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Rupert Murdoch Reportedly Viewed Rubio More Favorably Than Vance in Private Discussion About GOP’s Future

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David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch privately offered a more favorable assessment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio than Vice President JD Vance during a conversation with President Donald Trump last year, according to a forthcoming book that provides new insight into early maneuvering ahead of the 2028 Republican presidential race.

The revelation comes from Regime Change, an upcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. According to an excerpt published Wednesday by Axios, Trump sought Murdoch’s opinion of two of the Republican Party’s most prominent rising stars during a private dinner in October 2025.

According to Haberman and Swan’s account, Murdoch acknowledged Vance’s political potential and suggested he could eventually become a major force within the Republican Party. However, the media executive reportedly reserved his strongest praise for Rubio, describing the secretary of state as “brilliant.”

The reported exchange offers a rare glimpse into private conversations among influential figures as Republicans increasingly look beyond Trump’s second term and speculate about who could emerge as the party’s next standard-bearer after he leaves office.

Neither Rubio nor Vance has launched a presidential campaign, and both remain focused on their current roles within the Trump administration. Nevertheless, each has become a frequent subject of discussion among Republican strategists, donors, and political observers assessing the party’s future leadership.

Murdoch’s views carry particular weight within conservative political circles. As chairman emeritus of News Corp and a longtime power broker in Republican politics, Murdoch has played a significant role in shaping conservative media narratives and elevating political figures through outlets including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post.

The book’s authors also suggest that Vance should not assume he will inherit Trump’s political coalition or receive an automatic endorsement in a future presidential bid.

According to Haberman and Swan, Trump has shown little interest in naming a political successor and instead appears inclined to encourage competition among potential Republican contenders. Such an approach could create a wide-open primary field despite Vance’s position as vice president.

Historically, sitting vice presidents often begin presidential campaigns with significant advantages, including national name recognition, established donor networks, and close ties to the administration they served. However, Trump’s dominance within the Republican Party has frequently disrupted traditional political norms and succession patterns.

Rubio’s growing prominence has been one of the notable developments of Trump’s second administration. Once one of Trump’s fiercest rivals during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Rubio has since become a key ally and one of the administration’s most visible voices on foreign policy and international affairs.

Since taking office as secretary of state, Rubio has played a leading role in advancing the administration’s diplomatic agenda, further raising his profile among Republican voters and party insiders.

While the 2028 presidential election remains years away, Haberman and Swan’s account highlights the extent to which influential political figures are already evaluating potential contenders and positioning themselves for the post-Trump era.

Fmr. Senior Trump Official Tells CNN Biden Is Right To Call Trump ‘Bleeping A**hole’

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton said President Joe Biden “nailed” it in criticizing former President Donald Trump as a “f**king a**hole.”

Politico disclosed some of the vulgar terms Biden uses on Thursday. According to the outlet, the president calls Trump a “sick f**k,” among other things, in private.

CNN’s John Berman asked Bolton about Biden’s assessment of Trump on Friday.

According to the transcript obtained by Mediaite, Breman began: “New reporting on how President Biden really feels about Donald Trump behind closed doors, Politico writes, quote, ‘the president has described Trump to longtime friends and close aides as a sick F who delights in other’s misfortunes, according to three people who have heard the president use the profane description. According to one of the people who has spoke with the president, Biden recently said of Trump, what a blinking blank hole the guy is.'”

“I’m joined now by former national security adviser under then-President Trump, Ambassador John Bolton, who has a new forward for his memoir, ‘The Room Where It Happened.’ That forward, titled ‘The Room Where It Will Happen Again’ in the first line, is ‘Donald Trump may well be reelected president this November, becoming only the second person to win nonconsecutive terms.'”

“Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us that Politico reporting on the choice words that President Biden uses to describe Donald Trump, how closely does that align with your view?”

Bolton responded quickly and forcefully, never letting up.

“Well, I think in personality terms, I think the President Biden has it pretty well nailed.”

“But I would just say this. It’s not the personality of Donald Trump that’s the problem. It’s his lack of competence to do the job, the personalities unpleasant. But many people say, oh, we can we can deal with the personality. I like something else.”

“It’s not the personality that’s the problem. He doesn’t understand the job, particularly in the national security space. He didn’t learn much in the first four years. He certainly hasn’t learned anything since then.”

(H/T Mediaite)

This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

Arizona Democrat Reaffirms Interest in Sinema Challenge

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

Arizona Democrat Representative Ruben Gallego says that he’s seriously considering mounting a challenge against Senator Kyrsten Sinema after she announced she was leaving the Democrat Party.

According to The Washington Examiner, Gallego isn’t deterred by the potential challenge of facing Sinema in the general election in a three-way race with a Republican. Despite the fact Sinema has not declared for reelection.

