “That question animates everything Vance does.”
Vance grew up amid addiction and instability, then passed through Yale Law and into the upper echelons of society. What he found, DeVito said, was a stunning disconnect. “The elites think things are great and getting better,” he said. “Meanwhile, in the communities Vance came from, it’s addiction, joblessness, broken families, and despair.” 
Faith, again, plays a role here. DeVito argues that Vance’s Catholicism isn’t political branding, but is just more proof that the politician is willing to embrace a truth even when it could hurt his popularity. “There&#8217;s really nothing advantageous to your political career about becoming a Catholic in 2026 or when he converted … So I don&#8217;t think he would do it unless it was genuine,” the author said.
DeVito said in the book that Vance is uniquely positioned to unify the Republican Party.
“The Republican Party in 2015 when Trump went down the escalator was something very different than it is now,” he said, noting how that change hinged on the charisma and force of one person over the last decade. 
Whether that unity is achievable remains an open question, particularly as factions within the party continue to debate the future of MAGA itself.
DeVito also mentioned that the person on deck doesn’t have an easy job. “It&#8217;s a hard dance,&#8221; he observed. &#8220;Nobody&#8217;s going to be Donald Trump.&#8221;

JD Vance

Is JD Vance The GOP’s Post-Trump Future? One Author Makes The Case.

Is JD Vance the GOP’s Post-Trump Future? One Author Makes The Case

Books

On Thursday, President Trump returned to the National Prayer Breakfast and proceeded to give a speech that was reasonably religious in overtones.
Something fascinating about the president is that he&#8217;s been able to do things that a lot of Christian conservatives and religious Jews appreciate while maintaining a largely secular coalition.
What would appear to be a marginal increase in non-Christian affiliation inside the Republican Party is not marginal because the overall loss in the traditional religious constituency in the Republican Party is reflective of an overall loss of religiosity in the American public more generally.
Today, the majority of Republicans are religious, but an increasing percentage are not particularly religious, and it is pretty religiously diverse.
That does not mean that the Republican Party should somehow abandon the moral issues that make the Republican Party the Republican Party. That&#8217;s not my case.
My case is that making the Republican Party non-ecumenical as opposed to ecumenical is a mistake. We’ve seen this sort of move being made on behalf of some parts of the sort of the trad-Catholic Right, some of the quasi-integralists on the Right, who seem to be making a move to break up the Republican coalition by suggesting that there is a vast religious revival that is happening in the country that is going to drive Republicans to victory.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2363-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Those numbers do not exist. I wish there were; I wish there were a vast religious revival in the country and that the Republican Party was closer to its biblical moral values. I wish that were the case.
But that is not supported by the data, which is why Trump is the right president for this moment, and it&#8217;s why Republicans have to watch out for coalition building and how not to break it up.
When you talk about the increasing irreligiosity of the body politic, that is correct. That doesn&#8217;t mean that Republicans should abandon social issues. They absolutely should not.
But it does mean that the more overt you are about marginal social issues, the more you are likely to lose the Trump coalition. Trump is winning outsized shares of Christian evangelicals, Catholics, and religious people because the Left is crazy, not because he is campaigning as some sort of religious figure.
If you wish for Republicans to win, then presenting good policy with a moderate face — even if you have outsized rhetoric like President Trump — is a better path to victory than embracing the fringe positions taken by so many on X and elsewhere.
President Trump can go to the National Prayer Breakfast and give what are, at best, sort of vague religious statements. And that&#8217;s fine with people. President Trump literally joked about making it to heaven at the National Prayer Breakfast, saying:
I said, “I’m never going to make it to heaven. I just don’t think I qualify.” I don’t think there’s a thing I can do, but all of these good things I’m doing, including for religion — you know, religion’s back now hotter than ever before — but I said, “Even though I did that, and so many other things” —  I named things. I said, “I won’t qualify. I’m not going to make it to heaven.”
And the New York Times did a front-page story that Donald Trump is questioning his life and the meaning of his life. No, I was just having fun. I really think I probably should make it; I mean, I’m not a perfect candidate, but I did a hell of a lot of good for perfect people.
That last line, that he&#8217;s done a lot of things for people, is the reason he’s been elected president twice. 
President Trump says, listen, you have to believe in something. You have to have a religion in general. 
This is the American position. The American position is that Biblical values are good and that we like religious practice in this country. Freedom of religion and freedom from government intervention in religion are in the same amendment for a reason. That broad ecumenism is a winning approach for the Republicans.
And pointing out the anti-religious secularism of the Left is a winning approach for Republicans.
President Trump has the pulse of the American people on the vast majority of issues, which is why he usually takes the 80% on 80/20 issues.
Republicans need to continue to do that.

