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Trump Tells Alaska Republican To Drop Out—But Candidate Pushes Back

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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)

President Donald Trump is pressing former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson to leave Alaska’s governor’s race, warning that a crowded Republican field could hand Democrats an opening in November.

Speaking with Fox News after his Tuesday rally in Wasilla, Trump urged Bronson to step aside for Bernadette Wilson, the Republican candidate he endorsed earlier that day.

“He doesn’t have to, but he should, because, frankly, he lost in the primary by substantial numbers to Bernadette,” Trump told Fox News.

Wilson finished as the top Republican in Alaska’s August primary. She now faces Bronson, fellow Republican Treg Taylor and Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in the contest to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Trump made clear that he sees the three-way Republican competition as a liability.

“So now you have three Republicans running against one Democrat. And I don’t like that. I don’t like those odds very much,” he told Fox News.

“But there, she’s great, and maybe she’ll get in, but I thought I had an obligation to endorse her.”

A Disputed Deal To Step Aside

Trump’s call for Bronson to withdraw followed a sharper accusation on Truth Social: that the former mayor had already agreed to leave the race, then reversed course.

According to the Alaska Beacon, Trump claimed Bronson sought his endorsement and agreed to withdraw at the president’s request, only to abandon that commitment three days later.

Bronson disputed that account.

Speaking with Alaska’s News Source at the rally, Bronson said the president’s recollection was “different from mine.”

Bronson described discussions about consolidating the Republican field, including a proposal that Trump endorse him and ask his rivals to stand down. He said the arrangement never came together.

“The deal didn’t unfold the way it was supposed to, so I stayed in the race,” Bronson told the station.

Why Three Republicans Are Still Running

Alaska’s election system helps explain the crowded field.

The state holds a nonpartisan primary in which the top four candidates advance regardless of party. Wilson’s position as the leading Republican therefore did not eliminate Bronson or Taylor—or make her the sole Republican nominee.

The general election uses ranked-choice voting. Voters can rank multiple candidates, allowing their votes to transfer to another choice if their preferred candidate is eliminated. That means three Republicans on the ballot do not automatically produce the same vote-splitting problem as a traditional plurality election.

The political concern is whether Republican voters will use those additional rankings.

The Alaska Beacon reported that Bronson and Taylor have encouraged voters to rank all three Republicans. Dunleavy also urged support for the Republican candidates at Tuesday’s rally, while Trump pushed for unity behind Wilson and backed repeal of the state’s election system.

The pressure comes as the race grows more competitive. Cook Political Report moved Alaska’s governor’s contest from “Toss Up” to “Lean Democrat” on Tuesday, according to additional reporting from The Washington Post.

Trump Says GOP Has a ‘Good Bench’ for 2028—But Won’t Name a Successor Yet

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President Trump says Republicans are well-positioned for the future—and that the party has a deep lineup of potential leaders ready to carry the America First agenda into 2028.

In an interview airing Wednesday night on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Trump was asked whether he sees a clear successor who could continue his legacy in the White House.

“I hope so,” Trump said. “And we certainly have a good bench. We have some very talented people.”

While the president acknowledged he has early favorites, he declined to name any one candidate this far out.

“I do, but it’s so early,” Trump told Pavlich. “I don’t like to [say].”

Trump Highlights Key Leaders Driving the Agenda

When pressed for names, Trump pointed to the strength of his administration and the results his team is delivering—especially on issues central to Republican voters, including border security, economic recovery, and restoring America’s standing abroad.

“Look, we have great people,” Trump said. “I’m not just talking about one or two—we have so many great people.”

Asked again who specifically stood out, Trump singled out several of the most prominent figures in his circle:

  • Vice President JD Vance, whom Trump credited with strong leadership and loyalty to the MAGA coalition
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a familiar and experienced voice on foreign policy
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been a key figure in Trump’s economic team

Trump also praised officials leading the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and security efforts:

  • Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar and a longtime advocate of tougher enforcement
  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has taken a visible role in administration security priorities

“I could name 20 people that are phenomenal,” Trump added.

