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    MAGA Representative to Introduce Bill Designating Antifa as Terrorist Org. after Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’ Set Ablaze

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
      -
      1
      Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

      House Republicans want to hold Antifa accountable after demonstrators allegedly set fire to the construction site of an Atlanta public safety training facility anti-police and environment activists dubbed “Cop City” Sunday evening.

      Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she plans to introduce legislation to declare Antifa as a terrorist organization.

      “Antifa are domestic terrorists and I’m introducing my resolution to officially declare them a terrorist organization on Tuesday,” Rep. Green tweeted while sharing a video of the fire.

      “This is domestic terrorism. It was planned for weeks and announced on social media. Antifa are self proclaimed communists and consistently organize to attack our government over and over again. They should be taken seriously and not tolerated anymore,” she tweeted.

      Fox 5 reported Sunday that the facility was on lockdown after at least one construction vehicle was set on fire amid the latest protests on Sunday.

      A progressive group called “Stop Cop City” has been protesting against the new 85-acre training facility being built in the wooded parts of DeKalb County, Atlanta since plans for it were announced, arguing it will promote the militarization of the police and may result in environmental concerns.

      On Monday, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) confirmed that a group of “agitators” left the nearby South River Music Festival around 5:30 p.m. and descended on the construction site of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center “to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers,” the APD said in a statement. 

      Authorities noted that agitators changed into black clothing and allegedly began to throw commercial-grade fireworks, Molotov cocktails, large rocks, and bricks at police officers. Antifa is known to use similar tactics.

      Atlanta Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum said Sunday’s incident marked a “significant escalation” both in the level of violence and the number of individuals involved in the attack.

      “This wasn’t about a public safety training center. This was about anarchy, and this was about an attempt to destabilize. And we are addressing that quickly,” Schierbaum told reporters. “Actions such as this will not be tolerated. You attack law enforcement officers, you damage equipment, you are breaking the law. This was a very violent attack that occurred this evening.” 

      The FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation have joined the probe, he said. 

      Atlanta police said at least 35 people had been detained as of Sunday night. Charging decisions have yet to be announced.

      “Some of those arrested yesterday were from Massachusetts and New York and France and Canada. So this is a national network, an international group of people that are organized to come to our state to undermine a public safety training center,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in an appearance on Fox News Monday morning. 

      “This is not a protest,” the chief added. “I made a clear distinction of what a protest looks like. When it is a legitimate protest, you have the full protection of the Atlanta Police Department. This is not a protest. This is criminal activity. And the charges that will be brought forth will show that.” 

      Before Sunday, at least 19 people had been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism since December in connection to demonstrations at the “Cop City” site. 

      In January, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued a state of emergency after protests broke out in response to a police shooting of an activist during an operation to clear out the construction site for the facility.

      Appeals Court Tosses Contempt Order Against Trump Officials

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        4
        Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

        A federal appeals court panel voted 2-1 Friday to scrap a judge’s probable cause finding to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for disobeying his order to turn around deportation flights ultimately destined for El Salvador.

        The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled the administration was entitled to an intervention because U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s efforts to punish administration officials raised immediate concerns.

        “The order forces a coequal branch to choose between capitulating to an unlawful judicial order and subjecting its officials to a dubious prosecution,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, who was in the majority.

        U.S. Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of former President Obama, dissented. 

        “Even when faced with what reasonably appeared to him to be foot dragging, evasion, and outright disregard for his jurisdiction and his orders, he responded with unfailing composure,” Pillard wrote.

        “The majority does an exemplary judge a grave disservice by overstepping its bounds to upend his effort to vindicate the judicial authority that is our shared trust,” she continued.

        Boasberg entered the national limelight for being assigned the first lawsuit when Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act in March to swiftly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to a notorious Salvadoran megaprison.

        At a hastily convened Saturday hearing that weekend, Boasberg ordered the administration turn around any airborne planes deporting migrants under the rarely invoked statute. The order was later wiped by the Supreme Court.

