MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said Tuesday on "Deadline" that former President Donald Trump and Republicans were "running against the American system of government."
The post Maddow: GOP, Trump βRunning Against the American System of Governmentβ appeared first on Breitbart.
In a stunning development, the head of the centre-right Les RΓ©publicans party backed an alliance with Marine Le Pen's populist National Rally.
The post Political Earthquake: French Centre-Right Leader Backs Alliance with Le Penβs Populists Against Macron appeared first on Breitbart.
In the wake of newly released video of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) acknowledging she should have asked for a National Guard presence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the former House Speaker declared Monday on MSNBC's "Deadline" that former "Republicans have always tried to wrap themselves in the flag while they denigrate it."
The post Pelosi: βRepublicans Have Always Tried to Wrap Themselves in the Flag While They Denigrate Itβ appeared first on Breitbart.
In the wake of newly released video of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) acknowledging she should have asked for a National Guard presence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the former House Speaker said Monday on MSNBC's "Deadline" that former President Donald Trump and his "toadies" were trying to make a revisionist history on the events that day at the U.S. Capitol.
The post Pelosi: Trump and His Toadies βTrying to Do Revisionist History on January 6β appeared first on Breitbart.
A funding bill from Republicans includes billions for mass migration backed by the United Nations' International Organization for Migration.
The post GOP Funding Bill Includes Billions for U.N.-Backed Mass Migration to U.S. appeared first on Breitbart.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said Sunday on MSNBC's "Velshi " that βThe Handmaid's Taleβ was the guidebook for Republicans if former President Donald Trump won the November election.
The post Raskin: βThe Handmaidβs Taleβ Is the GOP Guidebook for Trump Second Term appeared first on Breitbart.
ABC legal analyst Sunny Hostin said Friday on ABC's "The View" that black male supporters of former President Donald Trump are as real as "unicorns."
The post ABCβs Hostin: Black Male Trump Supporters as Real as βUnicornsβ appeared first on Breitbart.
In our modern political dumpster fire, there has never been an art so refined and illustrious as pointless pearl-clutching.Β
In this, the ninth year of 2016, most everyone is fairly desensitized to the political drama emanating from the Leftβs ardent claims that any conservative policy or protest is an appeal to fascism as their own organizations and protesters set fire to cities (and sometimes themselves).
Republicans pass a bill banning sexually explicit content in public schools from kindergarten to third grade? Florida Democrats and media labeled it fascism.
A U.S. Supreme Court justiceβs wife flies a Revolutionary War flag commissioned by George Washington? Salonβs senior writer described Justice Samuel Alito and his wife as βextremely invested in the semiotics of American fascism.β
The New Republic, The Guardian, taxpayer-funded PBSβany time a Republican so much as upholds parliamentary procedure, defends former President Donald Trump, or questions the surge of gang and cartel members amid waves of illegal immigrantsβthese outlets are ready in the wings to call any to the right of Chairman Mao a fascist.
The latest banner of fascism to be shouted down in a βTwo Minutes Hateβ session out of George Orwellβs β1984β: flying the flag of the United States upside down. The horror!
As ridiculous as it might soundβthe group that has spent the past eight years defending those who burn, shred, and desecrate the U.S. flag is suddenly outraged over many in the nation who have flown the U.S. flag upside down in a symbol of distress over Trumpβs political prosecution and conviction.
Many on the Left and precious few on the Right have taken to social media to lambast those who would fly the U.S. flag upside down as βdisrespectful,β βtreasonous,β and βidol-worshipers.β
Is this the case? Are those who reacted to Trumpβs felony convictions in New York City simply bowing at his feet in a brutal backstabbing of the United States? Is this heinous, unspeakable act the very hallmark of fascism and the alleged βcult of personalityβ that the Left has predicted for almost a century?
Of course not, and you know that.
We neednβt walk down the halls of easily accessible history to discern how this wrist-shattering pearl clutch is both hypocritical and ignorant. But weβll do so, not out of necessity but because heaping good data en masse against poorly constructed arguments is entertaining.
First and foremost: Flying the flag of the United States upside down is not disrespectful, illegal, treasonous, or even unprecedented.
Although 4 U.S. Code Β§ 8, commonly referred to as the βFlag Code,β isnβt legally enforceable (because U.S. citizens retain First Amendment rights to do with their own flags whatever they wish), flying the flag upside down under appropriate circumstances wouldnβt violate the law.
The law clearly states: βThe flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.β (The βunionβ refers to the patch of blue with 50 stars.)
Thousands in the U.S. have flown our flag upside down to express their βdire distressβ in such instances over the past century.
Leftists consistently flew the U.S. flag upside down throughout Trumpβs presidency to signal their deep disquiet and fear, from Washington state to Louisiana. Democrats in New Jersey resolutely flew the flag upside down in protest of Trumpβs inauguration in January 2017. Some Republicans flew their flags upside down when Barack Obama was reelected in 2012.
The American flag has been flown upside down as βa tribute to veteransβ sacrifice,β and was one of the many symbols of protest against the Vietnam War used by leftist demonstrators in the 1960s.
The Flag Code doesnβt specify what βextreme danger to life or propertyβ entails, nor does it restrict such interpretation to a physical danger or a political one. Might there be a situation today in which many Americans feel in deep distress over a perceived danger to the life and property of their republic?
