President Donald Trump on Thursday called for Senate Republicans to play their “Trump card” and get rid of the filibuster to end the government shutdown. 
While the House has passed a bill to temporarily fund the government, the Senate has repeatedly failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required to advance the same legislation. It is now the 31st day of the government shutdown, just four days short of the record. 
“The one question that kept coming up, however, was how did the Democrats SHUT DOWN the United States of America, and why did the powerful Republicans allow them to do it? The fact is, in flying back, I thought a great deal about that question, WHY?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 
Trump then praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) before calling on them to get rid of the filibuster. 
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW! Just a short while ago, the Democrats, while in power, fought for three years to do this, but were unable to pull it off because of Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona,” Trump wrote. “Never have the Democrats fought so hard to do something because they knew the tremendous strength that terminating the Filibuster would give them.”
Trump argued that Democrats would end the filibuster if they were in power and that Republicans should do it while they have the opportunity.
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“Well, now WE are in power, and if we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN.’ If the Democrats ever came back into power, which would be made easier for them if the Republicans are not using the Great Strength and Policies made available to us by ending the Filibuster, the Democrats will exercise their rights, and it will be done in the first day they take office, regardless of whether or not we do it,” he wrote. 
“BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE GONE STONE COLD ‘CRAZY,’ THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE &#8216;NUCLEAR OPTION,&#8217; GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added. 
When former Vice President Kamala Harris ran for president, she called for Democrats to end the filibuster to pass nationwide abortion legislation. That proposal was supported by many Democrats, but opposed by former Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-RETURN

Trump Wants Republicans To Hit ‘STONE COLD CRAZY’ Dems With Ultimate ‘TRUMP CARD’ In Shutdown Fight