However, Sinema’s decision to register as an independent frees herself from the burden of having to win renomination in a Democrat primary, a task that looked increasingly difficult.

“Whether in the Marine Corps or in Congress, I have never backed down from fighting for Arizonans,” Gallego said in a statement issued Friday morning after Sinema revealed she was disaffiliating with the Democratic Party. “At a time when our nation needs leadership the most, Arizona deserves a voice that won’t back down in the face of the struggle.”

“Unfortunately,” Gallego added, “Sen. Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans.”

“Last month, the voters of Arizona made their voices heard loud and clear,” Gallego said in his statement. “They want people who put the people of Arizona first. We need senators who will put Arizonans ahead of big drug companies and Wall Street bankers.”

“In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent.”

Trump Endorses Mike Lindell In Minnesota Governor’s Race

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President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks at the House GOP Member Retreat, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Donald J. Trump- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump is throwing his political weight behind one of his longest-standing allies, giving MyPillow founder Mike Lindell his “complete and total endorsement” in Minnesota’s closely watched race for governor — a move that underscores the president’s loyalty to one of his fiercest defenders even as Republicans debate the party’s best path to winning a traditionally blue state.

Trump announced his endorsement Wednesday morning in a lengthy Truth Social post, praising Lindell as a tireless supporter who has stood by him through years of political and legal battles.

“Mike Lindell, the ‘Pillow Man,’ and one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots, is running to be GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA, replacing one of the worst and most incompetent governors in the history of the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote.

The president argued Lindell could reverse what he described as the state’s decline under outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

“He can do it! Nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our country, especially when it comes to Election Integrity,” Trump continued. “He truly deserves everything he gets – He will MAKE MINNESOTA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Trump concluded with an unequivocal endorsement.

“MIKE LINDELL HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT – HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. Good Luck Mike!!!”

The endorsement formalizes a relationship that has stretched back years. Lindell emerged as one of Trump’s most visible allies after the 2020 election, frequently appearing alongside the president, using his platform to defend Trump’s claims about election integrity, and becoming a regular presence at rallies and conservative events. His loyalty came at a steep personal and financial cost, with retailers dropping MyPillow products and voting technology companies filing high-profile defamation lawsuits against him over statements about the 2020 election.

Trump has repeatedly praised Lindell for remaining loyal despite those setbacks. Even before issuing his formal endorsement, the president had publicly said last year that Lindell “deserves to be governor of Minnesota.”

Lindell launched his gubernatorial campaign last December, joining a crowded Republican field seeking to replace Walz, who opted against seeking another term. Walz’s administration has faced sustained criticism from Republicans over massive fraud schemes involving state-administered federal nutrition programs, allegations Trump referenced again in his endorsement.

The endorsement also comes as Minnesota Republicans remain divided over their preferred nominee.

While businessman Kendall Qualls secured the Minnesota GOP’s endorsement at the state convention, Lindell has continued campaigning aggressively and has remained competitive in public polling. A recent SurveyUSA/KSTP poll showed Lindell leading the Republican primary field with 27% support, ahead of Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth at 22% and Qualls at 17%, though roughly one-quarter of Republican voters remained undecided.

If Lindell captures the Aug. 11 Republican primary, he would likely face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who entered the governor’s race after Walz stepped aside and has built a substantial fundraising advantage. Multiple early surveys have shown Klobuchar beginning the general election campaign as the favorite.

Trump nevertheless argued Republicans can prevail, while again alleging election problems have hurt the GOP in Minnesota.

In a separate Truth Social post Wednesday, the president blasted Klobuchar as “lightly respected” and accused her of knowing about the fraud allegations surrounding Minnesota’s child nutrition reimbursement programs.

“I have gotten to know Klobuchar over the years, and find her to be equally as incompetent as Walz, and probably equally as corrupt in that, as a high Government Official from Minnesota, she knew everything that was going on,” Trump wrote.

He also claimed, “If the Elections in Minnesota weren’t RIGGED, any Republican could win, but they were, and that is why nobody has won there since Richard Nixon many years ago. I thought I won it all three times, only to be disappointed in the end.”

Minnesota’s Republican primary is scheduled for Aug. 11, with the general election set for November.

Scott Bessent Emerges As Top Contender For Lindsey Graham’s Senate Seat

[Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is being encouraged to enter the suddenly open race for South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, a move that could place one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent Cabinet officials at the center of what is shaping up to be a closely watched Republican primary.

According to Politico, supporters reached out to Bessent on Sunday, urging him to run following the unexpected death of longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The outreach immediately adds another high-profile name to the growing list of Republicans being discussed as potential successors to Graham, who represented South Carolina in the Senate for more than two decades.

Graham died Saturday at the age of 71. A preliminary autopsy determined that he died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, commonly known as hardening of the arteries.

