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Results: Congressional Republicans Hold Internal Leadership Vote

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

On Wednesday, Republicans elected a fresh slate of leaders ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) took home the Senate GOP conference chair position, defeating Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) for the coveted spot. 

Cotton defeated the Iowa Republican in what was the only contested race for a GOP leadership position that was not to become the new leader of the conference. 

He will replace John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who will take over as No. 2 leader in the conference as whip after Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was term-limited. 

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) won an uncontested race to become the No. 4 Senate Republican, keeping her hold on a post in GOP leadership.

Capito served the previous two years as the No. 5 Senate Republican and was vice chairwoman of the Senate GOP Policy Committee. She will now be chairwoman of the committee.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) formally joined the Senate Republican leadership team on Wednesday, having won an uncontested bid to become the vice chairman of the Senate GOP Policy Committee. 

Lankford ran unchallenged for the position and will replace Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who moved up to become chairwoman of the committee. 

As vice chair, Lankford is chiefly tasked with keeping the minutes at the weekly Tuesday policy luncheon. 

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will take over as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and helm the campaign efforts for the 2026 cycle. 

Scott won the chairmanship on Wednesday and ran uncontested for the post. He replaces Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who steered the party to a potential 53-seat majority and four flipped seats during the 2024 cycle. 

“I am honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me to protect and grow our Republican majority,” Scott said. “With President Trump in the White House and Republican leadership in Congress, help is on the way for the American people. Donald J. Trump proved that when we fight everywhere with the TRUTH, we win. That is why we must secure a Republican Senate for all four years of the Trump administration, and that work starts today!”

Glenn Youngkin Finally Endorses Trump

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has finally made an endorsement in the 2025 presidential race.

Youngkin’s endorsement comes after former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley dropped out of the race earlier in the day, leading the Republican National Committee to declare that Trump was the party’s presumptive nominee.

“Voters in the Commonwealth and across the country have spoken loudly for President Donald J. Trump and I endorse him for President of the United States,” Youngkin said in a statement. “His record on border security, restoring American leadership around the world, reducing taxes and lowering the cost of living for all Americans stands in stark contrast to the open borders, failed leadership on the global stage, rampant inflation and higher costs of today.”

“It’s time to unite around strong leadership and policies that grow our great nation, not four more years of President Biden,” Youngkin added.

Trump came close to officially clinching the nomination as he now stands at well over 1,000 delegates and he needs less than 200 to hit the 1,215 threshold to officially win. In Virginia, Trump beat Haley by 28 points.

Nikki Haley has yet to endorse Trump for the nomination.

Trump VP Contender Calls Trump ‘The George Washington Of Our Moment’

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Do you agree?

Tech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential challenger Vivek Ramaswamy called former President Donald Trump “the George Washington of our moment” and labeled the 2024 election a “1776 moment” in history

Ramaswamy, who made an unexpected appearance at the Tuesday rally in Wisconsin, urged Trump supporters to view the former president as a modern-day Founding Father.

“Dig deep and ask yourself why it is that our founding fathers made the sacrifices they did 250 years ago,” he told the crowd.

He continued: “Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. We don’t often ask what became of them. I’m going to tell you what happened to them. Twelve of them had their homes ransacked by the British and burned down to the ground. Five of them were captured by the British and tortured until their deaths. Nine of them died in the Revolutionary War. Three more of them had their own kids die in the Revolutionary War. Many of them died bankrupt because they had their own private property seized before their deaths.

Ramaswamy concluded: “They made those sacrifices in 1776, and I believe today it’s a 1776 moment in 2024, and Donald Trump is the George Washington of our moment. That is what I believe.”

In the rest of his speech the Republican predicted a shake-up in the Democratic lineup: “I’m not going to sit here railing against Joe Biden because chances are, let’s be honest, he might not be the nominee that we’re running against.”

Trump Said FBI ‘Stole’ His Passports, DOJ Admits He’s Right

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Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

The Department of Justice has admitted that the FBI acted outside of its authority authorized by the court.

Then news comes after President Trump Announced on his social media app Truth Social that the FBI stole his passports.

