By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159
On Wednesday, President Trump announced that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her position at the end of August to focus on her family.
Leavitt, 28, a mother of two and the youngest-ever White House press secretary, gave birth to her second child in May.
Trump shared the news on Truth Social:
“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!”
“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”
“Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024. Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! Karoline will…
— Donald J. Trump Posts from Truth Social (@DonaldTrumpNat) August 12, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is STEPPING DOWN from her role so she can spend more time with her new baby, and her family — President Trump
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump’s endorsement machine delivered a sharply divided verdict Tuesday night.
His favored candidates scored decisive victories in Wisconsin and Alabama. His pick in South Carolina advanced but failed to put away a crowded Republican field. And in Minnesota, one of Trump’s most recognizable allies suffered a clear defeat—then refused to concede.
The result was neither a full rejection nor an unqualified show of strength. It was a reminder that Trump’s endorsement remains powerful when it reinforces an already-strong candidate, but it cannot always overcome local concerns about electability, organization and political baggage.
Lindell loses—and questions the count
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth defeated MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in the Republican primary for governor despite Trump’s full endorsement and a last-minute appeal urging supporters to vote for Lindell.
With all 4,105 precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Minnesota secretary of state showed Demuth winning 43.44% of the vote to Lindell’s 32.47%. Demuth’s margin was 45,348 votes. State GOP-endorsed businessman Kendall Qualls finished third with 21.37%.
Lindell did not concede Tuesday night. During the count, he argued that a large pool of Election Day votes remained outstanding.
“I’m down by 20,000 votes with 277,000 votes left to count,” Lindell said in a video cited by The Daily Beast.
KSTP-TV reporter Kirsten Swanson later reported that Lindell was claiming “anomalies in the numbers” and that his team planned to review them overnight. As of this writing, Lindell had not publicly conceded.
Minnesota’s results page, however, showed every precinct reporting, and Lindell had not presented public evidence of an irregularity capable of changing the outcome.
The defeat is especially striking because Trump made election integrity the centerpiece of his endorsement. In a Tuesday post, the president said no one had worked harder than Lindell in that fight and called on Minnesotans to deliver him a “BIG WIN.”
Republican voters went another way. Demuth had argued that her legislative experience and broader appeal gave the party its best chance to end a two-decade losing streak in Minnesota gubernatorial races.
“We can’t afford more of the same,” she said in a statement reported by the Minnesota Reformer, portraying Klobuchar as a longtime Washington insider who could not deliver change.
Trump’s Wisconsin pick cruises
In Wisconsin, Trump-backed Rep. Tom Tiffany had a far easier night. Tiffany captured roughly 96% of the Republican gubernatorial vote against token opposition, according to Wisconsin primary results.
“This fight is about Wisconsin,” Tiffany said after the race was called, according to WSAU.
Tiffany pledged to focus on property taxes, utility costs and returning the state budget surplus to taxpayers.
He will face Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who narrowly defeated progressive state Rep. Francesca Hong in the Democratic primary.
That matchup gives Trump’s candidate a clear general-election contrast: a conservative congressman against a Democrat who sold himself as the more electable alternative to his party’s socialist wing.
Graham advances, but Trump’s backing does not end the race
In South Carolina, Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham finished first in the special Republican primary for the seat held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham. But her roughly 33% share fell well short of the majority required to win outright.
Graham will face Rep. Ralph Norman, who received about 24%, in an August 25 runoff. The winner will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November. South Carolina election officials posted the race as headed to a runoff.
Trump had urged Graham to seek the full term and held a tele-rally for her before the primary. Her first-place finish showed the endorsement’s reach in a 10-candidate field, but the result also exposed its limit: Roughly two-thirds of Republican voters chose someone else.
Graham honored her brother in her election-night remarks and promised to keep working for voters before the runoff.
Earlier Tuesday, she pointed to her record running a state agency and her first weeks in the Senate as evidence that she was ready for the job, according to The Guardian.
