Rep. Lauren Boebert appeared to be making peace with President Donald Trump this week after finding herself in his crosshairs over her support for ousted Rep. Thomas Massie.
Just days after Trump publicly threatened to yank his endorsement and potentially back a primary challenger against her, Boebert was back on social media loudly reaffirming her loyalty.
“Trump is my President! Jesus is Lord!” she posted Tuesday night.
Tonight I celebrated my son’s graduation!
My friend & Co-Chair gave his all in Kentucky!
Trump is my President!
Jesus is Lord!
I look forward to a lifetime filled with joy, purpose, and gratitude. May God continue to bless America and the freedoms that make this nation the… pic.twitter.com/QqMHMLv8aV
Boebert’s declaration came only hours after Massie — one of Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics in Congress — was defeated in Kentucky’s high-profile GOP primary by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein.
For many Republicans watching the race, the message was hard to miss: crossing Trump can carry a political price.
The blowup started after Boebert traveled to Kentucky to campaign for Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative who has repeatedly broken with Trump and Republican leadership on spending battles, surveillance issues, foreign policy fights, and the push to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump did not take kindly to seeing one of his longtime congressional allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of his most frequent internal critics.
“Anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote over the weekend, before raising the possibility of pulling his own support for Boebert if the “right person” entered the race against her.
For a politician long viewed as one of Trump’s fiercest defenders on Capitol Hill, it was a rare public dressing-down.
Boebert initially tried to shrug off the clash.
“Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended,” she wrote after Trump’s comments. “I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie.”
But after Massie’s defeat, Boebert’s latest message sounded less like defiance and more like a quick political reset.
The dust-up highlights a reality becoming increasingly clear inside today’s GOP: policy disagreements may come and go, but Trump’s influence over Republican primaries remains a force few lawmakers seem eager to test.
Massie’s defeat already is being viewed by many inside Republican circles as another reminder that even longtime conservatives with strong grassroots support can face serious trouble when Trump decides to make a race personal.
Crowds erupted into chants of “2028” and “President!” Tuesday night as Rep. Thomas Massie delivered a defiant concession speech following his stunning Republican primary defeat — raising fresh questions about whether the longtime Kentucky libertarian could emerge as an outsider figure in the next presidential cycle.
Massie, who represented Kentucky in Congress since 2012, lost his seat to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein in what was widely described as the most expensive House primary race in U.S. history.
The race became a high-profile test of President Donald Trump’s continued grip on the Republican Party, with Trump repeatedly urging supporters to back Gallrein while launching blistering attacks on Massie throughout the campaign.
Trump at one point called Massie a “major sleazebag” and “the worst Republican congressman in history” as tensions between the two escalated over a series of high-profile disagreements.
Massie had increasingly broken with the administration on issues ranging from the “Big Beautiful Bill” and military action to efforts surrounding the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
But Tuesday night’s concession speech quickly shifted from political obituary to something closer to a campaign rally.
“Listen, I would’ve come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede,” Massie joked to supporters. “And it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Massie later urged supporters to accept the outcome, telling them his defeat was “God’s will.”
Then someone shouted: “We’re just getting started!”
“I like that,” Massie replied with a smile.
Moments later, the room broke into chants of “2028.”
“What happens in 2028?” Massie asked with a grin.
The crowd immediately answered with another chant:
“President!”
Laughing, Massie played along.
“All right, you’ve made a compelling argument,” he said. “You spoke your piece, but I need a medical margarita first, and we’ll talk about it later.”
Watch via C-SPAN:
Whether the moment was simply a crowd of disappointed supporters refusing to say goodbye — or the earliest hint of a future national movement — remains unclear.
Massie has never publicly indicated interest in a White House run, and his loss Tuesday marked a major political setback. Still, figures who cultivate anti-establishment appeal and challenge party leadership have repeatedly found influence beyond Congress.
For now, Massie may be headed out of Washington. But if the reaction from supporters Tuesday night was any indication, some in his base appear convinced his political story may not be ending — only changing direction.
Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy introduced legislation Tuesday to block foreign adversaries and state sponsors of terrorism from purchasing homes and residential property in the United States.
The bill, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller, would prohibit foreign adversaries, nationals from designated foreign countries of concern and state sponsors of terrorism from acquiring American housing. It would also require existing property holdings covered under the legislation to be sold within two years to American citizens.
Roy said the legislation is intended to prevent hostile foreign powers from gaining influence over American land and housing markets while many Americans struggle with rising housing costs.
“American homes belong to American families — not the Chinese Communist Party, foreign Islamists, or our geopolitical foes,” Roy told the Daily Caller.
“While Americans struggle to afford housing, hostile regimes are buying up our land and neighborhoods,” Roy said. “This bill slams the door on foreign adversaries owning American housing and forces them to sell what they already control. We’re putting America’s homes back in American hands.”
The proposal comes amid growing concern among congressional Republicans over foreign ownership of American land, particularly purchases linked to Chinese investors and entities associated with the Chinese Communist Party.
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, foreign ownership of American land totaled nearly 46 million acres at the end of 2024, representing more than $86 billion in value.
Documents reviewed by the Daily Caller indicate that as much as 338,000 acres owned by foreign adversaries could become subject to forced divestiture under Roy’s legislation, totaling an estimated $1.1 billion in property value.
Texas — Roy’s home state — has become one of the focal points in the debate over foreign land ownership.
The USDA report found that non-Americans own more than 5.6 million acres across Texas. Under Roy’s proposal, properties in 20 Texas counties totaling roughly 124,000 acres could potentially be required to change ownership.
Roy and other Republicans have repeatedly raised alarms about Chinese-linked land purchases near military installations, critical infrastructure and growing residential developments.
One Texas development cited by the Daily Caller reportedly spans 342 acres zoned for residential and commercial use, with roughly 70% allegedly tied to Chinese Communist Party-linked investors.
Another property linked to Chinese ownership reportedly stretches across more than 123,000 acres in 15 Texas counties and is estimated to be worth approximately $900 million, according to USDA figures.
Several Republican-led states, including Florida and Texas, have already pursued or enacted laws limiting property ownership by citizens or entities connected to adversarial foreign governments.
Supporters of such measures argue they are necessary for national security, food security and economic sovereignty, especially as geopolitical tensions between the United States and China continue escalating.
Roy’s legislation additionally reflects growing Republican focus on housing affordability as broader economic concerns remain central heading into the 2026 election cycle.
The issue also intersects with the national debate over birthright citizenship, which is currently being litigated before the Supreme Court.
Critics of current birthright citizenship policy have pointed to reports over the years of Chinese nationals traveling to the United States specifically to give birth — sometimes referred to as “birth tourism” — in order to secure automatic American citizenship for their children. Federal authorities have previously investigated businesses accused of helping wealthy foreign nationals coordinate such operations, including arranging housing, medical care and travel logistics for expectant mothers entering the United States.
Others have raised the alarm over reports involving foreign nationals paying American surrogates to carry and deliver children in the United States, after which the children obtain citizenship and are then taken back to China shortly after birth.
Supporters of stricter immigration and property ownership laws argue such arrangements could create long-term loopholes allowing foreign adversaries, including those tied to the CCP, to maintain indirect or proxy influence over American land and assets.
This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
Rep. Ilhan Omar may again face scrutiny from the Justice Department after Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that federal authorities are examining allegations tied to the Minnesota Democrat’s immigration history.
Speaking during a White House press briefing while filling in for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Vance was asked by Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese whether Omar could ultimately face an indictment.
“I don’t want to prejudge an investigation,” Vance said. “You read the things about Ilhan Omar, and about who she married, and whether she didn’t marry this person or that person. It certainly seems like something fishy is there. But everyone is entitled to equal justice under the laws.”
Vance added that the administration intends to review the matter and pursue legal action only if investigators determine a crime occurred.
“We’re going to investigate it, we’re going to take a look at it. If we think there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime, and that’s something that the Department of Justice is looking at right now,” he said.
