Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) signaled during an interview on Sunday that he is open to voting to confirm some of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees.
Kim made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash when asked if he would be open to voting for Kash Patel for FBI Director or Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.
“I have had conversations with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. I had to sit down with Senator Rubio. I’m still going through the process and I want to make sure I’m doing it right,” he said. “But those were good conversations, where we were able to dive in deep. And so I think that there are some nominees that are people I think I can work with.”
He signaled that with some of Trump’s other nominees that he had questions about past remarks that they made.
“I also am deeply concerned about what I have heard Mr. Patel say in the past and about going after things. Like, he is being nominated for a role to lead an agency that he has talked about dismantling, talked about the deep state and going after,” he said. “I was a career public servant before in the federal government. I worked under both Bush and Obama. I served the country, not a party. And I worry about some of the tones there.”
“With Hegseth, I hope to have a chance to be able to speak with him, but some of what he said before about not thinking that women should serve in combat, some of the other allegations that we have heard about,” he added. “I have worked at the Pentagon before in the office of the secretary of defense. I know what that job is like. And I need to know whether or not he is up to the task.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon is not afraid to publicly go to battle against billionaire businessman Elon Musk, calling him “truly evil” during a recent interview.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, as highlighted by Mediaite, Bannon sharply criticized Musk, who was tapped by Trump to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said. “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”
Trump is set to take office for the second time next Monday. Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear but he has been tapped to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is tasked with cutting wasteful government spending.
Bannon criticized Musk over the continued debate over H-1B visas. Musk is supportive of the work program that allows the U.S. to attract international talent. Trump’s base, however, is not supportive of the program, fueling a fight over the topic.
Musk himself was once an H-1B visa holder, as he is from South Africa.
“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said.
He slammed Musk’s heritage, calling South Africans the most racist people on Earth.
“He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon said. “Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
Bannon continued to pile on the criticism, saying Musk has a maturity of a “little boy” and only has an interest in increasing his wealth.
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility.
“I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,” Sununu said Tuesday about a possible Senate run, according to The Washington Times.
Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire announced Wednesday she will not seek reelection to the United States Senate next year, concluding a historic political career that includes being the first woman elected as both a governor and U.S. senator in the United States. Shaheen, who turned 78 in January, has been a significant figure in New Hampshire politics for decades, serving three terms as governor before her election to the Senate in 2008.
Sununu has previously said he is not interested in representing his state in Washington.
“I would rule myself completely out of a U.S. Senate race, to be sure,” Sununu said last year, according to a local news outlet.
“Politically, we’ll see what happens down the road. But in terms of Senate or Congress, nothing I have any interest in whatsoever,” he added.
The Washington Times reported, however, that Sununu is now saying that Trump’s focus on making government more accountable and efficient has prompted him to reconsider.
“That makes me think, OK, maybe things are changing,” he said, according to The Washington Times. “Maybe there’s a path here.”
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]
On a bustling Thursday night in San Francisco, former President Donald Trump marked another impressive milestone in his 2024 presidential campaign. The presumptive Republican nominee and front-runner, according to the polls, celebrated a monumental $12 million fundraising haul. The fundraising event, hosted by prominent Silicon Valley figures, David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, highlighted the undeniable shift in the tech industry, an arena traditionally dominated by liberal ideologies.
“These are brilliant guys – AI guys – these are the guys that are doing all the things you read about,” Trump gushed to Fox News Digital. These are just a brilliant group of people. And they can’t relate to Biden because he is a stupid person – and I have a high IQ.”
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“They don’t like dealing with an IQ that’s like, you know, 1/3 of theirs, because it is a difficult thing when someone has an IQ of 180, it is difficult to deal with a man with an IQ of 70 – or maybe lower,” Trump added, attempting to goad the current president.
Sacks endorsed Trump hours before the high-dollar fundraiser at his multimillion-dollar home, located near the residence of Nancy and Paul Pelosi, symbolizing the growing willingness of certain tech industry leaders to publicly support Trump, a stance that previously rendered individuals persona non grata in Silicon Valley. (RELATED: San Francisco Sued Over Gender Scheme Targeting Minority Men)
Known for his business acumen and successful investments, including his status as an angel investor for Facebook, Uber, SpaceX, and Airbnb, Sachs’ support signals a broader acceptance of Trump’s candidacy within a traditionally GOP skeptical community.
Trump told Fox News Digital that Sacks’ “strong” endorsement “is a great testament to what I’ve accomplished.”
“David Sacks — the king of that world — David Sacks and the group that we were with are the most respected people in San Francisco from both a business and high tech standpoint,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They love our country and they understand what’s happening into the future with technology better than any group, anywhere in the world.”
“One of the primary reasons for the endorsement was the four years that we had in office, which was the best four years ever for high tech, which will play an increasingly important role in the future of our country, especially as it relates to AI and all of the other new and brilliant technologies coming right at this moment,” Trump said. “It is a very exciting time and it is a great honor to have the most brilliant minds supporting, by far, the most brilliant leader.”