        Biden’s Lunacy – Only Those ‘Born Male’ Will Be Drafted

          By
          Paul Crespo
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          0
          Photo via Pixabay images

          ANALYSIS – More trans lunacy. Men can become women by just ‘identifying’ as women, says the left, and Joe Biden, except when it comes to the draft. This is according to a chart provided by the U.S. Selective Service System.

          The chart, linked to a recent tweet by the Selective Service, notes almost “all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants residing in the United States who are 18 through 25 years of age” are required to register, and ‘trans’ individuals “who are born male and have changed their gender to female” are explicitly included.

          Apparently, it’s biology after all.

          The stark contrast between Biden’s rhetoric and executive action on gender identity and this latest announcement and rules for a potential draft has caused anger and confusion.

          As The Blaze reports:

          Despite passing an executive order mandating that military members be treated according to their gender identity and not their biological sex, the Biden administration still requires biological men who identify as women to register for the military draft, while those who are “born female and have changed their gender to male” are off the hook.

          This specific ruling was linked to a recent tweet from the Selective Service reminding parents that even “if your son is an only son and the last male in your family to carry the family name, he is still required to register with SSS.”

          Before diving deeper into the accompanying chart, many parents expressed anger, and some suggested their sons would ‘identify’ as female to avoid registering.

          https://twitter.com/Preaus/status/1579315531819388928
          https://twitter.com/NWTallDad_2/status/1579294594914988032

          However, Fox News reports that:

          The policy pre-dates the Biden administration, but the White House expressed support for all people to be included in the draft last year.

          “The administration supports section 513 and the registration requirement for all citizens, which further ensures a military selective system that is fair and just,” the White House said last year as Congress weighed adding women to a measure in the National Defense Authorization Act that would require them to register for the draft.

          President Biden ultimately signed the National Defense Authorization Act last year without the provision including women.

          Fox News further explained:

          Selective Service System spokesperson Micheal Migliara told Fox News Digital later Tuesday that Congress would have to make changes that would authorize women to register with the agency.

          “The Military Selective Service Act authorizes the registration of ‘male persons’, ages 18-25. In order for the Selective Service to be authorized to register women, Congress would have to pass legislation amending the current law,” Migliara said. “While there is currently no draft, registration with the Selective Service System is the most publicly visible program during peacetime and ensures operational readiness in a fair and equitable manner. If authorized by the President and Congress, our Agency would rapidly provide personnel to the Department of Defense, while at the same time providing an Alternative Service Program for Conscientious Objectors.”

          What is a man? What is a woman? For the Selective Service –  ‘It’s still biology, stupid.’ ALD

          Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

          ‘I Love Trump’ Tucker Carlson Addresses Private Text Fiasco

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          1
          Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          Tucker Carlson is clearing the air after his private text messages revealed his hidden hatred for former President Donald Trump.

          The Fox News star tried to walk back his private remarks about Trump during an appearance on WABC radio.

          “And I think this is in the text, and those were all grabbed completely illegitimately, in my opinion, in this court case, which I guess I’m not allowed to talk about, but I’m enraged that my private texts were pulled,” he said.

          The Fox News host said those texts were pulled at a moment when he was texting with one of his producers because “some idiot on the Trump campaign had sent us the name of these dead voters who had voted,” referring to his false reporting after the 2020 election that echoed the Trump campaign’s unfounded claims of dead people who were fraudulently counted as voting in Georgia. After Carlson’s segment aired, a local Georgia news outlet debunked his claim, finding that two of the allegedly dead voters were alive and legally registered to vote, with CNN reporting days later that a third of the supposedly dead voters was also still living.

          “And we went and I repeated them on air, and it turns out some of them were alive,” Carlson said, referring to the campaign’s accusation. “So I was just — I felt humiliated.”

          Earlier this month, Carlson’s along with other prominent Fox News officials’ private text messages were revealed in court documents as part of a $1.6 billion Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit against the network.

          During a Jan. 4, 2021 text conversation with an unknown producer, Carlson sounded off on the former president.

