Category: blaze media

One of biggest blunders of Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign was the decision to skip an interview with Joe Rogan.

Rogan, host of the No. 1 podcast in the world, said that Harris’ campaign reached out to him after learning that Donald Trump was scheduled to appear on the show. But according to Rogan, the Harris campaign tried to set the parameters for the interview, including not filming in Rogan’s Austin-based podcast studio and limiting the interview to just one hour.

‘There was a backlash with some of our progressive staff that didn’t want her to be on it.’

Rogan rejected those demands, urging Harris to play by the same rules as every other guest of “The Joe Rogan Experience” — including Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), all of whom spoke with Rogan in the closing days of the election.

The decision to skip Rogan’s podcast was mind-boggling.

Rogan has one of the largest, most engaged audiences in all of media. Plus, the podcast would have allowed Harris to reach more men while giving her the opportunity to demonstrate a semblance of authenticity.

More than a week after Harris’ election loss, we now know why Harris ultimately refused to appear on Rogan’s podcast.

Jennifer Palmieri — a career Democratic strategist who served in the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and, most recently, in Harris’ campaign as a senior adviser to Doug Emhoff — admitted on Wednesday that Harris did not go on Rogan’s podcast because the campaign feared how the interview would be perceived within the Democratic Party.

“There was a backlash with some of our progressive staff that didn’t want her to be on it, and how there would be a backlash,” Palmieri said, according to the Financial Times.

The justification for wasting the golden opportunity to use Rogan’s platform over fears that it would anger progressives is equally as mind-boggling as the decision itself.

Pollster Nate Silver said it shows that “Democrats definitely deserved to lose” the election. Liberal commentator Cenk Uygur, meanwhile, observed that skipping the podcast over fear of progressive backlash perfectly encapsulates the campaign’s disconnect with reality. Indeed, the Democratic Party’s embrace of far-left ideals is one of the reasons Harris lost the election.

Later on Wednesday, Palmieri attempted to clarify her comments.

Palmieri said Harris didn’t go on Rogan’s podcast because of scheduling conflicts, claiming it is “hard to get to [Texas] twice in a 107 day campaign.”

That excuse only raises more problems.

First, Trump and Vance traveled to Texas multiple times during the final months of the election — and Harris could have, too.

Second, the excuse lays bare the Harris campaign’s priorities. It managed to spend millions of dollars in paid media appearing with other celebrities but made the intentional decision not to speak with Rogan and rake in millions of dollars in earned media.

Third, if time was a problem for the Harris campaign, how did Harris find the time to take entire days away from the campaign trail to prepare for interviews with friendly media networks?

Rogan, meanwhile, revealed on a new podcast episode this week that Harris campaign officials wanted to prevent him from asking Harris about certain topics, like marijuana legalization.

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​Joe rogan, Kamala harris, Election 2024, Jennifer palmieri, Politics 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) is reviving the highly controversial congestion toll in New York City, reversing her decision to indefinitely “pause” the plan this past summer.

In June, Hochul stopped the proposed $15 toll for those entering Manhattan below 60th Street following widespread opposition. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority agreed to pause the plan indefinitely.

‘You wonder why people are cynical of elected officials? This is exhibit A.’

Hochul’s stated reason at the time was to avoid adding “undue strain on already stressed New Yorkers.”

However, post-election, Hochul has decided to bring back the initiative, sources told the Gothamist and the New York Post. The sources indicate that Hochul plans to reduce the $15 base toll to $9. However, the governor reportedly is also considering increasing the base toll to as much as $23 within the next three years.

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Hochul announced that New York City will proceed with a $9 base toll. She presented this reduction as a savings benefit for commuters, even though the original higher toll was never put into effect.

“From day one, I have made affordability for New York families a top priority,” Hochul stated. “I’m proud to announce we have found a path to fund the MTA, reduce congestion, and keep millions of dollars in the pockets of our commuters. Under this plan, the MTA will implement a congestion pricing plan with a reduced daytime toll of $9 beginning in January.”

“You heard that correctly. It was $15 before; now it is $9. That is a 40% reduction,” she continued. “This lower toll will save daily commuters nearly $1,500 annually, and that kind of money makes a big difference for our families. And there’ll be further discounts for low-income New Yorkers. Car owners who make less than $50,000 a year will get a 50% discount on every toll after their 10th toll of the month. In addition, after 9 p.m., the toll is discounted even further.”

The previously proposed congestion toll received substantial legal and public backlash.

In April, New Jersey filed a complaint against New York, claiming that it “failed to adequately consider the environment impacts” and “ignored the significant financial burden being placed on New Jerseyans and New Jersey’s transportation system.”

The Trucking Association of New York sued the state in May over the toll’s pricing structure, arguing that it “disproportionately targets” truckers. Under the initial plan, truck and tour bus drivers would have been charged $36.

The toll’s revenue will cover $15 billion in repairs to the MTA’s transit systems.

Hochul’s proposed plan to reinstate the toll has raised questions about the timing of this decision.

Kyle Smith, a film critic with the Wall Street Journal, stated, “This is really unbelievably cynical politics. Kathy Hochul backed off a toll for midtown Manhattan because it polled disastrously and might have cost her party a House seat or 2. Now, the WEEK AFTER THE ELECTION, she says she’s going ahead with it.”

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella (R) said, “I can’t believe Hochul put congestion pricing to bed and brought it back.”

“It stinks. You wonder why people are cynical of elected officials? This is exhibit A,” Fossella added.

Jim Brosi, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, expressed concerns that first responders would also be charged.

“Congestion pricing will compromise staffing in the FDNY [New York City Fire Department],” he explained. “The disproportionate impact on members assigned to inside the congestion zone will cause a rapid drain of senior officers and firefighters, which could create a significant safety risk for all New Yorkers.”

Republican Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler accused Hochul of “trying to pick the pockets of New Yorkers to bail out the corrupt MTA’s waste, fraud, and abuse, and that’s shameful.”

In a Wednesday statement, a spokesperson for the governor said, “Gov. Hochul paused congestion pricing because a daily $15 toll was too much for hardworking New Yorkers in this economic climate.”

“Tomorrow, the governor will announce the path forward to fund mass transit, unclog our streets, and improve public health by reducing air pollution,” the spokesperson added.

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​News, New york city, New york, Kathy hochul, Congestion toll, Toll, Manhattan, Politics 

Tech billionaire Elon Musk finds himself in a precarious yet exciting position as he gears up to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly called DOGE, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.

Their plan? Slash government agencies by a huge percentage.

Musk knows what this means, however: He’s about to put a giant target on his back.

Dave Rubin plays the clip of Musk telling conservative pundit Tucker Carlson how he plans to tackle government inefficiency and what that means for his own personal safety.

“We’ll just take a look at all the federal agencies and say, ‘Do we really need whatever it is – 428 federal agencies?’ Like, there’s so many that people have never even heard of and that have overlapping areas of responsibility,” Musk told Carlson.

“There are more federal agencies than there are years since the establishment of the United States, which means that we’ve created more than one federal agency per year on average,” he added, noting that “that seems a lot.”

Carlson agreed. “That’s a lot.”

“I think we should be able to get away with 99 agencies,” Musk proposed.

He then explained that the process of determining which agencies are on the chopping block will include “a review of regulations to say, ‘Which ones are sensible and which ones are not?’”