Democrats

Donald Trump

Filibuster

Government Shutdown

Republicans

Senate

WASHINGTON—Daily Wire Host Michael Knowles called for the federal government to &#8220;stop the consistent and accelerating trend of leftist terrorism&#8221; at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Daily Wire’s <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> appears before the United States Senate to expose what Democrats refuse to confront, the rise of left wing political violence. <a href="https://t.co/DbENR3dySX">https://t.co/DbENR3dySX</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983239105140986267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Opening Tuesday’s hearing, Subcommittee on the Constitution Chair Eric Schmitt (R-MO) warned that for the past 15 months, political violence “has been a constant fact of American life.”
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen assassinations. We&#8217;ve seen murder. We&#8217;ve seen death. None of this is random. It&#8217;s organized, coordinated political terror,” Schmitt said.
The hearing comes just two months after Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk was murdered by a leftist assassin while speaking at a campus event in Utah. Knowles, a friend of Kirk&#8217;s, <a href="https://x.com/michaeljknowles/status/1968365304893030812">announced</a> that Turning Point’s college tour would continue after the tragedy, and he, along with several other conservative speakers, vowed to carry on the mission.
The chairman said he believes the people behind the violence are “determined militant extremists who wield violence for political ends.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We must confront the threat of left-wing extremism.
For the past two years, America has been plagued by arsons, bombings, armed ambushes, assaults, violent riots, mass shootings and assassinations.
None of this is random. It is organized, coordinated political terror. <a href="https://t.co/TZkmWQ3nMi">pic.twitter.com/TZkmWQ3nMi</a>
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt/status/1983259140177666266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In addition to Kirk&#8217;s assassination, Schmitt invoked the two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump’s life, the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and a slew of arsons, bombings, armed ambushes, assaults, sniper attacks, mass shootings, riots, and violent mobs.
“We are faced with only two paths: Either we confront this political violence and end it, or it will end us,” Schmitt said.
Ranking member Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said he is “absolutely horrified by political violence in this country” and “unequivocally” condemned Kirk’s murder, but cautioned against debating whether there was more political violence &#8220;on one side or the other.&#8221;
In his opening statement, Knowles blasted Welch for suggesting that we “not try to pinpoint exactly which side the violence comes from.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> calls out <a href="https://twitter.com/SenPeterWelch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenPeterWelch</a> for saying it&#8217;s unproductive to point out that political violence is a left-wing problem:
&#8220;This seems to me confusing and misbegotten as one cannot solve a problem if one does not know where the problem lies.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/CsM7tQZnPr">pic.twitter.com/CsM7tQZnPr</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983259013983973673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“This seems to me confusing and misbegotten as one cannot solve a problem if one does not know where the problem lies,” Knowles said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> testifies before the U.S. Senate regarding a left-wing attack on his speaking event at the University of Pittsburgh in 2023:
&#8220;I think we should all be able to agree that throwing an explosive at&#8230;people is no mere minor indiscretion&#8230;That&#8217;s attempted… <a href="https://t.co/RgCavh02Bm">pic.twitter.com/RgCavh02Bm</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983257094267572518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“In light of the murder of my friend Charlie Kirk by a leftist assassin, I am gratified to see that at least some members of our federal legislature are now confronting the consistent and escalating pattern of left-wing terrorism in the country,” Knowles said.
Knowles cited a September 23 Atlantic article which, citing a recent study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, admitted &#8220;that the Left is more violent today than the right.&#8221;
&#8220;Less honest liberals, including members of Congress, continue to deny this fact. Democrat Congressman Seth Moulton, for example, reacted to Charlie’s assassination by blaming the right,&#8221; Knowles said.
Knowles cited examples of left-wing political violence, including a personal experience from April 2023 when he was invited to participate in a debate at the University of Pittsburgh on the topic of transgenderism.
He said several hundred left-wing protesters, many dressed in black, gathered to oppose his appearance.
“They lit the street on fire while burning me in effigy with a little Hitler mustache painted on my face. All because I hold the view, as most Americans do, that men cannot become women,” Knowles said.
He said an “Antifa operative” rolled smoke bombs under police barricades and then threw a lit firework into police officers — injuring several.
They were forced to end the debate early, Knowles said.
“Despite popular efforts to deny the existence of organized left-wing terrorism, Brian and Krystal DiPippa were not merely two citizens protesting a speaker with whom they disagreed. Things just got a little out of hand. No. They are members of an extremist cell,” Knowles said.
Knowles said everyone should be able to agree that throwing an explosive at a group of people is “no mere minor indiscretion.”
The Torch Antifa network has claimed the DiPippas as members, Knowles said, noting they &#8220;raised money for them through a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.&#8221;
“That is a very serious crime. That&#8217;s attempted murder, the kind of crime that merits life in prison,” Knowles said.
But, he explained, Brian DiPippa was only <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/pittsburgh-couple-sentenced-obstructing-law-enforcement-during-campus-protest">sentenced</a> to jail time. His wife Krystal was sentenced to probation.