          The prime-time star wrote, “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights.”

          The unknown staffer reportedly speculated that they believed the madness would cool down by “mid-February.”

          “I hate him passionately,” Carlson replied. “I blew up at [former Trump official] Peter Navarro today in frustration. I actually like Peter. But I can’t handle much more of this.”

          Cook Political Report Shifts Ratings In Trump’s Favor In 6 States

          By
          Patrick Houck
          -
          0
          Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          The Cook Political Report, widely respected across the political spectrum for its precise election forecasts, recently adjusted its presidential race ratings in six key states, all favoring former President Donald Trump.

          The shift comes amidst a backdrop of national and state polls indicating a modest yet consistent increase in support for Trump over President Joe Biden.

          Key State Changes

          The Cook Political Report has reclassified:

          • Arizona, Georgia and Nevada from “toss-up” to “lean Republican.”
          • Minnesota and New Hampshire from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat.”
          • Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat.”

          Nebraska and Maine are the only states that allocate their electoral votes by congressional district, making the competitive Omaha-based 2nd District a target for both campaigns.

          Electoral Vote Implications

          The changes significantly impact the electoral map, with Trump now leading in states totaling 268 electoral votes, just two votes short of the required 270 for victory. In contrast, Biden leads in states accounting for 226 electoral votes.

          Expert Analysis

          In a social media post, Dave Wasserman, a senior editor at Cook Political Report, argued that it was overly optimistic to label the presidential race as a toss-up even before the debates.

          “Today, Trump has a clear advantage over Biden and a much more plausible path to 270 Electoral votes,” Wasserman noted.

          Additionally, during an appearance on CNN, Amy Walter, Cook Report’s publisher and editor-in-chief, elaborated on the political shifts underpinning these changes.

          “What we’re seeing is the real erosion of support from Biden among voters of color,” Walter explained back in May. “This is the reason he [Biden] is doing worse in Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, where Hispanic and African Americans make up a significant share of the vote.” [emphasis added]

          Polling Data

          Supporting these insights, the latest RealClearPolitics national polling average shows Trump leading Biden by 3 percentage points. In crucial swing states, Trump’s lead is even more pronounced:

          • Arizona: +5.4 points
          • Georgia: +4 points
          • Michigan: +0.6 points
          • Nevada: +5.2 points
          • North Carolina: +5.8 points
          • Pennsylvania: +5.3 points
          • Wisconsin: +2.2 points

          Conclusion

          The latest adjustments by the Cook Political Report highlight a rapidly shifting landscape in the 2024 presidential race. With Trump’s increasing traction in key states and growing concerns about Biden’s ability to simply do the job, the GOP’s path to the presidency appears more wide open than ever.

          READ NEXT: Trump Family Member Steps Forward As Long-Shot VP Candidate

          ‘Equity’ is the Opposite of Equality – It’s Evil Code for Socialism

            By
            Paul Crespo
            -
            9
            Gage Skidmore Flickr

            ANALYSIS – The term ‘equity’ has seeped into every aspect of U.S. domestic, and even foreign, policy. We hear the term everywhere. 

            Most recently VP Kamala Harris used it to describe how hurricane relief funds should be distributed in Florida based in part on skin color, and ‘communities of color’ should receive priority.

            This outrageous claim from Harris provoked a backlash from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, many conservatives, and others.

            On his first day as president, Joe Biden also issued an “Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities.” 

            This made promoting ‘equity’ a centerpiece of his administration – a highly damaging proposition.

            But to many Americans it’s a totally innocuous term, which sounds a lot like equal or equality.

            And aren’t Americans supposed to be ‘equal under the law?’

            So, what is the big fuss?

            Well, the fact is the term ‘equity’ is just the latest effort in a long line of leftist code words intended to mask their true intent.

            Equity is not only not similar to equality; it is the polar opposite. It is an evil code word for socialism. 

            It means ignoring individuals and favoring some groups over others.