US-POLITICS-RELIGION-PRAYER-BREAKFAST-TRUMP

The Big Tent: Trump’s Ecumenical Path To Victory

Ben Shapiro

Bible

Jews

Judeo-Christian Values

Opinion

Prayer

White House

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting Democratic Rep. Adam Gray of California in a new ad campaign.
The NRCC released its first ad targeting Gray on Tuesday. The ad targets Gray’s record on immigration.
“Adam Gray voted to give criminal illegal aliens driver&#8217;s licenses. He voted against funding to deport dangerous criminals. Adam Gray is dangerously radical on immigration,” the ad states.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Democrat Adam Gray Is Dangerously Radical" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0OQmq2m8uVs?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>
Gray currently represents California’s 13th congressional district, a seat <a href="https://rollcall.com/2025/05/08/most-vulnerable-house-members-2026-election/">identified</a> last year as one of the most vulnerable of the upcoming midterm elections. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to redistrict ahead of midterms may have <a href="https://www.insideelections.com/news/article/a-detailed-analysis-california-redistricting-new-map-texas-gerrymandering">given</a> Gray some room to breathe, however.
Immigration has been a top issue for Republicans since President Donald Trump returned to office in January. Immigration <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker">remains</a> one of Trump’s most popular issues, though Americans’ approval of Trump’s handling of immigration has slipped since he effectively ended massive amounts of illegal immigration that poured into the country under the Biden administration.
That ad hits Gray over a couple of votes on his record regarding immigration, one of them from over a decade ago. In 2013, while Gray was serving in the California assembly, he <a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/votes/AB60/2013">voted</a> in favor of a bill that would allow illegal aliens to receive a California driver’s license.
Last year, Gray voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which, in part, provided funding for finishing the border wall along the United States’ southern border. It also provided a surge of funding for hiring thousands of federal immigration agents.
The One Big Beautiful Bill <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/07/president-trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-is-now-the-law/">included</a> a slate of other Trump priorities, as well. The bill made permanent the 2017 tax cuts from Trump’s first term in office, secured $12.5 billion for the national air traffic control system, and funded development of the Golden Dome missile defense system.
Gray is in his first term as a U.S. congressman, having flipped California’s 13th district from Republican control in 2024. Gray beat then-incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte by less than 200 votes.
Gray’s strongest opponent this cycle is Kevin Lincoln, the Republican former mayor of Stockton, a city added to California 13 under the new congressional map pushed for by Newsom.
“From Assemblyman to Congressman, Adam Gray’s out of touch, radical immigration votes put criminal illegal immigrants first and the safety of California families dead last. Californians deserve a Congressman who will put their safety first,” NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez told The Daily Wire in a statement.

Adam Gray

‘Dangerously Radical On Immigration’: GOP Ad Campaign Targets Vulnerable California Dem

GOP Ad Campaign Targets Vulnerable CA Dem: ‘Dangerously Radical On Immigration’

California

A record-high 45% of Americans identified as political independents last year, with both Democrats and Republicans tied at 27% in party identification, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.
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A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025, surpassing the 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024. <a href="https://t.co/1vKF7J2RnE">pic.twitter.com/1vKF7J2RnE</a>
— Gallup (@Gallup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gallup/status/2010775854117171569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/700499/new-high-identify-political-independents.aspx">survey</a>, which interviewed 13,000 respondents over the course of 2025, found that 45% of Americans are political independents. Of that 45%, 20% lean Democratic, 15% lean Republican, and the remaining 10% expressed no partisan preference — a three-point decline in Republican leaners and a three-point increase in Democratic leaners compared with 2024.
The five-point Democratic advantage among independent leaners erodes what had been a key GOP edge during the 2024 election cycle, returning party identification to the levels seen in Trump&#8217;s first term.
Despite this unfavorable shift in party preference, more Americans in 2025 described their political views as &#8220;very conservative&#8221; or &#8220;conservative&#8221; (35%) than as &#8220;very liberal&#8221; or &#8220;liberal&#8221; (28%), with 33% identifying as &#8220;moderate.&#8221;
The Gallup poll showed a stark contrast in party identification across generations. Majorities of Gen Z adults (56%) and millennials (53%) identified as political independents in 2025, compared with just 33% of baby boomers and 30% of Silent Generation adults.
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In 2025, majorities of Gen Z adults and millennials identified as political independents, as did more than four in 10 Gen X adults.
One-third or less of baby boomers and Silent Generation adults were politically independent. <a href="https://t.co/5JxXbwqyuU">pic.twitter.com/5JxXbwqyuU</a>
— Gallup (@Gallup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gallup/status/2011087055733080219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The 56% of Gen Z adults identifying as independents today substantially exceeds the 47% of millennials who did so in 2012 and the 40% of Gen X adults in 1992.
Gallup notes that the shift does not indicate Americans are warming to the Democratic Party, as &#8220;favorable ratings of the Democratic Party are no better than those of the Republican Party.&#8221; Instead, the polling organization suggests these changes appear to be &#8220;a consequence of one party&#8217;s association with an unpopular incumbent president,&#8221; a pattern that has led to frequent changes in party power in recent federal election cycles.

Democrats vs. Republicans

Independent Voters Hit Record High As Both Parties Lose Ground: Poll

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