“The federal government must act now to stop the consistent and accelerating trend of leftist terrorism,” Knowles said.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced Daniel Hodges — a police officer who responded to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Hodges said he believed the press release sent out ahead of the meeting from the chair “made it clear this was not going to be an honest consideration of various causes and effects, but rather a ham-fisted attempt to propagate the unsupported notion that liberal ideology is the greatest origin of modern political violence.”
He added that the hearing was “galling” to him “since every single member of the majority on the subcommittee has either contributed to one of the most infamous examples of conservative political violence of our age or the protection of its perpetrators.”
“Every majority member who could do so voted to acquit Donald Trump during a second impeachment, and now we find ourselves in a new horrific age of political violence,” Hodges said.
In a subsequent exchange, Knowles insisted that “any honest Democrat even would have to acknowledge, as the Atlantic magazine did, as even CSIS has acknowledged, that the threats today to the free marketplace of ideas come from the Left.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenEricSchmitt</a>: How do we solve the problem of increased political violence? <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a>: &#8220;You can&#8217;t have a marketplace if bandits keep shooting up the marketplace&#8230;We must regulate where the problem is, and today the problem lies on the Left.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Pdsl8NAKfs">pic.twitter.com/Pdsl8NAKfs</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983261714608254996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“And so, in order to restore the open marketplace of ideas, the healthy exchange of ideas essential to our self-government, we must regulate where the problem is, and today the problem lies on the left,” Knowles said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questioned Knowles about the violence against “people of faith.”
Hawley, who said he was friends with Kirk, described him as “incredibly bold” in speaking about his faith.
“You can’t tell me that that did not play into the reason he was killed,” Hawley said.
He asked Knowles about the reason for the &#8220;uptick&#8221; in violence.
“Cardinal Manning wisely observed that all human conflict ultimately is theological &#8211; a lot of our big policy debates in recent years have really been anthropological and religious in nature,” Knowles said.
Knowles said the attacks on churches, which he called “widespread and increasing” have been “underreported and ignored &#8211; in some cases entirely.”
During the hearing, lawmakers also discussed potential steps to address political violence going forward.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said he introduced the “Stop FUNDERs Act” which he said would add rioting as a predicate offense to RICO, to “enable the Department of Justice to use the full tools that have been directed at the mafia to go after the corrupt enterprise.”
Former acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf endorsed the bill during the hearing.
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My Stop FUNDERs Act will give the DOJ the tools it needs to go after the financiers of left-wing violence.
I’m glad to see Mr. Wolf joining <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBIDirectorKash</a> Patel and a growing chorus of law enforcement professionals in endorsing this legislation. <a href="https://t.co/BUPynxBmCq">pic.twitter.com/BUPynxBmCq</a>
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1983324505591410690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) also made a brief appearance.
“When we hold hearings that come at this issue that reflects the partisanship of our time and the tribalism of our time, we don&#8217;t get to a solution. We are in a crisis right now and there is growing political violence and a glowing justification for it,” Booker said.
Booker admitted there is political violence including “extremists who have left wing ideologies and right-wing ideologies &#8211; to say it&#8217;s just one and not the other is to deepen the problem.”
“The only thing that&#8217;s going to get us out of this condition is for courageous leaders, in both parties to start standing up and extending grace — and self introspection,” Booker said.
Although Booker left the hearing early, Knowles said he made a good point about being &#8220;introspective,&#8221; then brought up Booker’s endorsement of Jay Jones.
Jones, a Democrat running to be the next Attorney General of Virginia, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-them-virginia-dem-sent-shocking-texts-about-killing-gop-leader-pissing-on-graves">fantasized</a> about murdering a state Republican leader with “two bullets to the head” and “piss[ing]” on the graves of other Republicans.
Knowles observed that Booker, &#8220;in the spirit of introspection, is standing by this endorsement,&#8221; having already left the room.
“Senator Booker should practice what he preaches,&#8221; Knowles said. &#8220;So long as anyone stands by an endorsement such as that, their words are meaningless, they’re shedding crocodile tears on the topic of political violence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBooker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenBooker</a>, we know you left the room early, so we wanted to make sure you heard this from <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a>:
Sen. Booker endorses a man who called for the murder of a Republican and his children&#8230;
&#8220;So long as anyone stands by an endorsement such as that, their words are… <a href="https://t.co/QDUM5OStYw">pic.twitter.com/QDUM5OStYw</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983269416952311901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Following the hearing, Knowles said he was “grateful” to Schmitt and the members who attended the hearing — noting that Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) didn’t attend.
“He couldn’t make the time while his side is promoting political violence,&#8221; Knowles said.
“Senator Booker made it in and then ran away as quickly as he possibly could, which makes sense because he is endorsing a man for Attorney General of Virginia who calls for murdering Republicans and their kids,” he added.
“I think the crocodile tears from the Democrats were preposterous,&#8221; Knowles added. &#8220;They were doing everything they could to avoid accepting the blame that sits squarely with them.&#8221;
Still, Knowles said he thought the hearing was &#8220;productive, because I think it showed the American people where the problem really lies.&#8221;

