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Judge Dismisses Trump’s Wall Street Journal Defamation Suit

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A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over a report detailing a letter Trump allegedly sent to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Trump has denied writing the letter and claims it was fabricated. But U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that the president failed to meet the high legal standard required for public figures to pursue defamation claims—specifically, showing “actual malice.”

“The Complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite,” Gayles wrote.

Gayles, who sits on the federal bench in Miami and was appointed by former President Obama, said Trump may attempt to amend and refile the lawsuit.

The suit stems from a July filing after The Wall Street Journal published a report about a 2003 letter Trump allegedly sent to Epstein. The letter reportedly included several lines of text “framed by the outline of a naked woman” and ended with the message, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump has said he warned the Journal the letter was fake before publication and argued the outlet should have known the story was false. The Journal has stood by its reporting.

In his ruling, Gayles emphasized that the court was not deciding whether Trump actually wrote the letter.

“Because the Court finds that the Complaint fails to adequately allege actual malice, it declines to address these issues at this juncture,” Gayles wrote. “Moreover, whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein’s friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation.”

The judge also noted that even if Trump had successfully alleged actual malice, his claims for special damages would still fail.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the president plans to continue pursuing the case.

“President Trump will follow Judge Gayles’s ruling and guidance to refile this powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other Defendants,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The President will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People.”

The lawsuit names The Wall Street Journal, the two reporters who wrote the story, News Corp, its CEO, Dow Jones, and Rupert Murdoch as defendants.

The case comes amid renewed attention on Epstein and his past associations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said the two had a falling out years ago.

Last week, First Lady Melania Trump also addressed the issue from the White House, denying any connection to Epstein and claiming she was being defamed.

“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect,” she said from the Grand Foyer. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Megyn Kelly Calls U.S.-Iran Ceasefire ‘Surrender’ In Blistering Interview

Conservative media personality and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the recent U.S.–Iran conflict, describing the resulting ceasefire as resembling a “surrender” by the United States—even as she acknowledged supporting the decision to end the fighting.

Speaking in an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Kelly offered a blunt assessment of the agreement reached between the Trump administration and Iranian officials, a two-week ceasefire brokered with the help of Pakistani mediators.

“You got to say, the deal sounds very much like surrender on our part, which I’m in favor of. I mean, great. This needed to end, ugly, or any other way, it needed to end. It was folly to begin with. It was folly throughout. It remains folly,” Kelly told Morgan.

The ceasefire came shortly before a deadline Trump imposed for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route. Despite the pause in hostilities, Trump warned that U.S. forces would remain positioned in and around Iran and could carry out further strikes if Tehran failed to comply with a broader agreement.

Yet Kelly’s critique extended far beyond the ceasefire itself. In a wide-ranging and at times blistering exchange with Morgan, she questioned how the conflict began and why Trump embraced it in the first place—pointing in particular to the influence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“What led Trump, what, at 79 years old, to sit in there in that situation room when Bibi Netanyahu was seated as an equal?” she asked. “Trump didn’t even sit at the head of the table. Trump sat at the side of the tables and Bibi was across from him as an equal in the American situation room. What led him to sit there and buy what that guy was selling hook, line, and sinker when every other president was able to see through that liar? What was it?”

Kelly cited reporting from journalist Maggie Haberman and co-author Jonathan Swan, which described internal skepticism from top U.S. officials—including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—about intelligence presented by Netanyahu.

“Because he was told the next day by our own top advisers, from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs to the secretary of state to the vice president, that these are lies and that these objectives are not going to be attainable. Don’t believe him!” Kelly said.

She acknowledged that limited military gains may have been possible but rejected the broader claims made by Trump about the outcome of the conflict.

“We might be able to wipe out the Ayatollah, not regime change, Ayatollah. And we might be able to decimate some portion of their missiles and their military. OK, that’s true,” she said. “But the goals as stated by Trump when we did pull the trigger. We’re all over the board into this moment.”

Kelly was especially critical of Trump’s assertion that the U.S. had achieved regime change in Iran.

“He’s pushing the BS claim that we effected regime change. No, we didn’t! It’s the same regime, just different players. There isn’t somebody more moderate in there at all. We have no reason to believe that.”

