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DeSantis Asks Fox News Host To Tee Up Debate With Trump

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ron DeSantis is issuing a challenge to his rival Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis asked Fox News anchor Sean Hannity to arrange a debate between himself and former President Donald Trump.

Recently, Hannity moderated a long-awaited debate between DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Fox anchor seemed to welcome the idea of a similar event involving Trump before asking if DeSantis was confident Joe Biden would be the Democrat party’s nominee for president.

“Well, Sean, I don’t think we’ve spoken since that debate, and the reaction that I’ve gotten has been incredible in terms of obviously being able to show that freedom works and the California models of failure, what that means for the country. But people appreciated the way you set it up, and they said it was the most substantive debate that they’ve seen in this entire election cycle, and so kudos to you for doing it,” began DeSantis before throwing down the gauntlet. “So I’m glad we were able to get that done, and just know if you want to do other debates — Nikki Haley and me, I’m in, Donald Trump, and me, I’m in — so just say the word. You’ve shown that you can do it in a way that I think really helps the voters. So I’m game. Just let me know.”

“Okay, those are two. Do you have any more on your list? Maybe Joe Manchin, He’s going on a two month tour. Anybody else on your list that you’d like to do?” replied an amused Hannity.

Trump has dominated the polls and so far has refused to participate in any Republican primary debates.

The surveys tested how Biden would perform against the Republican frontrunner — whom Biden defeated in the 2020 election — and found that Trump would beat him in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Don Jr. Refutes Report He’s Eyeing Presidential Run

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump Jr. has once again found himself in the spotlight, this time for his fiery response to a Mediaite reporter’s question about his potential 2028 presidential run. In a tense exchange, Trump Jr. asked the reporter, “Are you f**king retarded?” after being asked whether he was considering a run for the White House in the upcoming election.

The controversy stemmed from a Mediaite article titled Donald Trump Jr. Considering a Run for President in 2028,” which cited three anonymous “high-level sources” who claimed that Trump Jr. was seriously weighing a presidential bid. Despite Trump Jr.’s strong denial of the claim, Mediaite proceeded with the headline and included his rebuttal much later in the article.

“I accurately predicted that my buddy JD would be an instant power player in national GOP politics, so your theory is that I worked my ass off to help get him the VP nomination because I want to run for president in 2028? Are you f**king retarded?” Trump Jr. responded, according to Mediaite. “I’m actually glad you’re printing this though because at least now the rest of the press corps will see how sh**ty your ‘sources’ are and how easily you’re played by them. Congrats, moron,” he added, emphasizing his frustration with the claims.

His reaction gained traction political circles, with many mocking Mediaite for running the story despite Trump Jr.’s strong dismissal. Republican strategist Andrew Surabian quickly weighed in on Twitter, claiming that many reporters in Washington, D.C., were sending him the story to mock Mediaite’s handling of the situation. “Every reporter in DC I know is sending me the story mocking Mediaite for running it. Total clowns,” Surabian tweeted on Friday.

Trump Jr. remains the only named source in the Mediaite story, with the outlet running his direct denial much later in the article after his sharp rebuke. The situation highlights the ongoing tension between politicians and the media, especially when it comes to high-profile figures like Trump Jr. who are often the subject of speculation.

The incident also highlights a broader trend in modern journalism, particularly with regard to Donald Trump and his family. Starting with his initial presidential run, many media outlets have been accused of loosening or outright abandoning traditional journalistic standards in their coverage of Trump and his associates. This has often included sensationalized headlines, reliance on anonymous sources, and the prioritization of clickbait over factual reporting.

In the case of Donald Trump Jr., Mediaite’s story—despite his firm denial—was a prime example of how some outlets have increasingly blurred the lines between speculation and reporting. Critics argue that the aggressive nature of the media’s coverage of the Trump family has led to a growing mistrust of the press, with outlets prioritizing controversy, intrigue and partisan agendas over responsible, balanced journalism. As the Trump dynasty continues to dominate American politics, the way the media handles their coverage remains a contentious issue, with many wondering if the standards that once governed political reporting will ever fully be restored.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

GOP Senator Breaks with Trump Over Kanye Dinner

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Donald Trump’s recent moves in Mar-a-Lago have triggered a distinct uptick in criticism from his Republican colleagues.

Trump hosted the rapper “Ye,” formerly known as Kanye West as well as white nationalist Nick Fuentes for dinner at his Florida resort last week. Ye has also faced criticism for his recent antisemitic remarks published on his social media channels.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Ye brought Fuentes, who has been labeled a “white supremacist” by the Justice Department, to the dinner and claimed he did not know who Fuentes was. Fuentes has denied that the Holocaust took place. 