MK-Testifies

‘The Problem Lies On The Left’: Michael Knowles Brings The Heat To Senate Political Violence Hearing

Charlie Kirk

Cory Booker

Daily Wire

Michael Knowles

Political Violence

Ted Cruz

A Senate hearing on political violence highlights radical Left ideology, a brewing power struggle within DHS shakes up ICE leadership, and NYC mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s lead slips amid criticism for his polarizing policies and past comments.
It’s Wednesday, October 29, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251029">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Senate Addresses Left-Wing Violence</h2>
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Topline: Daily Wire host Michael Knowles testified in front of members of the Senate on Tuesday about the growing trend of ideologically motivated violence and its threat to the First Amendment.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and his Republican colleagues believe the threat of violence coming from radical leftists, including &#8220;Antifa,&#8221; is on the rise and will only continue to be an issue unless political leaders and the media are forced to face that fact.
The purpose of Tuesday’s Senate hearing was to present extensive evidence to shine a spotlight on the problem. The assassination of Charlie Kirk prompted this hearing, and it has made this issue of political violence impossible to ignore.
But even with legacy media outlets being forced to cover Kirk’s assassination, critics say they’ve worked hard to bury evidence pointing to the ideological motives of the suspect in the case. The suspect was a leftist who called Kirk’s conservative views “hateful” – and who was in a romantic relationship with a male who identifies as a female.
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As Schmitt said, there is still a strong need to ensure the efforts to bury that reality aren’t successful. Inviting a high-profile figure like The Daily Wire’s Knowles to speak was part of the strategy, as he has a large platform and firsthand experience with the kinds of threats coming from the Left.
Knowles specifically spoke to how past administrations refused to list things like the Black Lives Matter riots and massacres by transgender individuals as leftwing violence in official government records.
“Consider the Covenant School massacre in Nashville, for instance, in which a trans-identifying shooter murdered Christian children at school after leaving a manifesto outlining ideological motivations, such as gender ideology. That incident, according to authorities, lacked an ideological motive,” said Knowles. 
“The Black Lives Matter riots — overtly leftist demonstrations that left dozens of people dead and over a billion dollars’ worth of property damage — likewise fail to show up on registers of left-wing political violence,” he continued. “Even an attack by Antifa operatives that targeted me personally for my conservative political views appeared in official records and data sets as nothing more than ‘obstructing law enforcement.’”
Knowles said that the tide has somewhat begun to turn with things like the assassination of Kirk and the multiple attempts on Trump, forcing “honest” liberals to acknowledge the truth about where most of the violence is coming from.
“On September 23, no less an emblem of American liberalism than The Atlantic magazine admitted that fact in an article, based on a recent study, under the headline, ‘Left-Wing Terrorism Is On The Rise,’” said Knowles. “Less honest liberals, including members of Congress, have nevertheless persisted in denying this fact. Democrat Congressman Seth Moulton reacted to a leftist’s assassination of the most prominent proponent of civil debate on the American Right by blaming the Right.”
A YouGov poll just last month <a href="https://thehill.com/national-security/5504569-americans-political-violence-poll/">found</a> that 26% of young liberals say it is “sometimes justified” to resort to violence to achieve political goals. Only 7% of young conservatives said the same.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">An Administration Divided On Deportation</h2>
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Topline: A major leadership shakeup at ICE is exposing internal divides over the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort.
ICE leadership is being moved out of multiple offices across the country. They&#8217;re being replaced with Border Patrol leadership. The swaps have happened in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Denver, El Paso, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, and New Orleans.
The Trump administration has already shifted when it comes to who is in charge of the mass deportation campaign. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino has been put in charge of operations in places such as Los Angeles and Chicago, where Border Patrol agents are making arrests alongside ICE.
Quality versus quantity: There have been significant internal divisions within the Department of Homeland Security over how the administration should conduct its operations and mass deportation arrests.
The division centers on differing priorities: Corey Lewandowski, a senior advisor in a temporary position in the administration, wants to maximize the number of arrests and deportations. ICE Director Todd Lyons and border czar Tom Homan advocate for focusing on arresting hardened criminals.
Quality camp: Lyons and Homan’s camp is very concerned about public perception. Border Patrol and ICE are under a lot of scrutiny. They want to show the public that they&#8217;re getting hardened criminals off the streets and keeping Americans safe. It&#8217;s also about making sure ICE officers feel good about the work they&#8217;re doing and that they&#8217;re making targeted arrests.
Quantity camp: Bovino was involved in some of the more controversial raids, including Home Depot parking lots and car washes. Those raids drew big protests in places like Southern California and Chicago. Bovino has faced significant scrutiny for this. He was testifying in court on Tuesday about his alleged use of tear gas during an operation in Chicago.
ICE is also facing backlash, but it wants to minimize that and get officers back to quality work.
Who is winning? The internal announcement of the Border Patrol takeover of operations came from Lewandowski. He notified Homeland Security officials about the leadership changes at ICE. His being the source of the announcement suggests that his camp is winning the fight.
Lewandowski has, in some ways, more power than Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, sources tell The Daily Wire. His control at DHS has become a point of contention for many in the administration.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Mamdani Slips In Final Days</h2>
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Topline: Socialist candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, continues to hold a commanding lead, but Andrew Cuomo’s attacks and other controversies are beginning to chip away at it.
Mamdani is up by ten points. Andrew Cuomo, the former New York Democratic governor now running as an independent, was polling 20 points behind Mamdani, but Cuomo recently cut that lead in half. A Suffolk University Poll released Monday <a href="https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/academics/research-at-suffolk/suprc/polls/other-states/2025/10_27_2025_new_york_city_press_release.pdf?la=en&amp;hash=29E66C2E3D25A148940F2E3BB98DAC3E5A7C6D6F">shows</a> Mamdani leading Cuomo 44% to 34%. Current NYC Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/nyregion/adams-endorse-cuomo-nyc-mayor.html">endorsed</a> Cuomo on Thursday, giving Cuomo a boost.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, is in third place with 11% of the vote.
Opponents of Mamdani, some of whom view him as a communist, have pressured Sliwa to drop out to improve Cuomo’s chances. President Trump is among those who have leaned on Sliwa. But none of the pressure appears to have moved him. The odds are still in Mamdani’s favor, but it&#8217;s a much closer race than it once was.
In-person <a href="https://www.amny.com/politics/early-voting-turnout-nyc-mayor-first-day-2025/">early voting</a> started on Saturday, and Election Day is on November 4.
Mamdani’s controversies: Mamdani raised eyebrows when he tearfully spoke about his aunt, saying she was victimized in the wake of 9/11 because she is a Muslim and wears a hijab.
“My aunt stopped taking the subway after 9/11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab,” <a href="https://x.com/greg_price11/status/1981785770659586431">said</a> the Democratic candidate.
When Mamdani was pressed about the claim, he admitted the story wasn&#8217;t about his aunt but a different relative. He also suggested questioning his story is Islamophobic.
“I was speaking about my aunt, I was speaking about Zehra Fuhi, my father’s cousin – sadly passed away a few years ago,” <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/1982934087255097421">said</a> Mamdani later when pressed to clarify. “For the takeaway for my more than ten-minute address about Islamophobia in this race and in this city to be the question of my aunt tells you everything about Andrew Cuomo.&#8221;
Mamdani has also been accused of being antisemitic. Recently, a 2023 video resurfaced of Mamdani attacking the NYPD: “We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF,” <a href="https://x.com/mazemoore/status/1982974662175752646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1982974662175752646%7Ctwgr%5Ea02eb94fab946ff40b5eebe5a6f258ab7b2b35b2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fstefanik-rips-hochul-for-backing-raging-antisemite-communist-zohran-mamdani">said</a> Mamdani. “Especially in New York City, you have so many opportunities to make clear the ways in which that struggle over there is tied to capitalist interests over here.”
A segment of New York City is not happy about Mamdani likely becoming mayor. The city is liberal, but Mamdani is seen as radical and outside the mainstream. His proposals include massive tax hikes, a “freeze the rent” policy, replacing cops with social workers in some cases, government-run grocery stores, decriminalizing “sex work,” etc.
As for the frontrunner’s successes in his campaign, Mamdani is doing well with residents under age 40, and he has made genuine efforts to reach out to immigrant communities in the city. The latest numbers show that nearly 40% of all NYC residents are foreign-born. The city&#8217;s changing demographics are definitely a significant factor in this election.