            The ultimate goal of ‘equity’ is not to ensure equal opportunities, it is to achieve equal outcomes. 

            That is just a new brand name for the oldest program of social and economic leveling ever invented – socialism.

            Harris admitted as much in a tweet and video, posted before the election and viewed well over 6 million times: “There’s a big difference between equality and equity.”

            But the left tends to not highlight the true impact of this huge difference.

            Instead, they argue that some people simply need a hand to help them reach the same level playing field.

            However, promoting “equity” means ending America’s traditional guiding ideal of “equal treatment under law.”

            It enshrines reverse discrimination as policy. 

            It is a mandate to discriminate based on skin color, economic standing, or other standards such as gender identification.

            And it is undermining America’s bedrock principle that people should be treated equally and judged as individuals, not as members of groups.

            As Charles Lipson wrote in “Equity” is Socialism by Another Name” in the Wall Street Journal last year:

            Those who push for equity have hidden these crucial differences for a reason. They aren’t merely unpopular; they challenge America’s bedrock principle that people should be treated equally and judged as individuals, not as members of groups.

             He adds:

            Hidden, too, are the extensive measures that would be needed to achieve equal outcomes. Only a powerful central government could impose the intensive—and expensive—programs of social intervention, ideological re-education and economic redistribution. Only an intrusive bureaucracy could specify the rules for every business, public institution and civic organization. Those unhappy implications are why advocates of equity are so determined to hide what the term really means.

            Lipson, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Chicago, who founded the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security, continues:

            One measure of how unpopular these unequal programs are is how often their proponents need to rename them. “Quotas” were restyled as “affirmative action.” The goal was still to give special benefits to some groups to achieve desired outcomes. Now “affirmative action” has also become toxic, rejected most recently by voters in deep-blue California. Hence, the new name, “equity.”

            Instead of making their case openly and honestly, advocates of equity twist and turn to avoid revealing their radical goal of re-engineering society through coercion. 

            This is the ultimate goal of the left – using the term ‘equity’ to mask a coercive socialist agenda intended to ‘fundamentally transform’ American society – to quote Barack Obama in 2008.

            Americans must challenge the concept and the term at every turn. We believe in equality not ‘equity.’ And we must fight to defend it. 

            Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

            ‘MyPillow Guy’ Mike Lindell Loses Dominion Defamation Case

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
            -
            0
            Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

            Despite suffering a major loss in court on Monday, MyPillow founder and staunch Trump loyalist Mike Lindell is remaining positive.

            A federal jury in Colorado on Monday afternoon found MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell liable for defamation, siding with a former Dominion Voting Systems employee who alleged that the Donald Trump loyalist caused real-world harm with 2020 stolen election conspiracies he aired at his 2021 “cyber symposium,” an event that also proved costly for Lindell in the form of an ill-fated and boomeranging “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge.”

            In the end, the jury found Lindell liable for defaming Dr. Eric Coomer, along with his company FrankSpeech for participating in a civil conspiracy to do the same, leaving the MyPillow CEO on the hook for $2.3 million — a far cry from the $60-plus million Coomer’s team asked for but nonetheless a loss for Lindell, according to Kyle Clark of 9NEWS.

            It wasn’t a total loss for Lindell, however, as MyPillow escaped liability — reportedly as Coomer’s legal team requested.

            In an interview with former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani on LindellTV after the verdict, Lindell offered his reaction, saying: “It was awesome.”

            Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

            “I hope Mike doesn’t feel too down. He never does,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said as he kicked it to Lindell for a statement.

            “It was awesome,” Lindell told Giuliani.

            He also called the judgment a “huge victory for our country,” adding that, “MyPillow was sued for no reason and they won.”

            “All the pillow companies have to be happy because now they can’t be sued for libel.”

            Watch:

            Lindell had long maintained that he has “done nothing wrong,” that he truly believes his claims about the election, and that both he and his allies have instead been persecuted and subjected to “lawfare” for simply asking questions about the integrity of the 2020 election, in violation of their First Amendment rights.

