We’ve never had a pop culture force in the White House quite like President Donald Trump.
Yes, even the Gipper himself, President Ronald Reagan, didn’t grasp star power the same as Trump. Granted, Reagan’s Hollywood days gave him a unique take on culture and the arts and earned him the moniker, “<a href="https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/permanent-exhibits/evolution-great-communicator">The Great Communicator</a>.”
President Trump understands that realm, too, along with our new social media age.
Now, Trump is using his leverage to make movies great again. Or, at least, one franchise in particular.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pushes-for-rush-hour-comeback-and-hollywood-delivers-report">Reports say</a> Trump had a hand in the “Rush Hour” franchise revival at Paramount. The saga’s director, Brett Ratner — canceled during the MeToo movement for unproven sexual assault allegations — is also directing the upcoming Melania Trump documentary, &#8220;Melania&#8221; (January, 2026).
Those ties likely helped make a fourth “Rush Hour” film happen.
<div id="attachment_1008703" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1008703" class="size-large wp-image-1008703" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248407527-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 25: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the 78th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation in the Rose Garden of the White House on November 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump will pardon Gobble and alternate turkey Waddle, who were both raised in North Carolina and will live out the rest of their lives under the care of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248407527-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248407527-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248407527-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2248407527.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Heather Diehl/Getty Images</div>
In an era when Hollywood studios cast a wary glance at right-leaning audiences, President Trump is using his bully pulpit to shape pop culture.
That gives him a golden opportunity to do more than revive a stalled franchise.
So, which other film projects are deserving of a presidential nudge?
It’s cinematically sacrilegious to remake “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” but what about a sequel starring a middle-aged Ferris? The sequel could find Matthew Broderick’s character saddled with a mortgage, two ungrateful kids, and a marriage to Sloan that has long lost its spark.
Yet, for one glorious day, the older Ferris finds his inner teen, goes on a grand adventure, and realizes the beauty lurking within adulthood. The only issue could be if the John Hughes estate would allow it – the late Hughes wrote and directed the 1986 classic. It’s still worth a try, if merely for the Reagan-era nostalgia.
<div id="attachment_1008711" style="width: 383px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1008711" class="size-large wp-image-1008711" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Ferris-Bueller-poster-373x576.jpg" alt="Paramount Pictures. 1986. " width="373" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Ferris-Bueller-poster-373x576.jpg 373w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Ferris-Bueller-poster-194x300.jpg 194w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Ferris-Bueller-poster.jpg 520w" sizes=" (max-width: 373px) 100vw, 373px" />Paramount Pictures. 1986.</div>
The 1994 comedy “PCU” was both ahead of its time and, sadly, a box office misfire with <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0110759/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">under $5 million</a> from stateside theaters. The comedy skewered the growing “politically correct” movement in American universities, one that presaged a full-blown woke revolution 20 years later.
The comedy still landed some stingers, especially given the academia targets on display. Why not remake the film from today’s college prism? Could the material cover everything from absurd college courses on “<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/01/02/taylor-swift-101-college-classes-about-singer/71976599007/">Swiftology</a>” to darker riffs on college antisemitism?
If a direct remake doesn’t make sense, what about a sequel to “Old School?” That frat-style comedy found grown men starting their own Greek-style fraternity. Maybe an “Old School” spin where characters try the same shtick today but run into a furious woke mob rebuffing their efforts to party like it’s 1999?
Comedy has struggled since woke took over Hollywood. Even Variety magazine <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/variety-accidentally-confirms-woke-killed-movie-comedies/">inadvertently admitted as much</a>. Signs suggest its stranglehold on the culture is waning. That gives Team Trump a chance to bring back bawdy, R-rated comedies to a film landscape in dire need of a laugh.
And while blockbuster films often struggle to make a profit due to their gargantuan budgets, screen comedies are infinitely cheaper to produce.
Trump is reviving Ratner’s career with the “Rush Hour” project. He also could reach out to “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips while he’s at it. Phillips famously said he stopped making comedies (he also directed “Old School” and “Road Trip”) <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/10/joaquin-phoenix-cover-story">due to woke’s censorious nature.</a>
Coax Phillips back into the comedy business and see what happens next.
We may not need-need a fourth “Rush Hour” film, but its existence is a thumb in the eye to the woke mind virus sufferers. The saga’s willingness to poke fun at cultural stereotypes typified a better time.
<div id="attachment_1006399" style="width: 997px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1006399" class="size-large wp-image-1006399" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Rush-Hour-987x576.jpg" alt="Rush Hour" width="987" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Rush-Hour-987x576.jpg 987w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Rush-Hour-300x175.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Rush-Hour-768x448.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Rush-Hour.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 987px) 100vw, 987px" />Hulton Archive via Getty Images</div>
If wisecracks about Asians and black people truly were offensive, stars Chan and Tucker might have said something mid-production, no? Earlier this year, USA Network got offended on behalf of those communities. The cable channel <a href="https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/7/4/rush-hour-trigger-warning">inserted a trigger warning</a> before the first “Rush Hour” feature:
<blockquote>We all love our buddy comedies, but this movie was created in a different time. FYI certain depictions, language and humor may seem outdated and at times offensive. </blockquote>
Do you understand <a href="https://tenor.com/search/do-you-understand-the-words-coming-out-of-my-mouth-gifs">the words</a> coming out of our mouths?
Which brings us to Phillips’ “Hangover” saga. Once again, the third installment showed the formula was wearing thin. Some franchises should call it a day, no matter how profitable they may be. That third “Hangover,” the weakest of the trilogy, made $362 million globally.
<div id="attachment_1009127" style="width: 399px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1009127" class="size-large wp-image-1009127" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Hangover-the-389x576.jpg" alt="Warner Bros. Legendary Pictures. Green Hat Films." width="389" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Hangover-the-389x576.jpg 389w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Hangover-the-202x300.jpg 202w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Hangover-the-768x1138.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Hangover-the-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Hangover-the.jpg 1382w" sizes=" (max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px" />Warner Bros. Legendary Pictures. Green Hat Films.</div>
A revival would do more than give its studio a boost. It would signal the woke era’s official collapse. After all, the film followed four straight white males who drank too much, ogled women, found themselves in deep trouble on multiple fronts, but ended up living happily ever after.
No lectures. No Girl Boss characters dressing them down. No forced diversity measures – co-star Ken Jeong stole scenes on his own, thank you. Just R-rated high jinks, the kind that used to power endless dumb but hilarious comedies.
And, yes, the usual media suspects would tsk-tsk these projects, telling us how problematic they are and why no one should laugh at them. And most Americans would give those articles a shrug, at best.
Some might even laugh out loud while reading them.
No one person can lift Hollywood out of its current, sorry state. At the very least, President Trump could Make Hollywood Funny Again.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
* * *
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Trump movies

‘Rush Hour 4’ Is A Go. What Else Can President Trump Greenlight?