Instead, she argued, the outcome may have strengthened more hardline elements within Iran.

“In fact, it looks like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is in control now, which is far more radical. And the fatwa that had allegedly been issued by the Ayatollah on developing nukes is gone.”

She added that Iran now appears to hold increased leverage, both economically and strategically.

“Iran is more powerful economically. It controls the Strait and now is demanding the lifting of all sanctions against it.”

Kelly also criticized what she described as Trump’s shifting position on a proposed 10-point plan to resolve the conflict.

“And what Trump did with that 10-point plan was go from Monday saying, no, not good, to Tuesday saying, very workable. We can do it as a means of saving face to bail off of his insane threats about annihilating an entire civilization.”

Her frustration extended to Trump’s rhetoric more broadly, including social media posts in which he referenced extreme military action.

“I don’t know about you, but I am sick of this s—! I’m just — I’m sick of it. Can’t he just behave like a normal human? I mean, honestly, like the president — ‘3D chess’ — just shut up,” she said on her podcast. “F—ing shut up about that s—! You don’t threaten to wipe out an entire civilization. We’re talking about civilians, just casually in a social media post.”

Ultimately, Kelly placed responsibility for the conflict on a combination of external influence and presidential decision-making.

“So I don’t know how we got here, Piers. I’d like to know just as much as anybody else, but all I can think in my head, based on what I’ve read in the paper, is we got her thanks to Bibi Netanyahu, Lindsey Graham, and Mark Levin.”

“And ultimately, President Trump, that’s not to take agency away from the president, who was bamboozled. I don’t know why he was too weak to say no. He was too gullible to see through the lies.”

“One way or another, he allowed himself to be pushed into this insane conflict.”

Watch the full video here.

White House Press Sec. Reveals How Trump Gave Her The Role

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Karoline Leavitt didn’t get a formal sit-down, a public rollout, or even much buildup before landing one of the most visible jobs in Washington.

Instead, she got a casual aside on a phone call.

Speaking Thursday night at a Turning Point USA event at George Washington University, the White House press secretary recounted how President Donald Trump informed her she would take on the role — in what she described as “the most anti-climatic thing ever.”

“About a week after the election, we were on the phone about something, the president and me, just chit-chatting,” Leavitt said.

“And it was the most anti-climatic thing ever. He goes, ‘Oh, by the way, you know, you’re going to be the White House press secretary, right?’”

Her response: “Oh, okay.”

Trump quickly moved on.

“And he said, ‘So about that other thing, what do you think about that? What should we do? What should we say?’”

“That was it. That’s how I got the job,” she said.

Leavitt emphasized there was “no pomp and circumstance,” calling the moment “true Donald Trump fashion” and noting that “there really wasn’t a process.”

At the time, she had been working as a spokesperson on Trump’s 2024 campaign after losing her congressional bid in New Hampshire.

“I thought, I hope I’ll get a job. I don’t know if I will,” she said.

Leavitt, who gave birth to her son in July 2024, is currently nine months pregnant with a daughter — adding another layer of intensity to a role she says began with little more than an offhand comment.

Political Strategist Says Democrats Will Target Trump’s Family After Midterms

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is escalating his rhetoric against President Donald Trump, warning that Democrats will aggressively target not just the president—but his family—if they win back power in the 2026 midterms.

In a new video this week, Carville predicted sweeping GOP losses in November, framing the expected outcome as a political knockout that would leave Trump exposed to a wave of investigations.

“Let’s talk about your future, your post-November future,” Carville said, anticipating widespread defeat of Trump and the GOP. “The Democrats are going to investigate you to no end.”

“They’re going to start going after you. Then they’re going to start figuring out where all the money stolen is,” he continued. “Then they’re going to go after your stupid jacka– kids and their spouses and all the other bulls— that you see, and they’re going to investigate the s— out of you.”

The comments build on a broader—and increasingly aggressive—set of predictions from Carville, who has repeatedly argued that Democrats are poised for major midterm gains. Across multiple recent appearances, he has claimed Republicans are heading toward significant losses, citing voter frustration over inflation, dissatisfaction with Trump’s leadership, and fallout from the administration’s handling of the Iran conflict.