Never before in American history has a former president, much less one running for office again, been charged and convicted in such a kangaroo-court fashion that even his political adversaries note the insanity of the circumstances.
In an extremely heated presidential election campaign, indicting one of the two frontrunners would be considered enough of an anathemaβbut the case of New York v. Trump was more than precarious, it was a circus.Β
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, ran on the promise of doing anything he could to find something to indict Trump with. Outside his jurisdiction, Bragg used a federal election statuteβwhich the Federal Election Commission already had stated Trump didnβt violateβas a convoluted lever to turn 34 counts of βfalsifying business records,β misdemeanors that by this point were outside New Yorkβs statute of limitations, into felonies.
As if that werenβt enough, Judge Juan Merchan refused to allow a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission to testify, refused to allow the defense to speak to the jury before deliberation, and informed jurors that to convict they didnβt have to reach a unanimous decision on what crime was committed.
Such actions by Merchan set a nation on fire even as trust in institutions already was wavering.
Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor, wrote for New York magazine, an extremely liberal publication: βProsecutors got Trumpβbut they contorted the law.β Honig pointed out that never before in U.S. history has there been a state prosecution using federal election law.
Youβll notice that I havenβt mentioned Trumpβs sex life, his character, or his business decisionsβin fact, many of those expressing extreme distress at this forded Rubicon arenβt being protective of Trump like he was some kind of nonsensical religious idol.Β
Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who have spent the past few years as Trumpβs chief opposition within the GOP, both called this case and conviction despicable.Β
When a reporter asks President Joe Biden whether he used this case to politically persecute Trump and he casts a wicked grin in her direction, how is the nation supposed to respond?
Reporter: "President Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"
β Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) May 31, 2024
Biden: *smiles*pic.twitter.com/CZY8JUMvKO
Why is the left side of the aisle afforded the right to ride through towns and cities shouting about the impending doom of the republic like some bastardized caricature of Paul Revere, and the right side isnβt allowed to call out the very sham John Adams unpopularly fought in court to prevent?
Spare me your clutched pearls, neoconservatives. Your faux dignity and condescension at the concerns of Americans whose carcass of a justice system is paraded openly donβt move me.Β
I donβt have to defend Trumpβs personal life and sign onto a βcult of personalityβ to recognize that each of us has a right to be free from political persecution and election interference.Β
Commentator Alyssa Farahβs silly claims that flying the flag upside down signals βselling outβ are as pathetic and hypocritical as the rest of the cast of βThe Viewβ with whom she clucks and quacks about abortion rights, gun confiscation, and anti-Catholicism.
Whistling past the graveyard and sending a βstrongly worded letterβ have only mired us further in the muck of Third World antics.
I reserve the right to fly my flag upside down to signal my extreme distress at this danger to the life and property of the republic I love, and Iβll do so whenever I find it appropriate.
The post To the Condescending Cranks Faking Outrage Over Upside-Down Flags appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Wednesday on MSNBC's "Alex Wagner Tonight" that Republicans were in a "revenge fantasy" overΒ former President Donald Trump's guilty verdict in the New York business document trial.
The post Elizabeth Warren: Republicans in βRevenge Fantasyβ over Trump Conviction appeared first on Breitbart.
Two more Republican senators are joining the effort to stop the Senate Democratsβ agenda Wednesday in response to former PresidentΒ Donald Trumpβs guilty verdict in a New York trial.
Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., are signing on to a Senate Republican letter vowing to oppose Democratic legislative priorities, a spokeswoman told The Daily Signal.
Eleven Republican senators vowed to oppose Democratsβ legislative priorities and nominations in a letter released Friday.
βEnough is enough,β Daines said in an emailed statement to The Daily Signal Wednesday. βJoe Biden and his Democrat allies weaponized our judicial system and undermined the American peopleβs trustΒ in our government. I will not stand by as the Leftβs radical agenda tears apart the fabric of our nation and threatens our Montana way of life.β
Paulβs office did not respond to The Daily Signalβs request for comment by time of publication.
The senatorsβ letter accuses the White House of making βa mockery of the rule of law and fundamentally alter[ing] our politics in un-American ways.β
βAs a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart,β the letter reads. βTo that end, we will not 1) allow any increase to non-security related funding for this administration, or any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare; 2) vote to confirm this administrationβs political and judicial appointees; and 3) allow expedited consideration and passage of Democrat legislation or authorities that are not directly relevant to the safety of the American people.β
With Daines and Paul, the letter now has 13 signatories:
In a press conference Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that he would not be signing on.
βThe solution is to have a Republican majority and then we be in a position to determine what the agenda was going to be,β he said. βThere are opportunities when youβre in the minority, but not to set the agenda.β
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is still deciding if he will join on, a spokesperson told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
βSen. Grassley is reviewing the letter and will confer with colleagues about its potential impacts on the legislative and appropriations process,β Grassleyβs office said.
Rob Bluey contributed to this report.
The post Sens. Daines, Paul Join Republican Effort to Stop Democrat Agenda Post-Trump Verdict appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Earlier this year, Joe Bidenβs campaign manager said, βWe are running a campaign like the fate of our democracy depends on it.β
Thatβs a heady statement, but an intentional one. The president himself uses the term βour democracyβ frequently, as do most progressive politicians and pundits as they wring their hands about the coming election.