“If you’ve got regulators every year, they’re going to add more regulations,” meaning, “We can’t get anything done,” he added. “We need some kind of garbage collection for regulations that don’t make sense.”

“I think I’m saying very obvious things,” Musk tacked on when Tucker gave him a look of apprehension.

“You are saying obvious things, which will be very unpopular things,” Tucker admitted.

“Yeah. I’ll probably need, if this happens, quite a significant security team because someone might literally go postal on me from the post office,” Musk laughed.

Dave thinks Musk’s plan is excellent.

“I think we can cut a huge amount of these agencies,” he says, adding that when you see Elizabeth Warren, MSNBC, and the like whining about how bad Musk’s plan is, just know that “they’re defending the bureaucracy.”

The truth is, “If they can cut all of these jobs, make government more efficient, more transparent … the result of that is you’re going to have more of your money,” he explains.

To hear more, watch the clip above.

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​The rubin report, Dave rubin, Blazetv, Blaze media, Tucker carlson, Elon musk, Department of government efficiency, Doge, Government agencies 

ABC News is reportedly in “panic mode” trying to find more conservative voices to balance “The View” after the show’s entire panel threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential bid.

Sources told the New York Post that the network is scrambling to rectify the voter disconnect on the talk show. According to the unidentified sources, ABC News has been hosting “intense,” “high-level meetings” since last week.

‘The current panel is clearly resonating with audiences given that the series just had its highest rated episode in more than a decade.’

Reportedly, the first order of business for the network’s executives is to find a panelist to join the show who is a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump. Even the show’s two current so-called Republican co-hosts, Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin, have repeatedly bashed Trump and his policies.

A source told the Post that the show is “facing pressure from higher-ups.”

“Viewers can expect some major changes including bringing in new panelists that can bring in a pro-Trump perspective,” the source continued. “Everyone on ‘The View’ endorsed Kamala Harris. They lost. They are out of touch with America.”

“For a show about different perspectives, ‘The View’ doesn’t seem to have any when it comes to Trump. ABC bosses don’t want to alienate the pro-Trump demographic,” the source added.

The source speculated that bringing on a pro-Trump host could cause a stir with the other panelists.

“The question is what will happen to the Whoopis and the Joys if they bring on a Trumpster?” the source questioned, referring to Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar.

Whether the network plans to replace any current hosts or simply add another panelist is unclear.

A second source told the Post, “We are trying to sort out how we cover the next 4 years when everyone inside ABC News is on one side.”

An ABC spokesperson denied the sources’ claims, stating that it is an “opinion-based show featuring a diverse panel of women with different points of view.”

The spokesperson then remarked that the show had just seen its highest ratings, seemingly oblivious to the likely reason behind the surge in viewership. It is plausible that many Americans, especially those with conservative views who typically avoid the program, flocked to see the far-left panelists’ dramatic reactions to Trump’s landslide election win.

The ABC News spokesperson told the Post, “The current panel is clearly resonating with audiences given that the series just had its highest rated episode in more than a decade and hit a 4-year high in total viewers.”

After Trump’s win, Behar accused his supporters of being racist and misogynistic.

Co-host Sunny Hostin questioned what was “wrong” with the Americans who voted for him, blaming “uneducated white women” and “Latino men” for Harris’ loss.

Meghan McCain, a former co-host on “The View,” criticized her former colleagues for being out of touch with American voters.

“Respectfully, please stop sending me clips from The View,” she told her followers on X. “It’s a radical progressive insane asylum and that is why I left years ago.”

In an earlier post, McCain wrote, “It is actual malfeasance on the part of ABC news that there isn’t one single conservative woman on The View this morning who voted for Trump or simply isn’t repulsed by his supporters to explain to America why he is still so popular.”

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​News, Abc news, The view, Whoopi goldberg, Joy behar, Sonny hostin, Ana navarro, Election 2024, Presidential election 2024, Presidential election, Election, Politics 

Numerous wealthy celebrities — including geriatric singers Barbra Streisand and Cher and 66-year-old script-reader Sharon Stone — threatened in recent months that if Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election, then they would pull up their shallow roots and leave the United States.

Time will tell whether these liberals will honor their pledges now that President-elect Trump is assembling his Cabinet, having secured over 3 million more votes nationwide and 86 more Electoral College votes than Harris. There is, however, at least one Democrat who has actually jumped ship.

In a post-election interview with the French women’s magazine Marie Claire, Texas native Eva Longoria indicated that she has moved her family out of the “dystopian” United States.

The 49-year-old “Desperate Housewives” star, once touted by the Washington Post as a “political power broker,” now appears devoid of the enthusiasm that she previously exuded in her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

“The shocking part is not that he won,” the multimillionaire told Marie Claire. “It’s that a convicted criminal who spews so much hate could hold the highest office.”

It turns out that Longoria’s personal efforts to turn out the Hispanic vote for Harris, as well as the efforts of the group she co-founded, the Latino Victory Fund, weren’t enough this time around. CNN exit polls indicated that 46% of all Hispanics and 55% of Hispanic men voted for Trump.

‘I’m privileged.’

“I would like to think our fight continues,” she continued, adding that she does not know what the future holds for the country.

Longoria suggested that if Trump “keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place.”

According to Marie Claire, Longoria, her husband, and her son now divide their time between Spain and Mexico when not jet-setting around Europe and South America.

Despite supporting a California Democrat keen on raising taxes, the script-reader suggested that the fallout of leftist policies helped grease her way out of the United States.

“I had my whole adult life here,” she said, referring to Los Angeles. “But even before [the pandemic], it was changing. The vibe was different. And then COVID happened, and it pushed it over the edge. Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s*** on California — it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now.”

Under Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, California’s homeless population ballooned to over 181,000 people last year — nearly 0.5% of the population. CalMatters revealed in September that the number is now closer to 186,000 homeless people.

“I’m privileged,” continued Longoria. “I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.”

The incoming president of the “dystopian” country that Longoria has abandoned has indicated that he will secure the southern border, expel criminals who have stolen into the U.S., lower taxes, reduce crime, eliminate government waste, protect children from sex-change mutilations, lower energy costs, improve the health of American youth, end the corporate capture of federal agencies, and broker international peace.

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​Eva longoria, Democrat, Harris, Kamala harris, Leftist, Leaving, Politics, Loser, Election, Election 2024, President donald trump 

A furious Southern California high school teacher who freaked out in a classroom over a student wearing a hat in support of President-elect Donald Trump has been placed on leave.

The Chino Valley Unified School District placed the English teacher on leave after a recording of his rant surfaced, KCAL-TV reported Wednesday.

‘The district policy is that you are not allowed to wear hats in class, and it is required of a student to remove them in class. The student refused to do so.’

KTTV-TV said the outbursts from the “popular teacher” at Chino High School came the day after last week’s presidential election.

Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Culture Project, posted snippets of the teacher’s outbursts on X.

“A child molester, huh?” the teacher said on one video clip. “Vote for that freaking rapist. … I’m sorry, guys. I’m sorry. I have a daughter, I have three nieces, and he’d rape them, and people are voting for him. Christians are voting for him. Bunch of losers. Fake Christians.”

The teacher said in another clip, “I’m pissed, people voting for a freaking rapist, and I’m pissed off” before adding, “I don’t care, fire the hell out of me. I’m fighting for my daughter, my nieces, their rights.”

