Politics

Home Politics

Republican Senator Signals He Won’t Support Vance In 2028

2

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) made clear Sunday on ABC Newsโ€™s This Week that he does not see Vice President JD Vance as someone he would support in a hypothetical 2028 presidential bid, underscoring deep philosophical differences over trade and the future direction of the GOP.

When asked whether he views Vance โ€” widely viewed within GOP circles as a leading contender to carry the Republican banner after President Donald Trump โ€” as the so-called heir apparent, Paul was direct about the limits of their alignment.

โ€œI think there needs to be representatives in the Republican Party who still believe international trade is good, who still believe in free market capitalism, who still believe in low taxes,โ€ Paul said, emphasizing his long-standing libertarian philosophy.

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

Pressed on whether that description fits Vance, Paul answered, โ€œNo.โ€

Paul lamented what he sees as a shift in GOP economic thinking โ€” away from traditional free-market conservatism toward protectionist policies that embrace tariffs.

โ€œIt used to separate conservatives and liberals that conservatives thought it was a spending problem โ€” we didnโ€™t want less revenue, we wanted less spending,โ€ he said.
โ€œBut now all these pro-tariff protectionists, they love taxes. And so they tax, tax, tax, and then they brag about all the revenue coming in. That has never been a conservative position.โ€

Paul said he intends to continue championing a free-market, low-tax wing of the party and will let time โ€” and voters โ€” determine where GOP leadership settles.


Context: Trump, Vance, and a Fractured GOP

Vanceโ€™s position as a prominent Trump loyalist โ€” often touted by MAGA-aligned activists as the next leader of the movement โ€” stands in contrast to Paulโ€™s more classical libertarian outlook. Trump and Vance have worked closely throughout the administration, and Trump himself has suggested both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make strong contenders in 2028, even as speculation swirls about Trumpโ€™s own future political plans.

Paul and Vanceโ€™s disagreements arenโ€™t limited to trade. Earlier in 2025, Paul publicly criticized Vanceโ€™s support for a controversial U.S. military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel โ€” going so far as to call the actions Vance defended โ€œdespicable and thoughtlessโ€ for celebrating lethal force without due process. This public spar highlights deeper philosophical divides between the libertarian wing of the party and its more interventionist or nationalist elements.

Those tensions reflect a broader conversation within the GOP about its core principles โ€” from foreign policy to economic strategy โ€” as the party prepares for post-Trump leadership.


Erika Kirk Endorses Vance for 2028

Adding to the political backdrop, Erika Kirk โ€” the widow of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk and the organizationโ€™s CEO โ€” officially endorsed Vice President Vance for president in 2028 during the groupโ€™s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix.

Kirk, speaking to thousands of activists, pledged Turning Pointโ€™s powerful grassroots support and framed Vance as a continuation of her husbandโ€™s conservative legacy:

โ€œWe are going to get my husbandโ€™s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.โ€

Her endorsement โ€” and Turning Pointโ€™s mobilization capacity on campuses and with younger conservatives โ€” could be a significant boost in the early stages of a national campaign, even though Vance has not yet announced a formal campaign bid

New Accusations Released About Member of Trump’s Family and Inner Circle

4
[Photo Cred: Office of the President of the United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro recently made some potentially damaging accusations about Jared Kushner, former President Trump’s son-in-law and longtime White House adviser.

As reported by Mediaite, Navarro recently bashed Kushner about his portrayal of several dramatic actions he allegedly took while working at the White House.

“Appearing on Newsmax, Navarro addressed Kushnerโ€™s claim in his recently-published book that he was treated for thyroid cancer while serving in the White House.

Host Chris Salcedo flagged the excerpt from the book and stated Kushner โ€œwithheld a cancer diagnosis during tense negotiations with communist China.

Navarro addressed Kushnerโ€™s book.

โ€œItโ€™s fiction,โ€ he continued. โ€œAnd the thyroid thing, that came out of nowhere. I saw the guy every day. Thereโ€™s no sign that he was in any pain or danger or whatever. I think itโ€™s just sympathy to try to sell his book now.โ€

Salcedo asked if Kushner is โ€œworthyโ€ of Trumpโ€™s trust.

