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Elon Musk To Join Trump Rally At Attempted Assassination Site

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Space X CEO Elon Musk is planning to attend Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania this weekend – the same site where the former President narrowly survived an attempt on his life earlier this year.

“I will be there to support,” Musk wrote in a post late Thursday on social platform X, which he acquired in 2022. 

Trump’s campaign announced last week that he would return to Butler, Pa., just months after his ear was grazed with a bullet during a campaign event in July. The gunman and one attendee were killed, and two others were injured during the incident.

“President Trump’s return to Butler will stand as a tribute to the American spirit. In America, we do not let monsters like that evil assassin have the last word,” the campaign said in a release that framed Trump’s survival as “what the world has recognized as an act of divine providence.” 

Musk, who has increasingly waded into discussions on politics, endorsed Trump in July following the shooting. The tech entrepreneur helped launch a pro-Trump Super PAC, America PAC, that has carried out some of the GOP’s get-out-the-vote efforts in the critical swing states. 

The shooting in Pennsylvania was just one of two assassination threats the former president has faced this election cycle.

Last month, a suspect was arrested after Secret Service agents witnessed a man pushing a rifle through the perimeter of Trump’s Florida golf course. The man, identified was Ryan Wesley Routh, was later arrested and charged with federal gun crimes.

Indiana Governor Vows To Help Primary Republicans Against Redistricting Plan

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) on Thursday sharply criticized a bloc of Republican state senators who joined Democrats to defeat a GOP-backed redistricting proposal—an effort supported by President Donald Trump. Braun said he will actively assist Trump in backing primary challengers against lawmakers who, in his view, sided against fairer maps and against the interests of Indiana conservatives.

“I am very disappointed that a small group of misguided State Senators have partnered with Democrats to reject this opportunity to protect Hoosiers with fair maps and to reject the leadership of President Trump. Ultimately, decisions like this carry political consequences,” Braun said in a post on X.

“I will be working with the President to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers,” he added.

Redistricting Bill Fails Despite Republican Majority

The Indiana Senate rejected the proposed mid-cycle redistricting plan in a 19–31 vote, with more Republicans voting against the measure than for it. The bill sought to strengthen GOP representation by adjusting district lines to reflect population changes—an approach Trump has pushed in multiple states as Democrats continue to deploy aggressive legal and political strategies to secure map advantages nationwide.

Following the vote, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz blasted the dissenting Republicans. “We’ll be launching primary challenges against every last traitor who voted no, effective immediately! Pack your bags, your time is up!” he wrote on X.

Some Republican lawmakers defended their decision. State Sen. Spencer Deery (R) argued the proposal conflicted with his conservative philosophy of stable governance.

“Make no mistake, I, like many of those who will join me in voting no today, are constitutional fiscal and religious conservatives,” Deery said. “My point is that my opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast with my conservative principles. My opposition is driven by them.”

Trump Names Names

Trump directly criticized several figures he sees as obstructing the GOP’s ability to compete more effectively, including former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and strategist Cam Savage.

“They found some Republican ‘SUCKERS,’ and they couldn’t be happier that they did! Guys like Failed Senate Candidate Mitch Daniels, who I opposed in his Race against Senator Jim Banks, and Cam Savage, whoever that is, are fighting against the Republican Party, all the way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the vote.

He also singled out Indiana Senate Leader Rod Bray (R) for failing to rally Republican support.

“Bray and his friends are the favorite Republicans of [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries], Crazy Nancy Pelosi, and Cryin’ Chuck Schumer. Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring,” Trump said.

National Context: A Broader Redistricting Fight

Indiana’s internal GOP clash comes amid a broader national battle over congressional maps, where Democrats have aggressively leveraged courts and commissions to secure more favorable districts:

  • New York: Democrats redrew maps to target several GOP-held seats after the state’s high court allowed a do-over, boosting Democratic recruitment in key suburban districts.
  • North Carolina: Republicans successfully redrew districts after a conservative shift in the state Supreme Court, likely netting the GOP multiple additional U.S. House seats.
  • Alabama & Louisiana: Federal courts forced both states to create additional majority-Black districts, likely giving Democrats two more congressional seats in 2024 and beyond.
  • Wisconsin: A liberal state Supreme Court struck down longstanding legislative maps, creating uncertainty heading into 2025 and potentially benefiting Democrats.
  • Georgia: The state drew new maps after a court ruling, but Republicans managed to preserve their overall advantage.