Book titles such as βReclaiming Our Democracy,β βThe Future of Our Democracy,β and βDriving Our Democracy to Autocracyβ are popping up increasingly as well.
A conspiracy? Doubtful. But neither is it merely coincidence.
According to Googleβs Ngram Viewer, an online tool that searches historical sources to track word usage over time, only twice before has the term βour democracyβ been in use more frequently than today: the late 1880s (around the time the Statue of Liberty was dedicated) and the late 1930s (during the height of the Great Depression and the onset of World War II).
Between 1950 and 1970, the term βour democracyβ was rarely seen in print. But its usage has ratcheted up steadily since the Reagan Revolution began in 1981, and especially since 2000. Itβs a development about which we all should be dubious.
I recall learning in 10th grade civics class (for readers born after 1980, that used to be a thing) that America is not a democracy, but a democratic republic. This is a distinction with a very clear difference, most notably the delegation by the people of various and vital public decisions to elected officials.
Although many will say that the term βour democracyβ is an innocent shortcut, a catchall phrase for our nation specifically or rule by the people generally, the author of our Constitution would disagree. James Madison made clear in Federalist 14 that βunder the confusion of names, it has been an easy task to transfer to a republic observations applicable to a democracy,β and that there are dangers in confounding the two.
Those dangers are manifest today. Progressivesβ widespread and increasing use of this innocuous-sounding term is weakening our constitutional checks and balances and undermining the Bill of Rights, the only things standing in the way of what Madison called βthe tyranny of the majority.β
Those who most traffic in the term wish to eliminate the Electoral College and reapportion the Senate by population rather than by state. They are working on multiple fronts to weaken First Amendment protections for speech and religion. They have long had the Second Amendment in their sights. And they consistently oppose individuals and organizations that push back against draconian federal restrictions such as public health lockdowns and climate change regulations.
If βour democracyβ wants it, βour democracyβ should get it, goes their reasoning, oblivious to Booker T. Washingtonβs admonition: βA lie doesnβt become truth, wrong doesnβt become right, and evil doesnβt become good, just because itβs accepted by a majority.β
During this election cycle, however, progressives are putting βour democracyβ to work in an even more pointed way. Like a magician using sleight of hand to distract his audience, theyβre using the phrase to present a false binary to American voters. In sports, this is called βhiding the ball.β
Donald Trump, according to the Left, is an authoritarian who not only will take away our rights but eliminate elections. The charge is, of course, ridiculousβTrump stepped down despite his objections to the 2020 election results, and last I checked itβs his opponents who are using authoritarian tactics to ensure he doesnβt win reelection. But the charge is useful, which to a Marxist mind is all the justification it needs.
Contrasting the potential βautocracyβ of a second Trump administration with Bidenβs ostensible defense of βour democracyβ is meant to distract us from recognizing the real decision that confronts the voters and the actual threat to our republic: the creeping totalitarianism of the administrative state.
Totalitarianism is defined as βsubordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation, especially by coercive measures.β Ask anybody who lived through COVID-19 if that sounds familiar.
And if you visit Britannica.comβthe modern iteration of the company whose encyclopedias we used in 10th grade civics class to learn about things like history and governmentβyouβll see a more expansive description:
Totalitarianism is a form of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens. It is characterized by strong central rule that attempts to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression. It does not permit individual freedom. Traditional social institutions and organizations are discouraged and suppressed, making people more willing to be merged into a single unified movement.
I could have sworn I heard something like that last line in a video at the 2012 Democratic National Convention: βGovernment is the only thing that we all belong to.β
Britannica goes on to say that it was Italian dictator Benito Mussolini who first used the term totalitario, meaning βall within the state, none outside the state, none against the state.β It cites as examples of totalitarian states not only Mussoliniβs Italy but Stalinβs Soviet Union, Hitlerβs Germany, and Maoβs China.
Given the growth of the federal government over the past century, totalitarianism certainly represents a greater threat to the United States than authoritarianism.
Weβre not there yet, and thanks to Americaβs exceptional institutions perhaps we wonβt get there. But as the recent violent increase in antisemitism shows, something we thought could βnever againβ happen very well mightβall it takes is one generation of historical ignorance.
Those same institutions that have protected us from anything approaching authoritarianism increasingly are becoming our totalitarian masters. As William F. Buckley once observed, it is the extent, not the source, of government power that impinges on freedom.β
Whenever you hear talking heads refer to βour democracy,β pay special attention to what comes next. Donβt assume theyβre referring to the democratic republic handed down from our Founding Fathers or trying to preserve our Constitution and its safeguards.
More likely theyβre taking advantage of our increasing historical ignorance resulting from the Leftβs capture of our educational institutions (which was all part of the plan).
Letβs call our nation what it is: a republic. Whether out of ignorance or malevolence, saying βour democracyβ is less likely to strengthen our heritage than seed our demise.
We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.
The post The Problem With βOur Democracyβ appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Former President Donald Trump described himself as being "the political prisoner of a failing nation," days after a Manhattan jury found him guilty in his business records trial.
The post Donald Trump: βI Am the Political Prisoner of a Failing Nationβ appeared first on Breitbart.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), former President Donald Trump's campaign, and the Nevada Republican Party filed a lawsuit against Nevada for counting mail-in ballots that are received the day after an election and do not contain postmarks.
