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    Trump Hands Ted Cruz A Surprise 2028 Boost

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    White House image via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump just gave one of his fiercest former rivals a potentially valuable boost in the increasingly crowded battle to inherit the MAGA movement.

    Trump praised Sen. Ted Cruz as “very talented” when asked whether the Texas Republican could become president—offering an encouraging assessment as Cruz openly flirts with another White House campaign.

    “Ted Cruz keeps teasing a 2028 presidential run. You’ve run against him for president. Do you think he could be president? What’s your reaction to that?” Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked Trump during an Oval Office press conference.

    “I would say that he’s very talented. He’s a very good friend of mine. I think he might do that. He’s a talented guy,” Trump responded.

    It was far from an endorsement—but in a Republican Party still dominated by Trump, the president’s warm words are certain to attract attention.

    Cruz Refuses To Clear The Field

    Cruz’s ambitions spilled into the open after he was asked during an MS NOW interview whether Republicans had already settled on Vice President JD Vance as their presumptive 2028 nominee.

    “I don’t think it’s accurate to say the party is universally settled,” Cruz said, according to The Hill. “I think there will be a full and vigorous discussion about who should carry on the legacy of President Trump.”

    The senator became even more direct one day later during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s podcast.

    “Do I want to be president? It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said, according to CBS Austin.

    Cruz previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016, emerging as Trump’s toughest primary opponent before ultimately suspending his campaign. Their bitter rivalry eventually gave way to a powerful political alliance, with Cruz becoming one of Trump’s most dependable defenders in the Senate.

    Now, Cruz appears unwilling to let the Republican nomination simply be handed to Vance.

    The Wall Street Journal reports that Cruz has been visiting Iowa, promoting his latest book and hitting the podcast circuit as he weighs another campaign. The outlet described Vance as the early polling leader but said Cruz is already taking some shots at the presumed front-runner.

    Trump Keeps Everyone Guessing

    Trump has repeatedly entertained questions about who should succeed him, with Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio most frequently mentioned.

    The president reportedly told donors during a private Oval Office meeting, “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” according to a Washington Post report cited by the Daily Caller.

    Trump later denied that the comment amounted to an endorsement.

    “No,” Trump told the Caller when asked about the report. “I think he’s great, but we’re way too early to even be thinking about that.”

    Trump has reportedly continued asking allies whether Vance or Rubio should lead the Republican ticket in 2028, suggesting that the president is in no hurry to crown an heir.

    “Anyone assuming it’s a lock is just getting way ahead of themselves, or just doesn’t know the president very well,” one administration official told the Washington Post.

    That uncertainty gives Cruz an opening—and Trump’s latest comments ensure that the Texas senator will not be dismissed as merely a long-shot challenger.

    The 2028 race may still be years away, but the battle to succeed Trump has already begun.

    Ted Cruz Quietly Builds 2028 Campaign Machine: Report

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    Sen. Ted Cruz may be ready for another White House brawl — and this time, Vice President JD Vance could be standing in his way.

    The Texas Republican has quietly begun asking political operatives whether they would consider working on a potential 2028 presidential campaign, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    Cruz has not formally announced a campaign, and his spokesperson declined to comment on the report. But the behind-the-scenes recruiting represents the clearest indication yet that the senator is seriously considering another run for president.

    Cruz Starts Putting In The Work

    Cruz has been making trips to Iowa, appearing on podcasts and promoting his new biography of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — moves that could help him reconnect with Republican activists and potential donors.

    He traveled to Iowa twice this year, including a May appearance before the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition and a recent campaign swing with Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson.

    The state holds special significance for Cruz. He won the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2016 before ultimately finishing second to Donald Trump in the GOP primary.

    Cruz has also become increasingly open about his lingering presidential ambitions.

    “It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said during an appearance on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast, according to The Texas Tribune.

    “This is a bug that history has proved is rarely ended,” Cruz added. “It is a permanent and often fatal bug.”