โ€œNo,โ€ Navarro replied. โ€œTime after time, whether itโ€™s mismanagement of the campaign, mismanagement of the pandemic, taking too much credit for NAFTA, taking too much credit for the Abraham Accords. I mean, the guy was just a one-man wrecking crew, 36 years old I think when he got in there with no training. His only qualification was that he was the bossโ€™s son-in-law.โ€

Notably, Navarro is dealing with a few of his own issues at the moment. A few days ago he was sued by President Biden’s Justice Department for refusing to hand over emails from his personal accounts which were used to conduct official White House business. Earlier this summer, he was criminally charged for ignoring a subpoena from the Jan. 6 Committee.

Georgia State Elections Board Orders Hand Counting Of Ballots

1
Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Theย Georgiaย State Elections Board has issued a new ruling requiring all ballots to be hand-counted before the certification of this November’s election.

The board voted 3-2 to pass resolution 181-1-12-.12, mandating that a hand count be conducted at the precinct level on election night to ensure the totals align with machine results.

The New York Times further reports:

The new rule, which passed on a 3-2 vote, runs counter to extensive legal advice from the top election official and law enforcement officials in the state. A nonpartisan collective of local election officials had also objected to the change.

The measure is the latest in a stream of right-wing election policies passed by the State Election Board over the past few months. The board has come under increasing pressure from critics already concerned that it has been rewriting the rules of the game in a key swing state to favor former President Donald J. Trump. Last month, the board granted local officials new power over certifying the election, which opponents say could potentially disrupt the process if Mr. Trump loses in November.

Critics argue that requiring hand counting, in addition to a machine count, could introduce errors and confusion into the process and potentially disrupt the custody of ballots.

To start hand-counting on election night, poll workers would likely have to break open the seals on boxes of completed ballots, possibly exposing the ballots to fraud or loss. In previous elections, ballots remain sealed and stored securely unless a recount was ordered.

The ruling comes less than 50 days before a fiercely contested presidential election.

This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. It is republished with permission.

READ NEXT:ย Court Docs: Top Congressman Went To Drug-Fueled Sex Party With Teen

Pro-Trump Challenger Defeats Dem Senator

1
President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy has beaten three-term Democrat Sen. Jon Tester in theย Montana Senate race, flipping a key race towards the GOP.

Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy has beaten three-term Democrat Sen. Jon Tester in theย Montana Senate race, flipping a key race as Republicans are set to take backย control of the Senate, the Associated Press projects.ย 

His win increases the Republican majority in the Senate to at least 52, per the Associated Press projections.

Early on in the cycle, theย Montana raceย was deemed one of Republicans’ best pickup opportunities and one of Democrats’ most vulnerable seats of the 2024 cycle.

Sheehy launched his Senate bid exclusively with Fox News Digital in June 2023, calling for “a new generation of leaders to step up” in Congress in his bid to oust the red state Democrat.

Former President Trump endorsedย Sheehy, who he described as an “American Hero,” in February, after Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale launched a short-lived bid for the seat.

Democrats were protecting 23 Senate seats this cycle, more than double the number of Republicans who are defending 10 seats in the chamber.ย 

Trump Targets New York AG In Thanksgiving Day Message

5
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Donald Trump targeted key figures in his ongoing civil business fraud trial in a series of late-night Thanksgiving Day posts.

Inย a post to his Truth Social platformย at 2:03 a.m., the former president railed against some of the key figures in his New York fraud civil trial โ€” including state Attorney Generalย Letitia James, presiding Judge Arthur Engoron and his Chief Clerkย Alison Greenfield.