Carville has gone even further, suggesting those losses could trigger a chain reaction inside Washington: Democratic control of Congress, immediate impeachment proceedings, and a flood of investigations into Trump’s finances, conduct in office, and inner circle.

Trump himself has warned that a Democratic victory would lead to exactly that scenario, arguing that impeachment and investigations would follow quickly if Republicans lose control of the House or Senate.

Carville, however, is not just predicting investigations—he is openly embracing them. He has previously urged Democrats to center their messaging on accountability, including proposals for commissions to examine alleged “war profiteering” tied to the Iran conflict, which he has called a “catastrophe of the first order” and a “racket war.”

In his latest remarks, Carville also raised the possibility that Trump could face scrutiny beyond U.S. borders.

“When it comes to the stuff you’re doing in Iran, I got to tell you, you’re getting really, really, really close to war crimes here. You’re probably going to cross the line,” Carville warned. “And the one thing that Democrats are going to insist on in the 2028 election is that if you’re indicted by the international courts and I think it’s in Hog or Hague or somewhere in the Netherlands, we’re not going to protect your a–, not gonna protect you.”

He added that Trump’s political support could quickly erode—even within his own party—if Republicans suffer major defeats.

“You know who’s going to turn on you?” Carville asked. “What’s left of the Republican senators.”

Carville has repeatedly floated a dramatic endgame: that the mounting pressure—from investigations, impeachment threats, and political isolation—could ultimately push Trump to resign early and seek a pardon from Vice President JD Vance. Still, he has argued that even a presidential pardon would not shield Trump from state-level or international legal exposure.

“I got news for you, dude. You’re done,” he said. “And we’re going to enjoy watching your downfall. Thank you very much.”

The White House quickly fired back. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson said, “James Carville is a stone-cold loser who clearly suffers from a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.”

Carville’s latest comments are consistent with his long track record of blunt—and often controversial—political predictions. In recent years, he has repeatedly forecast Trump’s political collapse, including predicting a Democratic victory in 2024 and even suggesting Trump’s second administration would “collapse in 30 days.”

Now, with the 2026 midterms approaching, Carville is once again making a high-stakes call—this time not just about electoral outcomes, but about what he believes will be an aggressive, wide-ranging effort to investigate Trump, his family, and those closest to him if Democrats take back power.

Mike Lindell Appears To Be Served Lawsuit During Live Interview

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Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and a prominent Trump ally, appeared to be served with legal papers during a live interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, in an interruption that quickly drew attention online.

Lindell was speaking on camera with Michael Casey, a correspondent for O’Keefe Media Group, at the event in Grapevine, Texas, when a woman stepped into frame holding documents. In footage shared by Casey, the woman approached Lindell mid-interview and said: “Hi, sorry to interrupt. I have this for you. You’ve been served.”

Casey described the woman as a “deranged leftist,” though her identity and the nature of the documents have not been independently confirmed.

Lindell attempted to continue the interview, repeatedly asking the woman to move out of the shot. “We’re on TV here, please. We’re on TV, please. OK, we’re on TV,” he said, gesturing for her to step aside.

Watch:

As Casey pressed the woman about what she was delivering, Lindell added: “I’m not accepting it.” The woman insisted the papers had been served regardless. Lindell briefly took the documents before tossing them off camera behind him and continuing the interview.

It remains unclear whether the incident involved a legitimate legal filing or was a staged disruption. No details about the alleged lawsuit were immediately available.

Lindell has been a close ally of former President Donald Trump and one of his most vocal supporters since the 2020 election. He has repeatedly promoted Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen, using his platform, LindellTV, to amplify those assertions. Trump has publicly praised Lindell in the past, often highlighting his loyalty and willingness to fund efforts challenging the election results.

That alignment has also placed Lindell at the center of multiple legal battles. He has faced defamation lawsuits from voting technology companies over his election claims, and earlier this week, he lost a bid to overturn a related defamation verdict.

DeSantis Hints At Another White House Run

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Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is leaving the door open to another presidential bid after his unsuccessful 2024 campaign, signaling he could reemerge as a contender in the increasingly competitive 2028 Republican primary.