    When Patrick pressed him on whether he would run in 2028, Cruz stopped short of confirming a campaign.

    “Time will tell,” he said.

    A Collision Course With Vance?

    Any Cruz campaign would likely put him on a collision course with Vance, who leads early polls of prospective Republican candidates and is widely viewed as a possible successor to Trump.

    Asked recently whether the Republican Party had already settled on Vance, Cruz immediately rejected the premise.

    “Oh no,” he told MS NOW. “There’s going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe.”

    Cruz said he would “certainly be part of the discussion,” signaling that he intends to help shape the post-Trump Republican Party whether or not he ultimately enters the race.

    The senator has already begun highlighting potential differences with Vance, particularly on foreign policy. Mediaite reported that Cruz criticized Vance’s involvement in negotiations over the abandoned memorandum of understanding with Iran.

    “JD negotiated the MOU with Iran,” Cruz said. “That was a terrible deal.”

    He has also taken aim at Vance’s association with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, opening another potential fault line over the party’s approach to foreign affairs.

    People close to Vance have reportedly dismissed Cruz as a serious threat to the vice president’s path to the nomination. But Cruz has already demonstrated that he can compete nationally, winning 11 states during the 2016 primaries.

    Trump Leaves The Door Open

    Trump, meanwhile, has offered Cruz a notable public boost despite their vicious 2016 rivalry.

    “He’s very talented. He’s a very good friend of mine,” Trump told the Daily Caller when asked about Cruz’s presidential ambitions. “I think he might do that.”

    Trump has praised Vance behind the scenes, but he has resisted publicly locking in an endorsement for 2028, insisting it is too early to make that decision.

    That uncertainty may be all Cruz needs to begin assembling a team — and prepare for another bare-knuckle Republican primary.

    Ted Cruz Flatly Rejects Claim GOP Is United Behind JD Vance

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,

    Vice President JD Vance may be the early favorite to inherit the MAGA mantle, but Ted Cruz is warning Republicans that there will be no automatic coronation in 2028.

    Asked during an interview with MS NOW’s Ali Vitali whether the GOP had already coalesced behind Vance, Cruz delivered a blunt answer.

    “Oh, no!” Cruz declared. “There’s going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” according to Mediaite.

    The Texas Republican said there is “no Never Trump lane” inside today’s GOP and praised President Donald Trump as a fearless and extraordinary political figure. But he argued that Trump’s support cannot simply be transferred to a handpicked successor.

    “Trump is a black swan event,” Cruz said, predicting Republicans will spend the coming years debating the party’s identity after Trump leaves office.

    Cruz also made clear that he intends to have a voice in that fight.

    “There’ll be time to figure that out,” he said when asked whether he could enter the 2028 contest. “I’ll certainly be part of the discussion.”

    Days later, Cruz stripped away even more of the mystery.

    “It’s no secret that I want to be president,” the senator said Wednesday during an appearance on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast. Asked directly whether he would launch another campaign, Cruz replied, “Time will tell,” according to The Texas Tribune.

    Cruz is also scheduled to campaign in Iowa this weekend—his second trip to the early-voting state this year. The senator won the Iowa caucuses during his 2016 presidential campaign and ultimately finished second to Trump after carrying 11 states.

    Vance remains the strongest prospective candidate in the emerging field, but the numbers leave plenty of room for a fight. A May Emerson College poll placed Vance at 36% among likely Republican primary voters, just one point ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with 15% undecided.

    Reports that Trump privately told donors “we need to elect JD” fueled speculation that the president had already chosen his heir. Trump later poured cold water on an immediate endorsement, publicly calling the discussion “way too early,” according to the New York Post.

    Vance, meanwhile, has said he will discuss a potential campaign with his wife after the midterm elections, telling CBS News that he expects Trump to support whatever decision he ultimately makes.

    For Cruz, however, the coming contest is about more than personalities. He wants Republicans to decide whether they remain a small-government, free-market party and whether they favor American leadership abroad or a more isolationist approach.