A Sign of Confidence—and a Message to Voters

Trump’s remarks are being read by many Republicans as a clear message: the GOP is not just a one-man movement. While Trump remains the dominant figure in conservative politics, his comments suggest the broader America First bench is expanding—a sign of stability and staying power for the party beyond any single election cycle.

In recent years, Republican voters have increasingly prioritized candidates who will:

  • fight the administrative state rather than manage it
  • take border enforcement seriously
  • resist “forever war” foreign policy
  • challenge corporate-media narratives instead of courting them

Trump’s list reflects that shift and highlights Republicans who have gained credibility with the base through real governance and public-facing leadership.

Midterms: Republicans Eye a Comeback in 2026

The comments come as Republicans begin gearing up for the 2026 midterms following setbacks in last year’s elections. Democrats and their allied media have tried to portray those results as a long-term trend—yet history suggests otherwise.

Trump himself addressed the challenge in an earlier Fox News interview, noting that the party in power “always loses” seats in midterm elections. That pattern has been true for decades and reflects voter turnout dynamics and backlash politics more than any permanent realignment.

A new Emerson College poll shows Democrats leading a hypothetical generic ballot matchup at 48.1% to 41.7%, with 10.2% undecided. But Republicans caution that early polling—especially this far from Election Day—often fails to capture likely-voter turnout, local issues, and late-breaking shifts that typically determine midterms.

Bottom Line

Trump may not be naming a successor yet, but he’s signaling something important: the Republican Party has depth, talent, and rising leaders ready to keep building on the movement voters started in 2016.

For Republicans focused on winning in 2026—and holding the line against Democrats’ spending agenda, cultural policies, and bureaucratic overreach—Trump’s message was simple: the team is strong, and the fight isn’t slowing down.


Lara Trump Steps Down From RNC Amid Senate Rumors

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Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

Lara Trump has announced her plans to step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) after accomplishing her goals.

In an announcement on X, Trump’s stepdaughter said she reached her three main objectives after Donald Trump won a landslide re-election.

“With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.”

Her sudden departure has prompted speculation the Trump family member is eyeing a potential run to replace Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), whom her father-in-law, President-elect Trump, picked to be Secretary of State.

“It is something I would seriously consider,” Lara has told outlets in reference to a run for Senate.

“If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what they would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that is real for me,” Trump added.

“But yeah, I would 100 percent consider it.”

Trump, who was elected to lead the RNC alongside fellow chair Michael Whatley in March added that Whatley will remain as RNC chair.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will choose Rubio’s replacement if the senator is confirmed to lead the State Department. That replacement would serve until 2026, when a special election will be held to determine who will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term.

Lara Trump joined Fox News on Sunday and was asked about the vacant seat that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) left open after being tapped by her father-in-law to be secretary of State.

“Some may say it’s an asset, some may say it’s not an asset,” she said of her last name. “I think it depends how you look at it.”

Certainly, you know, we’ve all had the opportunity over the past nine years really to fully involve ourselves in politics, to understand the American people, what they want, and we’ve all been residents for the state of Florida now for over three years. If that’s something that’s put in front of me, it would be a true honor. But, yeah, look, I think probably my last name does heighten my political profile a little bit, but I’ve got a proven track record. I’ve been co-chair of the RNC during the most consequential election of our lifetime. We were so proud of what we did at the RNC making sure that there was election integrity, making sure we got the early vote on, making sure we turned out low propensity voters and raising huge amounts of money. So I would say that my track record speaks for itself. Maybe having the last name Trump is just a little bit extra. I’m always happy to have it.

Boebert Returns To Trump With Tail Between Her Legs

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Rep. Lauren Boebert appeared to be making peace with President Donald Trump this week after finding herself in his crosshairs over her support for ousted Rep. Thomas Massie.

Just days after Trump publicly threatened to yank his endorsement and potentially back a primary challenger against her, Boebert was back on social media loudly reaffirming her loyalty.

“Trump is my President! Jesus is Lord!” she posted Tuesday night.