The teacher is heard in another clip hollering to “turn it off and … go back to your freaking seat now! Go!” Immediately afterward, the teacher is heard speaking — presumably on a phone or intercom, “Can you send security up, please? … I have a boy who has a Trump hat on, and I’m not gonna tolerate it today, bye bye.”

In that same clip, the teacher then appears to speak to a student: “I don’t care if you have a Harris hat or a Trump hat, you’re outta here. You know better. Tell [Principal John] Miller, ‘I should have the right to vote for a rapist and a child molester,’ go for it, go for it. I don’t give a F!”

‘This has made a lot of students very sad because it makes the school look bad. Because it makes it look like we have crazy teachers here when we don’t.’

In another clip — in which he seems to be out of breath — the teacher snaps at another student, “Excuse me! What’s wrong with me?” When the student appears to ask what the other student’s hat said, the teacher replies, “Trump. The rapist. Even Trumpers don’t deny it; they just vote for him … gonna get rid of 20 million immigrants. … You know who should get out? You know who owns this land? … Native Americans.”

Students stage a walkout

KCAL said dozens of Chino High School students left their classrooms Wednesday during their second and third periods to support their teacher, whom they hadn’t seen since the incident.

“The district policy is that you are not allowed to wear hats in class, and it is required of a student to remove them in class,” one of the protesting students, Bridget Moore, told KCAL. “The student refused to do so.”

KCAL said the school district confirmed that hats aren’t permitted in classrooms.

However, Chino Valley Unified School District board president Sonja Shaw told KTTV previously that while the school has a dress code, it refers to indecent exposure and hate language — and that a Trump hat “is not out of code.”

“We had many students wearing T-shirts supporting both sides of the political debate in several schools without issue,” Shaw added to KTTV.

KCAL added that hundreds of students signed an online petition in support of the teacher in question, saying the recordings of his meltdown don’t show what led up to it.

“He deserves to know everybody cares about him and shouldn’t lose his job over something a student caused,” another protesting student Katrina Munoz told KCAL.

The students who took part in the walkout were marked not present for class, KCAL added.

“This has made a lot of students very sad because it makes the school look bad,” Moore also told KCAL. “Because it makes it look like we have crazy teachers here when we don’t.”

You can view a video report here about the controversy.

We have a trifecta

With the Chino High School teacher getting placed on leave, that means all of the anti-Trump teachers Blaze News has covered this week — so far, at least — have seen their meltdowns ending badly.

Indeed, a Connecticut special-education teacher who threatened Trump voters in a viral video has resigned. Annie Dunleavy of Chapman Elementary School in Cheshire spoke in person with WTNH-TV in the aftermath, tearfully at times trying to explain herself.

Also, a teacher at a different Southern California public high school who went on a profane rant in his Advanced Placement world history class against Trump the day after the election was placed on administrative leave.

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​Education, Anti-trump, Donald trump, Trump hat, Trump supporter, Rant, Meltdown, Administrative leave, Investigation, Chino high school, Anti-trump teacher, Southern california, Politics 

“Make America Healthy Again” was a winning message for Trump’s campaign, especially considering the government appears to have been making America as unhealthy as possible over the past four years.

“There’s been such a groundswell across political categories of Americans who, just looking around, they can tell that people are spiritually and physically unwell, that there’s a pandemic of sorts of just real unfitness in America, and they’re suspicious of their food, they’re suspicious of vaccines,” James Poulos of “Zero Hour” tells Senator Rand Paul.

Paul agrees, telling Poulos that “the government needs to turn over a new leaf and try being honest.”

“Because of their vast dishonesty, people are hesitant. People don’t believe the government any more, and I’ll give you an example of why they probably shouldn’t,” he adds, before citing the COVID response as the primary reason.

“The vaccine committees that came forward to approve a booster vaccine for COVID, they really recommended only for over 65, or those who are at risk for COVID. The Biden administration, though, came forward and said, ‘No, your 6-month-old should take it. Everybody from 6 months of age and up should take this COVID vaccine,’” he continues.

“Well, when you do the investigation, you find that the vaccine is actually of greater risk to a young person, to a child, a toddler, adolescent, teenager, young adult, than the disease,” he adds.

But why wouldn’t they warn the American people that the cure may be more dangerous than the disease? Because that’s not how the pharmaceutical companies, who worked with the federal government to make the vaccines, make their money.

“It appears as if the government perhaps is more concerned with the profit of Pfizer and Moderna than they are actually with the truth,” Paul says, adding, “People are suspecting everything the government tells them, because we’ve had such a spate of dishonesty.”

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​Free, Upload, Sharing, Video phone, Video, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Zero hour with james poulos, Zero hour, James poulos, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Covid-19, Rand paul, Senator rand paul, Covid-19 response, Anthony fauci, Covid lies, Moderna, Pfizer, Corruption, Vaccine mandates, Vaccine mandate backlash 

Newly elected Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune has made efforts to override his past comments criticizing President-elect Donald Trump, vowing to work alongside him.

Thune defeated Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida on Wednesday in the race to replace retiring Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Although Thune has emphatically promised to work alongside Trump in his newfound role, he has not always been so enthusiastic.

Despite this, Thune insisted that there was ‘no daylight’ between him and Trump just hours before he narrowly won his leadership position.

Thune had called for Trump to drop out of the 2016 race following the release of the Billy Bush tape, saying, “Mike Pence should be our nominee effective immediately.

Thune was also asked in a 2022 interview whether he would support Trump as the Republican nominee in 2024.

“I hope we have other options,” Thune responded. “And I think we will have other options.”

However, the jabs have gone both ways. The two also butted heads when Thune refused to block the certification of the 2020 election, prompting Trump to call him a “RINO” and “Mitch’s boy,” referencing his relationship with McConnell.

Even going into the congressional GOP leadership elections, Thune repeatedly urged Trump to stay out of the issue of the leadership election. Despite this, Thune insisted that there was “no daylight” between him and Trump just hours before he narrowly won his leadership position.

“The American people have loudly rejected the failed policies of the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda,” Thune said in a press conference following his leadership victory. “This Republican team is united. We are on one team. We are excited to reclaim the majority and get to work with our colleagues in the House to enact President Trump’s agenda.”

“We have a mandate from the American people,” Thune continued. “A mandate not only to clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda, but also to deliver on President Trump’s priorities.”

Along with implementing Trump’s agenda, Thune had previously agreed to the president-elect’s demand to allow recess appointments.

“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominees in place as soon as possible, & all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments,” Thune said in an X post from Sunday. “We cannot let Schumer and Senate Dems block the will of the American people.”

Since then, Trump has made some bombshell Cabinet nominations. Most notably, Trump nominated Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) for attorney general, which sparked an onslaught of online hysteria, as well as hesitation from some Republican lawmakers.

Thune’s office did not directly comment on whether the senator would work with Trump to ensure Gaetz’s confirmation. Rather, Blaze News was redirected to Thune’s earlier press conference in which he vowed to “enact President Trump’s agenda.”

In a confirmation battle after the incoming Senate class takes office on January 2, Gaetz can afford to lose only three Republican votes.

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​John thune, Donald trump, Matt gaetz, Mitch mcconnell, John cornyn, Rick scott, Republican leadership, Senate leadership, Senate republicans, Attorney general, Trump agenda, Maga mandate, Politics 

Alina Habba, a top ally of President-elect Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that while she has been “flattered” by the calls for her to be the next White House press secretary, she has decided to turn down the high-profile role.