The comments revive longstanding controversy surrounding Omar and allegations that she participated in an immigration-related scheme involving a former marriage. Omar has repeatedly denied those claims, and no public evidence has proven them.
According to reports cited by Fox News and The New York Times, the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden opened an investigation into Omar in 2024 that examined campaign expenditures, personal finances and alleged contacts with a non-U.S. citizen. However, individuals familiar with internal discussions reportedly said investigators did not uncover evidence warranting additional action, and the probe eventually stalled.
Vance had previously raised the issue publicly. During a March podcast appearance with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, he claimed he had discussed potential legal action involving Omar with White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller. (RELATED: Vance Says Administration Reviewing Action Against Rep. Ilhan Omar)
“We think Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America,” Vance said at the time.
Omar, who was born in Somalia, came to the United States with her family after they were granted asylum in 1995 and became a naturalized citizen in 2000.
The allegations center on Omar’s past relationships and claims from critics that she legally married a man named Ahmed Elmi in 2009 as part of an immigration arrangement. Omar has denied allegations that Elmi was her brother and has repeatedly dismissed the accusations as false and politically motivated.
In December, Omar pushed back against renewed criticism on social media, calling the allegations “bigoted lies” and accusing former President Donald Trump of repeatedly targeting her.
“He needs serious help,” Omar wrote at the time. “Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.”
Vance reiterated Tuesday that investigators would ultimately follow the evidence.
“If we think that there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime,” he said.
This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Trump’s newly created “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is already triggering backlash on Capitol Hill, including from some Republicans, as critics question whether the unprecedented program could become a vehicle for rewarding political allies under the banner of correcting alleged government abuses.
The Department of Justice announced Monday that it would establish a $1.776 billion compensation fund designed to provide relief for individuals who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the federal government under the Biden administration.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the fund is intended to create a formal process for people who believe they were victims of government “weaponization” or “lawfare.”
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Blanche said in a DOJ statement. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”
According to the DOJ, the fund will be authorized to issue both formal apologies and financial compensation to approved claimants. The department stated that there is “no partisan requirement” to file claims, and any unspent funds will eventually return to the federal government.
The five-member commission overseeing the fund will be appointed by the DOJ, with one member selected in consultation with congressional leadership. President Trump will also retain the authority to remove members and appoint replacements through the attorney general.
Exactly who qualifies for compensation remains unclear.
The administration has not outlined specific eligibility standards, nor has it identified who may ultimately benefit from the program. Questions have also surfaced regarding whether individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot — including those later pardoned or whose sentences were commuted by Trump — could receive compensation.
Asked Monday whether Jan. 6 defendants could potentially benefit, Trump deferred to the commission.
“I didn’t do this deal,” Trump told reporters. “It was told to me yesterday.”
The new program emerged from a settlement involving Trump’s now-withdrawn $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. Trump sued the agency after a contractor leaked portions of his tax records to media outlets.
As part of the agreement, Trump, his family members and the Trump Organization reportedly will receive no direct monetary damages and instead accepted a formal apology while withdrawing multiple legal claims, including administrative complaints tied to the Mar-a-Lago investigation and allegations surrounding the Russia investigation.
The DOJ defended the structure of the fund by pointing to the Obama-era Keepseagle v. Vilsack settlement, “where the Obama administration created a $760 million fund to redress various claims alleging racism against the federal government over a period of decades.”
But critics argue the comparison does not hold up.
Joseph Sellers, an attorney involved in the Keepseagle case, told CNN the situations are fundamentally different.
“That really is the critical issue,” Sellers said. “You have to serve the same community whose interests were at stake in the litigation that was brought.”
The administration’s rollout has also generated rare public resistance from Republicans.
According to Mediaite, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) criticized the proposal on Tuesday.
“Yeah, not a big fan,” Thune told reporters. “I’m not sure exactly how they intend to use it. … But yeah, I don’t see a purpose for it.”
Mediaite also reported that Sen. John Kennedy (R- La.) expressed skepticism while saying he remained open to the concept.