Marques wins a pivotal Alabama nomination
Trump’s other clear victory came in Alabama’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District.
State Rep. Rhett Marques won the Republican nomination with 50.03% of the vote, according to preliminary totals published from the Alabama secretary of state’s results.
Marques thanked Trump, Sen. Katie Britt, his campaign and voters during his victory speech.
He said the contest was “not just about flipping a district” and framed the general election as a choice between conservative common sense and the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, according to the Alabama Reflector.
Marques will face Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in November in a district whose new boundaries are expected to give Republicans an advantage.
That makes Marques’ victory more than a routine endorsement win: It could help determine control of the House.
The bottom line
Trump’s Tuesday scorecard stands at two outright wins, one runoff berth and one conspicuous loss.
Tiffany’s landslide showed the power of a Trump endorsement behind a candidate who already had a united party and little opposition. Marques translated Trump’s support into a nomination in a potentially decisive House race. Graham led her field but still faces a serious conservative challenger.
Then there is Lindell.
His defeat—followed by his refusal to concede and unsupported claims of anomalies—turned Minnesota into the night’s defining story.
Trump’s endorsement remains one of the most valuable assets in a Republican primary.
President Donald Trump answers questions from members of the media aboard Air Force One en route to Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, for a rally on the economy, Tuesday, December 9, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
President Donald Trump appeared to board Air Force One in Ankara and prepare for an ordinary flight home.
Then he vanished.
Shortly before the presidential jet departed Turkey on July 8, Trump was secretly moved from the aircraft with the help of an airport catering truck and taken to a smaller military plane, according to explosive new reporting.
The covert switch followed intelligence about a reported Iranian plot to target the president’s aircraft as it left the Turkish capital.
CBS News reported that U.S. intelligence had detected a credible plan involving Iran and its allied proxies to fire a missile at the plane carrying Trump.
Trump had already acknowledged the danger during the NATO summit, describing himself as Iran’s “number one target.”
A Presidential-Scale Decoy
Television cameras captured Trump climbing the stairs of the older, blue-and-white Air Force One at Ankara Esenboğa Airport. A catering truck could be seen parked against the opposite side of the aircraft.
Minutes later, the truck pulled away and drove toward another U.S. government plane—an Air Force C-32A, according to The Washington Post, which first revealed the deception operation.
Trump flew to a refueling stop in the United Kingdom aboard the smaller plane. Meanwhile, reporters and some members of the president’s staff traveled the same route on the older presidential aircraft, apparently believing Trump was with them.
They had unknowingly become part of the decoy.
Reporters aboard the plane were instructed to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed. When later asked about that order, Trump said they were “probably on a dangerous flight” because of the adversaries the United States was confronting.
The operation was so tightly controlled that the administration never publicly disclosed that the president had traveled separately.
The Iran Threat Behind the Ruse
The unusual security measures unfolded during a dangerous moment in the conflict with Iran. The United States had launched fresh strikes against Iranian targets shortly before Trump’s departure, further raising fears that Tehran or one of its proxies could retaliate against the president.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had warned Washington about a possible Iranian plot to kill Trump. Some U.S. officials reportedly questioned how fully credible that intelligence was, but the warning was serious enough to help trigger extraordinary precautions.
CBS later reported that U.S. intelligence had identified a specific missile threat against Trump’s aircraft.
The differing assessments underline the uncertainty security officials faced: They could not know whether an attack was imminent, but they could not afford to assume it was a bluff.
The Disappearing Act Continued
The deception apparently did not end when Trump landed in Britain.
According to reporting cited by The Guardian, Trump was driven from the C-32A back to the older presidential aircraft at RAF Mildenhall. He boarded through a separate entrance before emerging from the familiar upper door, creating the appearance that he had traveled aboard the jet alongside the press.
Trump then boarded the newer, Qatari-donated presidential plane for the flight across the Atlantic. He spoke with reporters during that leg of the trip without revealing that they had spent the first flight aboard a decoy.