No indication Bessent plans to run

Despite the speculation, Bessent has given no public indication that he intends to launch a Senate campaign.

People close to the Treasury secretary told Politico that he remains focused on leading the Treasury Department, a position he had long hoped to hold. A Treasury Department spokesperson declined to comment on the reports.

Still, even the possibility of a Bessent candidacy could reshape the race.

A South Carolina native, Bessent maintains homes in Charleston and Washington. Before joining the Trump administration, he built a successful career as a financier and hedge fund manager. Since taking office, he has become one of the administration’s most visible public advocates for Trump’s economic agenda, defending the president’s tax, trade, energy, and tariff policies in frequent television appearances and public events.

A different kind of Senate candidate

If Bessent entered the race, he would bring a combination of political and financial advantages uncommon for a first-time Senate candidate.

His statewide roots, personal wealth, experience in financial markets, and close relationship with Trump would make him an immediate contender in a Republican primary expected to place a premium on loyalty to the president and the ability to quickly organize a statewide campaign.

Bessent has also developed a higher political profile than many Treasury secretaries.

Initially viewed primarily as a market-focused economic expert, he has increasingly become one of the administration’s most outspoken defenders, regularly making the case for Trump’s broader policy agenda in addition to his economic initiatives.

A difficult decision

Running for the Senate would require Bessent to give up one of the most influential positions in the federal government.

As Treasury secretary, he serves as the administration’s chief economic spokesman and plays a central role in shaping tax policy, tariffs, sanctions, financial regulation, and international economic negotiations.

Those responsibilities could prove more appealing than leaving for a rapidly unfolding Senate campaign.

At the same time, opportunities to seek a Republican Senate seat in a state as reliably conservative as South Carolina are rare. The GOP nominee would begin the general election as the clear favorite.

Race expected to move quickly

South Carolina officials are expected to move quickly to fill the vacancy.

Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to appoint a temporary replacement while the state prepares for a special nominating process ahead of the November election.

Several prominent Republicans are already being mentioned as possible candidates, including Rep. Nancy Mace, who is reportedly giving serious consideration to entering the race.

The addition of Bessent’s name, however, would introduce a nationally recognized figure with deep financial resources and direct ties to the White House.

It would also create a significant personnel decision for Trump.

A successful Bessent Senate campaign would give the president another close ally on Capitol Hill for years to come. But it would also require Trump to replace a Treasury secretary who has become a central figure in advancing the administration’s economic agenda.

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‘Sopranos’ Star Admits There Are Lots Of ‘Quiet’ Trump Voters

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By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Drea de Matteo, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132661983

Sopranos actress Drea de Matteo told Fox News host Jesse Watters there are “a lot” of “quiet” Donald Trump supporters in Hollywood despite liberal media’s portrayal otherwise.

The actress, who played Adriana La Cerva on the critically acclaimed Sopranos, joined Watters on Monday and reacted to President Joe Biden’s recent Hollywood fundraiser where he raised $30 million and celebrities like Jack Black and Jimmy Kimmel took to the stage. Watters aired footage from the event, as well as a clip of Robert De Niro ranting against Donald Trump outside his hush money trial in Manhattan.

Watch:

“Is there a quiet Trump voter out there in Hollywood?” Watters asked.

“Hello there, first of all. And I think there is a lot of them. I think there are a lot of — that was a hard intro to watch. I’m sorry,” de Matteo said.

“Was it Jack Black’s legs?” Watters asked.

“No, it’s the Italian, man. We’re talking about [Anthony] Fauci, we’re talking about De Niro. I am mortified right now by my people,” de Matteo said. “I don’t understand what we’re doing here.”

“There are a lot of quiet Trump supporters, there are a lot of Kennedy supporters. And wow, I wonder how much the actors got paid to endorse Biden at this point. I’m curious, because that seems — I wonder if De Niro got paid a locations fee because he had to travel to the courtroom to do that,” she said.

The actress appeared to be joking as she said doesn’t know the specifics of celebrities working with campaigns, calling herself and other Sopranos actors “outcasts.”

“I don’t really maneuver inside that industry. I never have. First of all, Sopranos, we were the outcasts, even though we were critically acclaimed, we still were outcasts. So I’m still an outcast, here I am. They’re going to take me out into the woods and shoot me for not endorsing Biden,” she said.

Newsmax Host Delivers Blunt Assessment To Former VP Contender

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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is in hot water over her recent book and it could cause a major dent in her career.

Noem’s new memoir No Going Back has sparked several controversies over its content, including an anecdote about Noem killing her 14-month-old dog and a story about the governor meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un which the Republican has yet to corroborate.

Interrogating Noem over the book on Newsmax’s Wake Up America, Rob Finnerty assessed that Donald Trump likely won’t invite the Republican to be his running mate due to the recent scandal.