โ€œHappy Thanksgiving to ALL, including the Racist & Incompetent Attorney General of New York State, Letitia โ€œPeekabooโ€ James, who has let Murder & Violent Crime FLOURISH, & Businesses FLEE; the Radical Left Trump Hating Judge, a โ€œPsycho,โ€ Arthur Engoron, who Criminally Defrauded the State of New York, & ME, by purposely Valuing my Assets at a โ€œtinyโ€ Fraction of what they are really worth in order to convict me of Fraud before even a Trial, or seeing any PROOF, & used his Politically Biased & Corrupt Campaign Finance Violator, Chief Clerk Alison Greenfield, to sit by his side on the โ€œBenchโ€ & tell him what to do,โ€ Trump wrote.

The gag order against Trump which prohibited him from going after the judgeโ€™s staff, including Greenfield, was recently paused. However, prosecutors are arguing the order should be reimposed.

While the fraud case seems to have much of Trumpโ€™s attention these days, he also included his chief political rival in his middle-of-the-night Thanksgiving greeting.

โ€œ[Happy Thanksgiving to] Crookedย Joe Biden, who has WEAPONIZED his Department of Injustice against his Political Opponent, & allowed our Country to go to HELL; & all of the other Radical Left Lunatics, Communists, Fascists, Marxists, Democrats, & RINOS, who are seriously looking to DESTROY OUR COUNTRY,โ€ the former president stated.

New York Attorney General Letitia Jamesโ€™ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trumpโ€™s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

John Bolton Says AG Garland Doesn’t Stand a Chance Against Trump

11
Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

The legal reasoning of the Department of Justice isn’t too outlandish according to John Bolton, the former Trump National Security Advisor told CNN.

The problem is politically Trump is going to “slaughter” Garland, according to Bolton.

The Daily Caller reports, that Bolton told CNN that Trump doesn’t care about normal procedures, and Garland having to follow normal procedures of the DOJ is leaving him vulnerable.

So vulnerable, Bolton called him a lamb.

Botlon said, โ€œIf we were in a Colosseum with two gladiators, one of them Donald Trump, the other Merrick Garland, weโ€™d be about to witness the slaughter of the lambs. The Justice Department understandably wants to follow its normal procedures. Itโ€™s facing an adversary who couldnโ€™t care less about the normal procedures.โ€

Bolton also criticized the department’s PR strategy. Saying the need to do more to explain what they are up to in investigating Trump.

So far the department is “not doing enough” to justify why they needed to search Mar-a-Lago, according to Bolton.

Another big issue is that the DOJ and FBI violated Trump’s rights but violating the search warrant. The FBI overstepped its authority abd took documents that were attorney-client privileged and not considered presidential records.

As we reported yesterday, the FBI took three of Trump’s passports wrongfully.

[READ NEXT: FBI Violated Trump’s Rights in Terrible Way]

Harris Hints At Possible 2028 Comeback Bid

3

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

โ€œI am not done,โ€ Harris said in an interview with the BBC, hinting that she could โ€œpossiblyโ€ still become president someday. โ€œI have lived my entire career as a life of service and itโ€™s in my bones,โ€ she added while speaking with British journalist Laura Kuenssberg.

The comments mark Harrisโ€™s strongest signal yet that sheโ€™s considering another run after losing to President Trump nearly a year ago. While she hasnโ€™t confirmed her intentions, the former Democratic nomineeโ€™s remarks come amid renewed media appearances and ongoing speculation about her political future.

Just last month, Harris told MSNBC that she wasnโ€™t thinking about 2028 โ€” insisting her focus was elsewhere.
โ€œThatโ€™s not my focus right now. Thatโ€™s not my focus at all, it really isnโ€™t,โ€ 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 โ€” 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 Bidenโ€™s decision to run for reelection, calling it โ€œrecklessnessโ€ and saying he โ€œgot tired.โ€ The memoirโ€™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.
โ€œIf I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office โ€” and I certainly wouldnโ€™t be sitting here,โ€ she told Kuenssberg.