    The warning to Vance was unmistakable: Being the heir apparent does not make someone the nominee.

    GOP Governor Sounds Alarm Over Trump DOJ’s Election-Day Tactics

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    admin
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    Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    A Republican governor is pushing back against the Trump administration after Justice Department election monitors allegedly tried to question voters and gain access to voting equipment during Wyoming’s primary.

    Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon called the federal officials’ conduct “aggressive” and “irregular” after two attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division visited polling locations in Laramie County on Aug. 18.

    “It sounded like the behavior of the observers was a bit aggressive,” Gordon said Wednesday as Wyoming’s canvassing board met to certify the primary results.

    “It just was irregular,” he added.

    Gordon has directed Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz to investigate the federal operation and determine whether the monitors exceeded the authority granted to them by Congress.

    “I’m not objecting to the observers,” Gordon said. “But their behavior seemed to exceed what the authority that Congress had given them was.”

    Clerk Details Unexpected DOJ Visit

    Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said two people identifying themselves as Justice Department election monitors appeared at a polling location with little warning.

    “Two individuals, identifying themselves as DOJ election monitors, informed our poll worker that they were here to monitor Wyoming’s Primary Elections,” Lee said in a statement.

    “They did not offer their credentials until I requested they do so.”

    Lee said a Justice Department official later told her that the deployment had been arranged on short notice and that an email intended for her office may have been sent to the wrong address.

    The federal attorneys reportedly began asking poll workers about their training, written election manuals and the county’s purchase of new voting equipment.

    They also sought access to examine ballot tabulators, according to Lee.

    Those requests appeared to extend beyond the enforcement of federal voting-rights and ballot-access laws, the clerk argued.

    But the greatest concern arose when the monitors reportedly sought permission to speak directly with voters inside polling places.

    The Justice Department said the proposed interviews would help determine whether Laramie County was complying with federal voting laws.

    Lee refused the request.

    “We do not allow interviews to be conducted in polling places,” she said.

    Wyoming restricts activity inside voting locations to protect ballot secrecy, prevent disruptions and ensure voters can cast their ballots without interference.

    “This was a poorly managed exercise and one that showed complete disregard for our state laws and administration of our elections,” Lee said.

    The clerk did not accuse the attorneys of handling ballots, changing votes or disrupting the final count. State officials described the primary as successful and reported no evidence of fraud or voting-rights violations.

    Republicans Split Over Federal Monitoring

    The controversy has exposed a rare disagreement among Republican officials in one of America’s most conservative states.

    Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has generally supported the Trump administration’s election-integrity efforts and defended the legal basis for allowing observers inside polling places.

    Gray also disputed Gordon’s suggestion that federal officials had failed to communicate with state authorities.

    When Gordon asked whether the Justice Department contacted the secretary of state’s office before Election Day, Elections Division Director Paul Raines acknowledged receiving a message.

    “Our office had received an email, but that’s the extent of communications I’m aware of,” Raines said.

    Gordon said the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, the state attorney general and the Laramie County clerk were not properly informed about the deployment.

    “To my knowledge, the U.S. attorney was unaware of it,” Gordon added.

    U.S. Attorney Darin Smith, however, released a statement supporting the monitoring operation several hours after it was announced.

    “Voters deserve absolute confidence that their ballots are secure and their voices are heard without interference,” Smith said. “We are working alongside local officials to ensure every lawful vote is protected.”

    Trump DOJ Expands Election Oversight

    The Justice Department announced on primary morning that it was deploying two Civil Rights Division attorneys to Laramie County and four more to Miami-Dade County, Florida.

    “Election monitoring is an ongoing priority for this office,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said.

    “Nondiscriminatory monitoring ensures all elections remain free, fair, and accessible to all.”

    The department said the operation was designed to promote “transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”

    Federal attorneys routinely monitor elections for compliance with the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and other federal protections.