The timing raised eyebrows.

Boebert’s declaration came only hours after Massie — one of Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics in Congress — was defeated in Kentucky’s high-profile GOP primary by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein.

For many Republicans watching the race, the message was hard to miss: crossing Trump can carry a political price.

The blowup started after Boebert traveled to Kentucky to campaign for Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative who has repeatedly broken with Trump and Republican leadership on spending battles, surveillance issues, foreign policy fights, and the push to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Trump did not take kindly to seeing one of his longtime congressional allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of his most frequent internal critics.

“Anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote over the weekend, before raising the possibility of pulling his own support for Boebert if the “right person” entered the race against her.

For a politician long viewed as one of Trump’s fiercest defenders on Capitol Hill, it was a rare public dressing-down.

Boebert initially tried to shrug off the clash.

“Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended,” she wrote after Trump’s comments. “I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie.”

But after Massie’s defeat, Boebert’s latest message sounded less like defiance and more like a quick political reset.

The dust-up highlights a reality becoming increasingly clear inside today’s GOP: policy disagreements may come and go, but Trump’s influence over Republican primaries remains a force few lawmakers seem eager to test.

Massie’s defeat already is being viewed by many inside Republican circles as another reminder that even longtime conservatives with strong grassroots support can face serious trouble when Trump decides to make a race personal.

Boebert appears to have gotten that message.

And she didn’t wait long to send one back.

Obama Reveals The Small Issue That Will Keep Pete Buttigieg from the Presidency

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A new book reveals why former President Barack Obama says former South Bend mayor-turned Biden cabinet member, Pete Buttigieg will not make it to the White House. The former commander in chief who still holds a celebrity-like presence among Democrats says Buttigieg’s height is a big problem.

According to The Washington Free Beacon:

“Obama had actually been impressed by the brains, charisma, and chutzpah of the thirty-something mayor of a small midwestern city,” writes New York magazine correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti in The Long Alliance. “Obama just doubted it would all add up to viability in a presidential campaign where image and fame mattered immensely—he thought Buttigieg was too short and, as a former volunteer for Obama in 2008, seemed too young—and where such a large field would make breaking through that much harder.”

Trump wasted no time calling attention to Mr. Buttigieg’s height during the 2020 election, spurring tons of memes and viral reactions on Twitter to the mayor’s short stature.

Every single commander in chief since William McKinley (1897-1901) has been at least 5 foot 9 inches tall. It’s never going to happen, but height isn’t the only reason. Debenedetti also notes that Obama was rightfully “turned off by Buttigieg’s apparent inability to win over nonwhite voters” in the Democratic primary.

Biden was similarly impressed by Buttigieg’s “gay Obama” schtick but “also thought everyone was kidding themselves” about his viability as a candidate. “The guy had gotten destroyed in the piddling race for DNC chair in 2017, so how was he going to be the party’s presidential nominee?” Debenedetti writes of Biden’s thinking at the time. The former VP was particularly annoyed when a bunch of former Obama staffers started lining up behind Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke, another candidate with no shot at winning. “You believe this shit?” Biden would often vent to aides and associates.

Of course, Obama didn’t even want Biden to run in 2020 (or 2016). “You don’t have to do this, Joe, you really don’t,” he reportedly told his former vice president before Biden declared his candidacy. As the Democratic primary wore on, Obama tried to warn his fellow Democrats not to “underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.”

There have already been some rumors Buttigieg may seriously be considering making another run for president in the near future, however without the support of past presidents like Obama it’s doubtful he would be successful enough to gain the party’s nomination.

Police Arrest Man For Disturbing Act At Charlie Kirk Memorial

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Arrest image via Pixabay

A sick individual…

Law enforcement authorities arrested a man for desecrating a memorial honoring the late political activist Charlie Kirk over the weekend.

Fox News cameras were rolling as the man walked through the memorial, kicking over items including flowers, vases and flags. A mourner gathered at the memorial stepped in to stop the man’s sick actions. A man in a blue polo shirt is seen yanking the man out of the memorial and throwing him to the ground. 