Finnerty then said, “Governor, if you asked me a month ago who’s at the top of the list to run with Donald Trump, I would have said your name. If you asked me that same question this morning, I don’t even think you’re on the list.”

The host went on to say that the content within Noem’s book, specifically her allegedly fabricated meeting with Kim Jong-un, is likely what spoiled her chances of becoming Trump’s running mate.

“I should not have put that anecdote in the book,” conceded Noem, to which Finnerty shot back, “But an anecdote indicates that it happened, right?”

“I’m not going to talk about my conversations with world leaders,” Noem bluntly declared – a statement she has made repeatedly when pressed about the alleged meeting with Kim Jong-un.

Finnerty snapped, “Governor, I’m not asking you about the details of this alleged meeting. I’m asking if the meeting actually happened. I don’t think it did and I think if it did, you’d be able to confirm for me that, ‘Yes, it did, and here’s when it happened.’ It happened, say, at such and such a date or a month or you don’t have to be specific.”

After Noem refused yet again to say whether the alleged meeting actually took place, Finnerty continued, “Again, I think at one point you were at the top of that list, but you’re going to get questions a lot more difficult than that.”

Despite endorsing Noem’s book, Trump allegedly told several people he was “disgusted” by the governor’s anecdote about killing her 14-month-old dog Cricket in a gravel pit.

According to unnamed sources, Trump was baffled by Noem’s confession that she shot her dog after it proved “less than worthless” as a hunting dog and questioned, “Why would she do that?” and “What is wrong with her?”

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.

Tulsi Gabbard to Stump for Pro-Trump Candidate Days After Leaving Democrat Party

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Ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard is ready to make waves now that she’s cut the dead weight.

The former Democrat presidential contender is set to campaign for a Republican Senate hopeful just days after making the bombshell announcement she’s leaving the party.

One day after her announcement Gabbard revealed her plans to stump for New Hampshire GOP Senate candidate Don Bolduc who has been vying for former President Trump’s endorsement.

“We don’t agree on every issue, but I am honored to have the support of Tulsi Gabbard who shares my view that the status quo is broken, and we need a change of direction,” Bolduc said in a statement.

“Tulsi is a fellow change agent and independent-minded outsider willing to speak truth to power. I am going to spend every day between now and Election Day building a wide coalition of supporters that includes Republicans, independents and even disaffected Democrats who know that Senator Hassan is a career politician and must be retired,” he added.

Bolduc is a retired Army brigadier general who won a close race against state Sen. Chuck Morse in the GOP primary. 

On Tuesday, Gabbard announced she is officially abandoning the Democrat Party.

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers who are driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoking anti-white racism, who actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms that are enshrined in our Constitution, who are hostile to people of faith and spirituality,” she said.

“I believe in a government that is of, by, and for the people. Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite,” she continued. “I’m calling on my fellow common sense independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party. If you can no longer stomach the direction that so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues are taking our country, I invite you to join me.”

Megyn Kelly Explains Full Turnaround On Trump: ‘I’m Proud of It’

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Megyn Kelly, once one of President Donald Trump’s fiercest media critics, is now among his most vocal supporters. In a recent interview on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Kelly reflected on her political evolution, describing how she went from a sharp opponent of Trump in 2015 to a staunch backer today.

Kelly, now a leading voice on SiriusXM and in the podcast world, acknowledged the shift was gradual. She pointed to the contentious period during the 2016 Republican primary when Trump publicly attacked her for questioning him about past remarks regarding women.

“When he was attacking me for that nine-month period, I really was not his fan,” Kelly said. “It was highly unpleasant.”

The conflict peaked when Trump, during an interview on CNN, suggested that Kelly’s debate questioning was driven by menstruation — a remark that triggered widespread backlash and helped define Trump’s early image as a candidate willing to attack anyone, anywhere.

Stephen A. Smith pressed Kelly on how she reconciled supporting someone who once targeted her so personally. Kelly responded that while the attacks were hard to ignore, she ultimately prioritized policy over personal history.

“Professionally, I fell in love with Trump, the president, because I believed him that he would close the border,” Kelly said. “I believed that he would fight back against the gender madness and get DEI out of our colleges and our woke schools.”

She contrasted Trump’s record with what she called the “disastrous” presidency of Joe Biden, arguing that Trump’s impact on key issues outweighed the personal grievances of the past.

Kelly’s support became active in the 2024 campaign cycle. She appeared at Trump rallies, hosted him for interviews, and defended his platform across news outlets and social media. After Trump’s reelection, Kelly has remained a prominent media ally, using her platform to counter criticism from both the mainstream press and within Republican ranks.

“I’m actually proud of it,” she said. “I’m 100% rooting for him. I’m thrilled I saw the light on him.”

Watch Kelly’s full interview with Stephen A. Smith below:

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