    The department has not explained why Laramie County was selected or identified a specific complaint that prompted the visit.

    It also had not publicly responded to Lee’s detailed allegations as of Thursday.

    The Wyoming deployment came as the Trump Justice Department dramatically expanded its election-monitoring operation. The Civil Rights Division said it sent more than 75 monitors to approximately 200 polling locations across five states during the 2026 primary season.

    The administration reportedly could deploy as many as 1,000 federal employees nationwide for November’s general election.

    Gordon framed the dispute as a matter of states’ rights rather than a partisan attack against President Donald Trump.

    “I feel very strongly about federal government coming in and taking our guns,” he said. “I don’t like that. And I don’t like federal government coming in and taking our votes either.”

    The governor stressed that he was not accusing federal officials of stealing ballots or corrupting the election.

    “I’m not saying anything went wrong or anything else, and I certainly think the conduct of this election was phenomenal,” Gordon said.

    His concern is whether the federal government attempted to assert power over state election administration that Congress never authorized.

    With a much larger federal presence expected in November, Wyoming’s investigation could determine whether state officials seek new restrictions—or even head to court—before Justice Department monitors return.

    Trump-Backed Republican Draws Impeachment-First Challenger

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    President Donald J. Trump hosts a Rose Garden Club dinner in honor of Police Week in the White House Rose Garden, Monday, May 11, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

    Oklahoma Democrats have chosen a political newcomer who is already plotting President Donald Trump’s removal from office.

    N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a nurse making her first run for elected office, defeated attorney and nonprofit executive Jim Priest in Tuesday’s Democratic Senate runoff. Thomas captured approximately 61% of the vote, according to KOSU’s report on unofficial results.

    The victory sends Thomas into a November showdown with Republican Rep. Kevin Hern—and puts her explosive promise to target Trump squarely in the spotlight.

    In a July interview with KOSU, Thomas was asked how she would work with a president whom Hern has fiercely supported.

    Her answer left little room for compromise.

    Thomas vowed that “within my first 100 days” she would work to “impeach, remove and convict” Trump. She added that opponents would have to “pry that pen out of my cold, dead hands.”

    She later doubled down, making clear that removing Trump—not finding common ground with his administration—would be her objective.

    There is one constitutional hitch: A senator cannot impeach a president.

    The House of Representatives holds the sole power to approve articles of impeachment. The Senate conducts the resulting trial and requires a two-thirds vote of members present to convict and remove a president, according to the Senate’s official explanation of the process.

    Thomas, a Chickasaw Nation citizen and nurse from Ardmore, identifies as a democratic socialist, according to KOSU. Her platform also calls for higher teacher pay, expanded access to government-backed health insurance, abortion protections and broader federal civil-rights legislation.

    But it was her impeachment pledge that quickly became the campaign’s defining sound bite after Fox News Digital highlighted the remarks following her runoff victory.

    Thomas’ win capped her second upset of the campaign. She entered the five-candidate June primary with no previous political experience but finished first with approximately 45% of the vote, forcing the runoff against Priest.

    November will be an entirely different ballgame.

    Oklahoma has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1990. Trump carried the state by nearly 35 percentage points in 2024, while Hern cruised through the June Republican primary with nearly 70% of the vote.

    Thomas will also enter the general election facing a staggering financial disadvantage.

    Her campaign reported approximately $57,000 in total receipts through Aug. 5 and had less than $500 in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission records. Hern’s campaign reported nearly $10 million in receipts through June and finished the period with roughly $2.5 million available, FEC filings show.

    Hern, a former McDonald’s franchise owner who has represented Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District since 2018, also carries Trump’s endorsement.

    “Oklahomans love President Trump and the America First Agenda,” Hern told Fox News Digital after Thomas’ victory.

    He called Thomas “wildly out of touch with the values of Oklahomans” and accused Democrats of focusing on partisan attacks while Republicans work to advance Trump’s agenda.

