Kari Lake speaking with supporters at a "Stand for Freedom" rally at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]
Kari Lake snagged a key endorsement from a top Republican senator nearly a week after announcing her campaign for Senate.
On Monday, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso’s endorsement comes after Lake formally launched her bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) seat.
“Kari Lake will shine brightly for Arizona. She is a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens,” Barrasso said in a statement.
“Joe Biden’s policies have crushed Arizona. Arizonans are dealing with record inflation – up 20 percent under the Biden administration. Arizona is also on the front lines of the worst illegal immigration crisis in American history. Nearly 8 million illegal immigrants under Biden, equal to the population of Arizona,” he continued. “The U.S. Senate needs a Senator from Arizona that understands these issues, and will fight hard to solve them.”
Lake thanked Barrasso in a statement, saying, “I am honored by the friendship and endorsement of Senator Barrasso.”
“He is a tested and proven conservative leader who I greatly admire. I look forward to working with Senator Barrasso to get America back on track and fire Chuck Schumer,” she added.
Sen. Barrasso’s endorsement is significant considering some Senator’s hesitation over Lake’s Senate campaign over past comments on election fraud and her links to former President Trump.
According to The Hill, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chairman of the Senate GOP campaign arm, has said that he’s had “productive conversations with Kari Lake and her team.”
The judge in former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case ordered more documents to be revealed from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president just weeks before the 2024 election.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered on Thursday night that additional documents be made public.
The documents pertain to the appendix of exhibits in the fight over whether Trump has a level of presidential immunity that negates the charges against him.
Much of what readers are able to review is already public, including transcripts from the now-disbanded House Jan. 6 committee, press releases from various secretaries of state, the text of Trump’s rally speech and phone call with Georgia officials, and even real election certificates showing President Biden as the winner of the 2020 contest. One of the exhibits appears to review much of Trump’s then-Twitter activity from the period of the election.
Chutkan cited in the order Trump’s claim that the “asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.”
According to the judge, while there is a public interest for courts to avoid involving themselves in elections, “it is in fact Defendant’s requested relief that risks undermining that public interest.”
She added that the court would continue keeping political considerations out of decisions, despite the defense’s request.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
Things are about to get ugly…
First Lady Melania Trump is threatening to sue former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, for $1 billion over “defamatory” claims linking her to late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Melania’s attorney Alejandro Brito demanded that Biden “immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements made about Mrs. Trump,” which were contained in a video interview with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan and posted to Youtube in early August.
Read the full letter:
“Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer,” Brito wrote.
In the video interview, titled “Hunter Biden Returns” video earlier in August, the former first son claimed “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.”
Biden also claimed that “Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania, and that’s how Melania and the first lady and the President met.”
“If you do not comply with the above by August 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Mrs. Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce her legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for over $1 Billion Dollars in damages,” Brito wrote. “You are on notice.”
A source close to the matter told Fox News that Biden did not comply with the requests by the set deadline.
After Fox News published the piece, however, Melania Trump got Biden’s reply addressing the attorney’s letter when Callaghan posted a further interview with him to YouTube on Thursday.
Callaghan, holding up a copy at the interview’s opening, declared: “The day of presidential litigation has arrived!”
“We’re here, maybe, to give you the platform to apologize to the first lady for your statements that you made about her possible connection to Jeffrey Epstein,” the host said to Biden.
“F*ck that! That’s not going to happen,” Biden laughed.
Defending his comments as citation, Biden continued:
First of all is that, what I said was what I have heard and seen reported and written, primarily from Michael Wolff but also dating back all the way to 2019 when the New York Times – I think Annie Carney and and Maggie Haberman – reported that sources said that Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be the person to introduce Donald Trump to Melania at that time.
Biden added that he would not bow down to pressure or lawsuit threats: “I also think they’re bullies and they think that a billion dollars is going to scare me.”
I have this to say to them: If they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, if the president and the First Lady want to do that and all of the known associates around them at the time of whatever time that they met, I’m more than happy to provide them the platform to be able to do it.
The letter comes after the Daily Beast pulled the article detailing allegations by journalist Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady’s lawyers.
“Editor’s Note. After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” The Daily Beast posted in place of the article. The url for the article appears to have been amended to remove the original headline and now reads: thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed.
It also comes after famed Democrat strategist James Carville apologized to the first lady after repeating the same claim.
“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum,” he said. “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”
An aide to the first lady, Nick Clemens, told Fox News in a statement, “First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, ‘Melania.’”
A close aide for former president Donald Trump has been indicted in Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president’s alleged mishandling of classified information.