“So I help a seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black, Ye (Kanye West), who has been decimated in his business and virtually everything else,” Trump wrote. “And who has always been good to me, by allowing his request for a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, alone, so that I can give him very much needed ‘advice.’” 

“He shows up with 3 people, two of which I didn’t know, the other a political person who I haven’t seen in years,” the former president added. “I told him don’t run for office, a total waste of time, can’t win. Fake News went CRAZY!”

Trump’s recent actions caused Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy to strongly rebuke the former President on Twitter.

“President Trump hosting racist antisemites for dinner encourages other racist antisemites. These attitudes are immoral and should not be entertained,” Cassidy tweeted.

Cassidy was among the seven Senate Republicans to vote to impeach the former President but the Senator’s harsh language comes after Trump saw a tepid response from GOP lawmakers after announcing his third campaign.

Trump Ally Kid Rock Jumps Into Key Governor’s Race With Major Endorsement

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Famed musician and outspoken patriot Kid Rock is throwing his support behind Republican Rep. John James in the high-stakes 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The Michigan governor’s office is expected to be one of the top battlegrounds in next year’s midterm elections, as Republicans look to flip key leadership positions in a state that has become central to the national political fight over jobs, manufacturing, public safety, and the future direction of the country.

Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, offered his endorsement in a statement first shared with Fox News Digital on Sunday.

“As our next Governor of Michigan, I know you will bring many victories to our GREAT STATE!” the entertainer said.

John James, now serving his second term representing a competitive suburban Detroit congressional district, welcomed the support from the Michigan-born star.

“Kid Rock is a good friend. We share our love for Detroit, the state of Michigan and the United States of America!” James said.

“I’m honored to have the endorsement of this unapologetic freedom-loving patriot and I look forward to working with him and every other Michigander to make Michigan great again!” added James, a West Point graduate, Iraq War veteran, businessman, and former Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in both 2018 and 2020.

Kid Rock’s backing comes at a pivotal moment as Republicans seek to regain momentum in Michigan after years of Democrat control in Lansing. Conservatives argue the state needs a return to strong leadership focused on economic growth, protecting constitutional freedoms, and standing up to the progressive agenda that has dominated under Whitmer.

A Cultural Moment for Conservatives

Kid Rock’s endorsement arrived just hours before the singer headlined Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” during the Super Bowl — an event that drew nearly five million viewers and offered an alternative to the NFL’s increasingly politicized entertainment choices.

The show also featured a tribute to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. As Kid Rock finished a song, the screen displayed:

“In remembrance of Charlie Kirk,” alongside photos of Charlie’s wife Erika and their children.

Kid Rock has long been a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, backing him in all three of his presidential campaigns. He performed his hit “American Bad Ass” at the 2024 Republican National Convention with lyrics altered to highlight his support for Trump and the America First movement.

Trump, whose influence over the Republican Party remains unmatched, has not yet endorsed anyone in Michigan’s gubernatorial race. However, James has positioned himself as one of Trump’s most consistent allies.

A release from James’s campaign emphasized that “John James has stood with President Trump consistently since 2018, and every subsequent election, maintaining a clear and steady alignment when others backed his opponents, ran against him, or stayed silent.”

Did you miss the halftime show? Tune in below to watch:

Shared Detroit Roots and a Pro-Worker Message

The campaign also highlighted the bond between Kid Rock and James, noting that both share “deep Detroit roots and a common view of Michigan as a state defined by hard work, manufacturing, culture, and natural beauty — from the Great Lakes to the communities that power the Midwest economy.”

James has built his political brand around economic opportunity, strengthening American manufacturing, supporting law enforcement, and pushing back against Washington overreach — themes that resonate strongly with Michigan’s working-class voters.

Crowded Republican Field, Clear Front-Runner

James currently stands as the clear polling front-runner in a crowded Republican primary field ahead of the August nominating contest.

Other GOP candidates include:

  • Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox
  • Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt
  • Former state House Speaker Mike Leonard
  • Businessman Perry Johnson, who previously made a longshot bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination

On the Democratic side, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is widely viewed as the front-runner among three candidates competing for her party’s nomination.

Michigan in the National Spotlight

With Michigan expected to play a major role in shaping the future of the Midwest — and possibly the country — the governor’s race is drawing intense national attention. Republicans see 2026 as a chance to restore conservative leadership in a state long known for its manufacturing strength, blue-collar values, and patriotic spirit.