“I need to know where the money is going to come from. I need to know who would qualify. I need to know the definition of weaponization. I need to know who’s been weaponized against?” Kennedy said Monday.
Democrats have gone considerably further in their criticism.
A group of 93 House Democrats filed an amicus brief seeking to block the settlement, arguing that it violates constitutional requirements and improperly redirects taxpayer money.
Separately, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) condemned the fund as “a racket” intended to channel taxpayer dollars toward Trump allies.
The issue also surfaced during a Senate Appropriations hearing Tuesday, where Sen. Chris Coons (D-Ct.) pressed Blanche over the unusual nature of the settlement arrangement.
Coons noted that no previous president had sued his own administration and then settled the case while serving in office.
Blanche pushed back on suggestions that Trump directed the process and rejected comparisons between the underlying litigation and the Keepseagle case, arguing that only the commission structure itself was similar.
Still, when Coons asked whether Trump campaign donors could ultimately receive payments from the fund, Blanche declined to provide assurances.
“I am not committing to anything beyond the settlement agreement itself,” Blanche said. “They are not excluded from seeking compensation if they are recognized.”
With the fund’s eligibility standards still undefined and its commission not yet assembled, many of the biggest questions surrounding who receives compensation — and whether political allies of the president could benefit — remain unanswered.
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) appeared Monday to have given up any hope of receiving an endorsement from President Trump.
“I think that ship has finally sailed,” Cornyn said after voting in Austin, Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman’s John Moritz.
“I think that ship has finally sailed,” say Sen. John Cornyn regarding a Trump runoff endorsement. He adds that he would welcome a campaign visit by the president in the fall campaign. pic.twitter.com/ar48j9ByFI
The incumbent senator noted, though, that he would welcome a campaign visit by the president in the fall if he wins the runoff over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).
Trump on Monday endorsed more than two dozen Republican candidates in races across the country but notably did not pick a favorite in the runoff between Cornyn and Paxton.
However, Trump teased on Tuesday morning that he ultimately would make an endorsement, saying he’s known who he would throw his support behind for a while but kept it under wraps.
🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump announces HE'S ENDORSING in the John Cornyn vs Ken Paxton US Senate Texas GOP primary today
"I'll be making an endorsement at 12:30-1PM today for the big race."
Shortly after Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the runoff in March, Trump said he would endorse a candidate and asked that the candiate he did not back to drop out of the race. Despite Paxton’s hard-line support for the president, he vowed he would not to drop out.
Cornyn recently has touted his support for Trump. He wrote Monday on the social platform X that he has a 99.3 percent voting record with the president’s position and is “proud of what we have accomplished together.”
By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Thomas Massie, CC BY-SA 2.0,
Rep. Thomas Massie is staring down the biggest political threat of his 14-year congressional career on Tuesday as President Donald Trump and his allies unleash a political war chest in an effort to take out one of the last major Republican holdouts willing to publicly challenge him.
The showdown between Massie and Trump-backed retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein has turned into the most expensive House primary battle on record, with more than $32 million flooding into the race as both sides saturate northern Kentucky with attack ads, outside money, and even AI-generated deepfakes.
What was once a simmering feud has morphed into an all-out MAGA civil war.
Massie has spent years carving out a reputation as a libertarian-leaning conservative who often votes independently and sometimes infuriates Republican leadership. But his relationship with Trump deteriorated after repeated clashes over the administration’s handling of issues ranging from the release of government files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to U.S. involvement in Iran and Trump’s signature domestic package, the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Trump eventually stopped hiding his frustration.
The president blasted Massie as the “worst Republican Congressman in history” before personally recruiting Gallrein to challenge him and putting the full force of his political operation behind the effort.
Now the question hanging over Kentucky is simple: Can even Thomas Massie survive a direct collision with Trump?
The spending numbers alone look staggering.