Fox News has reported that Walt Nauta, who served as a Trump personal aide and valet in the White House and later at Mar-a-Lago, has been indicted. It’s unclear what exact charges Nauta is facing.
Sources told Fox News that Nauta was seen on surveillance video moving boxes of sensitive material from a storage area at a time when the government had sought information about those documents. At some point, he reportedly had stopped speaking with investigators.
Nauta’s indictment comes after a Miami grand jury indicted Donald Trump on Thursday.
During an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Thursday night, Trump said the case is “election interference” and “the greatest witch hunt of all time.” Trump said he will “of course” plead not guilty to charges in federal court on Tuesday, and said he is “totally innocent.”
“This is the most corrupt administration in history—there has never been an administration so corrupt, and they’re just starting to find it right now,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They are trying to deflect all of their dishonesty by bringing this ridiculous boxes hoax case.”
This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.
By Office of Vice President of the United States - @VP on X, Public Domain,
Second Lady Usha Vance is taking it day by day.
During a recent interview, the second lady responded to speculation her husband, JD Vance, is angling to be the next Republican presidential nominee.
“People do ask about it,” Usha Vance told Meghan McCain on her podcast “Citizen McCain.”
While she acknowledged the possibility of her husband, Vice President JD Vance, running for president, Usha Vance emphasized that she moved into the Washington area with “no intention whatsoever” of considering his political future. However, she pointed out that she also had no intention of being involved in politics four years ago.
For now, Usha Vance said she is focused on the present, though she did not completely dismiss the idea.
“My attitude is that this is a four-year period where I have a set of responsibilities to my family, to myself, to obviously the country and that’s really what I’m focused on,” Usha Vance said. “I’m not plotting out next steps or really trying for anything after this.”
She continued, “In a dream world, eventually I’ll be able to live in my home and kind of continue my career and all those sorts of things. And if that happens in four years, I understand. If that happens in some other point in the future, I understand. Just sort of along for the ride and enjoying it while I can.”
As vice president, Vance is considered the political frontrunner to be the Republican nominee for president in 2028.
“I really am just not focused on politics. I’m not focused on the midterm elections in 2026, much less the presidential election in 2028. When we get to that point, I’ll talk to the president. We’ll figure out what we want to do,” Vance told Lawrence Jones in a “Fox & Friends” exclusive interview in April.
In March, Tucker Carlson, co-founder of the Daily Caller News Foundation, forecasted that Vice President JD Vance will emerge as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2028. Carlson’s statement, made on the “VINCE” podcast, sheds light on the increasing influence of Vance within the party and the likelihood of him becoming the successor to Donald Trump’s political legacy.
Despite Donald Trump declining to endorse Vance during a February Fox News interview, where he stated there were “a lot of very capable people” in the Republican Party, Carlson is optimistic that the former president will ultimately support the vice president in 2028. Trump’s comment, which may have seemed like a rejection to some, was interpreted by Carlson as a temporary stance, not a definitive end to any future support.
“I think people want to leave a legacy, all of us do, and great men especially do. And the only person in the entire Republican Party from my position who’s capable of carrying on the Trump legacy and expanding it, making it what it should fully be, is JD Vance,” Carlson explained. He also praised Vance’s loyalty to Trump and his profound service, indicating that Trump’s current withholding of endorsement may have been a strategic decision.
The FOX News Decision Desk can now confidently project West Virginia for Trump, as the former president clinches yet another commanding victory in this steadfastly red state. pic.twitter.com/gxVMvHIeT8
With Democrat Senator Joe Manchin opting not to seek reelection, the race left a critical seat open in a state that has shifted dramatically to the right in recent years. This Senate seat was a major target for Republicans, who view West Virginia as a strong pickup opportunity as they aim to regain control of the U.S. Senate.
The Republican Frontrunner: Jim Justice
Governor Jim Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Jim Justice, who has served as West Virginia’s governor since 2017, was widely seen as the frontrunner in the race to replace Joe Manchin. Initially elected as a Democrat, Justice switched to the Republican Party in 2017 during a rally with then-President Donald Trump, a move that aligned him with the state’s increasingly conservative electorate. Since then, Justice has solidified his position as one of the most prominent and popular figures in West Virginia politics, with consistently high approval ratings and strong support from rural voters.
Babydog and I are heading to Pennsylvania Thursday, October 17th, to campaign for President Trump! We'd love to see you there. Secure your ticket here. >>https://t.co/D6k2RsuSQEpic.twitter.com/kEPgKntsRl
Justice’s campaign for the Senate centered on his track record as governor, during which he has focused on job creation, economic development, and coal industry revitalization—key issues in a state that has been economically dependent on coal mining for generations. He also made a point of emphasizing his ties to former President Trump, who remains extremely popular in West Virginia.