Phoenix police identified the alleged vandal as 19-year-old Ryder Corral. In video of Corral’s arrest, he appears to be wearing a shirt similar to the one worn by the man suspected of assassinating Kirk. 

Watch:

Corral was wearing a black shirt featuring an American flag and an eagle. The shirt resembles the shirt worn by Tyler Robinson when he allegedly shot and killed Kirk while he was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. 

Police also reported that neither Corral nor any of the witnesses who held him on the scene had sustained any injuries — and that the 19-year-old would face multiple charges, including “criminal damage and disorderly conduct.”

Local law enforcement then escorted Corral away from the area. He is now in custody at the Maricopa County Jail on one count of criminal damage and one count of disorderly conduct, according to Phoenix Police Department Public Information Sergeant Philip Krynsky.

On Friday, law enforcement officials arrested the man accused of shooting and killing Kirk, in Utah after a frantic 33-hour manhunt. 

Kirk, a husband and father, was fatally struck by a single bullet Wednesday while speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. Kirk was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 31 years old.

President Donald Trump said the young man who shot and killed Kirk had been “totally radicalized” and made “crazy” by liberal ideology, and also expressed sympathy for the suspect assassin’s parents, saying they seemed like “very nice people.”

The president’s comments were made while addressing a small crowd at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Saturday evening.

“So many things have been learned about [the shooter] so quickly,” Trump. said. “He’s become totally radicalized and crazy and it must have been traumatic. Because the parents are conservative people, supposed to be very nice people living in Utah.”

Trump continued: “The father turns in the son. Boy, that’s a tough deal.”

Additional information about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspected killer, has been reported over the weekend.

Fox News and other outlets on Saturday reported Robinson was living with his trans partner at the time of the slaying, and that partner is now “fully cooperating” with the FBI on its investigation. The New York Times reported Robinson had scrawled the phrases “hey fascist! CATCH!” and “Bella Ciao,” which it said was “popularized as an antifascist anthem,” on bullet casings. And in a video clip that has went viral on X and elsewhere, a young man who said he was a former classmate of Robinson’s said he was a “Reddit kid” who had his brain warped by the social platform.

President Trump has said that he will attend Kirk’s funeral in Arizona this week, saying he has an “obligation” to do so.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Worries Trump Will Try To Cancel 2028 Election

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Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene warned this week that she fears President Donald Trump could attempt to delay or cancel the 2028 presidential election if the United States remains involved in an ongoing war with Iran.

Greene made the comments during an interview Thursday with Alex Jones, where she argued that remarks Trump previously made about elections during wartime have raised concerns for her.

“I’m concerned,” Greene said. “And he said it jokingly. But at the same time, knowing President Trump, I looked at that, and I thought, I don’t know if he’s saying it joking.”

Greene pointed to comments Trump made last year during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Ukraine’s delayed elections amid its war with Russia.

“So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections,” Trump said at the time. “So let me just see. Three and a half years from now — so you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? Oh, that’s good.”

Greene suggested that repeatedly raising the concept — even in a joking context — could normalize the idea in the minds of voters.

“So, that type of behavior is someone planting an idea over and over,” Greene said. “Again, he constantly says it so that he can normalize the idea and test support and test people’s reactions. Saying it over and over normalizes the idea, and I think it’s incredibly dangerous.”

She added that any effort to seek a third term or cancel elections would conflict with constitutional limits.

“There cannot be a third term, no. That’s against our laws. That’s against the Constitution,” Greene said. “And if this country is at war, no, our election should not be canceled.”

Greene’s comments mark another sharp break from one of Trump’s once-most-visible allies in Congress. For years, Greene was among the president’s strongest defenders on Capitol Hill, frequently aligning herself with his agenda and political messaging.

But the relationship has deteriorated over the past year as Greene increasingly criticized Trump on several issues, including U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts, the administration’s handling of materials related to the Epstein investigation, and what she has described as a departure from the “America First” priorities that helped fuel Trump’s political rise. Reports have also indicated Trump declined to support Greene in a potential Senate campaign before she left Congress earlier this year.