The post RNC, Trump Campaign, Nevada GOP Sue State over Mail-in Ballot Practices appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) raised $141 million in May.
The post Trump Campaign Received $141M in Donations in May Despite Guilty Verdict appeared first on Breitbart.
Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) said on this week's broadcast of MSNBC's "TheΒ SaturdayΒ Show" that Republican men and women didn't have "the courage or the patriotism to stand up for democracy."
The post Maxine Waters: Republicans βDonβt Have the Courage or the Patriotism to Stand Up for Democracyβ appeared first on Breitbart.
For the past 18 years, Senate Republicans have had one leader: Mitch McConnell took the job in 2006 and has retained it ever since. But with his decision to step down from the post after Novemberβs elections, there are three Republicans vying to replace him.
One of them is Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. He was first elected to the Senate in 2018 and ran against McConnell two years ago.
Heβs now competing with Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota to win the support of his Senate Republican colleagues.
The Daily Signal invited all three senators to discuss their plans, and Scott was the first to accept our request. Listen to our interview on βThe Daily Signal Podcastβ or read a lightly edited transcript below.
Rob Bluey: Senator, why did you decide to enter the race for Republican leader?
Sen. Rick Scott: First off, weβve got to have big change. Letβs think about just the citizens we represent. Theyβre fed up with a budget thatβs not balanced. Theyβre fed up with an open border. Theyβre fed up with all this wasteful spending. Theyβre fed up, basically, with the federal government thatβs out of control.
If you want change, youβre going to have to change your way the Senate is run. We need to go back to represent our states. We need to be fighting over issues. The bill shouldnβt be decided by McConnell and [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer. We should go through a committee process. Thereβs so many things weβve got to do to get this country back where it needs to go.
We need to have a Republican leader that has a relationship with President [Donald] Trump. Heβs going to win. Heβs going to have an agenda. We got to do everything we can to help him get his agenda done.
Republican Senators Pledge to Block Democrat Agenda Following Trump Verdict
β The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) June 1, 2024
Via Rob Bluey:https://t.co/eW5hAc59Ld
Bluey: When you talk about those big changes, in some ways, it seems that youβre suggesting the Senate is broken right now and needs fixing. What are some of the ways that you would go about making sure those reforms are put into place?
Scott: No. 1, I donβt think a leader should have a term of more than six years. No. 2 is the bill shouldnβt be done by McConnell and Schumer. They should be done at the committee level where everybody has the opportunity to have input that are on those committees.
And then after that, we ought to have a robust amendment process on the Senate floor. So, if I would like an amendment thatβs going to represent my state better, I ought to be able to do that.
If I canβt talk people into it, thatβs my problem. If I donβt even have a chance because the bill never went through a committee or we never had any amendment votes, I have the opportunity to say yes or no. Thatβs not the way the Senate is supposed to represent work. Iβm supposed to be able to represent my state and fight for the issues that are important to my state. Thatβs not how the Senate works right now.
Bluey: As youβve observed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumerβs approach to running the Senate, what you see as some of his biggest or most glaring failures?
Scott: He wants to, and he does a lot of this with McConnell, but they want to write the bills. Itβs not written out of a committee. It doesnβt come up through a committee.
Thereβs one or two people who have input and then if they put them on the Senate floor where you just have an up-or-down vote, you donβt even have a chance to improve it. We all have ways we could improve these bills and we donβt even have a shot at trying to improve the bills.
Thatβs not the way the Senate is supposed to work. Iβm supposed to be able to fight like hell for my state. Every senator should have the opportunity to fight for their state, but if you donβt go through a committee, you have no input on the bill, and you donβt have any amendment votes, itβs pretty hard to represent your state.
Bluey: Some of the early chatter in Washington seems to revolve around a leaderβs role in raising money for members of his party. Iβm curious to know your thoughts on that and perhaps why that shouldnβt be the sole qualification for somebody to get the job as leader?
Scott: Any leader is going to be able to raise money. A lot of the money flows through PACs that the leader might be or is tied to. Anybody is going to be able to raise the money as long as youβre willing to do the job.
As you know, Iβm from a big state, so for my governorβs race I had to raise a lot of money and my Senate race. But the real job of the Senate leader is to represent the conference. Our bylaws, Republican bylaws, require us to have a legislative agenda. We havenβt had a legislative agenda since Iβve been up here for five years.
We need to come together as a group and say, βWhat do we want to get done the next two years?β And then letβs say, βOK, so now this is what we want to get done. How do we get it done? Whatβs going to be our strategy? What do we have to do to get these things done?β
Thatβs what we ought to be doing every day. We shouldnβt be sitting there and be reactive to what Chuck Schumer does.
And then, if we can get the majority, which Iβm very optimistic, then letβs lead. Letβs focus on how do we secure the border? How do we balance the budget? How do we improve our foreign policy and have a positive agenda to solve the problems that the American public has sent us all to D.C. to do?
Bluey: Conservatives were clamoring for that legislative agenda back in 2022 for the midterm elections. You offered one, Sen. McConnell rejected your idea, instead said he wanted to merely run against President [Joe] Biden. Looking back in retrospect, why was McConnellβs strategy a mistake?
Scott: He has the belief that you shouldnβt stand for anything. You should just talk about how bad the Democrats are. And the Democrats are bad, thereβs no question about it.