    Thomas has already proven she should not be underestimated in a Democratic primary. But defeating a Trump-endorsed Republican in one of America’s reddest states—and assembling the congressional votes needed to carry out her impeachment promise—would require an upset on an entirely different scale.

    Trump Ally Byron Donalds Taps Cuban-American Conservative as Florida Running Mate

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Political representation of parties making money

    Rep. Byron Donalds has selected Florida state Sen. Bryan Avila as his running mate, adding a Cuban-American military officer and veteran state lawmaker to the Republican ticket in Florida’s race for governor.

    Donalds announced the decision Tuesday at Miami’s historic Freedom Tower, calling Avila a “proven warrior” and “conservative fighter” who has battled higher taxes, rising costs and “woke ideology” in Tallahassee.

    “He has fought woke ideology, he’s fought higher taxes, he’s fought higher costs every single day, and I could not be more proud to have him stand by my side,” Donalds said, according to The Hill.

    The announcement came one week after Donalds won the Republican primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. He will face Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who joined the Democratic Party in 2025, in November.

    Avila has represented portions of Miami-Dade County in the Florida Senate since 2022. Before moving to the Senate, he served eight years in the Florida House, including two years as speaker pro tempore.

    The Hialeah native currently chairs the Florida Senate’s Finance and Tax Committee and serves as vice chair of its Transportation Committee. He has also served as a captain in the Florida Army National Guard since 2016, according to his official Senate biography.

    Donalds emphasized Avila’s personal connection to Florida’s large Cuban-American community, describing him as the son of Cuban exiles who fled communism in search of freedom.

    “My parents escaped communist Cuba because they believed America offered something socialism never could — freedom,” Avila said in remarks reported by WFLA.

    Avila pledged that the Republican ticket would build on DeSantis’ conservative legacy, make Florida more affordable, protect public safety and defend the freedoms that have attracted millions of new residents to the state.

    The selection also strengthens Donalds’ presence in heavily Hispanic South Florida. Avila’s district includes part of Miami-Dade County, while Donalds has represented a Southwest Florida congressional district since 2021.

    Donalds enters the general election with the enthusiastic backing of President Donald Trump, a friend and political ally who helped propel his gubernatorial campaign from the beginning.

    Their alliance became especially visible during the 2024 presidential race. Donalds endorsed Trump over his own governor, DeSantis, and became one of the Trump campaign’s most prominent congressional surrogates. He appeared at campaign events across the country and helped lead the campaign’s outreach to Black voters.

    Trump returned that loyalty in February 2025, endorsing Donalds before the congressman had formally entered the governor’s race. Trump personally called Donalds before urging him to run in a Truth Social post declaring, “Run, Byron, Run!”

    Donalds responded at the time by thanking Trump and promising, “I will never let you down,” according to WUSF.

    The president reaffirmed his support ahead of Florida’s primary, describing Donalds as a “total winner” and saying he would work closely with the White House to advance the America First agenda in Tallahassee.

    “Byron Donalds will be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida,” Trump wrote while reiterating his “Complete and Total Endorsement,” according to Space Coast Daily.

    If elected, Donalds would become Florida’s first Black governor. His partnership with Avila would unite two politically important parts of the state while pairing Trump’s chosen candidate with a lawmaker deeply rooted in Miami-Dade’s Cuban-American community.

    Jolly responded to Avila’s selection by arguing that Trump—not Donalds’ running mate—would remain the central issue in the campaign.

    “This race won’t come down to Byron Donalds’ relationship with Avila; it will come down to Byron’s relationship with Donald Trump,” Jolly said in a statement reported by WFLA.

    Donalds, however, mocked the opposing Jolly-Gwen Graham ticket as “boring” and tied Florida Democrats to state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialists of America member who won the party’s U.S. Senate nomination last week.

    “They’ve joined forces to create the most boring and uninspiring ticket Florida Democrats could have ever put together,” Donalds told supporters.