“Wow! In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole three Passports (one expired), along with everything else,” Trump said.

The Daily Caller reports that John Solomon of just the news has been informed by the Department of Justice that the FBI acted improperly.

Solomon has confirmed that the passports will be returned to President Trump due to those documents being outside of the scope of the subpoena.

The FBI was reportedly looking for Presidential records. It seems like the most low level agent would see that the records do not include passports. So, the FBI has some explaining to do to show this wasn’t malicious.

[READ NEXT: Trump Responds to Threats Against Law Enforcement]

Harris Hints At Possible 2028 Comeback Bid

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris suggested this weekend that she may not be finished with presidential politics — leaving open the possibility of a third White House bid in 2028, despite two failed attempts and sinking poll numbers.

“I am not done,” Harris said in an interview with the BBC, hinting that she could “possibly” still become president someday. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones,” she added while speaking with British journalist Laura Kuenssberg.

The comments mark Harris’s strongest signal yet that she’s considering another run after losing to President Trump nearly a year ago. While she hasn’t confirmed her intentions, the former Democratic nominee’s remarks come amid renewed media appearances and ongoing speculation about her political future.

Just last month, Harris told MSNBC that she wasn’t thinking about 2028 — insisting her focus was elsewhere.
“That’s not my focus right now. That’s not my focus at all, it really isn’t,” she said, claiming she instead wanted to help Democrats defend vulnerable seats during the midterms.

Harris also floated the idea of running for California governor, though she later announced in July she would not seek to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, another Democrat rumored to have presidential ambitions.

Her recent memoir, 107 Days, has only fueled speculation about her next moves — and stirred frustration within her own party. The book recounts her brief 2024 campaign after President Biden dropped out of the race, including her decision to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate and her unsuccessful fight against Trump.

In the book, Harris criticizes Biden’s decision to run for reelection, calling it “recklessness” and saying he “got tired.” The memoir’s release, followed by a high-profile media tour, has drawn mixed reviews from prominent Democrats such as Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who warn the book could divide the party further.

Despite sliding approval ratings, Harris dismissed concerns about her viability.
“If I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office — and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here,” she told Kuenssberg.

During her book tour, Harris has returned to attacking the Trump administration, accusing the president of “weaponizing” federal agencies and lacking “guardrails.”

“He said he would weaponize the Department of Justice — and he has done exactly that,” Harris told the BBC, citing Trump’s actions against several high-profile figures, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, former national security adviser John Bolton, and former FBI Director James Comey.

Harris also criticized what she described as political interference in the media — referring to the temporary suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following controversial comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“You look at what has happened in terms of how he has weaponized, for example, federal agencies going around after political satirists,” she said. “His skin is so thin he couldn’t endure criticism from a joke and attempted to shut down an entire media organization in the process.”

Mike Lawler Announces Re-Election Campaign As Republicans Seek To Defend Razor-Thin Majority

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief…

On Wednesday morning, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York announced he will seek re-election in next year’s midterms in his crucial battleground House district, which covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs.

Lawler, who announced his news in an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” had been seriously considering a bid for New York State governor.

“There’s no question Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Lawler told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, before adding, “In 2026, she needs to be defeated. But after months of deliberating over this and really working through it, I’ve decided the right thing to do for me and my family and my district is to run for re-election.”

His news is seen as a major relief to the White House and congressional Republicans, who are defending their razor-thin House majority in the 2026 midterms. 

Top House Republicans as well as President Donald Trump had pressed Lawler to seek re-election, and Fox News confirmed that Lawler met with Trump last week at the White House to discuss his 2026 plans and other issues.

“While I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for Governor, I have made the decision to run for re-election to the House and continue the important work I’ve been doing over the past two and a half years,” Lawler shared in a statement with Fox News Digital Wednesday morning. 

The Democratic Governors Association called Lawler’s decision a “humiliating setback” for Republicans, arguing that his choice means he doesn’t believe a Republican can win statewide.