            In a video and post shared Monday on X ahead of the verdict, Lindell remarked upon the gravity of his situation: “Today the jury decides.”

            “I really believe, God willing, that this will be the gateway to securing our elections, bringing back free speech and the American dream, and saving our country,” he said, before asking his supporters for prayers and directing them to the website for his legal defense fund.

            The Left wants to erase the Electoral College — will you speak up?

            Special Prosecutor Assigned To Trump 2020 Election Case

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
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            0
            President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

            A new twist has emerged in the Fulton County election interference case against President Donald Trump. On Friday, a special prosecutor was appointed to replace embattled District Attorney Fani Willis (D), who was disqualified after a court found her romantic relationship with a top prosecutor created an appearance of impropriety.

            Peter Skandalakis, executive director of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council (PAC), announced that after failing to find another willing candidate, he would step in personally to oversee the case.

            “Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,” Skandalakis said in a statement. “Out of respect for their privacy and professional discretion, I will not identify those prosecutors or disclose their reasons for declining.”

            The move came just as a judge-imposed deadline loomed for PAC to name a new prosecutor—or risk seeing the entire case dismissed.

            Skandalakis explained that while “it would have been simple” to let the deadline expire, he believed “that was not the right course of action,” citing the public’s interest in ensuring the matter is resolved properly.

            The Georgia court’s decision to remove Willis cast major doubt on the future of the case, which accuses Trump and several allies of racketeering and other charges related to challenging the 2020 election results. Trump and most of his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty, maintaining that they did nothing wrong in questioning the outcome of the election. Four others accepted plea deals.

            With Willis out, Skandalakis now has full discretion over whether to continue pursuing the case or to drop the charges entirely.

            “My only objective is to ensure that this case is handled properly, fairly, and with full transparency—discharging my duties without fear, favor, or affection,” he said.

            This isn’t the first time Skandalakis has been involved in a high-profile matter stemming from Willis’s conduct. After she was previously barred from investigating Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) due to her involvement in a political fundraiser against him, Skandalakis also took over—and ultimately declined to bring charges.

            Citing that past experience, he said his familiarity with similar issues makes him the best candidate to take over the Trump case.

            The original indictment accused Trump and more than a dozen associates of an “unlawful conspiracy” to challenge President Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia. The case is one of several politically charged prosecutions targeting Trump during his campaign to return to the White House—the first criminal cases ever brought against a then-former U.S. president.

            Trump was previously convicted in New York on business record charges tied to a 2016 hush money payment. Meanwhile, his two federal prosecutions—for alleged election interference and mishandling classified documents—were dismissed following his reelection to a second term.

            PAC officials had confirmed as late as Thursday that no replacement had been found, suggesting the decision came together quickly.

            On Monday, Skandalakis addressed Trump’s recent presidential pardons for several allies charged in the Georgia case, saying his office had “diligently” worked on the matter since Willis’s removal and would continue to do so “without being influenced by matters outside the scope of our assigned task.”

            He also clarified that Trump’s pardons apply only to federal charges, not state cases.

            “Therefore, the task before my office remains unchanged,” Skandalakis said.

            New York is at a breaking point. Join the fight to stop Hochul and the radical Left — add your name to endorse Elise Stefanik now!

            Biden DHS Still Colluding with Big Tech to Censor Dissent

            By
            Paul Crespo
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            2
            Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

            ANALYSIS – Even as Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) publicly shuttered its stillborn ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ (aka Ministry of Truth) after a huge outcry, new evidence shows that Team Biden is still trying to use DHS to collude with Big Tech to censor Americans on social media.

            The latest information uncovered through an investigation by The Intercept points to a Facebook-designed portal that government officials could use to flag content they deem objectionable and request that the platform remove it. 

            According to The Intercept:

            There is also a formalized process for government officials to directly flag content on Facebook or Instagram and request that it be throttled or suppressed through a special Facebook portal that requires a government or law enforcement email to use. At the time of writing, the “content request system” at facebook.com/xtakedowns/login is still live. DHS and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, did not respond to a request for comment. The FBI declined to comment.