Comedy

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Film

Hollywood

Movies

White House

Woke Culture

President Trump stands by War Secretary Pete Hegseth and the drug boat strikes as the Cabinet convenes once again, the administration threatens to withhold tax dollars over illegal commercial driver&#8217;s licenses, and a New Jersey probe into a pro-life pregnancy center winds up in the Supreme Court.
It’s Wednesday, December 3, 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 the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251203-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel">video version</a> can be seen on The Daily Wire:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-defends-hegseth-duffys-minnesota-ultimatum-12-3-25/id1576594336?i=1000739476338" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Backs Hegseth In Cabinet Meeting</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1008973 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Cabinet-Meeting-No.-9-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Cabinet-Meeting-No.-9-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Cabinet-Meeting-No.-9-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Cabinet-Meeting-No.-9-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Cabinet-Meeting-No.-9-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Cabinet-Meeting-No.-9.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Topline: President Trump gathered his cabinet Tuesday and defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, vowing to continue his strikes against narco-terrorists.
All eyes on Hegseth: The War secretary has come under fire for allegedly ordering airstrikes targeting survivors of a drug smuggling boat that had been destroyed by an initial strike. The White House has rallied around Hegseth, reiterating that these suspected cartel members have been designated as terrorists, and are essentially enemy combatants of the United States. On Tuesday, Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1995921305728942204?s=20">struck</a> a defiant tone, vowing to continue the strikes.
The original reporting on the alleged illegal strike story is now facing a flood of scrutiny. The New York Times published a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/us/hegseth-drug-boat-strike-order-venezuela.html">story</a> this week refuting the main allegation against Hegseth — that he specifically ordered a second strike to kill survivors.
The Times cited five anonymous U.S. officials who each said separately that Hegseth did order a strike to kill the drug smugglers, but “his order was not a response to surveillance footage showing that at least two people on the boat survived the first blast,” and he did not address what should be done if there were survivors.
Latest on National Guard Shooting: In one of the cabinet meeting’s more somber moments, Attorney General Pam Bondi honored the life of slain National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and offered an update on Andrew Wolfe, the guardsmen fighting for his life in the hospital.
&#8220;I was there where when the surgeons came in and [his parents] wanted you to know this — he&#8217;s a miracle, and if everyone in this country can continue to pray for that family. He&#8217;s got a long road ahead of him, but he is a miracle,” <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995918866606698520?s=20">said</a> Bondi.
The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, appeared virtually in court on Tuesday from a hospital bed, where he was formally charged with murder and a slew of other crimes. Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to all charges. He’ll be held without bond throughout the trial. Bondi said the Justice Department intends to seek the death penalty.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Minnesota’s Illegal License Loophole</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1008975 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Minnesotas-CDL-Ultimatum-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Minnesotas-CDL-Ultimatum-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Minnesotas-CDL-Ultimatum-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Minnesotas-CDL-Ultimatum-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Minnesotas-CDL-Ultimatum-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Minnesotas-CDL-Ultimatum.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Topline: Minnesota is facing federal pressure after an audit found widespread improper licensing of foreign drivers, underscoring broader immigration-oversight issues.
The Trump administration has presented some pretty jaw-dropping findings and is now taking action. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the federal government will withhold more than $30 million in highway funding from Minnesota.
The state can avoid the penalty if Democratic Governor Tim Walz revokes a large number of commercial driver’s licenses that were issued illegally to drivers whose immigration or residency status did not comply with federal law. Duffy gave Walz 30 days to fix it, or the funding would be withheld.
What Walz thinks: Officials in the Walz administration say they are reviewing this letter from the Department of Transportation, and claim that they take “safety” on their roads “seriously.” 
Step back: Commercial drivers licenses for illegals or people with improper status have been a focus for months now, due to some devastating crashes that have killed Americans. The Daily Wire’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-trucker-with-california-license-accused-of-killing-newlyweds-in-tragic-collision?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Illegal+Immigrant+Trucker+With+California+License+Accused+Of+Killing+Newlyweds+In+Tragic+Collision">Jennie Taer</a> reported that a newlywed couple was tragically killed in a collision allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant truck driver with a California license. The Indian national involved in the crash has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. 
The Department of Transportation has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-trucker-with-california-license-accused-of-killing-newlyweds-in-tragic-collision?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Illegal+Immigrant+Trucker+With+California+License+Accused+Of+Killing+Newlyweds+In+Tragic+Collision">found</a> that California authorities have issued some 17,000 non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses to foreign drivers. The Trump administration is similarly threatening to withhold tens of millions of federal dollars from California. A number of other states, including red states, are being scrutinized over this issue, too.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">SCOTUS Case On Pro-Life Targeting</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1008977 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Presses-Platkin-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Presses-Platkin-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Presses-Platkin-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Presses-Platkin-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Presses-Platkin-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Presses-Platkin.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Topline: The Supreme Court heard <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JysOCj6Dq0g">arguments</a> Tuesday on a case involving a state allegedly “intimidating” and “harassing” a pregnancy center for not conducting abortions. The case, First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin, could set precedent on states&#8217; ability to similarly target pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations.
Erin Hawley, general counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom and one of the attorneys representing First Choice, spoke to Morning Wire about the case. (The following interview has been edited for clarity.)
Morning Wire: This case stems from New Jersey’s Democrat Attorney General Matt Platkin creating a “strike force” that targeted pregnancy resource centers. He issued a statewide “consumer alert” against them — and then specifically issued a subpoena to First Choice that was extremely intrusive, including asking for donor information. We’ve just heard oral arguments before the Supreme Court. By the line of questioning from the justices, do you have a sense how they appear to be leaning? 
Hawley: I&#8217;ll have to paraphrase an old boss of mine. After arguing, he would say, I would rather be on our side than their side. And I think that&#8217;s definitely true after this oral argument. If you think about some of the questions the justices were asking, Justice Barrett, for example, pointed out the hostility that New Jersey has shown toward pregnancy care centers.
Justice Kagan took a really practical view of the case. She&#8217;s not one that you would maybe expect to be ideologically aligned with First Choice, and yet she made the common sense point, if I receive a subpoena that demands donor names, I don&#8217;t want my name and address and phone number out there. And so she was saying that this is going to chill the First Amendment rights of recipients in sort of a common sense way. It seemed like a majority or certainly several members of the court were really understanding the effect that subpoena had both on First Choice Women&#8217;s Resource Center, as well as its donors.
Morning Wire: That seems pretty promising for First Choice. Were there any particularly surprising moments to you in the arguments — anything you weren’t anticipating? 
Hawley: One kind of highlight of the oral argument was the fact that we had hoped to sort of highlight, but that&#8217;s the fact that the New Jersey attorney general has never said that he received a single complaint against First Choice by anyone. Justice Thomas really leaned into that and asked the New Jersey attorney, why did you investigate First Choice? Did you receive a complaint? Like, did anyone tell you that they didn&#8217;t like them? And the New Jersey attorney general had to answer no. They had received no complaints about First Choice.