    Republicans will begin the general-election campaign with a sizable historical advantage. No Democrat has won a Florida governor’s race since 1994, and DeSantis carried the state by nearly 20 percentage points in 2022.

    With Avila now at his side and Trump firmly behind him, Donalds is pitching the Republican ticket as the team that will preserve Florida’s conservative direction—and keep one of the nation’s most important states solidly red.

    Trump Urges Governors to Embrace AI Data Centers as Public Opposition Grows

    By
    admin
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    President Donald J. Trump visits the El Arepazo Doral restaurant, Monday, March 9, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

    President Donald Trump is urging governors and mayors to welcome artificial intelligence data centers into their communities, arguing that the enormous facilities will generate jobs, tax revenue and technological breakthroughs even as Americans increasingly express concerns about their impact on electricity, water and the environment.

    Speaking during a White House meeting with technology and cryptocurrency industry leaders, Trump argued that communities rejecting data-center projects risk being left behind as the United States races to expand its AI infrastructure.

    “If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous, and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous,” Trump said.

    “And if you don’t take it, you’re going to be left behind because there are plenty of places that want it,” he added.

    “Many of them are designed in a very beautiful way,” he said. “It’s really very positive.”

    Americans Aren’t So Sure

    Trump acknowledged that the rapidly expanding industry may need “a little public relations help,” and polling suggests he has a point.

    A Gallup poll released in May found a majority of Americans opposed construction of data centers in their own communities. Among the major concerns are the facilities’ substantial electricity and water requirements, as well as their potential environmental effects.

    The electricity issue has become particularly contentious as the AI boom accelerates. Data centers require enormous quantities of power to operate servers and cooling systems, raising questions about whether their expansion could strain electrical grids or ultimately increase utility costs for ordinary consumers.

    The Trump administration has attempted to manage that backlash by encouraging technology companies and data-center developers to secure additional sources of electricity rather than simply adding their enormous demand to existing grids.

    Trump has also backed efforts to speed construction. An executive order issued in July 2025 called for accelerating federal permitting for qualifying data-center infrastructure.

    The president argued Wednesday that communities should weigh those concerns against the economic benefits the projects can bring.

    Trump Points to Jobs and Medical Breakthroughs

    Asked what he would tell Americans who remain skeptical about AI, Trump again emphasized employment while making a broader case for the technology’s potential.

    “I think it’s going to create a lot of jobs. It’s going to create success. It’s going to create tremendous innovation medically,” Trump said.

    He referenced an unspecified medical development he had recently reviewed involving a “pretty unstoppable disease.”

    “All of a sudden they’re coming up with answers that they never thought were possible,” Trump said.

    AI is already being explored for uses ranging from drug discovery and medical imaging to disease detection and personalized treatment, making health care one of the areas frequently cited by the industry’s proponents when arguing that the enormous investments in computing infrastructure could produce benefits beyond the technology sector.

    Trump Wants Regulation Without ‘Stifling’ AI

    The administration is simultaneously confronting another question: how aggressively Washington should regulate a technology Trump believes could become even more consequential than the internet.

    “We’re leading by a lot with AI. We want to keep it that way,” Trump said. “We want to regulate, but we want to have regulation where they can continue to lead, not regulation that’s going to stifle a very important industry.”

    Trump has made winning the global AI race a significant economic and national-security priority of his second administration.

    On his second day back in office in January 2025, Trump appeared alongside technology executives to announce Stargate, a private-sector venture with plans to invest as much as $500 billion in American AI infrastructure.

    Its flagship data-center complex in Abilene, Texas, has since become partially operational, while additional projects have been pursued around the country.

    But the scale of the buildout has also transformed data centers from an obscure piece of digital infrastructure into a local political issue. Communities that once competed enthusiastically for major corporate investments are increasingly weighing promised construction jobs and tax revenues against higher electricity demand, water consumption, land use and potential effects on utility bills.