Since Trump’s historic election win, Habba’s name has been one of the few thrown around for the job. Habba has faced media firestorms when she has represented Trump during his legal battles.

“While I am flattered by the support and speculation, the role of Press Secretary is not a role I am considering. Although I love screaming from a podium I will be better served in other capacities. This [administration] is going to be epic! So proud of the Trump team, the latest appointments and 47!” Habba said on X.

‘Hire loyal and smart staff.’

Mediaite reported earlier this week that Habba was the front-runner to be press secretary and had meetings at Mar-a-Lago about the role.

“Donald Trump is the premier programmer and producer-in-chief; he casts for the on-air roles,” the source told Mediaite. “Alina is camera-ready and tested on day one. But more importantly she’s battle-tested after being in the front lines with POTUS the last four years.”

Axios reports other people being considered are Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt, former ESPN host Sage Steele, and CNN contributor Scott Jennings. A former George W. Bush appointee, Jennings has made a name for himself this election cycle being a cool-headed Trump defender often outnumbered by the liberal guests and hosts.

Top Trump campaign communications staffers Steven Cheung and Danielle Alvarez are vying to be White House communications director.

Sean Spicer, who was Trump’s first press secretary during his first term, offered advice to whoever will do his previous job.

“First, always have the most up-to-date information on what the president thinks on policy and personnel matters. Check in with him frequently, and double-check if you have to. He is his own best spokesman. Despite what staff may say, the decision is always his, and the exact words communicating a decision or announcement are critical,” Spicer wrote.

“Hire loyal and smart staff. There are only about a dozen staffers in the press office, so you can’t afford to have any dead weight or disloyal people on the team,” he added. “There will be countless attempts to write ‘process stories’ about feuding among staff, or young inexperienced people looking to cash in and write tell-all books. You can avoid that by hiring people who are dedicated and focused.”

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​Politics 

UFC contender Michael Chandler said that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg should be welcomed into the mix of Donald Trump supporters instead of being shunned.

Chandler was asked during a panel discussion on the Patrick Bet-David podcast what kind of influence UFC fighters have on a person of Zuckerberg’s stature.

“Is there s*** talking? Are you talking to him, what influence does the UFC have on him?” Bet-David asked.

Chandler noted that he met the Meta CEO at a UFC event and said that while he and Zuckerberg are on “different ends” of the political spectrum, he still believes in catching bees with honey as opposed to vinegar.

‘That testosterone started going through the roof … he realized what being a sovereign individual means.’

“There should be a little bit of accountability, right, but also a guy like Zuck has a very, very heavy hand. A guy like Zuck has a lot of influence,” Chandler noted, implying he could be helpful in a push for greater freedom.

In terms of Zuckerberg possibly becoming more conservative, Chandler chalked it up to Zuckerberg’s recent obsession with jiujitsu and mixed martial arts training.

“I just think Zuck started training, that testosterone started going through the roof … he realized what being a sovereign individual means. You don’t know how not sovereign you are until you stand in front of a man, and he beats the crap out of you, and then you pick yourself back up and you do it again, or you get choked out and then you got to get up and do it again.”

Chandler continued, “I think Zuck has started to realize that, and now he’s starting to lean over [to the right] a little bit.”

Former UFC title holder Jorge Masvidal was asked to chime in on the panel as well and explained that martial arts training does wonders for the ego.

“Whether you win or lose, you kind of walk into a room, and you don’t feel you have an ego as much, and I think that definitely helps and like Mike was saying, once you get your butt kicked a couple times, it really makes you humble, and it makes you see life a different way.”

Masvidal added that money in the bank doesn’t mean anything when “someone’s on top of your face punching your teeth in.”

“I think [Zuckerberg] training has just brought [out] that side of him, and also I think how rapidly the country was deteriorating was probably the biggest thing he saw.”

Zuckerberg has famously won a gold medal and a silver medal in jiujitsu tournaments in Silicon Valley in May 2023 and is on record telling comedian Joe Rogan in 2020 that he has experience in tae kwon do, karate, and judo.

For a short time, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk had agreed to a fight in a UFC cage causing the Facebook boss to take lessons with prominent UFC fighters. The fight has not been talked about in 2024, however.

In terms of the political leanings of the UFC fighters, Chandler said that when fighters are locked in a cage with nobody to help, they tend to take a “different mentality.”

Chandler also joked that he thought UFC star Conor McGregor was “voting for Kamala [Harris]” and that’s why their fight was canceled.

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​Fearless, Ufc, Mark zuckerberg, Election, Sports 

Former NFL player Ryan Clark released a video claiming President Donald Trump had a divisive and bigotry-filled term, while President Barack Obama was graceful and without scandal.

Clark’s video, posted on his X page, seemingly served as an explainer for the statement he released after Trump won the election, in which he said, “The majority has spoken & Donald Trump is OUR President. I will respect him & his office as such.”

The former ESPN host and now host for Fanatics said he got a lot of pushback from his “community” regarding his post and proceeded to explain in detail why he doesn’t like President Trump.

— (@)

Clark claimed in his video that after Trump’s election, his oldest daughter got up at 7 a.m. and lay in bed with her grandmother and cried. He likened this to many Kamala Harris supporters who felt “sadness” and “depression” because Trump won.

He then compared Trump’s tenure to that of Obama, stating that Obama represented the United States “with class, and with grace, and with elegance, and with decency.”

He added that Obama had “no scandals” and no felony charges, while Trump ran a campaign and a presidency based in bigotry and hate.

Clark finished by saying that he doesn’t “and won’t” respect Trump but will respect the office of the president.

Many commenters found Clark’s own video to be divisive despite his stated intent not to be, specifically since the former athlete hammered home in his caption that when Trump came into office he “empowered” bigotry.

“After 8 years of being represented with class by President Obama the country decided it needed to be ‘Great Again.'” “Bigotry was now empowered straight from the Oval Office,” Clark added.

However, the former Pittsburgh Steeler revealed that “Trump supporters of all colors” have told him he is wrong about the president.

He noted that while he is not optimistic, he will also attempt not tobe divisive. Many readers took issue with this.

“I can’t stress this enough but Obama was the most divisive president of all time. The worst of the worst,” one reply stated.

Another reader attempted to point out Clark’s hypocrisy for making derogatory claims about Trump while also saying he wasn’t going to be divisive himself.

Clark’s tactic of rattling off claims about the president without context or rebuttal has become a go-to for many of his detractors.

Noting his felony charges and impeachments in such a manner appears to be more of a signal by Clark to his supporters that he is is with them rather than a sign that he is truly open to understanding his political opponents.

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Multiple local and national publications
called the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania last week for Republican challenger and combat veteran Dave McCormick. Although the writing is on the wall, Sen. Bob Casey, the Democratic incumbent, has refused to admit defeat. Casey’s allies are now engaging in the very conduct and echoing the same kind of language that Democrats have spent years condemning.

Days after the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board
claimed that Marc Elias, elections attorney for the Democratic Party, was “back and trying to steal a Senate seat for Bob Casey,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley warned that Democratic officials and lawyers “are trying to sow doubt in the democratic process.”