MRN_251203_V2

Morning Brief: Trump Backs Hegseth, Minnesota Issues Illegal Licenses, & SCOTUS Takes On Pro-Life Targeting

Morning Brief: Trump Backs Hegseth, MN Illegal License Loophole, And SCOTUS On Pro-Life Targeting

Department of Defense

Immigration

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Pete Hegseth

SCOTUS

WASHINGTON — The self-described most transparent administration in history once again threw its doors open to the public with a three-hour live-streamed Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, one in which the president once again made it clear that he stands by his Secretary of War.
The meeting, at times meandering and broad in its focus, nevertheless allowed the White House to firmly and publicly defend its most recent moves: in Venezuela, on the southern border, and with regard to domestic policy priorities. But the highlight of the meeting came when the president and Pete Hegseth addressed news reporting about the September 2 strikes on drug cartel boats in the Caribbean.
The Washington Post reported this week that Hegseth had personally given a &#8220;spoken directive&#8221; to &#8220;kill everybody,&#8221; citing two people who allegedly had &#8220;direct knowledge&#8221; of the matter. The report framed the situation as if Hegseth and his commanders saw smoke from the wreckage clear, observed two men still alive, and then the commander ordered a second strike in order to &#8220;comply with Hegseth&#8217;s instructions.&#8221;
The New York Times reported Tuesday, however, that Hegseth&#8217;s directive ordering the strike on the boat did not specifically address what should happen if the first missile didn&#8217;t fully complete the job, and his order was not responding to footage showing that two people had survived. The Times noted that Admiral Mitch Bradley ordered both the initial strike and several follow-up strikes that killed survivors and sank the boat, and during the operation, Hegseth did not give him any other orders.
But the initial Washington Post reporting suggested Hegseth had violated the laws of war, prompting wild speculation from reporters and Democrats that <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/30/war-crimes-hegseth-venezuela-strikes-00671160">Hegseth had committed war crimes and could be removed from his post</a>. On Tuesday, during his cabinet meeting, the president briefly defended the War Department, but let Hegseth take the lead in his response, leading to a remarkable moment where the public could watch both the face of the president and that of the Secretary of War as they dealt with the high-profile topic.
<div id="attachment_1008693" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-hegseth-in-lockstep-as-cabinet-convenes-to-celebrate-wins/president-trump-meets-with-his-cabinet-at-the-white-house-12" rel="attachment wp-att-1008693"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1008693" class="wp-image-1008693 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249600799-864x576.jpg" alt="Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (2nd-L) speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249600799-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249600799-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249600799-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2249600799.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (2nd-L) speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)</div>
As Hegseth spoke, the president nodded in agreement. He had seated Hegseth directly to his left, in an apparent show of support.
&#8220;We sunk the boat and eliminated the threat,&#8221; Hegseth explained. &#8220;It was the right call, we have his back, and the American people are safer because narco-terrorists know you can&#8217;t bring drugs through the water, and eventually on land if necessary, to the American people. We will eliminate that threat and we are proud to do it.&#8221;
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&#8220;So you didn&#8217;t see any survivors?&#8221; pressed a reporter. &#8220;To be clear, after that first shot.&#8221;
&#8220;I did not personally see survivors,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;The thing was on fire &#8230; this is called the fog of war.&#8221;
The Secretary of War proceeded to tear into the reporter, as the president grinned and nodded along in support.
&#8220;This is what you in the press don&#8217;t understand,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;You sit in your air-conditioned offices or up on Capitol Hill, and you nitpick, or you plant fake stories in the Washington Post, about &#8216;kill everybody,&#8217; phrases on anonymous sources not based on anything, not based on any truth at all, and then you want to throw out really irresponsible terms about American heroes, about the judgment they made &#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump has empowered commanders to do what is necessary, which is dark and difficult things in the dead of night on behalf of the American people,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We support them, and we will stop the poisoning of the American people.&#8221;
When the reporter pressed again, asking how long after the first strike the second strike occurred, Hegseth responded, &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t tell you the exact time,&#8221; adding with clear annoyance when the reporter continued to press, &#8220;I already stated my answer quite clearly.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Let’s make one thing crystal clear:
Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.
America is fortunate to have such men protecting…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1995643490152128919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
Earlier on Tuesday, War Department Press Secretary Kingsley Cortes said in a press briefing that Hegseth has been very clear in every statement that the strikes were &#8220;presidentially directed and the chain of command functions as it should.&#8221;
&#8220;We make sure that commanders on the ground, their positions are taken into account, and they are able to tell us and make decisions if they see things that need to be flagged,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;But at the end of the day, the secretary and the president are the ones directing these strikes and any follow-on strikes like those which were directed by Admiral Bradley, the secretary 100% agrees with.”

Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth

Trump And Hegseth In Lockstep As Cabinet Convenes To Celebrate Wins

Department of War

Executive

Politics

Trump Administration

The White House released First Lady Melania Trump’s theme for the holiday season yesterday, and it inspired viewers to reflect on the debacle of 2023 and the major bullet our country dodged last November.
The first lady teamed up with her longtime designer and stylist Hervé Pierre to bring an elegant, traditional look to the White House, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/melania-transforms-white-house-for-christmas-with-ten-thousand-butterflies?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Melania+Transforms+White+House+For+Christmas+With+Ten+Thousand+Butterflies">reported</a>. This stands in stark contrast to the “woke clowns” that Jill Biden showcased while her husband was still in office in December 2023.
Melania Trump’s theme for 2025, “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” features 10,000 blue butterflies. Many social media users have juxtaposed the classy promo video just released by the White House with the frenetic, colorful chaos from Biden&#8217;s Christmas video two years ago.
“There’s no comparison between the Biden White House and the Trump White House Christmas,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/Sassafrass_84/status/1995529566580855075">posted</a> on X. “Melania is pure class. Love my Flotus.”
“A return to elegance at the White House,” another <a href="https://x.com/T_Q_Gardner/status/1995559798100857262">said</a>.
“Flashback: Jill Biden made a mocked Christmas by featuring woke clowns in her Christmas decorations! Just announced: We&#8217;re so back!!!” another user <a href="https://x.com/Huberton/status/1995537729270988802?s=20">added</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
First Lady Melania Trump has released a video for this year’s Christmas at the White House: &#8220;Home is Where the Heart Is.&#8221;
Flashback: Jill Biden made a mocked Christmas by featuring woke clowns in her Christmas decorations!
Just announced: We&#8217;re so back!!! 🇺🇸✝️ <a href="https://t.co/U0pXkVX65Y">pic.twitter.com/U0pXkVX65Y</a>
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) <a href="https://twitter.com/Huberton/status/1995537729270988802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I love Melania Trump, and her impeccable taste! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas,&#8221; another user <a href="https://x.com/MaryandBessie/status/1995531044846784612">gushed</a>.
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At the time, Biden’s holiday decorations were dubbed “bizarre,” “freaky,” and “cringey.” The Dorrance Dance group website also encouraged support of organizations like Black Lives Matter and advocated for a group called “Showing Up For Racial Justice” that “moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice,” as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-blasted-for-bizarre-freaky-christmas-video">reported</a> at the time.
Some commenters pointed out that if Kamala Harris had won in 2024, the White House Christmas decor would more closely resemble 2023, in all likelihood.

White House Christmas

Melania Praised For ‘Impeccable’ White House Christmas Decorations After Biden’s ‘Woke Clowns’

Melania Trump Praised For 'Impeccable' White House Christmas Decorations After Biden's 'Woke Clowns'

Christmas

General

Jill Biden

Melania Trump

U.S.

Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Advocates and angel families who lost children to the opioid epidemic applauded news Monday that President Donald Trump had signed the SUPPORT Act, legislation that strengthens resources for Americans facing substance use disorders.
Trump signed the legislation into law on Monday afternoon, reauthorizing and revising programs within the Department of Health and Human Services addressing substance use disorders, overdoses, and mental health.
Sandy Snodgrass, the mother of a victim named Bruce, and co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers and Angel Army, said simply: “The SUPPORT Act and Bruce’s Law will simply save the lives of young Americans.”
Another bereaved father, Greg Swan, thanked the president for listening to the story of his grieving family, noting that Trump created the original SUPPORT Act back in 2018. Monday&#8217;s action renewed the law with the addition of &#8220;Bruce&#8217;s Law,&#8221; written by Snodgrass, he said.
&#8220;Now we are empowered and backed by the Support Act to go into all 26,727 reluctant USA High Schools and preach the dangers of fentanyl as a bereaved army, the Angel Army,&#8221; said Swan, who is co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers and Angel Army. &#8220;110,000 lives will be saved by youth alone &#8211; and you can double that by the number of bereaved parents who WILL NOT have to have an empty chair for their &#8216;Tiny Tim.&#8217;”
Drew Siegel, co-founder of Victoria&#8217;s Voice, said that his organization is &#8220;forever grateful&#8221; to Trump and his administration for &#8220;answering the prayers of millions of bereaved parents, siblings, friends, and families across our country.&#8221; Drew&#8217;s sister, Victoria, is also a victim of a drug overdose.
&#8220;This is for you, Victoria,&#8221; he said simply. &#8220;We love you, and we miss you every day.”
<div id="attachment_1008249" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/angel-families-praise-trump-for-signing-law-to-combat-substance-abuse/president-trump-speaks-on-progress-made-combatting-opiod-crisis-in-east-room-of-white-house" rel="attachment wp-att-1008249"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1008249" class="wp-image-1008249 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-864x576.jpg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration's declaration of combating the opioid crisis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration&#8217;s declaration of combating the opioid crisis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</div>
Robert Branner, co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers, described the legislation as &#8220;a lifeline for American families.&#8221;
&#8220;It is an Act designed to save lives, strengthen communities, and protect our children from a crisis that is touching every corner of this nation,&#8221; he argued. &#8220;I stand here as a Father who lost a daughter because she did not know the dangers of taking a pill that was not prescribed to her. She didn’t know it could be laced with fentanyl. She didn’t know one single pill could stop her heart. She didn’t know because she was never taught.&#8221;
Branner says the new law matters for all Americans, recognizing that &#8220;prevention is protection.&#8221;
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&#8220;It invests in education, awareness, treatment, and support,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It brings resources to schools, families, and communities so our children do not grow up uninformed, unprotected, and unaware. If my daughter had received the education that the SUPPORT Act encourages, if she had been taught early about the dangers of unprescribed opioids she might still be here today. And I know I am not alone. Families across this country have the same story, the same pain, the same loss.&#8221;
&#8220;The SUPPORT Act is an equalizer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It doesn’t pick and choose which families to help. It reaches across race, class, background, and zip code because addiction and fentanyl do not discriminate. Education, prevention, and support should not either. &#8230; It saves lives. It strengthens families. And it gives our children the knowledge they need to survive in a world where one pill can take everything.”