The maneuver was extraordinary, but not unprecedented. President Bill Clinton used a similar operation during a 2000 trip to Pakistan, flying aboard an unmarked executive jet while the official presidential aircraft served as a decoy.
The C-32A used in Trump’s operation is a specially configured Boeing 757 normally employed to transport the vice president, Cabinet officials and other senior government leaders. The Air Force describes it as a secure, long-range aircraft equipped with advanced communications and avionics.
Questions Surround Trump’s New Jet
Hours before leaving Ankara, Trump announced that he would use the older Air Force One “for old time’s sake” instead of the newly retrofitted Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar.
He said the move would also allow American service members at the British refueling stop to tour the new plane.
Behind the scenes, however, CBS reported that the Secret Service had recommended using the older aircraft for security reasons. At the time, questions were already being raised about whether the Qatari-donated jet possessed the same visible missile-detection and countermeasure equipment found on the legacy presidential planes.
The Air Force has maintained that the newer aircraft is safe and properly equipped for presidential travel. The White House has similarly insisted that it contains high-level security systems.
Yet for the most dangerous leg of Trump’s journey, neither of the large presidential jets carried him. One served as a decoy while the other flew separately.
Officials Furious Over Security Leak
Several Trump administration officials reportedly expressed anger after details of the operation became public, warning that exposing classified protective procedures could make similar tactics harder to use in the future.
White House communications director Steven Cheung did not directly confirm the plane switch when questioned about it. He said the administration uses “every tool at our disposal” to protect the president from America’s enemies.
In Ankara, that meant hiding Trump’s movements from the press, much of his own staff and anyone who might have been watching the presidential aircraft.
For several tense hours, the plane presented to the world as Air Force One carried nearly everyone—except the one man the entire operation was designed to protect.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is pulling the plug on the Tucker 2028 hype — just months after helping light the fuse.
The former Georgia congresswoman says Tucker Carlson is not plotting a third-party White House run, despite a viral summit of Trump-world defectors and a manifesto-style speech that sent speculation into overdrive.
“Tucker, he’s not running for president,” Greene told POLITICO Playbook over the weekend, according to The Hill. “He said that publicly. He said that privately.”
Greene also ruled herself out of the 2028 sweepstakes, insisting the group’s fight is bigger than landing one of its members in the Oval Office.
“Our argument is the two-party system is a complete and total failure,” she said. “I am 100 percent totally completely disgusted with both parties.”
“I SUPPORT TUCKER,” Greene wrote at the time, adding that Carlson “would beat Trump” in that hypothetical showdown, Axios reported.
Now she is slamming the brakes.
The fresh frenzy began with a photo from Carlson’s cabin in Maine showing Greene, Carlson, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and former Trump counterterrorism chief Joe Kent gathered around a wooden table.
Greene accused Trump of betraying voters who backed his promise to avoid new foreign wars and declared: “The movement has begun.” Carlson later shared her post and called for “a new path forward,” according to WIRED.
Kent then poured gasoline on the 2028 chatter, revealing that members of the group had urged Carlson to run. But he also acknowledged that Carlson had repeatedly told them no.
That resistance is not new. Carlson has pushed back on presidential speculation for years, and he drew an explicit line between building a political alternative and becoming its candidate in a July interview with the Columbia Journalism Review.
Carlson predicted that “there’s going to be a third party” and said he intended to help build it. Asked whether he would run on its ticket, he answered: “I don’t want to be a candidate.” CJR reported.
The distinction matters.
Greene is denying a Tucker Carlson campaign. She is not denying the push to create a new political force outside the Republican and Democratic parties.
As GAND previously reported, Carlson gave that effort an ideological spine last week when he unveiled a 10-point vision of what America “should be.” The former Fox host stopped short of announcing a campaign or launching a party, presenting the plan instead as the foundation for “whatever comes next,” Axios reported. (RELATED:Tucker Carlson Unveils 10-Point Blueprint As Revolt Against Trump Deepens)
His agenda called for equal treatment under the law, a revival of American manufacturing and farming, tougher restrictions on immigration, greater government transparency and an end to foreign entanglements. It also placed the Jeffrey Epstein saga at the center of Carlson’s case that powerful elites operate by a different set of rules.