In this landscape, conservatives argue that refusing to strengthen GOP maps—especially in red states—amounts to unilateral disarmament. That argument underpins Trump’s pressure campaign in Indiana, where he insists the party must use every legal tool available to secure representation that reflects the electorate.

A Turning Point for Indiana Republicans?

With Trump and Braun both committing to fund and endorse primary challengers, several Indiana state senators could soon face serious political consequences. For Trump-aligned voters and officials, the vote represents a missed opportunity to counter Democrats’ redistricting gains nationwide. For the GOP lawmakers who opposed the measure, it is a stand for what they call principled conservatism.

Trump Addresses 2028 Campaign Speculation

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Not so fast…

President Donald Trump shot down speculation that he would run as a vice presidential candidate in 2028, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that Republicans already have “great” prospective candidates.

Trump made the statement during a gaggle with reporters on Sunday, brushing off questions about whether he would fully pursue such an option. 

The president answered a slew of questions aboard Air Force One on his way to Tokyo, where he will meet with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the second leg of his Asia tour.

Trump also confirmed on Sunday that he would be open to meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea.

As part of an answer to a question about a potential third presidential term, Trump told reporters that the administration had “some very good people.”

When asked to clarify the people he was referring to, the president named Vance and Rubio, who stood directly behind Trump, as he speculated about a 2028 ticket with both their names.

“Well, we have great people. Well, I don’t have to get into that, but we have one of them standing right here. We have JD [Vance] obviously. The vice president is great,” said Trump. “Marco [Rubio] is great. I’m not sure if anybody would run against us. I think if they have a form to group it would be unstoppable, I do. I really believe that.”

“They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC’s low IQ. If you give her an IQ test, have her pass, like, the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed. I took those very hard, they’re really aptitude tests, I guess, in a certain way, but they’re cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against him,” he continued.

Asked about whether he would run as vice president in 2028, Trump noted that he would be “allowed to do that,” but he called the plan “too cute.”

“Is it the White House, or the White House counsel’s, or your legal position, I guess, that you could do that?” a reporter pressed.

“You’d be allowed to do that, but I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute,” Trump responded.

Watch:

In a move equal parts showmanship and provocation, Donald Trump has quipped that he might be “considering” a third term — a wink-and-nod jab aimed squarely at his opponents suffering from what he often dubs “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” He used the occasion of a White House meeting with Congressional Minority Leaders to hand out “Trump 2028” hats, an unmistakable tease of Democrats who have spent years assailing his every move. What was framed as a light-hearted joke nonetheless sended a two-fold message: one, that Trump’s critics are so consumed by him they’ll obsess over even the most outlandish scenario; and two, that he remains in the driver’s seat of the narrative

Popular Lawmaker Firmly Rejects Harris VP Nomination Speculation

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

He’s not interested…

Over the weekend, Independent Sen. Joe Manchin (W.V.) shot down rumors he may join Kamala Harris on the campaign trail as her running mate.

When asked on “CNN This Morning” if he would consider running as VP with Harris — whom Biden endorsed to replace him on the ticket — Manchin said, “No, I’m not.”

“It’s a new generation, you don’t want a 76-year-old vice president right now,” he continued.

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt then asked if the nation wants a 76-year-old president, following reports that Manchin is considering reregistering as a Democrat to run against Harris for the nomination.

“Well, if he feels like he’s 50 maybe,” Manchin quipped.

“I haven’t worked with Kamala at all,” he later added.

Manchin, a longtime Democrat, switched to an independent in May and floated a primary bid against Biden, but he ultimately decided against it.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to social media.

The president said he will address the nation later this week to discuss his decision to ultimately drop out.

Hours before Biden’s announcement, Manchin became the fifth senator to call on Biden to leave the presidential race.

“I came to the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

“I want him [Biden] to be the president in the last five months … of his term, to do what he can do is unite our country, to calm down the rhetoric and be able to focus attention to peace in the world,” the senator added.

Widely-Rumored 2028 Democrat Presidential Contender Takes His Name Out of Consideration

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P0120021CK-1111: President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

One down…

Over the weekend, a popular Democrat governor widely believed to be a top 2028 presidential contender officially took his name out of the running.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Sunday said he is “not running for president” in ’28 — knocking out one of the top contenders to lead the Democratic ticket, three years before the election.

Moore, while appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, was asked by host Kristen Welker if he plans on serving a full term if he wins reelection as governor next year. He told Welker he does plan on serving the full four-year term — leading her to clarify that means he is removing himself from the ’28 field.