Angel Families Praise Trump For Signing Law To Combat Substance Abuse

Drugs

Fentanyl

Health

Opioid Crisis

The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will meet at the White House on Thursday to sign a peace agreement to end over 30 years of war.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Monday that President Donald Trump will host the two African leaders on Thursday for an official ceremony after helping broker peace between their two countries.
Leavitt’s announcement follows Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi saying last week that he intends to travel to the United States this week to sign a final agreement with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Congo’s east has been <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgly1yrd9j3o">ravaged</a> by fighting for over 30 years since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The Congolese military and United Nations forces have battled with dozens of factions and paramilitary groups, one of the most prominent being the M23.
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M23 takes its name from a 2009 peace agreement that the group says was not honored. UN experts say that M23 is backed by Rwanda, though Rwanda has denied involvement. Last year, one UN report said that thousands of Rwandan troops fought alongside the M23 against the Congo’s military.
Last week, Congo and Rwanda’s leaders expressed optimism in the Trump-brokered peace agreement. Kagame did caveat his optimism, however.
“Some of these processes will not work not just because we are meeting in Washington or powerful United States is involved, but until those people concerned directly are committed to achieve end results,” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/congo-rwanda-peace-agreement-washington-4bef4ad8367ed421edf1c06fce60e085">said</a> Kagame.
The Congolese and Rwandan governments have struck a number of peace agreements since 1994, but each one has fallen apart. Congolese spokeswoman Tina Salama said a new peace agreement must involve “no mixing or integration of M23 fighters.”
In a previous peace agreement, M23 was incorporated into the Congolese military, but broke away after accusing the Congolese government of violating the terms of the deal.
“We are seeking peace within the framework of regional integration,” said Salama. “What is non-negotiable for us is the territorial integrity of the DRC.”
In June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the foreign ministers of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to sign one phase of the peace agreement. “This is an important moment after 30 years of war. President Trump is a president of peace. He really does want peace. He prioritizes it above all else,” Rubio <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/06/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-at-the-signing-of-the-drc-rwanda-peace-agreement">said</a> at the time.

Trump To Host Leaders Of Congo, Rwanda To End Over 30 Years Of War

Congo

Global Politics

Rwanda

World

Americans unwrapped an early present this morning when the White House unveiled its highly anticipated 2025 Christmas theme: Home Is Where The Heart Is. First Lady Melania Trump enlisted her longtime designer and stylist, Hervé Pierre, to bring the holiday spirit to the People’s House with elegance and flair.
True to the “Trump 2.0” motto of transformation, the 2025 display features 10,000 blue butterflies in the Red Room and halls of the White House. “The striking color combination coupled with the butterflies&#8217; symbolic meaning of transformation and renewal capture the essence of Christmas,” Trump said in a statement from her office.
Staying true to tradition, the first lady selected wreaths with red bows for the White House windows and oversaw the installation of 50 Christmas trees, 700 feet of garland, and 25,000 feet of ribbon to transform the historic residence for the holiday season.
Melania Trump said her inspiration came from the joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business. “The constant movement has taught me that home is not merely a physical space; rather, it is the warmth and comfort I carry within, regardless of my surroundings.” She added that the display reflects the idea that “wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities.”
That sentiment is especially embodied in the Blue Room, where the official White House Christmas tree honors Gold Star families. The 18-foot Concolor Fir from Sidney, Michigan, is adorned with gold stars and ornaments representing the official bird and official flower of every U.S. state and territory, paying tribute to “the resilience, bravery, and sacrifice of military personnel and their families.”
Hinting at a future celebration, the East Room showcases trees with bases marked with “America 250.” The trees are donned with decorations in America’s red, white, and blue to “accentuate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Nation.” National symbols including eagles, the Great Seal, roses, and oak cover the tree. The room includes two Presidential Portraits made up of puzzle pieces, offering visiting families “the chance to be challenged … and use their imagination together.”
Christmas 2025 marks Melania Trump’s fifth time decorating the White House, a tradition that dates back to Jacqueline Kennedy. Known for her elegant style, Melania has drawn parallels to the iconic first lady. Vanity Fair dubbed her “<a href="https://people.com/politics/melania-trump-vanity-fair-mexico-next-jackie-kennedy/">the new Jackie Kennedy</a>” in 2017.
Kennedy <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/jacqueline-kennedy-refines-the-season-photo-2">started the tradition</a> of selecting a theme for the official White House Christmas tree in 1961, when she adorned the tree with ornamental toys, birds, and angels modeled after Petr Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” ballet. In the North Entrance, she decorated the Christmas tree with ornaments made by disabled or senior citizen craftspeople in the United States.
Trump hopes that as Americans explore the historic residence this holiday season, the 2025 decorations will serve as a reminder that “the strength of our Nation is found in its people—in our shared values, valued traditions, and the steadfast belief that home is where the heart is.”

Screenshot 2025-12-01 at 2.53.04 PM

Melania Transforms White House For Christmas With Ten Thousand Butterflies

The White House released medical results for President Donald Trump on Monday that showed &#8220;perfectly normal&#8221; scans of the president&#8217;s heart and stomach.
Trump, who turned 79 in June, underwent MRIs as part of his physical exam in October, and promised reporters on Sunday that he would release the results after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz questioned the president&#8217;s health and called on him to make the MRI results public. During the Monday afternoon White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read from a statement prepared by Trump&#8217;s doctor, Sean Barbabella.
&#8220;As part of President Donald J. Trump&#8217;s comprehensive executive physical, advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health,&#8221; Barbabella wrote. &#8220;The purpose of this imaging is preventative: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function.&#8221;
Barbabella said that Trump&#8217;s cardiovascular and abdominal imaging were &#8220;perfectly normal,&#8221; adding that the president remains in &#8220;perfect health.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: White House releases President Trump’s MRI results:
“This level of detailed assessment is standard for an executive physical at President Trump&#8217;s age and confirms that he remains in excellent overall health.” <a href="https://t.co/nhOlYr6hzD">pic.twitter.com/nhOlYr6hzD</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1995568054806479205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump&#8217;s critics have questioned his health throughout his second term, pushing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-dead-at-all-trump-teases-exciting-announcement-from-oval-office">rumors</a> that he was dealing with major health issues, and some people even speculated that Trump had died in September. Trump&#8217;s health was brought into question again on Sunday by Walz.
Trump ripped Walz in a Thanksgiving Day message, calling the governor &#8220;seriously retarded&#8221; and arguing that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over” Minnesota. Walz said on Sunday that Trump is &#8220;fading physically,&#8221; adding that his behavior is &#8220;not normal&#8221; and &#8220;not healthy.&#8221;
Trump responded to Walz&#8217;s comments on Sunday and said that he had no issue releasing the MRI results.
&#8220;If you want to have it released, I’ll release it,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/01/us-news/trump-tells-reporters-hell-release-results-of-october-mri-if-you-want/">told</a> reporters. “It was just an MRI. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.&#8221;
The president, who is approaching his 80th birthday, has maintained an intense schedule throughout his second term and remains in &#8220;excellent&#8221; condition, according to his doctor. In July, however, Trump was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-reveals-medical-condition-causing-swelling-in-trumps-legs">diagnosed</a> with “chronic venous insufficiency” in his legs, which causes his legs to swell. Barbabella said Trump&#8217;s “chronic venous insufficiency” is a “benign, common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”