Carlson’s transformation from Trump ally to MAGA dissident has been driven largely by two explosive disputes: the war in Iran and the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
The media personality said he personally urged Trump not to enter a regime-change conflict with Tehran and visited the White House three times before the war. Once fighting began, Carlson said he stopped speaking to the president and accused him of abandoning the anti-war promise at the heart of “America First.”
Trump fired back in March, saying Carlson had “lost his way” and was no longer MAGA. Carlson later told CJR that Trump was “not a man in charge of his own life” — a brutal assessment from a commentator who was once among the most influential voices in the president’s political orbit.
The feud widened over Epstein. Carlson has accused the administration of withholding key information and protecting a powerful class from scrutiny. Greene and Massie also became prominent critics of the government’s handling of the files.
That shared anger — over war, foreign influence and elite impunity — is now binding together a loose coalition of former Trump loyalists looking beyond the GOP.
Greene’s latest comments settle one question, at least for now: Tucker Carlson is not running for president.
But the political rebellion gathering around him does not seem to be going away.
The Department of Justice publicly denied that Rep. Byron Donalds is under federal investigation, directly contradicting explosive allegations made by one of his Republican rivals in the Florida governor’s race.
The announcement came after gubernatorial candidate James Fishback claimed Donalds was being investigated for “federal sex trafficking” in connection with scandal-plagued Rep. Cory Mills.
“Falsely accusing someone of being under investigation is a dangerous form of weaponization,” the DOJ’s Rapid Response account wrote on X. “This claim is not true. Congressman Byron Donalds is not under investigation.”
Fishback Claimed Whistleblower Came Forward
Fishback said last week that a whistleblower had approached his campaign with information he alleged implicated Donalds in criminal wrongdoing.
He publicly tied those claims to Mills and alleged that Donalds was the subject of a federal sex-trafficking investigation.
Donalds’ campaign immediately rejected the accusations as “completely false,” according to Florida Politics.
Fishback has not shared evidence establishing that Donalds is under federal investigation.
Rare DOJ Intervention
The DOJ’s decision to address the accusation publicly is notable because federal law enforcement agencies often decline to confirm or deny the existence of investigations.
That raises the stakes for Fishback, whose campaign is now facing questions over why it promoted such a serious allegation seemingly without publicly verifiable evidence.
Donalds Remains Clear Frontrunner
Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, remains the dominant candidate in the Republican gubernatorial primary.
Recent polling reported by Florida Politics has shown him ahead by roughly 30 points, reinforcing his status as the race’s clear frontrunner.
Donalds has also benefited from strong name recognition after serving in Congress and becoming one of Trump’s more prominent allies on Capitol Hill.
Stakes Rise in Florida GOP Primary
Fishback has attempted to break through Donalds’ substantial polling advantage with increasingly sensational attacks, while Donalds’ campaign has portrayed his rival as reckless and dishonest.
The Justice Department’s categorical denial could become a major issue in the primary if Fishback is unable to substantiate his claims.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) lost his Republican primary to former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, dealing a rare defeat to an incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and making Ogles the latest House member to fall in a bruising 2026 primary season.
The Associated Press projected Hatcher the winner in Tennessee’s newly redrawn 5th Congressional District after he built a roughly six-point lead over Ogles.
Hatcher Overcomes Trump Endorsement
Ogles entered the race with Trump’s endorsement and a reputation as one of the more combative members of the House Freedom Caucus.
Hatcher, however, assembled his own roster of prominent Republican supporters, including Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam. He campaigned as broadly supportive of Trump while arguing that the heavily agricultural district needed a more effective and locally focused representative.
“The message resonated, and the message was: Work like a farmer, get things done and serve others,” Hatcher told the AP after his victory.
The redrawn district also presented Ogles with an unusual challenge: according to the AP, roughly 82% of voters in the new 5th District were new to him after Tennessee lawmakers reshaped the congressional map earlier this year.