MRN_251029_V1

Morning Brief: Congress Targets Left-Wing Violence, ICE Leadership Shake-Up, & Mamdani Slips

Morning Brief: Left-Wing Violence Rising, Divides On Deportation, And Mamdani Slips

Andrew Cuomo

Border Patrol

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Media

Morning Wire

New York City

Politics

Tom Homan

Zohran Mamdani

Five Senate Republicans joined with Democrats on Tuesday in a vote denouncing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazil.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina sided with Senate Democrats in a 52 to 48 vote against the president’s trade policy, exposing a small rift in the GOP between the president and some lawmakers.
“Protectionists eagerly celebrate the revenue from tariff duties. But they don’t talk nearly as much about how much of that revenue they’ll spend protecting American growers and producers from the avoidable harm of their policies,” McConnell said in a <a href="https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=D1763366-63E6-4404-8FDD-B932A4691CB7">statement</a> defending his vote.
“Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive. The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule. And no cross-eyed reading of Reagan will reveal otherwise,” he continued, referencing the late President Ronald Reagan, whose support for free trade became news recently because of an anti-tariff advertisement <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sets-10-hike-in-tariffs-on-canada-after-fake-ad-that-aired-during-world-series">purchased</a> by the Ontario government.
The Senate’s Tuesday resolution against Trump’s Brazil tariffs is symbolic, and it is not expected to receive a vote – much less pass – in the House. Additional resolutions on Trump’s tariffs are expected to receive votes in the Senate this week.
Vice President JD Vance warned Republicans ahead of the vote not to side against the president in the symbolic gesture, calling a move to buck to White House on tariffs a “big mistake,” according to <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/3867090/senate-rebukes-trump-tariff-vote-jd-vance-warning/">The Washington Examiner</a>.
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“The point that I made to my Republican colleagues, recognizing there’s a diversity of opinions about it, is that the tariffs give us the ability to put American workers first,” said Vance after meeting with GOP senators on Tuesday. “They force American industry to reinvest in the United States of America instead of a foreign country.”
Prior to Trump’s trade wars, U.S. tariffs on Brazil were roughly 3% in line with its status as a Most Favored Nation for U.S. trade. Brazil’s tariffs on U.S. goods were higher at around 11%, according to the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/regulating-imports-with-a-reciprocal-tariff-to-rectify-trade-practices-that-contribute-to-large-and-persistent-annual-united-states-goods-trade-deficits/">White House</a>.
In April, Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs, placing a minimum 10% levy on all nations, with some receiving a much higher tariff. In July, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114825119138468153">threatened</a> to hike tariffs on goods from Brazil up to 50% because of its treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison after Brazil’s left-wing government accused him of attempting to overthrow democracy.
Since coming into office in January, Trump has aggressively sought to remake the world’s trade lines, levying relatively exorbitant tariffs on enemies and allies. Through unilateral action on tariffs, Trump has sought to eliminate U.S. trade deficits and to establish leverage for action on drug trafficking and ending international conflicts.
Trump has cited emergency authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to issue most of his tariffs. The president’s tariff authority under the act is currently under <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/small-businesses-and-states-urge-court-to-strike-down-trumps-tariffs/">review</a> at the Supreme Court.
The president has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/trumps-dramatic-rhetoric-tariffs-ramps-pressure-supreme-court-rcna238207">said</a> if his administration loses the case, the United States “will be a weakened, troubled, financial mess for many, many years to come.”

Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell

Five Senate Republicans Buck White House In Vote Against Trump’s Tariffs

Brazil

Global Politics

JD Vance

Tariffs

The hearing has wrapped, but you can see all the highlights below!
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&nbsp;

WATCH LIVE: Michael Knowles Testifies Before The Senate On Political Violence

The New Hampshire Senate race was shaken up on Wednesday when former Senator John Sununu jumped into the Republican primary.
Sununu was a senator for the Granite State from 2003 until 2009 and served in the House of Representatives prior to that. He is the brother of former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. In 2008, he was defeated by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is now retiring, leaving the seat open and highly competitive.
&#8220;It’s been awhile since you elected me to serve New Hampshire, and boy have things changed. Washington’s never been perfect. It’s not meant to be,” the former senator said in his launch video.
“But when I was there, people with different opinions could get together, work things out, and come to solutions that made a real difference. But now Congress just seems loud, dysfunctional, even angry,” he said, saying that somebody needs to help “lower the temperature” and “get things done.”
Sununu got the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, currently led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
“John Sununu’s deep roots and passion for the Granite State make him built to win. New Hampshire is ready for a proven leader who stands up for seniors, fights for economic and educational opportunity, and delivers real solutions to make life more affordable and prosperous,” Scott said on Wednesday morning.
“Granite Staters are fed up with Democrats like Chris Pappas, who is beholden to Nancy Pelosi and the most radical elements of his party instead of New Hampshire families. The [NRSC] is all-in for [Sununu]!” he added.
Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who was the former Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, is also vying for the open seat.
“Anyone who thinks that a Never Trump, corporate lobbyist who hasn’t won an election in a quarter century will resonate with today’s GOP primary voters is living in a different universe. While John was supporting John Kasich in 2016, I was campaigning with Donald Trump,” Brown told The Daily Wire in a statement regarding Sununu’s entrance.
“While John was fighting for special interests, I was serving in the first Trump administration. While John was wooing the DC establishment this summer, I have been working with grassroots activists across the Granite State. Senate seats are earned, not handed down. I stopped one political dynasty before, and intend to do the same in 2026,” the Republican continued.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Chris Pappas is considered the frontrunner in the race, currently ranked by the Cook Political Report as “Leans Democrat.”
“This race just became one of the most competitive in the country, and I’m up against deep-pocketed special interests,” the Democrat posted to X on Wednesday morning.
The Daily Wire reached out to Pappas’ campaign for comment.