However, Republicans now seem likely to avoid a hotly contested primary, as they said they hoped only one of Lawler or Elise Stefanik would go forward with a gubernatorial run.

Elise Stefanik released a statement Wednesday morning, calling Republicans “more unified than ever in our mission to fire the Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul in 2026” and Lawler a “great, effective, and hardworking Representative for New York’s 17th Congressional District.”

“As I have previously stated, I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year. I will make a final decision and announcement after this year’s November election which we are all focused on,” Stefanik added. 

Stefanik seems all but certain to run for governor, with a source familiar with her thinking telling The Hill last month that “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”

Republicans have been hopeful that they could seriously compete for the office in 2026 after impressive performances in recent years. Hochul only won reelection in 2022 by about 6 points, a much closer margin than observers expected.

Trump also made significant gains in New York in last year’s presidential election, while still falling short by double digits of victory in the state.

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Elon Musk’s Drug Use Sparked Campaign Trail Concerns

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An explosive new report from The New York Times revealed the disturbing frequency billionaire Elon Musk consumed illicit drugs while on the presidential campaign trail with Donald Trump.

The article comes as Musk is exiting the Trump administration after a whirlwind several months in which he led efforts to cut down on the government’s size.

Musk told people he was using ketamine so often that it was impacting his bladder, along with utilizing psychedelic mushrooms and taking ecstasy, the Times reported. The Times reporting included interviews with dozens of individuals Musk worked with or knew, along with obtaining private messages. 

The tech executive, who was advising the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) panel on federal government cost-cutting measures, would travel every day with a box containing 20 pills, the Times said, citing individuals who have seen the box and the photo of it. Some of the pills were marked as Adderall. 

Musk has publicly spoken about his mental health before, describing “great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress.” The tech billionaire has also refused the use of traditional antidepressants and said he was prescribed ketamine for depression, taking it “about every two weeks.”

According to the Times, some of Musk’s friends have severed ties with the tech billionaire over his public behavior.

“Elon has pushed the boundaries of his bad behavior more and more,” Philip Low, a neuroscientist, told The Times. 

The Times also reports Musk received advance warning of employee drug tests at SpaceX, despite the company’s obligations as a federal contractor to maintain a drug-free workplace.

The Wall Street Journal reported in January 2024 that Musk has used cocaine, LSD, psychedelic mushrooms and ecstasy at private parties, prompting concerns from board members and executives at SpaceX and Tesla.

“After that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at NASA’s request, to do 3 years of random drug testing,” Musk wrote in a social media post shortly after that article was published. “Not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol. @WSJ is not fit to line a parrot cage for bird.” 

The report comes after Musk announced Wednesday that he would be departing the White House as his 130-day period as a special government employee expires.

Florida GOP Seriously Considers Backing Effort to Oust RNC Chair

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Ronna McDaniel via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Florida Republican Party is seriously considering turning its back on current Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, who is currently seeking re-election.

According to Politico, Former state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, the newly-elected chair of the Lake County Republican Party and an avid Trump supporter, secured enough signatures from party officials to call a special meeting to decide whether McDaniel should be terminated as RNC chair.

“Ronna McDaniel failed in her position as RNC Chair in the 2022 election cycle and has yielded extremely unimpressive election results for the GOP in the last 3 election cycles,” read the petition for a special meeting.

Republican Party of Florida Chair Joe Gruters is now obligated to at least call a special meeting because 30 members of the executive committee signed onto the petition. It does not guarantee a vote would be taken. Gruters on Wednesday endorsed McDaniel in a letter to party officials, calling her a “successful RNC Chair & the party would be well served by her continued leadership.”

Sabatini previously served in the state House before losing this year’s bid to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

The RNC’s leadership election is scheduled for Jan. 27.

So far Trump has stayed away from commenting on the RNC leadership contest, however, some of his top advisers have announced their support for McDaniel serving for another two-year term.

Among the biggest names who signed onto Sabatini’s push for a special meeting is Rep. Matt Gaetzone of Trump’s biggest congressional allies.