“Do you rule out a run for president, governor?” Welker asked him.

“Yeah, I’m not running for president,” Moore responded.

She responded: “You rule it out?”

Moore then told her “Yes, I’m not running for president.”

At that point, Welker asked him once again to clarify his intentions, asking if he “completely” ruled it out.

Here is what Moore said:

“I’m so excited about what we’re doing. That we’ve gone from 43rd in the country in unemployment to now one of the lowest unemployment rates. We’ve had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America. Our population is growing. Maryland is moving, and so I’m really excited about going back in front of the people of my state and asking for another term.”

Watch:

Last month, Kalshi betting market put Moore at 6% odds to be the party’s nominee — which came in fourth behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) at 20%, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) at 15%, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D) at 10%. The president site Polymarket also had Moore as a top five contender.

In 2024, the Maryland Governor faced controversy after falsely claiming to be a Bronze Star recipient on a 2006 White House fellowship application. 

Moore, who was 27 years old when he applied for the White House position, blamed his Army superiors for the inclusion of the falsehood on the application and said he never corrected the mistake because he was eager to “begin the next phase” of his life, in a statement released after the New York Times reported on the embellishment. 

“These are the facts,” the Maryland governor wrote in his lengthy statement. “While serving overseas with the Army, I was encouraged to fill out an application for the White House Fellowship by my deputy brigade commander. In fact, he helped me edit it before I sent it in. At the time, he had recommended me for the Bronze Star. He told me to include the Bronze Star award on my application after confirming with two other senior-level officers that they had also signed off on the commendation.” 

Moore noted that his deputy brigade commander “felt comfortable with instructing me to include the award” on the application because he was under the impression that the medal for heroic or meritorious service had already been “approved by his senior leadership.” 

“In the military, there is an understanding that if a senior officer tells you that an action is approved, you can trust that as a fact. That is why it was part of the application, plain and simple,” the governor explained. 

“Towards the end of my deployment, I was disappointed to learn that I hadn’t received the Bronze Star. But I was ready to begin the next phase of my life,” Moore continued. 

Moore deployed to Afghanistan as a lieutenant with the 82nd Airborne Division in 2005, according to his official governor’s biography

Moore was ultimately awarded the Bronze Star in December 2024 for his deployment to Afghanistan.

Trump Responds To Potential VP Candidate Questions

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump is not impressed by the current pool of Republican candidates…

Following the second Republican presidential debate Trump, the current frontrunner, responded to speculation he could choose his next running mate from the group of current candidates. His answer? No way.

“We’re competing with the job candidates, they’re all running for a job. No, they’re all job candidates,” Trump said of his competition. “They want to be in the – they want to, they’ll do anything, secretary of something, they even say VP.”

“Does anybody see the VP in the group? I don’t think so,” the former president added.

Seven GOP candidates were on the stage Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The seven candidates were North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, biotech entrepreneur and political commentator Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Who should Trump pick to be his next running mate? Tell us your favorite candidate below.

Conservative Pundit Candace Owens Says She’s Embarrassed She Supported Trump

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The MAGA base is split over President Trump’s recent foreign policy moves…

Popular conservative pundit Candace Owens said she’s “embarrassed” she supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election following his decision to bomb multiple nuclear facilities in Iran.

“This is not the candidate that I voted for,” Owens told Morgan in a wide-ranging interview on his YouTube show Piers Morgan Uncensored.

Owens has long been a supporter of the president and was among the many prominent media supporters that urged Trump to stay out of the conflict. This faction of the MAGA movement noted that Trump campaigned on extracting the United States from foreign conflicts, and clashed with pro-war supporters of the president like Laura Loomer, who recently dubbed Owens, “Tehran Candy.”

“It’s all of the same rhetoric dating back to 9/11. All of the same tactic trying to smear people who are against this war as ‘jihadists,’” Owens told Morgan, arguing that conflict between Israel and Iran was “simply not our business.”

“There was no imminent threat to the United States when Trump made this decision to do what Bibi wanted,” Owens said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This was not Trump’s decision it was Bibi Netanyahu’s decision. And that is the reason that he did it. We’re very aware that Israel is dictating our foreign policy, and we’d now like that to stop.”

Owens, who first voiced opposition to the United States’ potential bombing last week, said she now sees her support of Trump in a different light.

“He’s been a chronic disappointment,” said Owens. “And I feel embarrassed that I told people to go vote for him because this wasn’t going to happen and it is happening.”