That doubt is sure to grow now that the state is holding a recount and Democrats are pushing to count illegal ballots.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt
announced Wednesday that the unofficial results, with Philadelphia’s legal and uncontested ballots accounted for, automatically triggered a statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. McCormick reportedly leads Casey by 29,338 votes, 48.93% to 48.50%. To avoid a recount, the Republican senator-elect would need to lead his opponent by 0.5%.

Schmidt indicated that after completing their initial counts, counties must begin the recount by no later than Nov. 20, then report the results to the state secretary by Nov. 27. The cost to the taxpayer of confirming Casey’s loss will be in excess of $1 million.

McCormick’s communications director Elizabeth Gregory
noted, “Senator-Elect McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, which the AP made clear. A recount will be a waste of time & taxpayer money, but it is Casey’s prerogative. McCormick knows what it’s like to lose an election & is sure Senator Casey will eventually reach the right conclusion.”

Mark Harris, McCormick campaign consultant who has repeatedly emphasized there is no path to victory remaining for Casey,
tweeted, “Since 2000, no US Senate race up by more than 500 votes has switched leads. Again I am the broken record but there’s no path for Casey except wasting $1M+ of taxpayer [money.]”

‘STOP the counting of illegal ballots.’

“Recounts are shifting a very small number of votes,” Deb Otis, director of research and policy at FairVote,
told the Associated Press last month. “We’re going to see recounts in 2024 that are not going to change the outcome.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial board indicated Sunday that a recount would afford Marc Elias “a chance to try his legal shenanigans, which are likely to run the gamut from challenging votes for Mr. McCormick to searching for heretofore undiscovered ballots for Mr. Casey.”

“Mr. Elias helped to steal a Senate seat in Minnesota for Al Franken in 2008 by finding a judge to count previously rejected ballots and overturn the lead of Republican Norm Coleman,” continued the Journal. “The Elias method is to look for friendly judges who will rule in his favor. Pennsylvania has a Republican secretary of state who supervises elections but an especially partisan elected Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court. So far Gov. Josh Shapiro and other officials aren’t commenting on Mr. Elias.”

Whatley
vowed to ensure the RNC and Pennsylvania GOP “will have attorneys and observers in every county in the state to ensure only lawful ballots are counted. Again.”

According to Whatley, the RNC filed two new lawsuits Wednesday evening in Bucks County and with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to “STOP the counting of illegal ballots.”

Whatley
clarified that Bucks County “is once again violating Pennsylvania law, this time by choosing to count undated and incorrectly dated ballots in a race that Dave McCormick has already won.”

The
lawsuit filed by Senator-elect McCormick and the RNC against Bucks County states that the board’s decision “is legally erroneous because undated or misdated mail ballots are invalid as a matter of law and cannot be counted in the 2024 General Election — as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has already made clear.”

LevittownNow.com reported that the Democrat-controlled Bucks County Board of Elections approved canvassing and counting for most of the nearly 4,500 provisional ballots it has received.

The county election board is also counting hundreds of undated and incorrectly dated mail-in ballots even though the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled and reiterated that county election officials cannot count absentee ballots with incorrect or missing dates. State law requires mail-in ballots to be returned in two envelopes — an inner secrecy envelope and an outer envelope on which voters must pen their signatures and the current date.

“The Board’s baffling decision not to enforce the date requirement and to count noncompliant ballots thus directly contravenes binding Pennsylvania law,” continues the complaint.

The lawsuit further claims that the county board’s decision violates the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and the Pennsylvania Constitution.

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President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he wants to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland with firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), leaving elements of the Republican old guard in stunned silence and prompting plenty of Democrats to panic.

Despite efforts by outbound Democrat Sen. Bob Casey’s cronies in Pennsylvania to reduce the GOP’s majority, Republicans will nevertheless control the U.S. Senate in January — meaning that they have the numbers to confirm Gaetz as attorney general. However, there may not presently be sufficient willpower to see him through.

Extra to resistance from nominal allies, Gaetz — who resigned his House seat following Trump’s announcement — also faces incredible opposition from the liberal establishment. Nevertheless, there are multiple ways forward that will see Trump’s intention realized and the Department of Justice helmed by a longtime critic hell-bent on radical reform.

The announcement

For his incoming administration, Trump wants several disruptors in top positions: decorated Army combat veteran Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense; Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence; Elon Musk and Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy running the proposed Department of Government Efficiency; Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as head of the State Department; and. Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, as his national security adviser.

‘Matt will end Weaponized Government.’

Trump announced Wednesday that he would be nominating Gaetz — who proved instrumental last year in ousting former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker of the House — to take over the Department of Justice, where officials have been updating their resumes since Nov. 5 in anticipation of a thorough housecleaning.

“Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice,” wrote Trump. “Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.”

Gaetz, a frequent guest on Stephen K. Bannon’s “War Room” podcast and a target of a frivolous DOJ sex-trafficking investigation, has impressed upon his fellow conservatives the need to rein in the administrative state.

“I don’t care if it takes every second of our time and every ounce of our energy,” Gaetz said in his 2023 CPAC speech. “We either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of, abolish the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them if they do not come to heel.”

“Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” continued Trump. “On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization. He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law.”

‘This is really a vomit-in-your-mouth moment for alumni [from] the Department of Justice.’

The president-elect added, “Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”

Gaetz responded on X, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General.”

The reaction

While numerous Republicans keen to see Trump deliver on his campaign promises celebrated the Gaetz pick, Democrats, liberal talking heads, and other exponents of the old regime did not respond well to the news that the man deemed a “bomb-thrower” by the New York Times would soon be running the Justice Department.

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) wrote, “People voted for cheaper eggs, not whatever the f@#€ this is.”

“No question about Matt Gaetz’s qualifications — totally lacking. His only relevant law enforcement experience is as a target of a criminal investigation,” tweeted Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D). “He’ll weaponize DOJ for political ends. He’ll be a national security risk — ill-equipped to be in charge of prosecuting espionage, terrorism, drug trafficking, & more.”

“Confirming him would mean affirming the worst potential abuses of DOJ,” tweeted Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “He must be rejected by the Senate.”

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios that Gaetz and Trump’s other picks “are deeply unserious choices, and to the surprise of no one who remembers the first Trump presidency, they signal a lot of chaos and incompetency to come.”

Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee (Mich.) suggested Trump’s account had been hacked, calling the pick “insanity.”

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) was reportedly “exasperated” upon hearing the news, standing in awe for nearly half a minute.

David Laufman, former chief of the counterintelligence and export control section in the Obama Department of Justice’s National Security Division, told the flummoxed host of MSNBC’s “Deadline White House” that “this is really a vomit-in-your-mouth moment for alumni [from] the Department of Justice and for people around the United States who care about the rule of law.”

“This nomination reflects the crudest contempt and disrespect for the rule of law, the Department of Justice as an institution, and for the thousands of men and women across this country who every day strive to carry out their mission to represent the people of the United States and the rules of the United States Constitution and bring justice around this country,” added Laufman.

CNN legal analyst Elie Honig similarly had trouble digesting the news, echoing the technocratic arguments raised earlier this week for why Hegseth should not run the DOD.

‘He’s the attorney general! Suck it up.’

“[Gaetz] has never worked a day in his life as a prosecutor,” said Honig. “He’s only practiced law for a few years at the very local level. We’ve had AGs before who have never been prosecutors, but they’ve all had serious positions in the Justice Department in non-prosecutorial roles. Matt Gaetz is completely unknown to this profession.”