But my experience as a business guy is I was able to attract talent to work with me on my management teams because I had an agenda to get done and they bought into the agenda. If they didnβt like my agenda, they wouldnβt come to work with me. The public wants a plan. The public wants a plan. I had a plan when I ran in 2010 to be governor to turn the economics of our state around, give people a job. When I came to D.C., I had a plan for how to make Washington work for you.
The public is clamoring for a plan. The public is clamoring for somebody thatβs going to fight like hell to defeat the policies and the ideology of the radical Left, which we all know is destroying this country. Thatβs what the public wants. Thatβs what we all talk about when we run. While we ought to do it when weβre here.
Bluey: Youβve mentioned your role as a successful businessman. You have served as Floridaβs governor. You have also worn the hat of being chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In all three of those roles that youβve had, what is your leadership style? What can people expect from you as somebody who is aspiring for this job?
Scott: First off, Iβm very goal-oriented. I want to accomplish something. I became the governor, I built businesses because I wanted to accomplish something. I ran to the Senate because I wanted to accomplish something.
Iβve been very clear with my Senate role, weβve got to change the way Washington works. Itβs not working the American public right now. What theyβre going to see is somebody thatβs very focused on getting a result. Thatβs No. 1.
No. 2, if you look at my business career, my government career, this is a team event. Youβve got to bring people together to find a common goal to get anything done. And itβs not going to be just your ideas. You have to have a consensus. And so, youβve got to figure out what it is and then you have to work and have a strategy to accomplish it.
If you look at any successful business, if you look at successful governors, thatβs what they do. They have a plan and they work their plan. They surround themselves with people that believe in what theyβre trying to accomplish.
Thatβs what theyβll see. If I can become the Republican leader, hopefully the majority leader, youβll have a Republican conference that is very results-oriented and the goals will be very clear.
We will solve the problems that the country believes are the most important problems today. Those are securing the border, making sure that we get inflation under control, balancing the budget, making sure we fix our foreign policies so we donβt have wars going all around the world.
Bluey: On that specific note, what are some steps that you would like to take to empower those individual Republican senators to have a greater role in the legislative process?
Scott: The biggest thing is ask for their opinion, ask for their advice to get them in the middle of everything.
We have very talented Republican senators. And we are to say, βOK, with your background, would you like to be involved in this?β And you get people in the middle of it, of the issues.
And guess what? You bring out new ideas, you bring out new energy, and you get a lot of things done. But the biggest thing is, you get people in the middle of the problem. Republican senators, they want to solve problems, so let them do it, get them in the middle of it.
Bluey: What is your vision for reducing this reliance that it seems that Washington has year after year for omnibus spending bills and emergency supplementals?
Scott: Not having a budget to me is foolish. Itβs not fair to the American public. Not having a budget is just basically having spending bills. What that means is weβre going to have more inflation.
Thatβs wrong. We should do everything we can to help all of our families by getting inflation under control. You cannot do it with a balanced budget, so we now have almost $35 trillion worth the debt. We have interest expense that exceeds our national defense budget. We have a Federal Reserve whose balance sheet is out of control.
Whatβs going to happen is, in that environment, interest rates canβt come down. That means that if you think youβre going to get a lower interest rate for a house, youβre foolish. Your credit card rate, interest rates are not going to come down. On top of that, weβre not going to see a reduction in gas prices and food prices and these things. So, spending matters.
Iβve always, my business life, I balanced the budget. The governorβs job, we balanced the budget every year. We actually paid off a third of the state debt in my years as governor. We can do this at the federal level.
The way you do it, is you say, this is my anticipated federal revenue, so thatβs how much money weβre going to spend. You can do it, but if you just always say to yourself, βI donβt think I can get that done,β thatβs going to be reality, you will not get it done.
Bluey: Will there be any backroom deals with a Leader Rick Scott in charge of things?
Scott: No, no. We all are part of this. You need to be transparent, you need to tell everybody whatβs happening. If you want people to support what youβre doing, you donβt do it behind closed doors. You do it by talking to people, by getting their information, by getting them involved in what youβre trying to accomplish.
Bluey: You challenged Mitch McConnell for this job in 2022. What lessons did you learn from that race that you hope to apply this time?
Scott: Unfortunately, in that race, they rushed the vote to the next day, so we didnβt have time to actually go and sit down with everybody.
What Iβm hoping to do is sit down with every Republican senator and say, βWhat do you want to accomplish?β And then my role will be if I can win is to say, βHow do I help you accomplish your goals? How do I help you represent your state?β
The Republican leaderβs responsibility is to help each senator be successful. A successful senator is somebody that is successfully representing their individual state.
Bluey: Sen. McConnell has served 18 years as leader. You would like to have a six-year term limit for this position. Why is that change important to you?
Scott: Iβve always believed in term limits because, No. 1, nobody consolidates power for a long time that way. No 2 is everybody realizes that you only have six years to get what you want to accomplish, so everybody gets more results-focused.
We have term limits for the governor, we have term limits for our legislature, and what that means is youβre going to get new leadership with new energy every few years, youβre going to have people very focused on what they can get done in their time in leadership or their time in office.
Bluey: Two of your colleagues, Sens. John Thune and John Cornyn, are also in the mix for Republican leader. What distinguishes you from each of them?