Outside Money Played Major Role
Hatcher benefited from a significant late infusion of outside spending.
The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a clean energy super PAC, poured roughly $2 million into the contest, including a $700,000 advertising push in the final week. The group targeted Ogles over his support for rolling back clean energy tax incentives.
The spending helped turn what once appeared to be a comfortable Ogles advantage into a genuine contest. By late July, betting markets and internal polling were showing the race tightening.
Ogles accused the group of improperly interfering in the Republican primary and portrayed the spending as an effort by outside liberal interests to punish him for his conservative record.
Controversies Followed Ogles
Ogles also entered the primary carrying political baggage from his four years in Congress.
He drew repeated criticism for inflammatory public statements and was the subject of a federal investigation into his campaign finance reporting. The FBI seized his cellphone in 2024 as part of that inquiry, although the Justice Department later moved to return the device, signaling that the investigation was being abandoned. He was never charged with a crime.
Ogles also faced scrutiny over discrepancies in descriptions of his educational background and made national headlines for some of his statements on immigration, Islam and political opponents.
Rare Defeat for a Trump-Endorsed Republican
Hatcher’s victory is especially notable because Trump personally backed Ogles and praised him as a “Conservative Warrior” on Election Day.
Trump’s endorsement remains highly influential in Republican primaries, making Ogles’ defeat an uncommon example of GOP voters rejecting an incumbent despite the president’s support.
The result also underscores that endorsements alone cannot always overcome a combination of redistricting, weak fundraising, well-funded opposition and local dissatisfaction.
Hatcher Heavily Favored in November
Hatcher will now face Democratic nominee and Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in the Nov. 3 general election.
The district remains solidly Republican, making Hatcher the clear favorite heading into November.
His victory also adds to an unusually turbulent year for House incumbents. Ogles is among several sitting members of Congress who have lost primaries in 2026, highlighting growing voter willingness in both parties to replace incumbents rather than automatically return them to Washington.
Mike Lindell is stepping away from the company that made him a household name and putting his full attention on becoming Minnesota’s next governor.
The MyPillow founder announced Tuesday that he had resigned as the company’s chief executive after 22 years, calling it “one of the biggest decisions of my life.”
“I’m stepping down as CEO of MyPillow so I can devote 100% of my time and energy to my campaign for Governor of Minnesota,” Lindell said in a social media post. “Minnesota deserves my full attention, and that’s exactly what I’m giving it. I’m all in, and I can’t wait to earn your vote.”
The transition goes beyond a change in title. According to a company announcement, Lindell has reduced his ownership to a minority stake. He will remain a shareholder and member of MyPillow’s board of directors but will no longer oversee day-to-day operations.
James “Jim” Furlong, who served as MyPillow’s president from 2004 to 2019 and helped grow the Minnesota startup into a national brand, is returning as CEO. The company said its products, guarantees, Minnesota manufacturing and jobs will continue without interruption.
“After 22 years of leading MyPillow, I know the company is ready for its next chapter and I know Minnesota cannot wait,” Lindell said in the company statement. “This decision is not about walking away. It is about stepping forward to serve.”
The move comes at a pivotal moment in the Republican contest. Minnesota’s primary is set for August 11, with early voting already underway. Lindell’s leading rivals include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and businessman and Army veteran Kendall Qualls, who secured the state Republican Party’s endorsement.
Lindell, however, carries the endorsement of President Donald Trump. In a July 15 Truth Social post, Trump called the entrepreneur “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots” and gave him his “complete and total” endorsement.
The latest KSTP/SurveyUSA poll placed Lindell ahead of the principal GOP field with 35% support, followed by Demuth at 26% and Qualls at 11%. The poll still left more than a quarter of voters supporting another candidate or undecided, leaving room for movement in the closing days.
The eventual Republican nominee will compete for an open seat. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz ended his bid for a third term in January amid mounting scrutiny of fraud involving state-administered programs. Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is widely viewed as the favorite for her party’s nomination.