Honig added, “He is there to weaponize.”

Officials at the DOJ were similarly melting down Wednesday night.

MSNBC collected the following responses to the announcement from DOJ officials, including senior bureaucrats:

“OMG.”
“How many other prospective attorneys general had previous experience as the subject of a criminal investigation?”
“Absolutely unbelievable.”
“Did not see this coming.”
“What the f*** is happening?”
“Truly stunning.”
“Insane.”
“Absolutely unbelievable.”

Whether bureaucrats believe it or not, Gaetz will likely take over the DOJ in January, assuming he is able to navigate the obstacles ahead.

The way forward

Liberals are not the only ones keen to keep Gaetz from controlling the DOJ. There is apparently some resistance from nominal Republicans in the U.S. Senate.

A Republican senator speaking on the condition of anonymity told Fox News Digital, “He will never get confirmed.”

Another Senate Republican source suggested, “Ain’t gonna happen.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) appeared noncommittal, telling reporters, “I think we have to consider any nominee by the president seriously, but we also have a constitutional responsibility.”

The Associated Press indicated that Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R) may similarly be on the fence, stating she was “shocked” by the nomination.

“I recognize that the president-elect has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but we in Congress have a responsibility under the Constitution and our advise and consent, which will lead to hearings, an FBI background check, and an awful lot of questions being asked in this case,” said Collins. “I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz’s hearing if in fact the nomination goes forward.”

Responding to the question of whether he will support Gaetz’s confirmation, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R) said, “We’ll see.”

There was an outstanding House Ethics investigation into Gaetz regarding denied allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, the acceptance of improper gifts, and the attempt to obstruct government investigations; however, that investigation effectively died with his resignation, as the House no longer has jurisdiction.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that Gaetz issued his resignation letter effective immediately and indicated that the promptitude of the resignation will enable Republicans to fill his seat as early as Jan. 3, 2025.

If Republican senators don’t get on board, Trump could push to appoint Gaetz through a recess appointment — something Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) indicated would be the way through.

When asked about the prospect of an AG Gaetz, Massie told reporters, “Recess appointments! He’s the attorney general! Suck it up.”

The Constitution allows for recess appointments as a way to avoid protracted government vacancies.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the next Senate majority leader, has agreed to recess appointments, tweeting, “We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominees in place as soon as possible, & all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments. We cannot let Schumer and Senate Dems block the will of the American people.”

Former Trump adviser and repeat Biden-Harris DOJ target Steve Bannon stressed that a recess appointment should be avoided in favor of a vote.

“We have to show them we ain’t going to do this in the dark,” said Bannon. “Not this one.”

Sean Davis, co-founder of the Federalist, noted on X, “With Gaetz having resigned his seat in the House, if the Senate tries to reject his AG confirmation, DeSantis can always appoint Gaetz to fill Rubio’s Senate seat.”

“Would be interesting to see senators have to choose between Gaetz as AG or as their colleague for years to come,” added Davis.

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Once a voice of reason, Sam Harris has only allowed his Trump derangement syndrome to progress, clouding his judgment and leaving him open to ridicule from those who used to respect his tempered point of view.

According to Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report,” Harris is “a very well-known atheist, old-school liberal” and “was sort of the leading voice of independent thinkers on the left that were calling out woke nonsense.”

“But something happened to him related to Trump that seemingly has pushed him the wrong way,” Rubin says, noting that on a recent episode of Harris’ “Making Sense Podcast,” he laid it all out there.

“I would point out that it actually isn’t necessary if you think Trump is so bad that you would vote for virtually any other human being over him, which is really the position I’m in. I just think he’s such an abnormal person. Psychologically and ethically, I mean in terms of the degree to which he is interested only in himself and his fame and wealth,” Harris told his listeners.

“I don’t know how you could still believe that,” Rubin comments in response. “Donald Trump who did get shot, Donald Trump, a man who got shot in the ear, a man who’s put his life on the line, a man who has been under investigation this entire time, which now have all wrapped up suddenly that he’s going to be next president of the United States, that somehow he’s all in it for himself.”

But Harris wasn’t finished, going so far as to call RFK Jr. a “bully” in the same episode.

“I understand how satisfying it is to find a new bully to beat up the other bullies who’ve been making you miserable. Okay, but the problem is, this new bully is worse, right? This new bully has no principles, this new bully has no journalistic or academic or scientific conscience to appeal to,” Harris said.

“Whatever might be wrong with a person like Anthony Fauci or Francis Collins or any of the other doctors who have been demonized right of center for their approach to setting COVID policy, at least they are real doctors and scientists who have some professional scruples and reputations to protect,” he continued.

“RFK Jr. has none of that. He’s just a cowboy taking shots at the establishment,” he added.

Elon Musk even chimed in after Harris’ podcast aired, writing in a post on X that “Sam Harris is, ironically, irrationality personified.”

Rubin agrees.

“That is such an extraordinarily bad take, I almost don’t know what to say,” he says.

Want more from Dave Rubin?

To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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The Connecticut special-education teacher who threatened people who voted for President-elect Donald Trump in a viral video has resigned — and she tried to explain herself in a tearful on-camera interview.

Annie Dunleavy of Chapman Elementary School in Cheshire spoke in person with WTNH-TV, tearfully at times trying to explain herself. Her interview demeanor certainly was a stark contrast to what was seen in her viral video in which she threatened Trump voters.

‘The message I was trying to get across, and it came off very wrong was … if this is going to give people the almost permission in their minds to enact violence against women or anybody, I wanted to basically just say, like, I’m not going to go down without a fight.’

In that video, she claims that “people of color and poor people and gay people and all the people that I care about aren’t gonna be safe in America — neither the f*** are you guys. Just because you won doesn’t mean we don’t remember who the f*** you voted for. You’re not in the clear.”

She added, “Please don’t test your gangster on me because you will end on a stretcher. Gone. Forever. So serious. Nobody f***in’ talk to me unless you wanna swing. If you wanna fight, text me, call me, whatever. Anybody else stay the f*** outta my face.”

The threatening clip ends with her saying, “And if you voted for Trump, literally please delete me, block me, get rid of everything of me — or step to me, so that I know what’s up, and I can handle you how I see fit. Please, just come forward, we f***in’ know. Just tell me. Or leave.”

In her interview with WTNH, however — which included the interviewer reading some of her threatening words aloud to her — Dunleavy acknowledged, “It sounds very extreme, and again, I was in a moment of high emotions, and I shouldn’t have ever posted the video. But … the message I was trying to get across, and it came off very wrong was … if this is going to give people the almost permission in their minds to enact violence against women or anybody, I wanted to basically just say, like, I’m not going to go down without a fight.”

The station said Dunleavy also declared that “I will fight for myself, and if someone was to try to hurt me, I would protect myself.”

Another clip of the interview shows Dunleavy in tears: “I mean, you know, it’s my life’s dream to be a teacher. I consider those kids my kids because I don’t have any of my own. And they fill that for me, and it’s so fulfilling, it’s so rewarding. … I know that what people see right now, I don’t look like that person, but I truly would do anything to help any child and any family in need.”

WTNH added that Dunleavy said she’s been getting threats and has moved out of her home. She added to the station that Cheshire police — which had launched an investigation into her viral video — told her Wednesday she won’t face any charges.