Why I’m Backing President Trump
As many press accounts have reported, I’m hosting a fundraising event for President Donald J. Trump at my home in San Francisco this evening.
Over the last couple of years, I have hosted events for presidential candidates Ron DeSantis, Vivek…
“My reasons rest on four main issues that I think are vital to American prosperity, security and stability — issues where the Biden administration has veered badly off course and where I believe President Trump can lead us back,” Sacks said Thursday.
Other guests at Sacks’ Pacific Heights fundraiser included the Winklevoss twins, who successfully sued Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their idea, which later became Facebook.
JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“He wasn’t the guy I see on TV,” one source told the New York Post. “He was very thoughtful and self-deprecating.” More than 100 guest attended the San Francisco soirée, paying as much as $300,000 a head.
Historically, Silicon Valley has been a bastion of liberal politics, with many tech leaders supporting Democratic candidates and policies. This alignment was driven by shared values around social issues and environmental sustainability. (RELATED: Google Shuts Down Its AI Chatbot ‘Gemini’ For Being Woke And Racist)
However, the dynamics may be changing. The industry’s rapid growth has brought increased scrutiny and regulatory pressures from Democratic lawmakers. Concerns over antitrust actions, data privacy regulations and labor practices have strained relationships between tech giants and the Democratic Party.
In contrast, Trump’s deregulatory stance, pro-business policies and tax reforms align with the interests of a growing number of Silicon Valley insiders.
Despite Donald Trump’s early entrance to the 2024 presidential campaign, some Republicans are dedicated to taking the “wait and see” approach to the next election.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who also previously served as Trump’s press secretary, told Fox News’s Shannon Bream that she isn’t focused on 2024 yet and declined to endorse her old boss publicly.
According to The Daily Wire, Bream asked the newly sworn-in governor, “Your bio, on your official page as Governor, describes you as a ‘trusted confidant of President Trump. Have you talked to him about his ’24 run? Will you endorse him in that?”
“I love the president, have a great relationship with him,” Sanders responded. “I know our country would be infinitely better off if he was in office right now instead of Joe Biden. But right now, my focus isn’t 2024. It’s focusing here in Arkansas and doing what we can to empower the people of this state, and make sure that I’m delivering on the promises that I laid out over the course of the last two years.”
“My focus isn’t on 2024,” Sanders answered. “It’s on what we can deliver in this legislative session. I’m not going to set an arbitrary timeline. I’m not really focused on that at all.”
Bream also pressed Sanders on her own ambitions.
“I feel the pressure of delivering this legislative session,” Sanders said. “That’s the only thing that our team, and that I am focused on, is delivering on what we laid out to do.”
Sander’s refusal to outwardly endorse Trump underscores speculation that Republicans are preparing to steer away from the former president and support another candidate in the 2024 election. Numerous polls have reported Trump trailing behind other potential contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Trump is still the reigning favorite in the Sunshine State.
The most recent University of North Florida (UNF) poll sided with Trump, compared to just 21 percent for DeSantis and 6 percent for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. In a head-to-head poll, Trump leads DeSantis 59-29.
“Despite historically high approval in the polls, Governor DeSantis losing steam in his home state doesn’t bode well for his national campaign,” UNF professor Michael Binder said in a statement. “Even if you wipe out the rest of the competition in a head-to-head, Trump leads DeSantis by 20 points.”
DeSantis has struggled in Florida, losing key endorsements to Trump despite his leadershhip. A majority of Florida’s congressional delegation has supported Trump, including Sen. Rick Scott (R), who made his Trump endorsement clear last week.
“I am optimistic that we can return America to its rightful position of economic and military strength and the undisputed moral leader of the free world, but only with strong leadership in the White House,” Scott said in a Newsweek op-ed last week.
“That is why I support my friend President Donald J. Trump to be the 47th President of the United States and encourage every Republican to unite behind his efforts to win back the White House,” he added.
House Republicans’ majority will soon shrink by one…
On Monday evening, Tennessee Rep. Mark Green announced he plans to retire from Congress in the coming weeks.
Green, who currently serves as the House Homeland Security Committee chairmain, said he is leaving Congress for the private sector after the House votes again on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in the coming weeks, in a statement first obtained by Fox News Digital.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” Green said.
He called serving Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District “the honor of a lifetime.”
“They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so. Along the way, we passed historic tax cuts, worked with President Trump to secure the border, and defended innocent life. I am extremely proud of my work as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and want to thank my staff, both in my seventh district office, as well as the professional staff on that committee,” Green said.
Green acknowledged in his statement that he had previously planned to retire in the last Congress, but reversed course. Republicans are expected to maintain their grip on Green’s district which voted for President Donald Trump by more than 20 percentage points over former Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
“Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress,” he said.
“By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.”
Republican leaders are hoping to complete consideration of Trump’s massive agenda bill by the Fourth of July or shortly thereafter.
The bill passed the House in a narrow 215-214 vote, and it is now being considered by the Senate. If the Senate changes the bill, as expected, the House will have to approve that version before it hits Trump’s desk.