Lindell’s rise as a national political figure has also brought years of courtroom fights tied to his claims about the 2020 election. In September 2025, a federal judge ruled that statements Lindell made about voting technology company Smartmatic were false and defamatory, while leaving the questions of actual malice and damages for later proceedings. Lindell has also appealed a separate $2.3 million defamation verdict involving former Dominion Voting Systems employee Eric Coomer.
For Lindell, resigning from MyPillow turns his campaign’s central argument into a personal wager: The businessman who built his public identity around his company is now betting that Minnesota voters want him in the governor’s office instead.
With less than a week before the primary, Lindell says there is no divided focus left.
By The White House - https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1925525961656717605/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=178898214
Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene married conservative media personality Brian Glenn in Las Vegas on Tuesday, beginning a new chapter after her dramatic break with President Donald Trump and departure from Congress.
“Last night, surrounded by our families, @brianglenntv and I said ‘I do,’” Greene announced Wednesday on X, sharing several photographs from the ceremony.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) July 29, 2026
The images showed Greene carrying a colorful bouquet and wearing a white wedding dress as she embraced Glenn, a former White House correspondent for the conservative Real America’s Voice network.
The couple held their ceremony at the Bellagio’s Terrazza di Sogno after having dinner at Spago, according to TMZ. Family members joined the newlyweds as they celebrated by playing craps, roulette and slot machines inside the resort.
Clark County records reportedly show that Greene and Glenn applied for a marriage license on July 24.
The pair announced their engagement in December, shortly before Greene’s departure from Washington.
“She said ‘yes,’” Glenn wrote at the time.
“Happily ever after!!!” Greene responded. “I love you @brianglenntv!!!”
Trump’s Cutting Remark
Glenn stepped down from his position at Real America’s Voice in May, one week after Trump took a public swipe at Greene while praising Glenn inside the Oval Office.
“You know, you act so good. I love this guy. He’s a great guy, even though I don’t love his girlfriend too much,” Trump said after Glenn asked him a question, according to Mediaite.
When Glenn later announced that he was leaving the network, he said he wanted to focus on his health, neglected family relationships and his future with Greene.
“And of course, Marjorie and I, planning a wedding likely before the end of the year,” Glenn told Real America’s News host Eric Bolling. “Focus on that, but really focus on each other.”
The couple reportedly met at a Trump rally in 2022 and began dating in 2023 after their respective marriages ended.
From Trump Loyalist To Fierce Critic
The wedding follows a tumultuous political year for Greene, who entered Congress in 2021 and quickly became one of Trump’s most recognizable and combative supporters.
That alliance collapsed in spectacular fashion in late 2025.
Greene publicly challenged the president over his foreign policy, the conflict in Gaza, health insurance costs and the release of government records connected to Jeffrey Epstein. She also accused Republican leaders of sidelining Congress and allowing bills she championed to sit “collecting dust.”
Trump withdrew his endorsement and branded Greene a “traitor,” while signaling that he would support a primary challenger against her in Georgia’s deeply Republican 14th Congressional District.
Greene responded by announcing that she would resign on Jan. 5, 2026—approximately one year before the end of her term.
“I have too much self respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for,” she wrote in her resignation statement, according to CBS News.
“I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’ hoping it all goes away and gets better,” Greene added.
The resignation temporarily narrowed the Republican Party’s already fragile House majority and ended Greene’s five-year career on Capitol Hill.
Her feud with Trump, however, did not end there. Greene has continued criticizing the president’s foreign policy and accusing Republican leaders of abandoning the “America First” voters who put them in power.
In June, she declared that she was finished supporting what she called the “America LAST Republican Party,” while stressing that she had no intention of becoming a Democrat.
Is A Political Comeback Coming?
Despite leaving Congress, Greene may not be finished with politics.
TIME reported in November that Greene had privately discussed the possibility of running for president in 2028 with allies. Greene did not publicly confirm the report or announce a campaign.