The Democrat: Glenn Elliott
Attorney and Wheeling city councilman Glenn Elliott is hoping to succeed Joe Manchin. Elliott has emphasized his work as a city councilman in Wheeling, where he has focused on economic development, affordable housing, and revitalizing downtown areas. His campaign has argued that the state needs new leadership to address its economic challenges and improve the quality of life for working-class families.
Endorsements
Here are five key endorsements for Jim Justice in the 2024 West Virginia Senate race:
Donald Trump: The former president endorsed Jim Justice early in his campaign, cementing Justice’s status as the frontrunner in a state that overwhelmingly supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020.
“Big Jim will be a Great UNITED STATES SENATOR, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!” Trump wrote.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): Senator Blackburn endorsed Justice, praising his leadership and effectiveness as West Virginia’s governor, reinforcing his national Republican support.
“Governor Jim Justice is a proven effective leader, and I am honored to endorse him for Senate in West Virginia,” said Senator Blackburn. “He has shown himself to make decisions that are best for the people of West Virginia with honor, integrity, and patriotism. I am confident that Governor Justice is the best person to protect West Virginia values and the principles our country was founded upon. Now more than ever we need true conservative leaders to take back the Senate Majority and reverse the damage caused by the Biden Administration.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, launched a Sunshine State gubernatorial bid on Wednesday, jumping into the race after President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for the role earlier this year.
“As a legislator and Speaker of the House, I stood with Ron DeSantis to brand our state the Free State of Florida,” Renner said in social media posts. “I’m running for Governor so that when the DeSantis era comes to an end, we can defend our victories and solve the challenges that remain.”
As a legislator and Speaker of the House, I stood with Ron DeSantis to brand our state the Free State of Florida. I’m running for Governor so that when the DeSantis era comes to an end, we can defend our victories and solve the challenges that remain. As a military veteran of two… pic.twitter.com/LFeLZOw7wx
Current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is serving his second-consecutive term and is consequently not permitted to be elected again in 2026, said that he is not backing Renner, noting, “I think it was an ill-advised decision to enter the race.”
Florida’s state constitution stipulates, “No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served as governor or acting governor for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall be elected governor for the succeeding term.”
Renner added in his posts, “As a military veteran of two wars, a state prosecutor, and Speaker of the House, I’ve fought the tough battles, and I will never back down from the fight for our conservative values. As a father, I am committed to securing Florida’s safety and prosperity for the next generation.”
Donalds jumped into the race earlier this year after Trump strongly backed him for the role, urging him to run.
Byron Donalds via Gage Skidmore Flickr
“Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!” Trump declared in a Truth Social post.
Former Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is now serving as a U.S. Senator, has also endorsed Donalds.
Former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn is jumping back into politics, this time launching a bid in Florida’s 19th Congressional District.
Cawthorn pointed to the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a core reason behind his return to the political scene, though the 30-year-old former congressman said he had been “juggling” the idea of running for Congress since Florida’s 19th District Representative Byron Donalds announced he would be vacating the seat to run for governor.
“After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I knew that there was really no option. I’ve decided to run for Congress again,” Cawthorn told Fox News. “I want to make sure [the people of Florida] have amazing representation in Washington, D.C., because I know exactly what happens in the swamp.”
I’ve never backed down from a fight, and I won’t start now. I’ll stand with President Trump, crush the woke Left, deport illegals, and help fix Florida’s broken insurance system.
The former Congressman also said his experience with hurricane relief in the district, which includes Naples, Cape Coral, Ft. Myers and Marco Island, as well as seeing the community come together also played a part in his decision to run.
Cawthorn burst onto the national stage in 2020 as one of the youngest Republicans ever elected to Congress, winning his North Carolina seat at just 25 years old. He quickly became a symbol of youthful conservative energy and unapologetic defiance of the Washington establishment.
But his meteoric rise ran into turbulence during his lone term. In early 2022, he alleged that some D.C. elites had invited him to a cocaine-fueled “orgy,” a claim that drew sharp criticism from GOP leadership. Weeks later, police body camera footage showed him being pulled over while driving a car he mistakenly believed he owned, and he was also cited for bringing a firearm through airport security — his second such incident in less than a year.
Republican leadership, once supportive, gradually distanced themselves. The controversies overshadowed his legislative work and contributed to his loss in the 2022 Republican primary.
As for the scandals and legal trouble Cawthorn faced during his term, he told Fox News he was “railroaded out of Washington, D.C., by the radical left and members of [his] own party” for telling “the truth” about the city.