Scott: First off, they work hard to represent their state. Probably the difference to what I bring to the table is my business background. I built the largest hospital company; I built a variety of manufacturing companies. Iβve been involved in a variety of businesses. My first business was a donut shop when I was 22 and I got out of the Navy, so my mom could have a job. I had the opportunity to serve in the military. I had the opportunity to be the governor.
Those are the types of things I bring to the table, but the biggest thing is, and I tell people, Iβm a turnaround guy. If you think the countryβs headed in the right direction and you donβt think there has to be dramatic change, no one should vote for me. I believe the countryβs in trouble. I believe thereβs so many people in the American public who are struggling. The only way weβre going to make their lives better is if we have dramatic change. And thatβs what I bring to the table.
Bluey: Have you seen examples of your entry into the race or even just the chatter about you potentially entering the race before you formally did that has moved either of them in your direction when it comes to some of the reforms that maybe Mitch McConnell has not necessarily endorsed in the past?
Scott: One thing everyone has started talking about is term limits. Most people who are elected donβt really believe in term limits, but the average person believes in it. I know the public believes in it. Now weβre having a real conversation about. Should there be a six-year term?
We have a six-year term for every other leadership position in the Republican Senate. We ought to have one for the leader. Thereβs no reason it should be different. I think thatβs No. 1.
No. 2, weβre starting to have conversation about it. How should we be managed? Because the leaderβs role is not to be a dictator. The leaderβs role is to be a leader of a group of individuals that get to represent their individual states.
Bluey: I recently had the opportunity to talk to Sen. Roger Marshall about the Republican-wide discussion that took place. It seems that those types of events may occur more frequently in the future, should this play out the way you hope.
Scott: I believe in it. I believe we ought to have real conversations and then have real discussions and let everybody bring their ideas to the table without any negative ramifications.
I donβt get why I was kicked off and [Sen.] Mike Lee was kicked off the Commerce Committee just because I ran against McConnell. It doesnβt make any sense to me. I think Iβve run the biggest company of any person ever in the history of the Senate thatβs served. And then Mike and I got kicked off because Mike nominated me to be the Republican leader. That stuff is wrong.
>>> Sen. Roger Marshall Prescribes Solutions for Congressβ Budget Woes
We ought to say, βHey, Rick, you bring this to the table. Mike, you bring this to the table.β Whoever it is, βThis is what you bring to the table. You ought to be really active in those ideas. And letβs fight over whoβs got the best idea and then letβs come together with the goal that we get a result.β
I know that we have to secure the border. I know that we have to get inflation under control. These are things that are so simple to me that the public needs and deserves.
Bluey: Those, of course, are big priorities of former President Donald Trump as well. You sound confident that heβs going to be victorious in November. Why are you the one whoβs best positioned to not only advance his agenda, but also those critical votes on the nominees he puts forward to serve in his administration.
Scott: I knew President Trump before either of us ran for office. Iβve known him for a long time. I believe in what heβs trying to accomplish. Heβs in the same position I am, that we have to have a dramatic change. We canβt nibble at the edges. There has to be a significant change in how our federal government is run. The public realizes that, thatβs why heβs going to win.
What heβs going to need is a partner in the Senate who wants that to happen and help to make sure thatβs exactly what happens in the Senate, not just in the White House.
Bluey: And finally, what kind of reaction have you received either from your constituents in Florida or some of your colleagues in the Republican conference since making the announcement?
Scott: Iβve had a lot of positive feedback. No. 1, my colleagues that want to sit down and talk about where we go, so thatβs a positive. No. 2, in the state of Florida, people are excited that thereβs a possibility of a Republican leader and hopefully the majority of their leaders are coming from our state.
The post Battle for Senate GOP Leader: Rick Scott Aims to Shake Up Status Quo appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Shortly after 5 p.m.Β Thursday, a New York jury brought the country to an unprecedented brinkΒ by findingΒ Donald Trump guilty ofΒ financialΒ fraud, making the former president a convicted felonΒ for now (unless or until theΒ conviction is overturned on appeal)Β andΒ makingΒ theΒ upcoming election a referendum, he now hopes, not just on hisΒ record against Joe BidenβsΒ but the entire political system.
Republicans call it a miscarriage of justice; for Democrats, itβs proof that no one is above the law.
History will remember it as a new chapter:Β Donald J.Β Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
βWe didnβt do anything wrong. I am a very innocent man,β Trump told reporters after the verdict,Β dressed in his trademark blue suit and too-long tie at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.
Then a familiar script as the former president embraced martyrdom, arguing that his conviction was part of a larger war for the soul of a nation.
βIβm fighting for our country. Iβm fighting for our Constitution,β he said. βOur whole country is being rigged right now.β
Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a case stemming from βhush moneyβ payments to porn star Stormy DanielsΒ in the waning days ofΒ the 2016 presidentialΒ campaign.Β Each count carries a maximumΒ prison termΒ of four years.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 11,Β just four days before Trump is slated to accept the Republican presidential nomination for a third consecutive time.
AlthoughΒ questions abound about the fateΒ ofΒ the former president and the nation, there is little to no chance Trump will end up behind bars before the end of the year. He is expected to remain free on bail pending appeal, a process that is not likely to be exhausted until well afterΒ ElectionΒ Day.