    READ NEXT: Biden Weaponizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be ‘Woke’

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    Byron Donalds Leaves Door Open to Trump Campaign Stop in Florida

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) is leaving the door open to President Donald Trump campaigning alongside him as Florida’s race for governor moves into its final stretch.

    Asked Tuesday on NewsNation’s “On Balance” whether Trump would come to Florida to campaign with him, Donalds replied, “Well, that’s his decision if he’s going to come down.”

    The answer stopped short of announcing a joint appearance, but it also made clear that Donalds would welcome Trump’s continued involvement after the president backed his bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

    Donalds credited Trump’s endorsement with providing “a great lift” among Republican voters. He also emphasized that the endorsement was only one part of the campaign, pointing to the work his team has done across Florida over the past 18 months.

    The alliance has been central to Donalds’s run from the beginning. Trump endorsed him in February 2025, before Donalds formally entered the race, and renewed his support ahead of the primary. In an August endorsement reported by the Tampa Free Press, Trump called the congressman a “TOTAL WINNER” and said Donalds would work with him to advance an America First agenda in Florida.

    That support helped Donalds emerge from a crowded Republican field. He will face Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman and prominent Trump critic, in the Nov. 3 general election.

    The matchup presents Florida voters with a clear contrast. Donalds has built his campaign around his conservative record, his alliance with Trump and a promise to preserve what he calls the “Florida Dream.” Jolly, who left the Republican Party before later becoming a Democrat, is campaigning as a critic of both Trump and the state’s current Republican leadership.

    Republicans enter the fall contest with a strong record in statewide elections. No Democrat has won a Florida gubernatorial election since Lawton Chiles in 1994, according to The Guardian. A Donalds victory would also make him the first Black governor in Florida history.

    Donalds said his general-election campaign will focus on “kitchen table issues,” including insurance premiums, housing costs and the effects of rapid population growth.

    He argued that Florida must reduce government-related expenses that add to the price of a new home, expand housing more efficiently and protect residents’ quality of life while creating more high-paying jobs. Donalds also said he plans to crisscross the state during the 77-day sprint to Election Day.

    For now, no joint Trump-Donalds campaign event has been announced. But Donalds has left the invitation open—and made clear that the final decision belongs to the president.

    Stand with President Trump against fraud, waste & abuse – he can’t beat the machine without YOU.

    Ossoff Turns Trump Feud Nuclear—Is This His 2028 Audition?

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is no longer trading polite disagreements with President Donald Trump. He is going straight for the throat—and looking increasingly presidential while doing it.

    Appearing Tuesday alongside Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Ossoff branded Trump a “draft-dodging, crook president” who had recklessly plunged the country into war.

    The Georgia Democrat accused Trump of trying to imprison Kelly, a former Navy captain and astronaut whom Ossoff described as embodying “American heroism.” The comments marked the sharpest escalation yet in a feud that moved from foreign policy to deeply personal attacks in only a matter of days.

    It also raised an unavoidable question: Is Ossoff merely fighting for another Senate term—or quietly auditioning for the White House?

    Ossoff Takes the Gloves Off

    The clash began Sunday, when Ossoff delivered a blistering speech attacking Trump’s handling of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

    Ossoff accused the president of neglecting deployed service members, draining American military resources and focusing instead on golfing, stock trading and his White House ballroom.

    “He doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossoff said before claiming Trump would rather “build his ballroom and travel with Natalie”—an apparent reference to Natalie Harp, the president’s executive assistant.

    Harp’s inclusion made the attack intensely personal. She is one of Trump’s most trusted aides, frequently accompanying him and helping manage his social media output, according to CBS News.

    The White House erupted.

    When reporters asked Trump about Ossoff’s remarks, the president responded by calling the senator a “Pee-wee Herman look-alike.” White House communications director Steven Cheung piled on, describing Ossoff as a “radical, extremist Dumocrat,” while other administration officials launched their own attacks.

    Ossoff did not retreat. He escalated.