“We’ll see,” DeSantis told Fox News host Sean Hannity on his podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.” The full interview is set to be released Tuesday.

DeSantis, who is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027, faces a relatively short window to decide his political future. With the 2028 primary season expected to ramp up shortly thereafter, he will have roughly a year out of office to assess whether to launch another White House run.

Once viewed as a rising star in the GOP, DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race with significant momentum. His national profile surged his opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and a dominant nearly 20-point reelection victory in Florida in 2022. Early on, he was widely considered one of the strongest alternatives to former President Trump.

However, his campaign struggled to gain traction amid a prolonged and often contentious rivalry with Trump, who retained deep loyalty among Republican voters. After finishing a distant second in the Iowa caucuses — with just over 21 percent of the vote and nine delegates — DeSantis suspended his campaign ahead of the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Trump. He ultimately placed third overall in the Republican primary, behind Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Reflecting on that race, DeSantis suggested his support was constrained by Trump’s presence in the field.

“They were conservative voters, right? They didn’t want the non-conservative, they wanted me,” he said. “But the timing didn’t work out, obviously, for that.”

“So you just got to see what happens,” he added.

Looking ahead, the 2028 Republican primary is already beginning to take shape, with several high-profile figures jockeying for early position. Vice President JD Vance currently holds a significant polling advantage, benefiting from his national platform and close alignment with Trump-era politics.

Recent surveys illustrate the early dynamics of the race. A poll conducted by Echelon Insights found that 40 percent of Republican-leaning respondents favored Vance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio followed at 16 percent, while Donald Trump Jr., DeSantis and Haley trailed with 9 percent, 5 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Thirteen percent of respondents remained undecided.

A separate poll by The Public Sentiment Institute showed a somewhat tighter field, with DeSantis polling at 13.5 percent — good for third place — behind Vance (29.3 percent) and Rubio (15.5 percent). Nearly 10 percent of respondents were undecided.

The early polling underscores both the opportunity and the challenge for DeSantis. While he remains a recognizable figure with a record that appeals to conservative voters, he would likely enter a crowded field that includes establishment figures like Rubio, Trump-aligned candidates such as Vance and Trump Jr., and other potential contenders still weighing bids.

With Trump’s future political role uncertain and no clear consensus successor, the 2028 race is shaping up to be a wide-open contest. Whether DeSantis can reestablish himself as a top-tier candidate may depend on how effectively he rebuilds momentum after his 2024 defeat — and whether the political environment proves more favorable the second time around.

John Fetterman Reveals Which Trump Admin Official He Surprisingly Gets Along With

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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he has developed an unexpected rapport with Dr. Mehmet Oz—now serving as director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services—despite their bruising 2022 Senate race, highlighting his broader critique of rising political hostility and what he has described elsewhere as “Trump Derangement Syndrome” within his own party.

In an interview released Tuesday with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Fetterman reflected on his past rivalry with Oz, whom he defeated to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. While acknowledging the race “got nasty,” Fetterman emphasized a level of personal respect that has carried over into their post-election interactions.

“You know that that campaign got nasty, but you know he’s undeniably, he’s a brilliant guy and I’ve had heart issues,” Fetterman told Hannity. “I would have no problem to have him operate on me, either.”

Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May 2022 during the campaign, said the experience reshaped how he views political conflict and personal animosity.

“I’ve had a near death experience,” Fetterman added. “I don’t, I don’t carry any of that stuff and you know, we’re in the business that there is, part of it is just professional wrestling and then the more it gets more and more personal, like, that’s really in the wrong direction and things get really, really kind of bitter… and when you are openly telling people to you know, fuck off, or call these kinds of names that’s become the new normal and that’s just the wrong direction.”

Watch:

The Pennsylvania Democrat has increasingly positioned himself as willing to break with his party on a range of issues, drawing criticism from some progressives. He has faulted fellow Democrats for what he has characterized in other remarks as an excessive focus on former President Donald Trump—often referred to by critics as “Trump Derangement Syndrome”—arguing that it distracts from pragmatic policymaking and alienates voters.