Her remarks also come as Trump has increasingly raised concerns about the political consequences of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has argued publicly that if Democrats regain control of Congress, they would likely pursue new impeachment proceedings against him, reviving investigations and political battles that defined much of his first term.

Trump has framed the possibility of a Democrat midterm victory as carrying major implications for his presidency, while allies have argued that maintaining Republican control of Congress will be critical to advancing his agenda and preventing renewed efforts to investigate or challenge his administration.

Greene’s warning reflects a growing divide within some corners of the broader MAGA movement, particularly among figures who argue that foreign military involvement risks pulling Trump away from the domestic-focused “America First” platform that many supporters backed.

Former Trump Adviser Sued by Biden’s Justice Department

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[Photo Cred: Office of the President of the United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro.

The lawsuit alleges Navarro used personal email accounts to conduct official White House business, “constituting presidential records.” The DOJ also accused the former Trump adviser of violating federal record-keeping laws when he didn’t copy the emails into an official government account or respond to the National Archives requests for the messages.

“Mr. Navarro is wrongfully retaining Presidential records that are the property of the United States, and which constitute part of the permanent historical record of the prior administration,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. Navarro’s wrongful retention of Presidential records violates District of Columbia law, federal common law, and the [Presidential Records Act].”

The Justice Department said officials initially approached Navarro about handing over the missing emails, but he refused “absent a grant of immunity for the act of returning such documents.”

Navarro’s attorneys, John Irving and John Rowley denied withholding the messages.

“As detailed in our recent letter to the Archives, Mr. Navarro instructed his lawyers to preserve all such records, and he expects the government to follow standard processes in good faith to allow him to produce records,” Navarro’s lawyers told POLITICO. “Instead, the government chose to file its lawsuit today.”

The civil lawsuit was assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton.

The lawsuit marks the latest in a string of public battles between the former Trump adviser and the U.S. government. In June, Navarro was charged with contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with the January 6th panel’s subpoena requests.

Hillary Clinton Makes Big Reveal Regarding Potential Presidential Bid

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Hillary Clinton via Gage Skidmore Flickr

During an interview with CBS Morning News, Hillary Clinton said she will not be running for president in the future.

“No, no, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that we have a president who respects our democracy and the rule of law and upholds our institutions,” Clinton said.

Norah O’Donnell didn’t seem quite pleased with Clinton’s answer and once again pressed the former first lady, this time asking if her answer would change if former President Donald Trump were to run for president.

“He should be soundly defeated,” Clinton said. “It should start in the Republican Party. Grow a backbone. Stand up to this guy.”

‘QAnon Shaman’ Eyes Run For Arizona Congressional Seat

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Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Jacob Chansley, the Capitol rioter who came to be known as the “QAnon Shaman,” has reportedly filed paperwork signaling his interest in running for the Arizona congressional seat being vacated by Debbie Lesko (R).

The Arizona Republic reported that a candidate statement of interest was signed by Jacob Angeli-Chansley and filed with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday, indicating he would seek to run as a Libertarian. He has also been known to go by Jacob Angeli.

The Hill has more:

Chansley, 35, gained notoriety for his horned fur hat, bare chest and face paint that made him one of the more recognizable Jan. 6 rioters. He pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing an official proceeding and sentenced to 41 months in prison. Chansley, who grew up in Phoenix, served 27 of those months before being released to a halfway house this past March.

The Associated Press reported that while the Constitution does not bar felons from running for Congress, Arizona law prevents them from voting in elections until they complete their sentence and have the right restored.

Former Republican Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters has also jumped into the race for Lesko’s seat.

“I’m running for Congress, to fight for Arizona’s 8th,” Masters said on X, formerly Twitter. “Biden has failed. We need Trump back. We need to stop inflation, Build the Wall, avoid WW3, and secure Arizona’s water future. We need to fight for our families.”