    During Tuesday’s appearance with Kelly and Giffords, he tied Trump’s war leadership to the president’s previous demand that Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers be arrested over a video reminding military personnel that they must refuse unlawful orders.

    Trump called that video “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” The episode drew widespread condemnation, while military-law experts noted that service members are obligated to reject illegal commands, according to The Associated Press.

    For Ossoff, the contrast was irresistible: a president who avoided military service attacking a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut.

    A Senate Campaign With a National Audience

    The substance matters. But so does the delivery.

    Ossoff’s speeches are increasingly built for national consumption: sharp lines, cinematic staging and short clips designed to explode across social media. His rallies have become what The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called “viral spectacles,” generating the kind of attention normally reserved for politicians with ambitions beyond the Senate.

    His message is also bigger than Georgia.

    Ossoff is not simply arguing that Republican challenger Mike Collins would be a bad senator. He is presenting himself as a national check on Trump—someone willing to confront the president over war, corruption, political intimidation and alleged self-dealing.

    That is exactly the kind of political identity a future presidential candidate needs.

    A White House campaign rarely begins with a formal announcement. It begins with a brand, a donor network and a proof of concept. Ossoff is building all three.

    He entered the general election with more than $42 million in cash after raising roughly $20 million during the second quarter. Nearly 90% of his campaign’s contributions during that period were $100 or less, the campaign told the AJC.

    That combination—a massive war chest and a broad small-dollar fundraising base—could be transferred quickly into a future national operation.

    Then there is Georgia itself.

    Ossoff is the only Democratic Senate incumbent running this year in a state Trump carried in 2024. Winning there requires more than exciting Democratic voters. It requires holding suburban swing voters and persuading at least some Republicans to split their tickets.

    Ossoff has already secured endorsements from former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake and two Republican Georgia mayors. Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Tifton Mayor Julie Smith cited Ossoff’s constituent service and work securing resources for their communities when they crossed party lines to endorse him, according to the AJC.

    If Ossoff can attack Trump this aggressively while winning decisively in a state Trump carried, Democrats searching for a post-Trump national strategy will notice.

    But Ossoff Says He Is Not Running

    There is one major complication in the 2028 theory: Ossoff has repeatedly denied it.

    “I have zero interest in running for president in 2028,” he said during an MS NOW interview this week, dismissing the speculation as “2028 fantasy football.”

    That denial should not be ignored. Ossoff has a difficult Senate election directly in front of him, and allowing presidential speculation to dominate could make him appear distracted or overly ambitious.

    It is also entirely possible that his escalating rhetoric has a simpler purpose. Ossoff wants to energize Democrats, define Collins as inseparable from Trump and turn his Senate election into a referendum on the president.

    Still, politicians can build national brands without actively planning presidential campaigns. Intentions also change—especially after a decisive victory, an explosion in fundraising or an unexpected opening in the party.

    Ossoff does not need to be secretly assembling a 2028 campaign for this moment to matter. His feud with Trump is demonstrating how he would operate on a national stage: confrontational, polished, media-savvy and willing to make the fight personal.

    The Bottom Line

    Ossoff’s immediate target is Mike Collins. But Trump has become his chosen opponent.

    That strategy could help the senator win reelection by turning Georgia’s race into a larger battle over the direction of the country. It could also leave Ossoff with something far more valuable after November: a national following, a battle-tested message and proof that he can compete in hostile political territory.

    Ossoff may genuinely have “zero interest” in 2028 today but he is running the kind of campaign that could make Democrats very interested in him tomorrow.

    END THE INDOCTRINATION OF AMERICA’S STUDENTS – your input is urgent.

    Trump’s Tuesday Scorecard: Two Wins, A Runoff—And Lindell’s Defiance

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    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.

    Demuth immediately turned toward Democratic nominee Amy Klobuchar.

    “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.

    Tuesday proved it is not a guarantee.

    If we lose Texas, we lose America. Your urgent generosity could help save both.
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