Trump Challenges Biden To Pre-Debate Drug Test

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Trump is throwing down the gauntlet…

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump challenged Joe Biden to take a drug test before this week’s televised presidential debate.

“DRUG TEST FOR CROOKED JOE BIDEN??? I WOULD, ALSO, IMMEDIATELY AGREE TO ONE!!!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

The former president has repeatedly suggested Biden could take a performance-enhancing drug before the debate, with some already discounting any well-received performance by the incumbent as a charade.

In two other posts on Truth Social, Trump praised Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who sent a letter to the president and his physician Monday, demanding he take drug tests immediately before and after the debate.

“Ronny Jackson was a brilliant Doctor, Admiral and now, a GREAT Congressman,” the presumptive GOP nominee wrote in one post. “He happens to be totally right about what is written in this MUST READ Article but, unfortunately, nothing will be done about it!”

Trump and Biden will square off Thursday night in a debate hosted by CNN, in what will be the first debate since the 2020 election. 

Trump last week said he does not want to underestimate Biden ahead of the debate.

“Well, all I can say is this: I watched him with Paul Ryan, and he destroyed Paul Ryan,” Trump said during an episode of the “All-In podcast” last week. “And he beat Paul Ryan, so, I’m not underestimating him.”

Lawmaker Targets Trump’s Mental Fitness — Psaki Questions Strategy

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By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., CC BY-SA 2.0,

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki is pushing back on growing calls within her own party to invoke the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, as some Democrats continue raising concerns about his mental fitness.

Psaki, now an MSNBC host, argued that focusing on removing Trump through the constitutional provision is both unrealistic and politically counterproductive.

Speaking on Stephen A. Smith’s show Straight Shooter, Psaki acknowledged frustration on the left but questioned the value of repeatedly invoking the 25th Amendment.

“I think there are times — and I can’t speak for everybody on the left, I don’t agree with everything everybody says on the left either — you know, sometimes it’s just not constructive,” Psaki said. “I mean, you’ve talked about the 25th Amendment. I have no issue with people saying they’re for invoking the 25th Amendment, but it’s not going to happen. So it’s like, why are we spending so much time, you know?”

Her comments come as some Democratic lawmakers continue to escalate concerns about Trump’s behavior, including Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who directly confronted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a House hearing on Friday.

During the House Education and Workforce Committee session on the HHS budget, Takano displayed large posters of Trump’s Truth Social posts, including statements threatening to destroy the “whole civilization” of Iran, attacks on Pope Leo XIV, and an AI-generated image depicting Trump as Jesus Christ.

“Millions of Americans are questioning this president’s mental fitness, his emotional stability, and whether he can carry out the duties of his office. Do you share their concerns about his mental health?” Takano asked Kennedy.

After Kennedy did not immediately respond, Takano pressed further.

“We need a commander in chief that we know has full command of his mental faculties and is emotionally stable,” he said. “Mr. Secretary, given everything that I’ve shown you today, will you insist that President Trump undergo an assessment of his mental fitness and his emotional stability?”

“Absolutely not,” Kennedy replied.

Takano then asked whether Kennedy would support invoking the 25th Amendment if Trump were deemed unfit. Kennedy again rejected the premise, adding that “there hasn’t been a president who is more sane.”

Takano accused him of placing loyalty to Trump above the Constitution, prompting Kennedy to fire back, “Well, you need the fundraising video.”

Committee Chair Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) also weighed in, noting the partisan nature of such calls.

“I would hesitate to say something about the 25th Amendment with the last president. There was no concern there from the other side, but I won’t say that,” Walberg said.

Calls to remove Trump through the 25th Amendment have come from more than 50 Democratic lawmakers, along with other critics, some citing his rhetoric on Iran as evidence he is unfit for office.

But Psaki warned that the party risks undermining itself by leaning too heavily on such arguments and by narrowing its political appeal.

“What is also true is that in order to win, you have to invite more people to the party,” she said. “So if you want to win, you have to accept sometimes that there may be people who are part of your party, or you’re going to welcome into the conversation, who you don’t agree with on 100% of issues. And I think sometimes there can be a little litmus-testy feeling about who’s allowed to be a Democrat or who can consider themselves progressive.”

She also cautioned against a reflexive outrage-driven response to Trump.

“And part of that goes hand in hand with feeling like you have to scream at the top of your lungs about everything that comes out of the Trump administration,” Psaki said. “And I’m outraged by a lot of it. But I don’t think screaming about every single thing is the most constructive thing.”