According to reporting from The New York Times, pro-Trump groups and organizations unhappy with Massie’s opposition to U.S. policy toward Iran spent heavily against the Kentucky congressman, including millions from groups tied to pro-Israel advocacy efforts. Meanwhile, Massie received support from outside groups and donors from across the political spectrum eager to keep one of Congress’s most unpredictable Republicans in office.
IPAC stands with @RepThomasMassie and support his re-election campaign. It was a pleasure to meet him and we are looking forward to work with him as a true America First candidate. Rep. Massie against AIPAC influence on our demonic and foreign policies. pic.twitter.com/l1LyX5OSTq
— Integrity Political Action Committee (@IPAC7_ORG) August 17, 2025
Massie has leaned into that dynamic as the campaign entered its final days.
“After months of beating around the bush, one reporter finally writes the true story of my race,” Massie said after reporting highlighted major outside spending against him.
The race has also veered into bizarre territory.
The New York Times reported that opposing groups unleashed deepfake advertisements depicting fake scenarios involving both candidates. One pro-Massie ad used AI-generated imagery portraying Gallrein abandoning Trump on a battlefield, while a pro-Gallrein advertisement depicted an AI-generated Massie socializing with progressive Democrats.
Then came perhaps the campaign’s biggest eyebrow-raiser.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hit the campaign trail Monday to stump for Gallrein in a move that immediately drew criticism because Pentagon leaders traditionally avoid overt participation in partisan campaigns.
Hegseth, appearing at a Kentucky rally, described Gallrein as “reinforcements” for Trump’s agenda.
“I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen,” Hegseth said.
🚨 LMAO! SecWar Pete Hegseth does a hilarious impression of Donald Trump
He’s actually got it down pretty good 🤣
“He said 'PETE, you're gonna have to be tough as SHlT…You ready? They're gonna come after you!’” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/utuKJII58S
Pentagon officials insist the appearance complied with ethics rules and federal law. But critics pointed out that a sitting Defense secretary jumping into a heated primary battle represents a rare break from long-standing Pentagon norms designed to protect the military’s image.
The Kentucky slugfest is also being watched for what it could reveal about Trump’s grip on the Republican Party.
Now Republican strategists are watching Kentucky, along with contests unfolding Tuesday in Georgia and Pennsylvania, for clues about whether Trump’s political muscle remains as powerful as ever.
For years, Massie built his brand around being the Republican who refused to fall in line.
Tuesday could determine whether that brand still works in Trump’s GOP.
Liberal commentator and podcast host Briahna Joy Gray says she knows “many” people on the political left who would rather support Tucker Carlson for president than progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — a striking claim as early maneuvering around the 2028 presidential race begins to intensify.
Gray made the remarks during a recent episode of her Bad Faith podcast while discussing divisions inside the broader progressive movement and dissatisfaction among some left-wing voters.
“It’s crazy, I know many people on the left who would happily vote for Tucker Carlson before AOC,” Gray said.
Gray added that she finds herself frustrated by that reality because she said she would not encourage people to support either figure.
“I am frustrated by that dynamic because I don’t want Tucker Carlson to be president,” she said. “I also can’t see myself damaging my own credibility by telling someone to vote for AOC. These options hurt us all.”
Gray argued that Carlson has made numerous controversial comments over the years, including past remarks on immigration and cultural assimilation, but suggested some voters may find him newly appealing following what she described as a political “rebirth.”
Carlson’s public image has shifted significantly in recent years.
Once one of the most influential voices in conservative media during his run at Fox News, Carlson later departed the network and increasingly broke with major figures in the Republican establishment, including President Donald Trump.
More recently, Carlson has criticized Trump over foreign policy and U.S. involvement overseas.
“You have not done a good job running this country. You don’t even care to try,” Carlson said last month while criticizing Trump’s priorities. “You’d rather run the world or the empire.”
Why do neocons consistently act against the interests of the United States? It’s more than neglect. It’s hate. Marjorie Taylor Greene saw it firsthand. pic.twitter.com/HGJlRfJ3bo
Carlson has also become increasingly critical of Israel and U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts, arguing that American foreign policy has become disconnected from domestic concerns.