More recently, she revealed that she has participated in conversations about launching a new political party capable of challenging both Republicans and Democrats.
“I am in talks with people and there are serious conversations happening, looking at what are the mechanics of that and the reality of it,” Greene told Piers Morgan in June, according to Mediaite.
Greene said such an effort could unite “serious players from the right and the left” around what she described as a genuinely America-focused movement, although she acknowledged that building a competitive third party could take multiple election cycles.
The former congresswoman has also launched a video series called “Life With MTG,” allowing her to remain visible and continue weighing in on national politics from outside Washington.
For now, Greene insists she does not miss Congress and is enjoying what she calls “Normal People World.” But her ongoing political commentary, reported interest in a presidential campaign and involvement in potential third-party organizing suggest her time outside the arena may not be permanent.
Even Trump appeared to leave that possibility open after her resignation.
“It’s not going to be easy for her” to revive her political career, Trump told NBC News in November. “But I’d love to see that.”
He added that Greene first needed to “take a little rest.”
With her congressional career behind her and her Las Vegas wedding now complete, Greene may soon have to decide whether that rest is coming to an end.
A California man allegedly filmed federal agents as they mapped out security for President Donald Trump’s visit to his Los Angeles-area golf club — then returned two days later with hollow-point ammunition in his pocket and a loaded pistol in his pickup truck, authorities said.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, was arrested Sunday at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, setting off a search that authorities say uncovered an illegally modified rifle, body armor, high-capacity magazines, radio devices and notebooks filled with “concerning statements” at his home.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, who was arrested at Trump National Golf Course Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, a felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in… pic.twitter.com/oY3ISp8n6x
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) August 5, 2026
Now he is staring down cases in two court systems.
According to an affidavit filed with the federal complaint, agents were conducting a security assessment at the golf club on Friday, July 31, ahead of Trump’s Aug. 4 visit when they spotted Taele walking across the grounds.
He was wearing an earpiece, taking photographs and recording video of the agents’ security-planning work, prosecutors alleged. He eventually left in a vehicle.
But Taele allegedly returned Sunday while federal agents were still working at the club. Staff recognized him and alerted the agents, authorities said.
Taele then approached the agents and claimed he was employed by the State Department and assigned to a security detail at the property, according to the federal affidavit. He also acknowledged that a loaded firearm was inside his pickup in the club parking lot.
Agents called the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. When deputies arrived, they learned Taele was already wanted in connection with a robbery investigation in El Segundo, prosecutors said.
During a search, deputies allegedly found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in Taele’s pants pocket.
Inside his truck, authorities said they found a loaded 9mm pistol, another magazine packed with hollow-point rounds, binoculars and a badge bearing the words “security protection agent.”
The Search That Deepened the Mystery
The arrest quickly widened into a federal security investigation.
Detectives assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force obtained a warrant and searched Taele’s Downey home Monday because of what the Sheriff’s Department called the incident’s potential security implications.
Authorities said the search turned up an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, a 1911 .45-caliber pistol, an AR upper receiver, body armor, high-capacity magazines, bulk rifle and pistol ammunition, an earpiece and two radio signal devices.
Investigators also seized multiple notebooks containing what they described only as “concerning statements.” Officials have not disclosed what was written in them.
“We are thankful he was apprehended before the President’s visit,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in announcing the federal charge. He said investigators were still working to determine Taele’s motive.
FBI Los Angeles chief Patrick Grandy said the alleged conduct raised serious red flags and left “no room for error” given the previous attempts on Trump’s life.
State Charges — And a Separate Robbery Case
Taele also faces three California weapons counts: receiving a large-capacity magazine, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle and possessing a short-barreled rifle or shotgun, TIME reported, citing the state complaint.
Prosecutors separately charged him with second-degree robbery over an alleged Nov. 4, 2025, incident that El Segundo police were investigating before his arrest at the golf club.
Taele pleaded not guilty Tuesday. A judge set his bail at $250,000, ordered him not to possess weapons, barred him from Trump National Golf Club and prohibited him from leaving California while the case is pending. His next state court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 26.