Fetterman’s recent positions reflect that independence. He criticized Democrats for blocking a spending bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and backed Operation Epic Fury, a joint U.S.-Israeli military effort targeting Iran’s military capabilities. He has also defended Trump-era strikes against suspected drug smugglers and taken a more moderate stance on election policy.

“For me as a Democrat, just fundamentally at the end of the day showing basic, basic, ID to vote is a very reasonable idea,” Fetterman told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo during a Feb. 17 appearance on “Mornings with Maria.”

His willingness to cross party lines—and to openly criticize Democratic messaging—has fueled speculation that he could face a primary challenge when he seeks reelection in 2028.

Senate Democrat Claims ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ Is Leading Democrat Party

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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is drawing fresh attention—and likely some backlash—after bluntly arguing that his own party lacks clear leadership and is instead being driven by what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Appearing on the All-In Podcast, Fetterman was asked a straightforward question by host David Friedberg: “Who do you think leads the Democratic Party today?”

Fetterman’s response was equally direct: “we don’t have one,” before adding a sharper critique. He said he believes “TDS” is “the leader right now,” explaining, “our party is governed by the TDS.”

“TDS,” short for “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” is a term popular among Trump allies and critics of the left, used to describe what they see as reflexive or excessive opposition to former President Donald Trump. Fetterman’s willingness to adopt the phrase publicly sets him apart from most Democratic lawmakers, who typically reject the framing.

He doubled down on the point later in the interview, reiterating, “You asked me earlier, what’s the leader of the Democratic Party right now. I would say it’s TDS.” To illustrate his argument, Fetterman added that Trump “could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays and now, suddenly, Democrats would hate it. We would wanna vote it down.”

The Pennsylvania senator has increasingly positioned himself as an independent voice within the party, particularly on foreign policy. During the same podcast, he emphasized his support for aggressive U.S. action abroad, specifically referencing Operation Epic Fury, a U.S. strike targeting Iran.

Fetterman said that he is “literally the only Democrat in America, uh, in Congress, that I’ve come across that’s saying, I think it’s a great thing to break and destroy the Iranian regime. I think it’s entirely appropriate to hold them accountable.”

His comments reflect a broader pattern: Fetterman has often broken with progressive Democrats on national security and Middle East policy. He has been one of the most vocal Democratic supporters of Israel following the October 7 attacks, a stance that has at times put him at odds with members of his own party’s base.

“As a Democrat, I’m deeply proud to stand with Israel through the horror of 10/07,” Fetterman wrote in a recent post on X. “I’m deeply proud of our military and what they’ve accomplished in Epic Fury. Picking country over party is never wrong.”

Taken together, Fetterman’s remarks highlight an ongoing tension within the Democratic Party: a divide between lawmakers who prioritize opposition to Trump and those, like Fetterman, who argue the party needs a more defined agenda—and a clearer leader.

Political Strategist Predicts Date Trump Will Quit White House

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is once again making a bold political prediction—this time suggesting that President Donald Trump could abruptly abandon the presidency if Republicans suffer major losses in the 2026 midterm elections.

In a Monday video for Politicon, Carville argued that mounting political and economic pressures—including voter frustration over inflation and fallout from Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict—could culminate in a dramatic exit from office. He pointed to what he expects will be a strong Democratic performance in the midterms, potentially flipping control of both chambers of Congress.

“Everything that he tries blows up in his face. I’m telling you, I think he’s just going to quit next year by this time. I think he’s just going walk away because the Democrats control the House and the Senate. No one’s going to pay attention to him. The fiscal condition of the country is beyond in the ditch. The Iran thing has turned into just a catastrophe of the first order,” Carville said.

Carville’s remarks come as several recent polls have shown Republicans facing a difficult electoral map in 2026, with Democrats holding advantages in key swing districts and Senate races. While election outcomes remain uncertain, early indicators suggest the possibility of a significant shift in congressional power.

Trump himself has acknowledged the stakes of the midterms, warning supporters that a Democratic victory would likely trigger renewed impeachment efforts. He has repeatedly claimed that Democrats would “immediately” pursue investigations and charges if they regain control of Congress, framing the election as a referendum not just on policy, but on his political survival.