White House Releases MRI Results From Trump’s Heart And Stomach Scans

White House Releases Results On Trump's Heart And Stomach Scans

Media

WASHINGTON—In a stunning show of executive authority, President Donald Trump today exercised the power granted to him under Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution “to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States.”
The lucky duck was a turkey named Gobble. Unlike in previous years, those assembled in the Rose Garden on this drizzly Tuesday morning knew which bird would be spared right away: First Lady Melania Trump’s office asked Americans to choose which bird her husband would pardon, and he alone was present at Tuesday’s ceremony.
Gathered on the dais were a who’s-who of the Trump Cabinet: Vice President JD Vance with his wife, Usha, and their children; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“This is a big day, a pardon day for a very important beast,” Trump said, prompting a gobble from Gobble. “That’s a well-trained turkey. See how happy he is?”
At one point during the event, Weather Report’s 1977 jazz fusion hit “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqashW66D7o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Birdland</a>” played over the Rose Garden speakers, a clever musical wink for those who caught the tune.
Trump joked that when he first saw a picture of Gobble and runner-up Waddle, he wanted to “call them Chuck and Nancy,” a reference to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump jokes that he wanted to call today&#8217;s turkeys Chuck &amp; Nancy💀😂
&#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t say this. I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn&#8217;t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/LT49QgTnJU">pic.twitter.com/LT49QgTnJU</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1993376794062545075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“But then I realized I wouldn’t pardon those two people. I would never pardon them, I don’t care what Melania would tell me.”
Schumer and Pelosi weren’t the only Democrats to draw a presidential jab at the ceremony. Touting his administration’s success in cracking down on crime in Washington and Memphis, Trump called on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to allow them to do the same in Chicago.
“Governor Pritzker, if you’re listening, let’s get your act together,” Trump said before noting that he would not “talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob.”
“I don’t mention it,” Trump said, adding that “I’d like to lose a few pounds.”
“But I’m not gonna lose it on Thanksgiving, I’ll tell you that. Because I’m gonna have a turkey, but it’s not gonna be that one.”
Trump also joked that all of President Joe Biden’s turkey pardons were null and void because his predecessor signed them with an autopen — but that he intervened to spare last year’s turkeys, Peach and Blossom, from the slaughterhouse.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> declares last year&#8217;s presidential turkey pardons INVALID because Biden used an autopen.😂
Thankfully, he intervened and granted Peach and Blossom a valid pardon to kick off today&#8217;s ceremony. <a href="https://t.co/BaxdOaLhIZ">pic.twitter.com/BaxdOaLhIZ</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1993370734060802197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Waddle, who Trump joked was “missing in action,” also received a presidential pardon and will step up as the National Thanksgiving Turkey should Gobble be unable to discharge his duties.
“Gobble, you’re pardoned!” the president said, evoking his famous television catch phrase.
About an hour before the pardon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ushered Waddle into the briefing room to meet the White House press corps. Leavitt stood by with her son (wearing a “Mama’s Little Turkey” shirt) as an excited press pool shouted questions at Waddle.
One journalist immediately asked if Waddle had a comment on Ukraine. The turkey had no comment.
<div id="attachment_1005925" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1005925" class="size-large wp-image-1005925" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2248382649-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2248382649-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2248382649-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2248382649-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2248382649.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Waddle and Karoline Leavitt’s son, Niko (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)</div>
After departing the White House grounds today, Gobble and Waddle will return to their home state of North Carolina, where they will take up residence at NC State University alongside Chocolate and Chip, the turkeys Biden pardoned in 2022.
Alex Davidson, Senior Director of Public Affairs at the National Turkey Federation, said that Gobble and Waddle will be “agricultural ambassadors for the rest of their lives.”
Davidson also gave The Daily Wire the inside scoop on how the turkeys are selected. Every year, the National Turkey Federation’s rotating chairman designates a state from which the turkeys will hail — generally the chairman’s home state. The current chair, Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain, picked North Carolina, “the second largest turkey state in the country, after Minnesota,” Davidson says.
This year’s presidential flock was raised by Travis and Amanda Pittman of Wayne County (“I like Wayne County,” Trump remarked when thanking the Pitmans, noting that he did well there in the last election).
Davidson says that presidential turkeys are selected at a young age and raised just like any other bird, though they are given early exposure to lights and music to prepare them for the hustle and bustle of the national stage.
As pardon day gets closer, the flock of around 50 birds is whittled down to two finalists. According to the National Turkey Federation, the <a href="https://www.eatturkey.org/presidentialflock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winning turkeys</a> are those that have the best “physical appearance and temperament,” proof that looks matter, even in Washington.
Trump also touted the cost of turkey and other Thanksgiving foods. Turkey prices are down 16% from last year, according to a <a href="https://www.fb.org/news-release/cost-of-thanksgiving-dinner-declines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new report </a>from the American Farm Bureau Federation. All told, the cost of an average Thanksgiving dinner is down 5% from 2024.
It’s generally held that Abraham Lincoln performed the first turkey pardon when he spared a bird at the request of his son, Tad. But the turkey pardon really traces its roots back to 1947, when the National Turkey Federation sent a 47-pound bird to President Harry Truman, a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/25/nx-s1-5620579/turkey-presidential-pardon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peace offering</a> after the group sparred with the White House over postwar poultry rationing.
John F. Kennedy is said to have given the first presidential <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/presidential-turkey-pardons-not-long-history-you-might-think-f2D11663410" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turkey pardon</a>, remarking “we’ll just let this one grow.” But as with most good things in Washington, the pardon tradition really took shape under Ronald Reagan.
After being grilled about pardons for those involved in the Iran-Contra scandal during a 1987 press conference with Charlie the Turkey, the <a href="https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/informal-exchange-reporters-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gipper quipped</a> that, had he not been assured Charlie would head to a children’s farm, he “would have pardoned him.”
Since 1989, turkeys have been pardoned in an official White House ceremony, a tradition begun by President George H.W. Bush. Today, the pardon is just a high point in a long series of events for the turkeys, who are brought to Washington a few days early to make the rounds with the media. Gobble and Waddle reportedly did 20 interviews on Monday, before turning in for a night at the Willard InterContinental Hotel.
The hotel staff loves when the turkeys check in, Davidson says — and apparently the fowl are not that foul, as far as these things go. The National Turkey Federation prepares their swanky suite with layers of plastic and wood chips, and federation staffers clean up after the birds head up to Pennsylvania Avenue.
“We leave it like we found it,” Davidson said.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-HOLIDAY-THANKSGIVING-TURKEY-TRUMP