You can view the interview snippet with Dunleavy here. WTNH prefaced the snippet by indicating she “apologized to her students,” and the station noted in its story that Dunleavy “is sorry” — but there is no apology from her in the station’s video snippet. Perhaps an apology will be part of the full interview with Dunleavy, which WTNH said will air 10 a.m. Sunday.

‘I can’t unsee the video … and I can’t walk into that school. … I’m literally shaking, I can’t walk into that school and hand my kid off to that person.’

Samantha Rosenberg, chair of the Cheshire Board of Education, said in a written statement that the board recognizes “the intense emotions this situation has stirred,” the station reported.

“The Board of Education is united in finding the teacher’s behavior reprehensible and unacceptable, and we are horrified and deeply offended by statements made in the video,” the statement reads in part, WTNH reported.

Prior to Dunleavy resigning, Cheshire Public Schools’ Superintendent Jeff Solan said she was placed on leave until the outcome of an investigation, WFSB-TV reported. Solan added that once the video went viral, the district received a large number of calls — mostly from people outside the Cheshire community — and that business couldn’t be conducted as usual with the teacher on campus.

WTIC-TV reported that the Cheshire Town Council held a meeting Tuesday night, and some parents said they weren’t happy with what was expressed in the video.

WTIC reported that Amy Bourdon — a Cheshire mom whose son with special needs attends school in the district — said, “I saw a woman in crisis, and then when I replayed it a couple of times, I got up from my table and went and locked my front door.”

Bourdon — who is a Republican, WTIC said — added that “we are the targets. Our lives have been targeted by an individual that cashes a paycheck from the town of Cheshire every week.”

Lorie Barnes told WTIC that “I’m tired of being a Trump supporter and whispering.”

Barnes, who’s lived in Cheshire all her life, added to WTIC that her grandson will be moving from England and entering the Cheshire school district — and now that terrifies her.

“I can’t unsee the video … and I can’t walk into that school. … I’m literally shaking, I can’t walk into that school and hand my kid off to that person,” Barnes told WTIC.

You can view a news station video report here about the controversy.

Other outbursts from anti-Trump teachers

As Blaze News has previously reported this week, a Southern California high school teacher on the day after the election lashed out in a classroom at a student who was wearing a Trump hat.

Blaze News this week also noted that a teacher at a different Southern California public high school went on a profane rant in his Advanced Placement world history class against Trump the day after the election and was placed on administrative leave.

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When I was asked to spin up Return a couple of years ago, I knew the media landscape had a huge hole where thoughtful, trustworthy coverage of the intersection of tech, culture, politics, and spirituality should be. Despite strong political and economic headwinds, friends, allies, fans, and readers quickly rallied to Return — not just in its online and print forms, but in person, especially in the cities where the brains, muscle, and soul of the new greatness movement were concentrated: Austin, Dallas, Miami, New York, L.A.

We knew we were on to something, propelled by the conviction that allies of tech could be more than simps, propagandists, or worshippers — more valuable, more honest, more fun, and more durable. And when Blaze Media agreed — so much so that the company acquired Return with the goal of dramatically expanding our coverage, our reach, and our pathbreaking and beautiful print quarterly — we knew that what we had achieved was just the beginning. Tech was changing fast — not just strengthening and accelerating, but moving intellectually and spiritually in our direction and away from the pink police state about which I had been warning all who would listen throughout the 2010s.

American in all its richness: sumptuous, rough and ready, resilient, and possessed of the strange and otherworldly glamor bestowed on our hard-fighting people by the great hand of Providence.

And pro-America America was changing too, driven by the fresh tastes and takes of rising digitally native generations — young men and women who knew in their hearts and in their bones that the slick, hollow mantras enforced by the overlords of HR-style modern liberalism couldn’t answer the ultimate, universal questions aroused in the human breast by the growing dominance of technology. For a while now, you’ve seen Return’s online presence deepen, expand, and grow more nimble and muscular here at Blaze Media. What you haven’t seen yet — until today — is the tireless and visionary work Matthew Peterson, Peter Gietl, Katherine Dee, Isaac Simpson, and many others have applied to the noble and thrilling task of transforming Return’s already-great print quarterly into something truly spectacular, brilliantly original, coffee-table gorgeous, and richly rewarding to read, touch, and simply behold. I am tremendously humbled and grateful to present to you, for the first time, Frontier magazine.

Ready for your preview and subscription, Frontier is the culmination of the mission and ethos of Return and Blaze Media working in synergy — bursting with sound confidence, hope, and dynamism toward the unfolding American future; intimately plugged in to the people, trends, products, and visions at the epicenter of that new future as well as its bleeding edge; and unfazed and undistracted by the hype, delusion, doomerism, and cultishness cluttering our fresh frontiers online and off. All while delivering a feast for the eyes and the heart — American in all its richness: sumptuous, rough and ready, resilient, and possessed of the strange and otherworldly glamor bestowed on our hard-fighting people by the great hand of Providence. Which is my way of saying, as Frontier’s editorial director but also as your friend and compadre, that you really, really, really want this big, beautiful beast in your home, in your hands, and in your life. Subscribe now! And thank us later. See you on the frontier. It’s a privilege to ride with you all.

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The Food and Drug Administration’s newest recall exemplifies why the status quo is on the chopping block in Donald Trump’s presidency.

Last week, the FDA issued a recall for nearly 80,000 pounds of Kirkland Signature butter, which is sold at Costco. Government officials deemed the recall necessary — impacting 46,800 pounds of unsalted butter and 32,400 pounds of salted butter — because the packages could be missing what the government believes is an important allergen statement: “Contains milk.”

The DOGE will cut through a bloated bureaucracy and government waste like a hot knife through 80,000 pounds of butter.

“Butter lists cream, but may be missing the Contains Milk statement,” the FDA said in its advisory.

The FDA issued
a Class II recall for the creamy goodness, which means government officials believe this is “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

People
are scratching their heads over the need for the recall — and outright mocking it — for one important reason: Everyone knows butter contains milk.

When you milk a cow, you receive essentially two products: milk and cream. Cream settles at the top of the milk and can be skimmed away and churned to make butter. Unless you milk your own cow or buy raw milk or “cream-line milk,” you generally cannot see the cream because milk that is sold in stores has been pasteurized and homogenized.

Cream
is a milk product. The primary difference between cream and the milk we drink is the fat content.

The most interesting aspect of this recall is the moment in American history in which it is happening.

First, Donald Trump’s decisive victory included a mandate for the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

Trump is surrounding himself with people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Calley Means, and Casey Means, who are serious about improving the health of all Americans beyond the pharmaceutical industry. So while grocery stores across the nation sell fake “butter” — industrial seed oils masquerading as butter — the FDA deems it important to recall tens of thousands of pounds of a real health food over a harmless labeling error.

The recall exposes the FDA’s priorities — which appear antithetical to the MAHA movement.

Second, the recall is yet another example of government bureaucracy run amok, more evidence that
Elon Musk is right about our need for a Department of Government Efficiency.

Is it really in the best interest of U.S. taxpayers and consumers to recall nearly 80,000 pounds of butter over a labeling error? Do Americans really need a government-mandated label telling them butter contains milk?

Evidently, nothing is wrong with the butter itself. No consumers are at risk of adverse health effects if they eat it. But it must be recalled, by the FDA’s logic, because it doesn’t contain a warning message the agency requires.