The bill — titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” adopting Trump’s slogan for the measure — extends the tax cuts enacted by the president in 2017; boosts funding for border, deportation, and national defense priorities; imposes reforms, like beefed-up work requirements, on Medicaid that are projected to result in millions of low-income individuals losing health insurance; rolls back green energy tax incentives; and increases the debt limit by $4 trillion, among many other provisions.
It also does away with taxes on tips and overtime — two of Trump’s campaign promises — among other provisions.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is pushing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Obama administration officials linked to the debunked report alleging the 2016 Trump campaign engaged in Russian collusion.
More details are coming out concerning alleged efforts by former President Barack Obama and his team’s efforts to drum up intelligence to create a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday. (RELATED:Report: Obama Admin. ‘Manufactured’ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative)
Gabbard appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, where she alleged a massive cover-up by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.
“There was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible, and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out,” Gabbard claimed.
“So at the end of the day, we need to look at Pam Bondi?” host Maria Bartiromo asked. “Is that the person who, at the end of the day, is gonna bring us accountability. Pam Bondi?”
Gabbard confirmed took the rare step of publicly calling on fellow administration officials to take action.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel,” the director responded. “It is their responsibility to gather all of the evidence, both that we have released, the facts that have already been known previously, the information that will continue to come out, and move forward with this prosecution and these indictments.”
Gabbard told Bartiromo that her team released 100 documents on Friday.
They “provide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office after President Trump had already gotten elected,” she noted. Gabbard also said they were referring all the records to the Department of Justice and FBI for a criminal referral.
“So the effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people,” Gabbard declared.
Pressed on whether she expects future indictments and prosecutions, Gabbard replied, “I’m not a lawyer. In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward and bring about justice, yes, to prosecute and indict those responsible.”
In a thread posted to X on Friday, Gabbard shared clips of documents and contended that Obama directed his top intelligence officials to “create” a new intelligence assessment in December 2016 that contradicted prior analyses, after which they “leaned on their allies in the media to advance their falsehoods” and push the narrative that Russia “intervened to hack the election in Trump’s favor.”
🧵 Americans will finally learn the truth about how in 2016, intelligence was politicized and weaponized by the most powerful people in the Obama Administration to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President @realDonaldTrump, subverting the… pic.twitter.com/UQKKZ5c4Op
The Florida governor and White House contender said he is not interested in becoming Donald Trump’s running mate if given the chance.
“I don’t think so. I’m not a No. 2 guy,” DeSantis said on the “Wisconsin Right Now” radio show, NBC News reported.
DeSantis said he would opt to stay in his governorship over joining Trump’s ticket, adding that the vice presidency “doesn’t really have any authority.”
When asked whom he would consider signing on as a running mate, the Sunshine State governor said “it’s a little bit presumptuous to be doing that at this stage,” adding that he’s focused on winning the early primaries before delving deep into his search for vice president.
The Florida governor is trailing Trump in the 2024 GOP primary race by nearly 30 points nationally, according to a FiveThirtyEight poll.
Recently, a pro-DeSantis spokesperson told Mediaite he has serious concerns about the Florida Governor’s ability to take on Trump.
“Right now in national polling we are way behind, I’ll be the first to admit that,” said Cortes. “I believe in being blunt and honest. It’s an uphill battle but clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner.”
He added that DeSantis’ campaign was the “clear underdog,” and added that in the first four primary states, “which matter tremendously, polls are a lot tighter, we are still clearly down. We’re down double digits, we have work to do.”
Who do you think the winning Republican ticket is? Tell us in the comments below!
Blake Masters speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.
Despite losing to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in 2022, Blake Masters plans to run for the United States Senate again.
This time against Kyrsten Sinema.
Confirmation from Masters may come as soon as next week, as Politico reports:
Masters did not reply to a request for comment. Masters won the GOP nomination last year but lost to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in a critical swing state.
Former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s advisers say she is expected to announce a Senate campaign in early fall, though some Republicans are skeptical Lake and Masters would run for the same seat. Pinal County sheriff Mark Lamb is another GOP candidate.
Barrett Marson, an Arizona-based GOP strategist, said he talked to Masters a few months ago and he “was pretty decisively in.” However, he said, Masters had been waiting for Lake to decide whether to run.
“I think he is now under the impression that maybe Kari Lake isn’t going to run, because I’ll tell you if Lake and Blake are both in, he is wasting his time,” he said. “They occupy the same lane. They have nearly the same name. And she has much better positive name ID among Republicans than Blake does.”
In March 2022, Masters resigned from Peter Thiel’s firm to run for Senate. Within three months, he secured endorsements from Thiel and former President Donald Trump, leading to a comfortable victory over Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in the Republican primary.
However, Sen. Kelly defeated Masters by 4.9 percentage points. Kelly enjoyed a massive fundraising advantage, raising $75 million compared to Masters’ $12 million.
On the campaign trail, Kelly utilized the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Masters’ support for privatizing Social Security, and his flip-flopping on the 2020 presidential election to weaken his support with Republican-leaning voters and moderates.