The case now shifts to theΒ appellate courtsβas well as theΒ proverbial court of public opinion.
Democrats have been desperate to cast the election as a rematch of Biden v. Trump with an emphasis on character, not a judgment on President Joe Bidenβs first term in office. They may have gotten what they wanted.
βDonald Trump is a racist, a homophobe, a grifter, and a threat to this country,βΒ said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.Β βHe can now add one more title to his listβa felon.β
Sources close to the former president prefer a different description.
A senior Trump campaign official predicted weeks before the decision that a conviction would βmake him the Nelson Mandela of America,β comparing Biden to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his imprisonment of political rival and late dissident Alexei Navalny.
The framework suits Trump,Β who blasted out an email fundraiser shortly after his conviction calling himself βa political prisoner,β arguing both that βjustice is dead in Americaβ and βour country has fallen.β
This kind of rhetoric, complete with comparisons of the U.S. to the Third World, is likely to accelerate in the weeks and months ahead.Β BothΒ major presidential campaigns now argue that the other could end democracy.
βThese people would do anything and everything to hold onto political power. They donβt care if they destroy our country in the process,β said the former presidentβs eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
Martyrdom has been a central theme of Trumpβs return to politics. After his indictment in New York last year, the GOP nomination was practically a fait accompli and his campaignΒ nearly told RealClearPolitics as much at the time.Β It is unclear whether that phenomenon will translate to a general election.
Court has not crippled Trump so far, however, and BidenΒ has not surpassed his rivalΒ a single time this year in theΒ RealClearPolitics Average of polls. Well aware of those numbers, the Biden campaign attempted to tamp down jubilation on the left over the bad legal news consuming the right. They warned that Trump still could win.
βThere is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box,β said Biden-Harris communications director Michael Tyler.
Ian Sams, spokesman for the White House counselβs office reacted to the news by saying only, βWe respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment.β By remaining silent, however, he ceded the spotlight to Trump, allowing his rival to shape the first 24 hours of the narrative.
[Biden didnβt comment until early Friday afternoon, when he noted before turning to the Israel-Hamas war that, βjust like everyone else,β Trump will have an opportunity to appeal the verdict. The president added: βThatβs how the American system of justice works.Β And itβs reckless, itβs dangerous, and itβs irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they donβt like the verdict.β]
Nothing bars Trump from running for president as a felon. It is unclear, however, if he will be able to cast a vote for himself while his case goes through the appeal process.
A more immediate consequence of the trial ending: Trumpβs schedule just opened up, and Trump can return to the campaign trail in earnest.
Sources in regular contact with the former president report that the prospect of prison has not cast a shadow over Trump personally. One told RealClearPolitics that Trump βsincerely believesβ that divine providence now guides his steps and βthat he has been chosen for a time such as this.β
Trump has six months to convince the country to return him to the White House, and in the most extreme circumstance, to preserve his freedom. Republicans were as bullish over those odds as they were angry.
βTodayβs verdict from this partisan, corrupt, and rigged trial just guaranteed Trumpβs landslide victory on Nov. 5, 2024,β Mike Davis, founder and president of the pro-Trump Article III Project, told RealClearPolitics.
Former Rep. Peter Meijer, a Michigan Republican who voted to impeach Trump, echoed that sentiment, warning that a conviction would backfire on Democrats. βThe chain reaction will cause infinitely more damage than whatever they think they are preventing,β he told RCP.
The conviction created a tidal wave of donations as Trump began fundraising almost immediately after leaving court. The Trump campaign buckled briefly at the surge. The fundraising website, WinRed, temporarily crashed under the strain of heavy traffic.
βIβll lose friends for this,β wrote Shaun Maguire inΒ a lengthy post on XΒ announcing his $300,000 donation to Trump. A partner at Sequoia Capital and a former Democratic donor, Maguire said that βlawfareβ in part inspired his donation:
βFairness is one of my guiding principles in life,β he said, βand simply, these cases havenβt been fair for Trump.β
Following the conviction, there was a discernable shift on the right among conservatives who normally argue that the judicial system ought to remain apolitical. Some Trump allies described the guilty verdict as βthe Rubicon.β
Asked about the new Republican appetite to use the courts to go after political opponents, Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller told RCP that βthe good guys must be as tough as the villains or freedom is doomed.β
The field of potential vice presidential candidates snapped to attention in their immediate condemnation of the conviction.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.,Β said the verdictΒ was βa complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice.β Sen. JDΒ Vance, R-Ohio,Β called itΒ βelection interference.β Sen. Tim Scott,Β R-S.C., said it was an βabsolute injusticeβΒ that βerodes our justice system.β
βFrom the start, the weaponized scales of justice were stacked against President Trump. Joe Biden, far left Democrats, and their stenographers in the mainstream media have made it clear they will stop at nothing to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House,β said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., in a lengthy statement to reporters.
βThis lawfare should scare every American,βΒ said a more succinctΒ North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican. βThe American people will have their say in November.β
The safest thing for any Republican elected official anywhere Thursday night was to attack the judicial system. Defending that institution, meanwhile, was verboten.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a frequent Trump critic now running for Senate, appeared toΒ miss the memoΒ when he shared a statement calling for GOP leaders to βreaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.β
Replied Chris LaCivita, a senior Trump adviser dispatched to oversee the Republican National Conventio:Β βYou just ended your campaign.β
The most common sentiment among Trumpβs close circle of advisers and friends was that something had changed permanently, not in the former president personally but in the country.