Owens said there was “no imminent threat” to the United States while slamming Trump’s Sunday strikes. However, Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and others have alleged that Iran was nowhere near obtaining nuclear weapon capability, which the president adamantly denied.

“I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday.

Watch:

Other well-known voices within the MAGA base have also criticized the President’s recent move against Iran.

Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) engaged in an explosive argument with Fox News host Mark Levin online which eventually spilled over to another interview on One America News.

Speaking to OAN’s The Matt Gaetz Show, Greene stepped up the MAGA civil war by laying into Levin and questioning his support for President Donald Trump.

The two conservatives have clashed over Levin’s support Trump’s bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, while Greene has opposed it. She told CNN on Monday: “I got elected on the exact same campaign promises that President Trump got elected on. We promised: no more foreign wars, no more regime change.”

Earlier in the day, she wrote in a lengthy post on X that Trump’s decision to authorize US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend “feels like a complete bait and switch” on the MAGA agenda.

Report: Trump Team Mulling Replacement For Controversial Admin. Nominee

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By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

This Trump nominee could already be on his way out…

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has reportedly been drafting a list of alternative nominees for Defense Secretary in case Trump rethinks his choice of, Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth.

According to Vanity Fair, which spoke to two unnamed Republican sources “close to Trump,” the president-elect’s transition team has been “quietly preparing a list of alternative defense secretary candidates should Trump abandon Hegseth,” following news of a 2017 sexual assault allegation.

“It’s becoming a real possibility,” claimed one of the sources. The other source said, “People are upset about the distraction. The general feeling is Pete hasn’t been honest.”

Shortly after Trump announced his decision to nominate Hegseth for secretary of defense this month, the Trump transition team was informed about a 2020 payment Hegseth reportedly made to a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a hotel and spa in 2017.

In a statement, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore insisted, “Mr. Hegseth is completely innocent. Not only did she take advantage of him, but we believe she then extorted him knowing that at the height of the #MeToo movement the mere public allegation would likely result in his immediate termination from Fox News.”

The New York Times reported last week that Trump had “not moved off supporting Mr. Hegseth, despite claims that his team was reassessing the pick, according to several people close to the incoming president.”

Hegseth’s nomination took Senate Republicans by surprise.

Asked for his thoughts on the nomination, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) reportedly remarked, “Really? I’d have to think about it.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reacted, “Wow… I’m just surprised because the names that I’ve heard for Secretary of Defense have not included him,” while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) asked, “Who?”

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) was more optimistic about the nomination, calling Hegseth “an impressive individual.”

Pro-Trump Candidate Beats Moderate Dem in Utah Special Election

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Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Republican Celeste Maloy beat state Sen. Kathleen Riebe, a self-described moderate, to win Utah’s special election Tuesday night.

Maloy, a pro-Trump candidate, filled the last remaining seat in the U.S. House of Representatives with her victory in Utah’s 2nd congressional district.

Fox News has more:

As a candidate, Maloy touted her roots growing up in rural southern Utah, of which the district covers a vast portion, and has leaned into her support of former President Donald Trump, arguing the numerous ongoing prosecutions against him are politically motivated.

“It’s exciting that we’re going to have somebody come out of this primary that represents rural and southern Utah. I think it’s time for that, and everybody’s ready for it,” Maloy said following her primary win.

However, Riebe has argued the race is a pickup opportunity for Democrats, and has leaned on her experience as a school teacher while making the case that people in the district “are ready for a change.”

In an interview with Deseret News in August, Riebe expressed concern over the nation’s rising debt, and vowed to join the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition if elected.

“Coming to a very rational decision and having very moderate ideas, I think that is what serves us best,” she told the outlet.

This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

Trump Makes Specific Demand Of Senate GOP Leader Candidates

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President-elect Donald Trump revealed what candidates for Senate Majority Leader will have to do if they hope to gain his endorsement.

Trump released a statement on X on Sunday where he claimed that any candidate seeking the position must agree to recess appointments so that his appointments can be approved in a “timely manner.”

“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more,” Trump wrote to his followers.

He added, “This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY! Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!”

Recess appointments sidestep the Senate’s confirmation process and could be used to temporarily install unpopular or unqualified nominees.

Florida Senator Rick Scott responded to Trump’s request just minutes later via X, where he vowed to push through his nominee’s “as quickly as possible.”

Despite Sen. Scott’s quick response Trump has yet to throw his support behind a specific candidate for the coveted position.