During her book tour, Harris has returned to attacking the Trump administration, accusing the president of โ€œweaponizingโ€ federal agencies and lacking โ€œguardrails.โ€

โ€œHe said he would weaponize the Department of Justice โ€” and he has done exactly that,โ€ Harris told the BBC, citing Trumpโ€™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 โ€” referring to the temporary suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following controversial comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
โ€œYou look at what has happened in terms of how he has weaponized, for example, federal agencies going around after political satirists,โ€ she said. โ€œHis skin is so thin he couldnโ€™t endure criticism from a joke and attempted to shut down an entire media organization in the process.โ€

Amanda Head: Republicans Screwed Out Of Electoral Votes

1

The U.S. Census underreported populations in multiple Republican-leaning states, costing them representation in Congress, the Electoral College, and more…

Watch Amanda break down the situation below.

McConnell Breaks From Trump On ‘Vilifying’ Biden

3
Mitch McConnell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) notably diverged from former President Donald Trump’s harsh rhetoric toward President Joe Biden on Tuesday, calling the incumbent commander-in-chief a “good guy.”

The Kentucky Republican’s remarks stand in contrast to Trumpโ€™s persistent portrayal of Biden as a corrupt figure intent on manipulating elections and targeting political adversaries.

“I know Joe Biden pretty well. Heโ€™s a good guy; I like him personally,” McConnell shared with an audience in Louisville on Tuesday.

Despite stylistic differences with Trump, McConnell maintains there are significant policy-driven arguments for opposing Biden. Other Republicans are encouraging Trump to focus on Biden’s job performance rather than personal attacks tonight.

Moreover, McConnell remains critical of Biden’s policies. “I never thought he was moderate in the Senate, but he ran as a moderate,” he stated. “But as soon as the president got elected, he pretty much signed up with the far left of the Democratic Party, which has created another set of problems for all of you who are in business. This has been a regulatory nightmare by this administration.”

A Tactical Endorsement

On March 6, 2024, McConnell endorsed Trump for the upcoming presidential race. This endorsement followed Trump’s decisive victories on Super Tuesday, which solidified his position as the GOP front-runner. McConnell acknowledged the substantial support Trump had garnered from Republican voters, expressing his backing for Trumpโ€™s nomination in a strategic move to unite the party.

The Path Forward?

As the debate rapidly approaches, McConnell’s tempered tone towards Biden could offer Trump a blueprint for a more policy-focused campaign. By addressing Biden’s track record and regulatory policies, Trump might find a path to appeal to undecided voters and moderate Republicans, who McConnell seemed to be addressing.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Fox News Host ‘Baffled’ By Kamala’s Lack Of Preparation

3
Gage Skidmore Flickr

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera might be regretting his endorsement.

Days after backing the Democrat nominee the Fox News host was left stunned after her lack of preparation for her interview with anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday.

Rivera and Sean Spicer joined NewsNationโ€™s Dan Abrams, founder of Mediaite, on Wednesday to break down Harrisโ€™s interview and despite Riveraโ€™s public support for Harris, he was left mostly unimpressed with her appearance.

โ€œI am baffled by the lack of preparation going into the highest profile interview she has,โ€ Rivera said, calling the interview โ€œa wash.โ€

He argued that Harrisโ€™s weak point was in terms of immigration and the southern border.

โ€œFor example, she knew, they knew, the Democrats knew that it was going to be all about immigration. Bret was going to come out smoking on immigration and he would culminate his lament over how awful the situation is with pictures of the victims. Thatโ€™s the Republican playbook, itโ€™s obvious that it was coming. How could she not be ready to answerย Laken Rileyย andย Mollie Tibbettsย and so forth?โ€ he said.

The southern border, he added, will continue to be the weak point for Harris and her campaign.

โ€œFrom this moment on, I advise them to not be the doormat when it comes to this issue,โ€ he said. โ€œItโ€™s their biggest Achilles heel.โ€

Donald Trump released a statement after Kamala’s interview:

โ€œKamala Harrisโ€™ interview with Bret Baier was a TRAIN WRECK. Kamala was angry, defensive, and once again abdicated any responsibility for the problems Americans are facing. She couldnโ€™t give a straight answer to a single question because she has no answers. Kamalaโ€™s entire campaign is based on lies about President Trump. Kamala canโ€™t handle the pressure of an interview with Fox Newsโ€”she certainly canโ€™t handle the pressure of being President of the United States.โ€