‘Gobble, You’re Pardoned!’ Trump Touts Success, Roasts Dems In Annual Thanksgiving Tradition

JD Vance

Pardon

Thanksgiving

President Donald Trump said that he expects to have a “civil” conversation with Democratic socialist and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during a meeting at the White House on Friday afternoon. 
Trump acknowledged during a Friday <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-predicts-civil-meeting-mamdani-despite-past-comments-about-each-other">interview</a> with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that the two have radically different political positions, but said they both want New York City to be &#8220;strong.&#8221;
“He&#8217;s a little bit different. I give him a lot of credit for the run. He did a successful run, and we all know that runs are not easy. But I think we&#8217;ll get along fine. Look, we&#8217;re looking for the same thing. We want to make New York strong, and, you know, there&#8217;s such a different philosophy, but I&#8217;ll let you know.  I&#8217;ll let you know over the next year.”
Trump was asked about Mamdani&#8217;s attack on him during his election night victory speech. Mamdani <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-meet-with-communist-zohran-mamdani-at-the-white-house?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+Meet+With+‘Communist’+Zohran+Mamdani+At+The+White+House">called</a> Trump a “despot” and said his election showed a path for the country to fight back against the president. He also called for Trump to &#8220;turn the volume up.&#8221; 
“If we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves,” he said. “After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump, how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”
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“I was hitting him a little hard too, in all fairness,” Trump replied. Trump has called Mamdani a communist and suggested that he might cut federal funding for NYC if Mamdani were elected. 
“He had some interesting opponents. But he ran a good race. I don&#8217;t know exactly what he means by turn the volume up,” adding that he needs to be “careful” when he says that. 
Trump first announced Thursday that Mamdani had asked to meet and would be coming to the White House. 
“He was very nice in calling, as you know, and we&#8217;re going to have a meeting,” Trump said. “I think it&#8217;s going to be quite civil. We&#8217;ll find out.”

President Trump Departs Morristown Airport En Route To Washington, DC

Trump Predicts ‘Civil’ Sit-Down With Mamdani, Insists They Want ‘The Same Thing’