“You can start looking at things that happened months after I left, and I think it proves the things I was talking about,” Cawthorn told Fox. “There’s a lot of people in Washington, D.C., who enjoy just having talking points” that members have used for “decades and decades.”
Outgoing Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks refused to hold anything back while discussing former President Donald Trump during an interview.
Brooks, who is retiring from politics at the end of his term, tore into Trump throughout the interview with AL.com making it clear he believes the former president is morally bankrupt. The outgoing Alabama lawmaker was once considered a staunch supporter of the 45th President and in 2020 played a role in pushing Trump’s allegations the presidential election was stolen.
“It would be a bad mistake for the Republicans to have Donald Trump as their nominee in 2024. Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans,” Brooks told the local outlet.
“Even a candidate who campaigns from his basement can beat him,” Brooks added, parroting a common right-wing barb directed at President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. “It’s just the way it is.”
“I did not fight for Donald Trump after the 2020 election,” Brooks also told Paul Gattis of Al.com. “I fought for election integrity. Donald Trump just happened to be the beneficiary of it.”
“Keep in mind 2016 when I said he was dishonest, you cannot trust a single word that he says and I have never recanted that. No question, I am displeased with Donald Trump. But that does not change the truthfulness of what I say. I challenge anybody to make the argument that you can trust the word of Donald Trump,” the conservative Republican added.
In 2022, Brooks received and then lost Trump’s endorsement in Alabama’s GOP primary for the U.S. Senate. Brooks eventually lost to Katie Britt who went on to win the Senate seat.
President Trump says Republicans are well-positioned for the future—and that the party has a deep lineup of potential leaders ready to carry the America First agenda into 2028.
In an interview airing Wednesday night on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Trump was asked whether he sees a clear successor who could continue his legacy in the White House.
“I hope so,” Trump said. “And we certainly have a good bench. We have some very talented people.”
While the president acknowledged he has early favorites, he declined to name any one candidate this far out.
“I do, but it’s so early,” Trump told Pavlich. “I don’t like to [say].”
Trump Highlights Key Leaders Driving the Agenda
When pressed for names, Trump pointed to the strength of his administration and the results his team is delivering—especially on issues central to Republican voters, including border security, economic recovery, and restoring America’s standing abroad.
“Look, we have great people,” Trump said. “I’m not just talking about one or two—we have so many great people.”
Asked again who specifically stood out, Trump singled out several of the most prominent figures in his circle:
Vice President JD Vance, whom Trump credited with strong leadership and loyalty to the MAGA coalition
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a familiar and experienced voice on foreign policy
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been a key figure in Trump’s economic team
Trump also praised officials leading the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and security efforts:
Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar and a longtime advocate of tougher enforcement
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has taken a visible role in administration security priorities
“I could name 20 people that are phenomenal,” Trump added.
A Sign of Confidence—and a Message to Voters
Trump’s remarks are being read by many Republicans as a clear message: the GOP is not just a one-man movement. While Trump remains the dominant figure in conservative politics, his comments suggest the broader America First bench is expanding—a sign of stability and staying power for the party beyond any single election cycle.
In recent years, Republican voters have increasingly prioritized candidates who will:
fight the administrative state rather than manage it
take border enforcement seriously
resist “forever war” foreign policy
challenge corporate-media narratives instead of courting them
Trump’s list reflects that shift and highlights Republicans who have gained credibility with the base through real governance and public-facing leadership.
Midterms: Republicans Eye a Comeback in 2026
The comments come as Republicans begin gearing up for the 2026 midterms following setbacks in last year’s elections. Democrats and their allied media have tried to portray those results as a long-term trend—yet history suggests otherwise.
Trump himself addressed the challenge in an earlier Fox News interview, noting that the party in power “always loses” seats in midterm elections. That pattern has been true for decades and reflects voter turnout dynamics and backlash politics more than any permanent realignment.
A new Emerson College poll shows Democrats leading a hypothetical generic ballot matchup at 48.1% to 41.7%, with 10.2% undecided. But Republicans caution that early polling—especially this far from Election Day—often fails to capture likely-voter turnout, local issues, and late-breaking shifts that typically determine midterms.
Bottom Line
Trump may not be naming a successor yet, but he’s signaling something important: the Republican Party has depth, talent, and rising leaders ready to keep building on the movement voters started in 2016.
For Republicans focused on winning in 2026—and holding the line against Democrats’ spending agenda, cultural policies, and bureaucratic overreach—Trump’s message was simple: the team is strong, and the fight isn’t slowing down.