His break from Trump has produced mixed reactions among conservatives. Some former supporters praised his willingness to challenge Republican orthodoxy, while others viewed his criticisms as creating distance between himself and Trump’s political movement. (RELATED: Trump Cuts Tucker Carlson Loose From Political Movement)
Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez appears to be moving in the opposite direction politically.
The New York Democrat has become one of the most recognizable figures in the Democrat Party and is widely viewed as an early potential contender in the 2028 presidential race. She has built a massive social media following, a powerful small-dollar fundraising network and strong support among progressive activists.
Recent surveys have also suggested Ocasio-Cortez could enter a future Democrat primary with meaningful advantages. An AtlasIntel poll released recently placed her at the top of a hypothetical Democratic field with 26% support.
But despite that standing, some divisions on the left have become increasingly visible.
Critics on both the center and the populist left have questioned Ocasio-Cortez’s evolution from anti-establishment insurgent to a more integrated figure within Democratic leadership circles. Gray pointed to a recent social media dispute involving former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as an example.
Greene criticized Ocasio-Cortez after she declined to support an amendment Greene introduced involving Israel funding. Gray argued voters were justified in questioning Ocasio-Cortez’s priorities.
The comments also arrive as Democrats are quietly beginning to sort out what the post-Biden and post-Sanders era could look like.
While 2028 remains years away, names already circulating include Ocasio-Cortez, California Rep. Ro Khanna, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and others who could emerge as national contenders.
For now, there is no indication Carlson intends to run for office, and his name has not regularly appeared among likely presidential candidates but there’s still plenty of time for him to make a surprising move.
Watch the full podcast:
Liberal commentator and podcast host Briahna Joy Gray says she knows “many” people on the political left who would rather support Tucker Carlson for president than progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — a striking claim as early maneuvering around the 2028 presidential race begins to intensify.
Gray made the remarks during a recent episode of her Bad Faith podcast while discussing divisions inside the broader progressive movement and dissatisfaction among some left-wing voters.
“It’s crazy, I know many people on the left who would happily vote for Tucker Carlson before AOC,” Gray said.
Gray added that she finds herself frustrated by that reality because she said she would not encourage people to support either figure.
“I am frustrated by that dynamic because I don’t want Tucker Carlson to be president,” she said. “I also can’t see myself damaging my own credibility by telling someone to vote for AOC. These options hurt us all.”
Gray argued that Carlson has made numerous controversial comments over the years, including past remarks on immigration and cultural assimilation, but suggested some voters may find him newly appealing following what she described as a political “rebirth.”
Carlson’s public image has shifted significantly in recent years.
Once one of the most influential voices in conservative media during his run at Fox News, Carlson later departed the network and increasingly broke with major figures in the Republican establishment, including President Donald Trump.
More recently, Carlson has criticized Trump over foreign policy and U.S. involvement overseas.
“You have not done a good job running this country. You don’t even care to try,” Carlson said last month while criticizing Trump’s priorities. “You’d rather run the world or the empire.”
Why do neocons consistently act against the interests of the United States? It’s more than neglect. It’s hate. Marjorie Taylor Greene saw it firsthand. pic.twitter.com/HGJlRfJ3bo
Carlson has also become increasingly critical of Israel and U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts, arguing that American foreign policy has become disconnected from domestic concerns.
His break from Trump has produced mixed reactions among conservatives. Some former supporters praised his willingness to challenge Republican orthodoxy, while others viewed his criticisms as creating distance between himself and Trump’s political movement. (RELATED: Trump Cuts Tucker Carlson Loose From Political Movement)
Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez appears to be moving in the opposite direction politically.
The New York Democrat has become one of the most recognizable figures in the Democrat Party and is widely viewed as an early potential contender in the 2028 presidential race. She has built a massive social media following, a powerful small-dollar fundraising network and strong support among progressive activists.
Recent surveys have also suggested Ocasio-Cortez could enter a future Democrat primary with meaningful advantages. An AtlasIntel poll released recently placed her at the top of a hypothetical Democratic field with 26% support.