βToday marks a turning point,β said Brooke Rollins, who led Trumpβs Domestic Policy Council before launching the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tankΒ often described as a Trump White House in waiting.Β βI see it as a fire that has been lit. I see the sleeping giant of the American people awakened.β
On the second day of jury deliberations, Trump had kept up appearances with a smile. A verdict was not expected Thursday, and by the afternoon,Β JudgeΒ Juan Merchan was preparing to dismiss the jury for the day.
The foreman replied instead that the jury had reached a verdict. He read each of the 34 charges and followed by a one-word pronouncement: βguilty.β
A smile turned to a grimace, and Trump, surrounded by his defense team, stared forward stone-faced as he listened to the verdict and American history. He vowed in brief remarks to reporters afterward that he would βfight till the end and weβll win because our countryβs gone to hell.β
It was like so many of the pronouncements he has made after so many of the other controversies that have defined his political life. It was also different. A loss, if the conviction stands, could mean prison.
Rollins predicted that Trump would persevere, as he has before.
βFrom my perspective,β she said, βit is almost biblical to see this sort of courage and leadership and unwillingness to back down even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.β
The post Trump Vows to Fight On Despite Conviction appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Conservative talker Mark Levin said Friday on FNC's "Fox & Friends" that the Democratic Party has completely destroyed our electoral system when reacting to former President Trump's felony conviction.
The post Mark Levin: βDemocrat Party Has Completely Destroyed Our Electoral Systemβ appeared first on Breitbart.
The GOP raised a record amount of money after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his Manhattan business records trial.
The post βRepublican Voters Are FIRED UPβ: GOP Hits Record Fundraising Numbers Post-Trump Conviction appeared first on Breitbart.
A host of major GOP donors pledged millions of dollars in support Thursday for former President Donald Trump after he was found guilty on all 34 counts in his Manhattan business records trial.
The post No Surrender: Major GOP Donors Rally Behind Trump, Pledge Millions After Guilty Verdict appeared first on Breitbart.
Republicans' online donation website was so overwhelmed in the minutes after a Manhattan jury found Donald Trump guilty that its functionality was incapacitated.
The post GOPβs Online Donation Platform Overwhelmed After Trumpβs Guilty Verdict appeared first on Breitbart.
President Donald Trump is to be sentenced in New York on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention is set to begin on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where delegates are to cast their votes Trump as the presidential nominee.
The post Trump to Be Sentenced July 11, Four Days Before Republican Convention Starts July 15 appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are favored to win the White House and both chambers of Congress, according to a forecast model published by Decision Desk HQ and the Hill on Wednesday.
The post Report: Trump and GOP Favored to Win White House, House, and Senate appeared first on Breitbart.
The Israel Heritage Foundation led a historic mission to Israel with a high-level U.S. delegation to express solidarity with the Jewish state and its residents, as well as to gain a firsthand understanding of Israel's existential struggle, meeting with prominent Israeli policymakers and visiting key sites, including the βGround Zeroβ of Hamasβs October 7 massacre.
The post Exclusive: Israel Heritage Foundation Leads Historic Mission to Israel with High-Level U.S. Delegation appeared first on Breitbart.
On Thursdayβs βCNN News Central,β Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) acknowledged that βthe entire reasonβ that there was a negotiation for a border bill in the Senate to begin with was because of βthe request of Republicans. Republicans said, we want
The post Dem Sen. Murphy: We Only Had Talks for Border Bill Because GOP Pushed for It appeared first on Breitbart.
The majority of House Democrats voted to allow foreign nationals, including illegal aliens, to vote in municipal elections in the District of Columbia.
The post Most House Democrats Vote to Allow Illegal Aliens to Vote in D.C. Elections appeared first on Breitbart.
Democrat state lawmakers in Illinois are hoping to change a 2009 bill to reclassify the term used for criminals.
The post VIDEO: Illinois Democrats Want to Change Term βOffenderβ to βJustice-Impacted Individualβ appeared first on Breitbart.
Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) says President Joe Biden does not need to pass legislation through Congress to end the "historic invasion" at the United States-Mexico border.
The post Senator J.D. Vance: Joe Biden Can End βHistoric Invasionβ at Southern Border appeared first on Breitbart.
Vials of blood addressed to Donald Trump were sent to the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters, sending the office into lockdown.
The post βBiological Attackβ: Vials of Blood Addressed to Donald Trump Delivered to RNC Headquarters appeared first on Breitbart.
Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said the organization stands "firm" in its mission, no matter the "violent tactics."
The post RNC on βBiological Attackβ at HQ: βWe Stand Firm in Our Missionβ appeared first on Breitbart.
Comedian Bill Maher said Monday on CNN's "AC360" that Republicans were "natural-born cultists" and former President Donald Trump is their "American Caesar."
The post Maher: Republicans Are βNatural-Born Cultists,β Trump Is the βAmerican Caesarβ appeared first on Breitbart.
California State Rep. Vince Fong (R) won a special election on Tuesday to fill former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R) seat and finish his term, which runs until January.
The post Republican Vince Fong Wins California Special Election to Fill McCarthyβs Seat appeared first on Breitbart.