“Look what we’ve got from Ronna McDaniel?” Gaetz said last weekend at Turning Point USA’s Americafest 2022 conference in Arizona. “Someone who probably spent more of their time promoting their own podcast.”

Mike Pompeo Offers New Insight into Possible Presidential Run

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised eyebrows when he was recently asked if he plans to launch a presidential campaign in 2024, possibly teeing up a challenge against his old boss Donald Trump.

During a “Faith and Freedom Barbecue” event in South Carolina hosted by Rep. Jeff Duncan, Pompeo stopped short of confirming his next political move but was clear to note he would not let any outside actors influence his decision to run for office. The event is known to attract political donors as well as presidential hopefuls, other high profile Republicans in attendance included Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Tim Scott, who has also been floated as a possible presidential contender.

Mediaite reports:

“We’re going to make our decision based on if we think this is the right place for us to serve,” Pompeo said. “If I come to believe I ought to become president, that I have something to offer the American people, I will run no matter who all decides to get in and who else decides not to get in the race.”

The remark was a thinly-veiled shot at the former president who has not shied away from saying he’s seriously considering a third run for the White House. Trump’s repeated hints regarding his potential campaign have caused some conservatives to hold off on making their own decisions regarding the race.

In April, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said she planned to support Trump in 2024 and would not launch her own campaign against him.

“I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it. That’s something that we’ll have a conversation about, at some point, if that decision is something that has to be made,” she remarked.

This is hardly the first hint Pompeo has dropped that he’s seriously considering a run for president. In June, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked the ex-Secretary of State about his political ambitions.

“Are you planning to run for president in ’24?” she asked.

“Well, thanks for the compliment,” Pompeo deflected. “We need to build an American majority and an American coalition.”

“I’m working on 2022 all across the country helping to get folks elected,” he added. “And Susan and I will work and pray and decide how we’re going to best serve America as we move forward.”

Does Mike Pompeo have what it takes to take on Trump? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Dem Senator Leaves Door Open For Potential Presidential Run

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Could this no-nonsense Democrat be angling for a presidential bid?

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) did not rule out a 2028 presidential run during a Wednesday podcast with political analyst Chuck Todd.

When Todd pressed Fetterman on “The Chuck ToddCast” about whether he would run for the White House, the senator indicated he was unsure about whether he was paving the way for another independent-minded Democrat or considering his own bid.

“I know we’re wrapping up, so I’m going to make you answer the ’28 question,” Todd said. “What would it take to get you to run for president?”

“I am focusing right now on just the burgeoning kinds of chaos and trying to find a balance and find a way forward,” Fetterman replied. “And, you know, doing things that I know that will anger parts of my base. I hope that there is room in my party for someone who wants that kind of truth.”

Todd pressed further, asking if Fetterman was attempting to “plow a path forward for somebody like that” or if he wanted to “take the path” himself.

“I don’t know,” Fetterman responded before Todd cut him off, noting the senator was “not saying no” to a potential run.

“I’m not afraid of being honest. And now if there is going to be blowback or I’m punished, I get that. But for me, I think it’s more important to be honest and to describe the danger of where we possibly are at,” Fetterman responded. “And we have to stop and think before we make another significant mistake that’s even more and more difficult to come back from.”

Todd told the senator he would mark Fetterman “as not a no for ’28.”

“What I’m saying is that there will be a 2028,” the senator responded.

Watch:

A Washington Post analysis from January this year listed Fetterman as one of “12 Democrats who make the most sense for 2028,” citing his independence within the Democratic Party.

Others considered to be potential Democratic 2028 contenders include failed 2024 candidates Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, former Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and a handful of Democratic governors — Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Wes Moore of Maryland. Polling generally suggests that Democrats are by far most interested in seeing Harris become the party’s nominee again, followed distantly by Buttigieg and Newsom, according to Newsweek.

Todd on Sunday recommended Harris not pursue political office for the next several years.

“If I were advising her, I’d tell her: go throw yourself into the rebuild of LA and get involved with the LA Olympic Committee,” he said. “Be above politics for a couple of years and come back maybe in 2030 or 2032.”