            That the federal government believes it can directly help control what views and news can be disseminated online is beyond reprehensible.

            As The Intercept notes:

            How disinformation is defined by the government has not been clearly articulated, and the inherently subjective nature of what constitutes disinformation provides a broad opening for DHS officials to make politically motivated determinations about what constitutes dangerous speech.

            In other words, governments don’t decide what is valid information and what isn’t.

            Instead, that is what politics, a free media and the marketplace of ideas are for.

            But Big Brother, especially under Democrats, is relentless in its appetite for control. (RELATED: Congressional Leaders Expose Scheme to Pump Liberal Misinformation Network Into Classrooms)

            The Intercept continues to describe this Orwellian effort:

            Key Takeaways:

            * The work is primarily done by CISA, a DHS sub-agency tasked with protecting critical national infrastructure.

            * DHS, the FBI, and several media entities are having biweekly meetings as recently as August.

            * DHS considered countering disinformation relating to content that undermines trust in financial systems and courts.

            * The FBI agent who primed social media platforms to take down the Hunter Biden laptop story continued to have a role in DHS policy discussions.

            And all this has been corroborated by official documentation and other news reporting.

            Earlier, NewsBusters reported that:

            DHS continued its counter-“disinformation” work in a more cloaked fashion, and that the government specifically intended to target certain content areas including COVID-19, election security and “domestic violent extremism.”

            Considering how much ‘accepted’ information about COVID was later proven false or questionable and how the FBI and DOJ have been falsely hyping the otherwise minor ‘domestic violent extremism’ threat, this effort is highly concerning.

            Meanwhile, a DHS Office of Inspector General report recommended that DHS “develop a unified strategy to counter disinformation campaigns that appear in social media.”

            All this portends an extremely dangerous trend that must be stopped in its tracks. 

            It is critical that a GOP-controlled Congress investigate and help dismantle all these insidious DHS ‘disinformation’ efforts as soon as possible.

            Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

            Pope Francis Appoints Vocal Trump Critic As DC Archbishop In Provocative Leadership Move

            By
            Patrick Houck
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            3

            Pope Francis has named Cardinal Robert McElroy, a known advocate for migrants and outspoken critic of President-elect Donald Trump, as the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C. The decision underscores the pontiff’s preference for church leaders who align with his progressive vision, even as it risks further deepening ideological divisions within the millennia-old Catholic Church.

            Cardinal McElroy, recognized as a strong supporter of LGBTQ inclusion and other liberal causes, has consistently aligned with Pope Francis on key social and theological issues. His appointment was announced two weeks before Inauguration Day, conspicuous timing that drew widespread attention given the cardinal’s history of publicly criticizing Trump’s policies on immigration and social justice. This is particularly notable in light of McElroy’s emphasis on synodality (dialogue with one another in the presence of the Spirit of God) and church reform, which have drawn both praise and criticism from Catholic observers.

            The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

            As Forbes’ Conor Murray reports, the move to elevate McElroy comes as a stark contrast to Trump’s nomination of Brian Burch as ambassador to Vatican City. Burch, a conservative Catholic activist and president of the right-leaning advocacy group CatholicVote, was instrumental in rallying Catholic support for Trump during the 2024 campaign. His organization has frequently clashed with the more progressive stances of Pope Francis and his allies:

            McElroy has largely slammed Trump because of his views on immigration, including his promise to conduct mass deportations. McElroy was one of 12 Catholic bishops from California who co-authored a statement last month voicing support for “our migrant brothers and sisters,” acknowledging the “calls for mass deportations and raids on undocumented individuals” have created fear in migrant communities. After Trump’s first election victory in 2016, McElroy called it “unthinkable” that Catholics would “stand by while more than ten percent of our flock is ripped from our midst and deported.” He called Trump’s mass deportation plan an “act of injustice which would stain our national honor” and compared it to Japanese interment and Native American dispossession. McElroy criticized Trump’s plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy in 2017 for lacking any “shred of humanity,” stating Jesus Christ was “both a refugee and an immigrant during his journey.”