Carville also used his appearance to sharply criticize the administration’s approach to Iran, referring to the conflict as a “racket war” and calling for Democrats to make the issue of war profiteering central to their campaign messaging. He even proposed the creation of a commission to investigate companies that may have benefited excessively from the conflict.

“It has to be, we’re gonna have a commission to thoroughly examine war profiteering and those that have been justly profited off of war, unjustly. Some people are gonna, you know, they have to have fuel in airplanes. I can’t blame somebody for selling fuel to put in an airplane and have to a certain amount of materials and ammunition and food and all of those things that happened. But I’m talking about something way beyond that. Way beyond that. And you, my dear people, are owed an explanation, and you’re also owed accounting,” he said.

Carville went further, urging Democratic candidates to explicitly commit to such an investigation if they win back power.

“Please ask Democratic candidates to commit themselves to a commission to determine the extent of war profiteering that has taken place during this idiocy that this jacka** started,” he said.

Watch:

While Carville is known for his provocative predictions, his comments underscore the high political stakes surrounding the 2026 midterms. With control of Congress—and potentially the trajectory of Trump’s presidency—on the line, both parties are already framing the election as a defining moment in the current political era.

Actress Fires Back at Critics Over Attendance at Mar-a-Lago Dog Rescue Event

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Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Actress Katherine Heigl is pushing back against critics who took issue with her appearance at a dog rescue fundraiser held at Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate of President Donald Trump, arguing the event was focused entirely on animal welfare rather than politics.

Heigl attended the Wine, Women & Shoes Benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue fundraiser on Sunday at Trump’s Florida residence. According to the organization, the event raised $5.5 million to support its work rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs.

But her appearance quickly drew backlash online from critics who objected to her participation in an event held at the home of the former and current Republican president. The criticism reflects a broader dynamic in the country’s polarized political climate, where public figures often face scrutiny simply for appearing at venues associated with Trump or his allies.

In recent years, commentators on the right have frequently used the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) to describe what they view as an outsized or reflexive hostility toward Trump and anything connected to him. Supporters argue the phenomenon leads some critics to condemn even non-political activities if they occur in proximity to Trump or his properties, while detractors of the term say it is used to dismiss legitimate concerns about the former president.

Heigl appeared to push back against the idea that politics should overshadow charitable work.

“Animals don’t vote. The only room they don’t like is the euthanasia room at a shelter,” Heigl said in a statement to Page Six. “They are completely at the mercy of us, and they have no voice of their own.”

“This event was about animal advocacy — something that has always been deeply personal to me,” she continued. “Anyone who knows me knows that protecting animals is one of my greatest passions.”

She also urged people not to turn animal welfare into a partisan issue.

“As a society, we should all come together to protect the voiceless and the innocent,” she added. “This should not be a polarizing issue.”

The actress also responded directly to critics on Instagram after the event circulated online. Some commenters questioned why she would attend a fundraiser held at Trump’s home, while others mocked or dismissed her involvement.

When one commenter wrote, “Who even is she?” Heigl replied:

“Doesn’t matter. Do you care about animals? If so donate! Time! Money! Attention! Your voice! It doesn’t matter who I am only what I do.”

She followed up with another response encouraging people to focus on causes they care about rather than online criticism.

“The same goes for you! Animals might not be your thing but I bet you care deeply about something that matters! Do your part! Don’t waste your time scrolling and making comments!”

Heigl, best known for her roles in “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Knocked Up,” and “27 Dresses,” has long been active in animal rescue efforts. She and her mother co-founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, named after her late brother, which works to rescue dogs and cats and fund spay-and-neuter programs.

In recent years, the actress has stepped back somewhat from Hollywood life. In a 2023 interview on the “Today” show, Heigl said she relocated with her family to Utah after spending much of her career in Los Angeles.

“I think some people are mountain people, and I think some people are beach people,” Heigl explained. “I’m sort of a mountain person and have always been that way.”

She said the move helped provide balance after years in the entertainment industry.

“And my mom realized, because we went out to LA when I was 17 and hustled and hustled for years, right?” Heigl continued. “And I think she realized at a certain point that I needed somewhere to escape to and kind of clear my head, and that grounded me.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, Heigl made clear that her focus remains on the charitable mission behind the event — helping animals that cannot advocate for themselves.