He was also expected to make his first appearance in federal court Wednesday on the rifle charge.
Authorities have not publicly accused Taele of plotting to attack Trump, and no motive has been announced. The Sheriff’s Department said it had identified no credible threat to the surrounding community, while the Secret Service, FBI, ATF and local investigators continued to examine the case.
The Secret Service said it investigates any conduct that could signal a threat or a directed interest in a protected person. The Trump Organization thanked local and federal authorities for their swift response.
Trump’s Tuesday evening Republican National Committee event at the golf club went forward. The president briefly addressed the arrest during an appearance on “Fox News @ Night.”
“The only thing I get a little solace from is, they say only consequential presidents,” Trump said. “And I am definitely consequential.”
The scare came two years after a gunman wounded Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and after Ryan Routh’s 2024 attempt to kill Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has asked a court to issue a temporary restraining order against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) escalating a long-running legal dispute between two former Trump administration officials.
Grisham’s attorney, Mark S. Zaid, announced the move Monday but did not disclose what prompted the request.
“Today we filed for a Temporary Restraining Order against Cong. Max Miller (R-OH) on behalf of former Trump Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham,” Zaid wrote on X, according to Mediaite.
The filing is a request for court protection; available reporting did not indicate that a judge had granted the order.
Grisham, who also served as White House communications director during President Donald Trump’s first term, dated Miller in 2019 and 2020 while they both worked in the administration.
In her 2021 memoir and a Washington Post opinion piece, Grisham described an allegedly abusive relationship with an unnamed former boyfriend who worked in the White House. She later identified Miller in interviews as the man she was describing.
Miller categorically denied abusing Grisham and sued her for defamation, alleging that she fabricated the claims to promote her book and damage his congressional campaign. He dropped the lawsuit in 2023 after the two sides reached a confidential settlement.
That agreement reportedly prohibited Grisham and Miller from making disparaging statements about one another.
Grisham sued Miller again in July, accusing him of violating the agreement while responding to separate abuse allegations raised by his former wife, Emily Moreno.
During a June 5 interview with Spectrum News, Miller said that every allegation should be taken seriously but questioned the timing of Grisham’s claims, noting that they surfaced alongside her book launch.
Grisham’s lawsuit also cited a social media post in which Miller declared that “everything alleged by Stephanie Grisham was fabricated” and that he had never harmed her. The former Trump aide alleges that Miller breached both the confidentiality and nondisparagement provisions of their settlement. She is seeking monetary damages and a jury trial, according to Spectrum News.
The restraining-order request comes as Miller faces intensifying scrutiny over accusations from Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio.)
In court filings and police reports, Emily Moreno accused Miller of throwing her against a wall during a custody exchange, pouring hot water on her during their marriage and previously holding a gun to her head. Authorities also investigated how the former couple’s young daughter suffered a fractured collarbone.
No charges were filed in connection with the child’s injury.
Miller has vehemently denied abusing either his former wife or their daughter. His campaign has pointed to his continued joint custody as evidence that the accusations are not supported by the facts.
“If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case,” campaign spokeswoman Abigail Angelos told CBS News.
Sen. Moreno has nevertheless called on his former son-in-law to leave Congress, saying Miller “should not serve” in the House and should seek professional help. Moreno said he fears for the safety of his daughter and granddaughter whenever Miller has custody of the child, according to reports.
The controversy is also threatening Miller’s bid for a third term.
Trump publicly described the situation as “a very sad thing” Monday and declined to call for Miller’s resignation, saying the claims remain accusations that the families must resolve.
Privately, however, the president reportedly gave Miller a much starker assessment. Trump told the congressman during a Monday phone call that “things aren’t looking good” and repeatedly warned that his reelection campaign would be difficult, three sources familiar with the conversation told Axios.
Miller reportedly responded that his internal polling showed him in a stronger position and insisted that he would remain in the race.
“I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November,” Miller said Sunday.