            In a 2023 column for America magazine, McElroy urged greater welcoming of divorced and LGBTQ Catholics into the church, stating the church’s “disproportionate” focus on sexual activity as sin “does not lie at the heart” of a Christian’s relationship with God and “should change.” McElroy called it a “demonic mystery of the human soul why so many men and women have a profound and visceral animus toward members of the L.G.B.T. communities.” In a February 2024 speech, McElroy considered the lack of support among Catholics for blessing same-sex marriages to be the result of “enduring animus among far too many toward LGBT persons.” McElroy has also criticized abortion being considered a “de facto litmus test for determining whether a Catholic public official is a faithful Catholic.” McElroy, however, called Biden’s lack of support for anti-abortion legislation an “immense sadness” in a 2021 America magazine column, and called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a “day to give thanks and celebrate.”

            Burch, founder and co-president of CatholicVote, was once a Trump skeptic but praised him in 2020 for making a “concerted effort to reach out to Catholics in a way that we haven’t seen in the past.” That year, he authored the pro-Trump book, “A New Catholic Moment: Donald Trump and the Politics of the Common Good.” Burch has slammed Francis for “progressive Catholic cheerleading” and accused him of creating “massive confusion” over his approval of blessing same-sex marriages in 2023.

            Also on Monday, Francis appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, to lead a Vatican office, making her the first woman to lead a major Vatican department. The department, the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, is responsible for religious orders. Francis has long voiced support for greater roles for women in the church, though he has ruled out ordaining women as deacons or priests.

            McElroy’s appointment also highlights Pope Francis’ broader engagement with U.S. politics. In 2024, the pontiff made headlines when he urged voters to carefully consider their choices, describing the act of voting as a moral responsibility. During a press conference aboard the papal plane, Francis remarked on the complexities of American politics, advising voters to choose “the lesser evil” when faced with challenging decisions.

            While the pope has criticized Trump’s hardline immigration policies, he has also expressed concern over Vice President Kamala Harris‘ unwavering support for abortion rights. Both stances, Francis noted, conflict with the Church’s teachings on the sanctity of life. “One must choose the lesser of two evils,” the pope reiterated. “Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone with a conscience should think on this and do it.”

            Despite the pontiff’s cultural influence, his impact on American politics was negligible. In the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump secured a notable share of the Catholic vote, surpassing his performance in previous campaigns. According to exit polls conducted by The Washington Post, Trump won the national Catholic vote by a 15-point margin, with 56% supporting him compared to 41% for Vice President Kamala Harris.

            This represents a notable shift compared to the 2020 election, where the Catholic electorate was nearly evenly split, with 50% supporting Trump and 49% favoring Joe Biden, a lifelong Catholic.

            In the 2016 election, Trump secured 52% of the Catholic vote, while Hillary Clinton received 45%.

            The 2024 election also saw variations within the Catholic demographic. Trump’s support among white Catholics increased, with 59% backing him compared to Harris’s 39%, a 20-point margin. This was an improvement over his 15-point lead in 2020.

            Marburg79, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

            Among Latino Catholics, there was a significant shift toward Trump. In 2020, Biden led this group by a substantial margin, but in 2024, Trump’s support increased notably, contributing to his overall gains among Catholic voters.

            The appointment of McElroy is likely to spark further debate within the Church, where a widening schism between liberal and conservative leaders continue to grow. However, it also reflects Francis’ commitment to shaping the Church’s leadership in a way that emphasizes his vision for pastoral care and inclusivity, even at the expense of unity.

            Yet, in the United States, voting trends strongly suggest that Trump’s campaign strategies—including selecting Senator JD Vance, a Catholic, as his running mate, and making explicit appeals to Catholic voters—resonated with this demographic, contributing to increased GOP support in the 2024 election and possibly beyond.

            Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

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