Alberto Gonzales Survives Senate No Confidence Vote

Ex-GOP Senator Enters Highly Competitive Race In Hopes To Flip New Hampshire Red

chris pappas

Jeanne Shaheen

John Sununu

New Hampshire

scott brown

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner was reportedly aware of the Nazi-affiliation of his skull and crossbones chest tattoo, despite recent claims that he had never faced negative accusations regarding it until he ran for office, according to Jewish Insider.
“He said, ‘Oh, this is my Totenkopf,’” an acquaintance recalls Platner telling him at Tune Inn, a Capitol Hill Bar where Platner worked, in 2012.
“He said it in a cutesy little way,” the individual said. Platner said at the time that he was aware of what the symbol meant when he got the tattoo, though he has denied knowing the meaning at other times, <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jewish Insider</a> reported. Platner has since gotten a new tattoo to cover the symbol, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Graham Platner shows off cover-up tattoo of Nazi symbol in interview with local Maine news outlet: <a href="https://t.co/MMPvw57zzz">https://t.co/MMPvw57zzz</a> <a href="https://t.co/JaUYLjuM41">pic.twitter.com/JaUYLjuM41</a>
— Politics &amp; Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) <a href="https://twitter.com/PollTracker2024/status/1981027114796134407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
The report came after Platner attempted to explain the tattoo on “Pod Save America” on Monday.
“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner said on the podcast. “Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general. I would say, lifelong opponent.”
Platner, who has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), further added that he was “very inebriated” on leave in Croatia while on a deployment for the Marines in 2007, and “we chose a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall” while at the tattoo shop.
“We got those and then we all moved on with our lives,” he said.
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“At no point in this entire experience of my life not once did anybody say ‘Hey, you’re a Nazi.’ It never came up, until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo. And I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I have not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years,” Platner continued.
Platner has been under fire since a number of his Reddit posts were revealed, including one where he referred to cops as “bastards” and described himself as a “communist.”
Axios reported that in a 2020 Reddit post Platner said he had the term “antifa super soldier” on “armor” he owned.
His former political director, Genevieve McDonald, who quit just days ago, called him out in a Facebook post in light of the tattoo scandal.
“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest. He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means,” McDonald wrote, The Maine Wire reported.
Platner is currently facing Democrat Governor Janet Mills in a primary, the winner of which will face incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, in a closely watched 2026 race.

Capitol Hill Prepares Ahead Of Full House Vote On Impeachment Articles This Week

Graham Platner Has Known About His Tattoo’s Nazi Connotations Since 2012

graham platner

janet mills

Maine

Susan Collins

Daily Wire host Michael Knowles will testify before the United States Senate next week on the rise of political violence in America.
Knowles will appear before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution Tuesday at the invitation of subcommittee chairman Eric Schmitt for a hearing titled Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order.
Knowles, who frequently speaks on college campuses and faced the threat of Antifa violence during a 2023 speech, says the hearing could not come at a more crucial time.
“This recent uptick in left-wing violence is the culmination of years—really decades—of consistent assaults on their opponents,” Knowles said.
“A ‘free marketplace of ideas’ simply cannot exist when ideological bandits keep shooting up the marketplace. I’m grateful to Senator Schmitt for convening this important hearing to discuss how Congress can reassert order and hold to account the left-wing ideologues undermining our public square.”
In Pennsylvania, multiple individuals were sentenced to years in jail earlier this year for throwing smoke bombs at Michael during a 2023 speech at the University of Pittsburgh.
The United States has seen a stark increase in political violence in recent years, which includes two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump and the recent assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk shook the nation to its core, and it was the latest in a long list of examples of left-wing political violence,” Schmitt said in a statement. “The rise of political violence on the left is deeply disturbing and antithetical to American values, disturbs the free exercise of our constitutional rights, and is a threat to our constitutional order,” said Senator Schmitt.
Knowles, host of The Michael Knowles Show, spoke at the first stop of Charlie Kirk’s campus tour in Minnesota the day after the TPUSA founder’s funeral, where activists chanted &#8220;Michael Knowles has got to go&#8221; and displayed signs mocking Kirk’s death.
As one of the most prominent cultural commentators at The Daily Wire, Michael has dedicated significant attention to exposing the conditions that enable left-wing political violence and has urged policymakers to take meaningful steps to safeguard civil discourse.
“As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, I look forward to getting the American people the answers they deserve about the realities of left-wing political violence,” said Senator Schmitt.
The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 2:30 pm ET.

Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback Tour” Continues In Minnesota After Kirk Assassination

Michael Knowles To Testify Before Senate Committee On The Threat Of Political Violence

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner addressed a tattoo on his chest that critics have slammed as being linked to Nazi imagery, as a flurry of controversial social media posts resurfaced.
In a Monday interview with “Pod Save America,” Platner encouraged the hosts to play a video of himself lip-syncing to Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” while shirtless at his brother’s wedding a decade ago. The video revealed that Platner has a tattoo of a black skull and crossbones on his chest. The design is known as the Totenkopf or “Death’s Head,” which was used as a symbol for the SS during the Nazi regime, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner told Pod Save America. “Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general. I would say, lifelong opponent.”
Platner explained that he got the tattoo while on deployment as a Marine while “very inebriated” on leave in Croatia, and “we chose a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall” at the tattoo parlor.
“We got those and then we all moved on with our lives,” he added, saying that he was screened without issues when he later joined the Army, obtained security clearance, and worked as a State Department contractor without issue.
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“And I’ve also just lived my entire life like a regular person with a skull and crossbones on their chest,” he said, joking about the “Wrecking Ball” clip.
“At no point in this entire experience of my life not once did anybody say ‘Hey, you’re a Nazi.’ It never came up, until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo. And I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I have not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years,” he added.
The tattoo received some negative responses from critics on social media, including on the Left.
“No skeletons in his closet, just an apparent Nazi logo on his chest,” MSNBC anchor Catherine Rampell posted to X.
“Gonna be hard to erase this one, literally and figuratively,” The Bulwark’s Sam Stein wrote.
Platner is currently in a primary against Maine’s Democratic Governor, Janet Mills. The winner of that race will face incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R) in one of the most competitive races in the country. Various old Reddit posts of his resurfaced last week, including “I got older and became a communist.”
“The fact that I have managed to go from Communist to Nazi in the space of four days, according to the people who are trying to, whatever, do this to me, I find to be quite a spectacular turn of events,” Platner added in the podcast interview.
Other posts included him saying that, “Bastards. Cops are bastards. All of them, in fact.” The candidate has attempted to turn the tables on the news cycle, sharing other past Reddit posts condemning “misogyny and homophobia in the Marines,” he wrote in a recent X post.
Last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee torched the posts from Platner.
“Graham Platner is a communist who supports violence against Republicans to promote his radical agenda. These posts are not just him messing around on the internet as he is trying to claim, they paint a very dark picture of a candidate not fit for office,” Samantha Cantrell, NRSC Regional Press Secretary, told The Daily Wire at the time.
The Daily Wire reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment.

Maine Senate Candidate Downplays SS Skull Tattoo: ‘I Am Not A Secret Nazi.’

Congress

WASHINGTON—A bill to honor a prominent Cuban anti-communist has bipartisan congressional support.
Cory Booker isn&#8217;t having it.
The New Jersey Democrat blocked a bill that would rename the street outside the Cuban Embassy after the late anti-communist Cuban activist Oswaldo Payá. Payá, who founded the Christian Liberation Movement in the 1980s, died in a 2021 car crash, that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights determined to be an intentional act by the Cuban government against Payá, according to the New York Times.
The bill to name the street “Oswaldo Payá Way” in his honor has been introduced multiple times, most recently by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Cruz described the late activist as a “Cuban dissident who fought against the communist regime and who stood up and fought for free speech for democracy and for human rights. He was a thorn in the side of the Cuban communist regime his entire life.”
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Booker called Payá an “extraordinary hero&#8221; who should be honored, but said it should be up to the Washington, D.C. City Council to rename the street.
“His work should be recognized more by our nation, and I would support the D.C. Council, their elected representatives, if it decided through their democratic process to work with the senator and the Democratic sponsor to rename the street,” Booker said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
“My objection is simply right now about Washington, D.C.’s, right to control their own local affairs. This objection is about home rule and self-governance. Now it is true, as my colleague said, that this has passed through this chamber multiple times,” the Democrat continued.
Cruz, whose family fled Cuba&#8217;s communist regime, rebutted Booker’s argument. The Texas Republican said Booker&#8217;s opposition is simply about opposing President Donald Trump, who faced Democratic pushback for the federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.
“The purpose here is to put pressure on the Cuban Communist regime, and naming the street does that. Now, Mr. President, as I pointed out, Sen. Booker voted for this identical legislation just two years ago, this bipartisan legislation that leads to the obvious question, what has changed?” Cruz said on the floor.
“And one thing has changed. The resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when Senator Booker voted for this bipartisan legislation, Joe Biden was the president. Today, Donald J. Trump is the president, and unfortunately, our Democrat colleagues have decided bipartisan cooperation is no longer something they&#8217;re interested in. Their party is instead unified behind one principle, which is that they hate Donald J. Trump,” the Republican continued.
Booker, who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spartacus-cory-booker-breaks-record-for-longest-senate-floor-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke the record</a> for the longest-ever Senate floor speech, has a history of grand political gestures.