Tucker Carlson Claims Murdochs Asked Him To Run Against Trump

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson says the Murdoch family empire, which owns Fox News along with The Wall Street Journal and a number of other international media properties, urged him to run for president against President Trump in the 2024 election.

“The Murdochs really hate Trump,” Carlson said during a recent episode of his online commentary and interview show. “I got fired in April of 2023. In May of 2023, they asked me to run for president against Trump and said they would back me.”

Carlson, as he has done before, seemingly scoffed at the idea of a run for president, saying, “I’d never get elected, plus I like Trump.”

The pundit, who has criticized Trump in recent days for his posture toward the Middle East, conceded he was “frustrated” with the president but still holds him in high regard.

Carlson claimed Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, urged the pundit to run against Trump weeks after the network ousted him, and suggested he offered support through Fox, the Journal and other major media properties owned and controlled by the family.

Last week in a newsletter, Carlson accused Trump of being “complicit” in Israel’s strikes against Iran that sparked the current days-long exchange between the two Middle Eastern powers. The newsletter arrived in the inboxes of Carlson’s readers under the headline: “This Could Be the Final Newsletter Before All-Out War.”

Trump responded to Carlson’s criticisms while attending the Group of Seven Summit in Canada.

“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!’” Trump posted on Truth Social

Carlson launched his own media company following his ouster from Fox News. Since its launch in 2023, Carlson has used his newsletter as a perch to interview and criticise top lawmakers and newsmakers, including the president.

Report: SCOTUS Rejects Kari Lake’s Voting Machine Suit

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Republicans Kari Lake and Mark Finchem’s lawsuit over the use of voting machines in Arizona elections.

The Hill reports Lake and Finchem asked the Supreme Court to review a federal appellate judge’s decision to dismiss their case last October. The suit sought to block electronic voting machines from being used in the state, questioning their accuracy and reliability.  

Lawyers for Lake, who is running for a Senate seat in Arizona this cycle, and Finchem, who is seeking a state Senate seat, argued in a court filing to the Supreme Court that they had sufficiently argued that “[a]ll Arizona-certified optical scanners and ballot marking devices, as well as the software on which they rely, have been wrongly certified for use”; Arizona’s voting machines had been “hacked” and “manipulated”; and that there were apparent discrepancies in the Maricopa County’s vote count after the 2020 election. 

The lawsuit was filed ahead of the November 2022 midterms while Lake was running for governor.

The Supreme Court’s decision to decline to revisit the federal court’s decision puts a cap on Lake’s and Finchem’s lawsuit.

“We are obviously disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the decisions of the Arizona district court and the Ninth Circuit, and order that our challenge to the 2022 election procedures be heard on the merits,” said Kurt Olsen, one of the attorneys that sought to get the Supreme Court to consider the case, in a statement, who argued new information came to light after their case was dismissed by the  circuit court. 

“Although the Supreme Court grants review in less than 1 percent of cases presented on petition, we believe we presented a case.”

“The Kari Lake and Mark Finchem case was dismissed based on a purported lack of standing to assert an injury,” Olsen wrote. “Therefore, the courts, even now, have not ruled on the merits of our case. We will continue to raise these issues especially in light of the upcoming 2024 election.”

Evangelical Leader Says Iowa Won’t Support Trump

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC via Wikimedia Commons

Influential Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats is making sure his disapproval of Donald Trump is known.

Less than a week after Vander Plaats officially endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, the CEO of the Iowa-based Christian conservative group The Family Leader, told the Blaze’s Steve Deace that he’s never supported Trump.

“The number one hurdle for Donald Trump is I’ve never met a dad or a mom or a grandpa or a grandma who have told me they want their son or daughter, grandchild to grow up to be like him,” Vander Plaats said. “That’s a big deal.”

“Iowa will rise up,” he continued. “This is not leadership our country needs.”

The evangelical leader has not been shy about voicing his disapproval of Trump. He told NewsNation earlier this year that voters were “exhausted and tired” and he felt it was time to “turn the page.”

Trump recently turned his focus to criticizing Vander Plaats on his Truth Social account.

“Bob Vander Plaats, the former High School Accountant from Iowa, will do anything to win, something which he hasn’t done in many years,” Trump wrote over the weekend.

“He’s more known for scamming Candidates than he is for Victory, but now he’s going around using Disinformation from the Champions of that Art, the Democrats,” he added.

Report: FBI Foils Iranian Attack Targeting Trump

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Justice Department (DOJ) says it has thwarted an Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump in the leadup to the election. 

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York alleges that an unnamed official in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed a contact to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill President-elect Trump. 

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