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

WASHINGTON—Republicans are calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to take &#8220;immediate action&#8221; to reinstate safety requirements on abortion drugs, highlighting a growing body of evidence showing that the drugs are causing severe and underreported harm to women.
In a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire, New Jersey Rep. Christopher Smith and Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger call on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to &#8220;at a minimum, reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone.&#8221; Until 2023, the FDA required abortion drugs to be administered to women under a doctor&#8217;s supervision.
&#8220;The need for urgent investigation and review of this drug comes in the wake of the Biden-Harris administration’s egregious action to remove critical safeguards that once applied to abortion drugs, and the FDA’s approval of a new abortion drug generic in September 2025,&#8221; write the 175 lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN).
&#8220;Under your leadership, HHS and FDA can reverse this wrong,&#8221; they conclude. &#8220;We urge you to immediately reinstate the REMS requiring in-person dispensing of mifepristone and to expedite the promised review by the FDA into the dangers of abortion drugs.&#8221;
The move is significant since President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration green-lit the removal of safety standards on the drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing women to easily obtain the drugs at home. Pro-life advocates have long argued that women are being put in danger simply from taking the abortion drugs, but they are even more anxious about women taking the drugs on their own.
New studies are showing that complications are &#8220;astonishingly higher than what is reported on the drug’s label,&#8221; the lawmakers say: &#8220;Even the current Obama FDA-approved label for mifepristone — which the data show understates the dangers to women — says that roughly 1 in 25 women who use mifepristone as directed will end up in the emergency room.&#8221;
“We join House and Senate Republicans in calling on the FDA to – at a minimum – immediately end Joe Biden’s legacy of mail-order abortion and restore the in-person doctor requirement that existed during President Trump’s first administration,&#8221; said SBA Pro-Life America&#8217;s head, Marjorie Dannenfelser. &#8220;<a href="https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/breaking-7-in-10-voters-want-to-roll-back-biden-covid-abortion-drug-policy-reinstate-in-person-doctor-visits">Seven in 10</a> voters agree. We are deeply grateful to Reps. Chris Smith and Diana Harshbarger for leading this important letter, and to House leadership and every member of Congress who joined in standing for women and their unborn children.&#8221;
Meanwhile, abortion proponents and legacy media insist the drugs are safer than Tylenol. President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration has weighed the issue carefully, cognizant of how electorally delicate abortion is. And in early October, the FDA approved a new abortion pill, shocking the president&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-lifers-demand-answers-from-trump-admin-after-shocking-abortion-pill-approval">pro-life supporters.</a>
At the time, Kennedy put out a statement clarifying that he understood that the Biden administration had removed mifepristone&#8217;s safety standards &#8220;without studying the safety risks.&#8221;
&#8220;We are filling that gap,&#8221; he promised, sharing that he and Makary wrote to state attorneys general and promised to &#8220;review all the evidence — including real-world outcomes — on the safety of this drug.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Biden administration removed mifepristone’s in-person dispensing rule without studying the safety risks. We are filling that gap. Last month, I joined <a href="https://twitter.com/DrMakaryFDA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrMakaryFDA</a> in writing to state attorneys general, pledging to review all the evidence — including real-world outcomes — on… <a href="https://t.co/G0eE4H4y42">pic.twitter.com/G0eE4H4y42</a>
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1973866621245567344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Recent studies already point to serious risks when mifepristone is used without proper medical oversight,&#8221; he said, and he clarified of the new abortion pill that that the FDA just approved: &#8220;[The FDA] only approved a second generic mifepristone tablet because federal law requires approval when an application proves the generic is identical to the brand-name drug.&#8221;
In their appeal, the Republican lawmakers express gratitude to Kennedy and Makary for serving the most pro-life president in American history, saying that Trump has &#8220;done more to advance a culture of life and the protection of women and children from the violence of abortion than any president before him.&#8221; But they also cite polling from McLaughlin and Associates that found that 7 in 10 voters agree that it &#8220;makes sense&#8221; to bring the former FDA safety standards back, arguing that &#8220;clear majorities of Americans recognize the extreme overreach of the previous administration’s actions.&#8221;
The lawmakers also dive into how the abortion drugs affect mothers, citing an Ethics and Public Policy Center study showing the adverse events from mifepristone are about 22 times more frequent than the FDA recognizes. That study found that almost 11% of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other life-threatening events after aborting their unborn baby with mifepristone.
&#8220;While we have long known that mifepristone causes the death by starvation of children alive in the womb — it is baby poison — we now know with greater certitude that their mothers are also being seriously harmed. Despite the mainstream media and the Biden-Harris administration perpetuating the lie that these drugs are &#8216;safer than taking a Tylenol,&#8217; science and women’s lived experiences clearly say otherwise.&#8221;
And while the Biden administration claimed that the removal of safety standards was in response to the COVID pandemic, to help women receive &#8220;medically necessary&#8221; care, the lawmakers argue that the former administration was really just using COVID as a &#8220;smokescreen&#8221; to &#8220;accomplish its radical abortion agenda, which even now wreaks havoc across the nation.&#8221;
&#8220;Even the current Obama FDA-approved label for mifepristone — which the data show understates the dangers to women — says that roughly 1 in 25 women who use mifepristone as directed will end up in the emergency room,&#8221; they write.
They also say that the Biden FDA ignored warning signs from the studies on which it had already relied, including data showing that 3% of the women who took the drugs need to be hospitalized, &#8220;a 330% increase over the rate on the approved drug label,&#8221; data showing that 6% of participants had unplanned visits to emergency rooms, surgery was required to complete the abortions for 4.1% of the women, and, in the telemedicine group, 5.8% of women had emergency room visits.
&#8220;Beyond the studies, women tell us how they have suffered harm from mifepristone, and stories of coercion and abuse involving abortion drugs now run rampant,&#8221; they continue. &#8220;Real women like Rosalie Markezich — who is just one example of many — felt coerced by her boyfriend to take abortion drugs that he ordered from an out-of-state prescriber in her name and had delivered to her home through the U.S. Postal Service.&#8221;
&#8220;Rosalie did not want to have an abortion, but Biden’s egregious weakening of mifepristone’s safety standards let her boyfriend obtain abortion drugs and force her to take them,&#8221; they argue. &#8220;The dangerous Biden mail-order scheme was designed to give abortion activists license to mail drugs everywhere, even into states like Markezich’s home state of Louisiana that have pro-life protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn babies.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, abortion drugs account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States; there are over six hundred thousand abortions committed using these drugs each year,&#8221; the lawmakers write. &#8220;The Biden FDA’s reckless, no-contact, mail-order abortion scheme is to blame. Abortion providers are reaping increased profits, while women and their unborn children suffer irreparable harm.&#8221;

Illustrated by Daily Wire

‘Reverse This Wrong’: Republicans Push RFK To Fix Biden’s Abortion Drug Mistakes

Abortion

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Would you rather have a president who is “frank and open” or “hides behind your back and doesn’t speak to you for weeks.” That was the choice White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt laid out at Thursday’s press briefing when she defended President Trump’s latest clash with the press where he allegedly said “Quiet, piggy” to Bloomberg Reporter Catherine Lucey.
“I think the president being frank, open and honest to your faces rather than hiding behind your backs is frankly a lot more respectful than what you saw from the past administration,” stated Leavitt. “You had a president who lied to your face and didn’t speak to you for weeks. He hid upstairs and didn’t take your questions. I think everyone in this room should appreciate the frankness and the openness that you get from President Trump on a near daily basis.”
Trump’s sharp tongue is well-known and Leavitt didn’t deny it. The president&#8217;s insults have extended even to his closest allies: he’s called current Secretary of State Marco Rubio “Little Marco,” his former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany &#8220;Kayleigh ‘Milktoast’ McEnany,&#8221; and former Vice President Mike Pence “Liddle Mike Pence,” and most recently, he called longtime supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene “Wacky Marjorie” and “Marjorie Traitor Greene.”
Reporters haven’t been spared either. He has dismissed journalists as “fake news,” called Megyn Kelly a “lightweight reporter,” and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman “Maggot Haberman.”
Leavitt believes the president’s bluntness may be why he holds the nation’s highest office today.
“I think the president&#8217;s frankness is one of the reasons the American people reelected him,” said Leavitt.
“He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him and spread fake news about his administration, but he is also the most transparent president in history. He gives all of you unprecedented access. You are in the Oval Office almost every day asking the president questions.”
Trump’s &#8220;piggy&#8221; comment occurred when he was taking questions from reporters aboard Air Force One when Lucey asked, “Mr. President, what did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his email when you said you knew about ‘the girls?’&#8221;
Trump responded, “I know nothing about that. They would have announced that a long time ago. It’s really what did he mean when he spent all that time with Bill Clinton, with the President of Harvard Larry Summers, and all the other people he spent time with. Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years, but he also saw [inaudible] that I was president who he dictated a couple of memos to himself, give me a break. You’re going to find out what did he know with respect to Bill Clinton, with respect to the head of Harvard, with respect to all of those people who he knew, including JP Morgan Chase.”
On Wednesday, President Trump signed the bill to release the Epstein files. After he finished answering Lucey’s question, he said, “Yeah, Jennifer, go ahead” signaling to another reporter that it was her turn to ask a question.
Lucey interrupted the president by asking another question that started with, “If there’s nothing incriminating in the files…” Trump cut her off and said, “Quiet, quiet piggy” before turning back to the other reporter and telling her again to “go ahead.”

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White House Says Trump ‘Piggy’ Comment Shows His ‘Frankness And Openness’

Karoline Leavitt

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