Meet the Press – Season 74

Booker Blocks Bipartisan Bill Honoring Anti-Communist Hero

Communism

Cuba

Dick Durbin

Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is under scrutiny for a series of resurfaced social media posts in which he declares himself a “communist” and denigrates cops and white people.
CNN’s KFile uncovered the Reddit posts from Platner, who is facing off against Gov. Janet Mills in the Democratic primary, the winner of which will take on Republican Senator Susan Collins.
“I got older and became a communist,” Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, wrote on a Reddit forum dubbed “antiwork” in 2021, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/16/politics/kfile-graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate-deleted-reddit-posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>. He also said he was a “vegetable growing, psychedelics taking social these days” in a United States Marine Corps subreddit that same year, saying that he “still got the guns though, I don’t trust the facsists [sic] these days,” citing his past military experience in the post.
“Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are,” the Democrat said about white Americans.
“Bastards. Cops are bastards. All of them, in fact,” Platner said in another post.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/16/maine-senate-candidate-promoted-violent-political-action-in-since-deleted-online-posts-00613037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO</a> reported that Platner wrote other Reddit posts in 2018 suggesting that “an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice” and said that a “good semi-automatic rifle” would be expected in order to successfully “fight fascism.”
In addition, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/17/graham-platner-sexual-assault-comments-senate-midterms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Washington Post</a> reported multiple posts he made to Reddit in 2013 regarding sexual assault, including in the military.
“Rape is a real thing. If you’re so worried about it to buy Kevlar underwear you’d think you might not get blacked out f***ed up around people you aren’t comfortable with,” he wrote.
“In today’s current climate, when every whisper of a misplaced hand brings down a feature length film, anyone who actually thinks the military is purposefully covering up rape to save the career of some god damn [captain], is clearly both an idiot and junior enough in rank or life experience to think it matters,” Platner wrote.
<a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/17/politics/elections/graham-platner-black-people-tipping-rape-reference-reddit-posts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangor Daily News</a> on Friday uncovered more of Platner’s Reddit posts, from 2013, in which he calls black people cheap.
“I work as a bartender and it always amazes me how solid this stereotype is,” Platner wrote. “Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?”
The candidate said that the posts circulating do not reflect who he is today.
“As I told CNN, I was f***ing around on the internet at a time when I felt lost and very disillusioned with our government who sent me overseas to watch my friends die,” Platner told POLITICO. “I made dumb jokes and picked fights. But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired s***poster.”
However, Republicans have raised concerns about the candidate’s past comments.
“Graham Platner is a communist who supports violence against Republicans to promote his radical agenda. These posts are not just him messing around on the internet as he is trying to claim, they paint a very dark picture of a candidate not fit for office,” Samantha Cantrell, NRSC Regional Press Secretary, told The Daily Wire in response to the reports on the Democrat.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Platner campaign for comment.

Reddit

Dem Senate Hopeful Called Himself A Communist, Made Racist Comments In Reddit Posts

2026 election

Senator Susan Collins has an unlikely new supporter: Maine Governor Janet Mills, who&#8217;s running against Collins in a contentious race.
The group One Nation on Thursday released an ad that features Mills, a Democrat, praising her Republican opponent just last month.
“I appreciate everything she is doing,&#8221; Mills says in the clip, which comes from a press availability Mills held on Sept. 8 in Waterville, Maine, according to a video posted to the YouTube channel<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45V9I3AQzg"> Central Maine</a>.
“She’s in a tough position. I appreciate everything she is doing,” she says when asked by a reporter if she thinks Collins is doing enough to counter President Donald Trump on tariffs and other aspects of his agenda.
“Everyone agrees: Sen. Susan Collins is getting results,&#8221; the <a href="https://x.com/OneNationOrg/status/1978796064196210989">ad</a> says.
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The Daily Wire reached out to the Mills campaign for comment. The governor made national headlines over her public disagreement at the White House with Trump over women’s sports.
“I’ll comply with state and federal law,” Mills said in response to Trump asking, “Is Maine here? The governor of Maine? Are you not going to comply with it?”
“We are the federal law,’ Trump said,<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-spars-with-maines-dem-governor-over-men-in-womens-sports-at-white-house"> The Daily Wire</a> reported at the time. “You better do it. Because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And by the way, your population, even though it is somewhat liberal although I did very well there. Your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. You better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding.”
“We’ll see you in court,” the governor can be heard saying.
“Good, I’ll see you in court,” the president replied. “I look forward to that, that should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
Mills touted in a recent X post that,”When Donald Trump tried to strong-arm me, I told him see you in court. So I did. And we won.”
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the race as a “toss-up” along with the Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan.
Collins won her fifth term during the 2020 election, in which she defeated Democrat Sara Gideon, who won just over 42% of the vote compared with Collins pulling roughly 51%.
Graham Platner is also in the Democratic primary alongside Mills, and is currently facing controversy for now-deleted social media posts where he said he was a “communist,” according to<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/16/politics/kfile-graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate-deleted-reddit-posts"> CNN</a>.

WHOOPS: New Ad Features Maine Democrat Governor Janet Mills Praising GOP Opponent Susan Collins

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