But despite that standing, some divisions on the left have become increasingly visible.
Critics on both the center and the populist left have questioned Ocasio-Cortez’s evolution from anti-establishment insurgent to a more integrated figure within Democratic leadership circles. Gray pointed to a recent social media dispute involving former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as an example.
Greene criticized Ocasio-Cortez after she declined to support an amendment Greene introduced involving Israel funding. Gray argued voters were justified in questioning Ocasio-Cortez’s priorities.
The comments also arrive as Democrats are quietly beginning to sort out what the post-Biden and post-Sanders era could look like.
While 2028 remains years away, names already circulating include Ocasio-Cortez, California Rep. Ro Khanna, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and others who could emerge as national contenders.
For now, there is no indication Carlson intends to run for office, and his name has not regularly appeared among likely presidential candidates but there’s still plenty of time for him to make a surprising move.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Former Utah Sen. and one-time Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is mourning the political demise of Sen. Bill Cassidy — calling the Louisiana Republican’s stunning primary loss “a loss for the country.”
Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator in more than a decade to lose a renomination bid after getting knocked out of Louisiana’s GOP primary Saturday, ending a political career that had been dogged for years by one vote that many conservatives never forgot: his decision to convict President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“The Senate to now lose an exceptionally brilliant and creative mind, an MD who chairs healthcare, and a person of character,” Romney wrote Sunday on X. “Bill Cassidy’s departure is a loss for the country.”
The Senate to now lose an exceptionally brilliant and creative mind, an MD who chairs healthcare, and a person of character. Bill Cassidy’s departure is a loss for the country.
The president wasted little time celebrating Cassidy’s downfall on Truth Social, taking a victory lap after years of public feuding with the Louisiana senator.
“His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of a legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Trump wrote.
Cassidy’s defeat had long been viewed as a looming possibility in Republican circles. Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming finished ahead of Cassidy in Saturday’s contest and now advance to a June runoff after neither candidate secured a majority.
Sen. John Kennedy suggested nobody should be shocked by the outcome.
“Unless you’re your god’s perfect idiot, the result was predictable,” Kennedy said on Fox News. “Ground control to Major Tom. The polls have shown for well over a year that Sen. Cassidy was in trouble.”
He added that Trump’s endorsement of Letlow “was sort of the icing on the cake.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham framed Cassidy’s loss as a warning shot to Republicans who break with Trump.
“There’s no room in this party to destroy his agenda or to destroy him and his family as a Republican,” Graham said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“If you align with Democrats to drive him out of office, like Cassidy did, you’re going to lose.”
Cassidy, however, used his concession speech to fire off what appeared to be a parting shot at Trump and the election challenges that followed 2020.
“When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” Cassidy told supporters. “You don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen. You don’t manufacture some excuse.”
For Romney, Cassidy’s exit marks the fading influence of one of the GOP’s shrinking anti-Trump bloc.
The relationship between Romney and Trump has been icy for nearly a decade. Romney sharply criticized Trump during the 2016 presidential race, briefly joined his orbit after the election during a highly publicized meeting over a possible Cabinet role, then became one of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics in the Senate.
Romney ultimately became the only Republican senator to vote to convict Trump during both impeachment proceedings — first over Ukraine and later over Jan. 6 — putting him on a collision course with Trump and many Republican voters.
Cassidy joined Romney in the second impeachment vote, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict. Now, a few years later, Republican voters in Louisiana appeared to deliver their own verdict.
From one former Senator that voted to convict President Trump
to another Senator that voted to convict President Trump,
In a Monday court filing, President Trump notified a federal judge that he plans to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to previous reporting, Trump will drop the lawsuit as part of a proposed deal that would create a massive compensation fund for political allies who claim they were targeted by the Biden administration, including Jan. 6 defendants
Under the proposed arrangement, first reported by ABC News, a newly created commission would oversee roughly $1.7 billion in taxpayer-funded payouts to individuals and organizations alleging they were victims of what Trump and his supporters have long described as the “weaponization” of the federal government.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