Fortunately, wasteful government intervention could become a relic of the past in Donald Trump’s second administration. That’s because
he is on board with Elon Musk’s vision for government efficiency, and he wants Musk to lead it with entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

If it comes to fruition, the DOGE would cut through a bloated bureaucracy and government waste like a hot knife through 80,000 pounds of butter — and that’s something all Americans can be thankful for.

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Trump’s entry into politics nearly a decade ago, marked by his rallying cry of “fake news,” ignited the decline of mainstream media’s credibility. His relentless attacks struck a chord with those fed up with media bias. With support from his base, Trump started building the mainstream media’s coffin. Today, Gen Z, Barron Trump’s generation, is driving in the final nails. They don’t want to listen to Joy Reid (who does?) or Jake Tapper (again, who does?); they want Joe Rogan.

Gen Z speaks for most of America.

The polarization deepens as many left-leaning women refuse to date right-leaning men. Meanwhile, more men are aligning with conservative values, rediscovering religion, and questioning the modern feminist agenda.

Trump’s interview with Rogan has racked up 48 million views on YouTube alone. Meanwhile, Theo Von has drawn 14 million views for his own interview with Trump. The impact of these and other podcasts is clear and convincing. These alternative media giants have amplified political messages in a way that mainstream outlets simply can’t match.

Gen Z values podcasts for their convenience, easy access, and variety. Gen X values the personalities and independence of the hosts. The medium’s personal touch forged a cross-generational coalition that was decisive in Trump’s sweeping victory.

Barron Trump undoubtedly played a pivotal role in helping his father secure re-election. He opened his father’s eyes to the massive influence of voices like Rogan and Von. As a Gen Zer, Barron belongs to a generation often criticized, sometimes fairly, sometimes not. While they might not always be grounded in reality, they are tuned into podcasts — earning them the nickname the “podcast generation.” This group is deeply embedded in audio culture, leading the shift from traditional media to various digital platforms, with nearly seven hours of media consumption each day. Yes, each day.

And Gen Xer stars like Joe Rogan have capitalized on this shift, drawing in young audiences with unscripted, long-form conversations on everything from politics and culture to aliens and sports. His genuine approach builds trust and shapes opinions, holding real power over how young listeners absorb information and view the world. It highlights the influence of podcasts in shaping modern thinking, where a single compelling voice can steer conversations, impact millions, and even sway election outcomes.

Due to podcasters’ revolutionary impact on politics, the belief has spread that a related but much different corner of the new media world — the so-called “manosphere” — was key to Trump’s re-election. The manosphere is an online ecosystem shaped by figures like Andrew Tate and the “Fresh and Fit Podcast,” which focuses on dating, relationships, and gender dynamics, often from a controversial angle. Thanks to largely left-leaning media, both Tate and the “Fresh and Fit Podcast” hosts have become synonymous with the often-misapplied term “misogyny.” This term is slippery, as the left has weaponized it to label anyone who dares to challenge modern feminist narratives — narratives that often assert men are literally trash and celebrate female promiscuity.

To paraphrase Ben Shapiro, many of the voices in the manosphere space are like “terrible doctors.” They are adept at diagnosing the disease but terrible at prescribing the cure. Yet, their appeal persists. The same factors that fuel Rogan and Von’s success — mainstream media’s implosion and a thirst for authenticity — are propelling the rise of the manosphere. You might not agree with what Tate says, but he undeniably knows how to sell a message. Is he genuine? Again, he’s certainly skilled at selling the image of authenticity.

The new mainstream

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The appeal of the manosphere space is amplified by what’s known as the diploma divide, where men and women increasingly pursue separate paths shaped by diverging priorities and growing disillusionments. More women are choosing careers over families and focusing on climbing the corporate ladder instead of dating. Trump’s election win has prompted some young American women to discuss boycotting men altogether.

This notion echoes South Korea’s 4B movement, which champions rejecting dating (biyeonae), sexual relationships (bisekseu), marriage (bihon), and childbirth (bichulsan). Interest in this movement spiked after the election, with platforms like TikTok and X flooded by hashtags and conversations embracing the concept. Here in the U.S., the list of boycotted behaviors is, at least judging by some TikToks, rapidly expanding, to include churchgoing and “trad” lifestyle signifiers increasingly favored by younger men.

Slapping the manosphere label — a term often used to imply an online cesspool of bigotry and misogyny — onto figures like Rogan and Von is not only misleading but downright wrong. These men are known more for irreverent humor, eclectic interviews, and thought-provoking conversations than chauvinism. The assumption that their audiences consist solely of men is profoundly disconnected from reality. Joe Rogan’s podcast, in fact, boasts one of the largest followings among female listeners in the United States. Von also has a significant female audience.

Similarly, and no coincidence, over four in 10 female voters chose Trump, with a majority of white women casting their ballots for him. This statistic alone shatters the caricature of the “bad orange man” as universally reviled by women. One might even say it’s surprising more women didn’t vote for Trump, given the superficiality of Kamala Harris’ campaign — full of empty platitudes and performative joy.

The polarization deepens as many left-leaning women refuse to date right-leaning men. Meanwhile, more men are aligning with conservative values, rediscovering religion, and questioning the modern feminist agenda. On the other side, women are increasingly stepping away from religious affiliations. This realignment is creating a cultural chasm, marked by friction and factionalism that extends far beyond political affiliations and reaches into the most personal aspects of life — marriage, family, and community.

The manosphere didn’t necessarily help get Trump elected. The Gen Z and Gen X podcast bros leading alternative media did. Now, debates over reproductive rights, gender roles, and shifting expectations for men and women at work and home are only set to intensify — unless the broad MAGA coalition of younger men and women step up to lead their fellow Americans away from a deeply destructive war of the sexes.

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To be expected, the feminists are not excited about Trump’s return to the White House. So they’ve devised a plan to exact their revenge: They’re going to adopt draconian celibacy while he’s in office.

Many of them are taking the sex strike a step further by intentionally making themselves look unattractive by shaving their heads.

So liberal women self-punishing and vowing to not procreate? Now that’s what the “Normal World” cast calls “SUCCESS!”

Dave Landau plays a montage of different videos that have gone viral on social media of women joining the “4B” movement. On camera, they shave their heads and pledge to avoid men altogether as retribution for Kamala Harris not winning the presidency and enshrining abortion in the Constitution.

To be fair, however, these women didn’t invent the 4B movement. In fact, the movement started roughly a decade ago in South Korea when a group of feminists devised a plan to fight the patriarchy by living by a set of 4 “no’s” — no sex with men, no procreation, no marriage, and no dating men. However, the movement was part of the backlash of the “spycam” epidemic, in which many South Korean women were secretly being filmed during sex. Violence against women is also remarkably high in the country.

American women apparently thought Trump’s victory was equivalent to the plight of South Korean women, so they brought the 4B movement here. In some ways, they’re taking the already extreme lifestyle to even greater heights with some women encouraging others to divorce their husbands.

However, the majority of them are just vowing to be unattractive and celibate because if they get pregnant, then they will be unable to get an abortion due Trump’s nationwide abortion ban.

Except that’s not happening and abortion access will remain the exact same it’s been since the overturning of Roe v. Wade pushed the issue back to the states.

“You can go to one of the 48 states that still allows abortion,” laughs Dave, pointing out the idiocy of the movement.

To hear more of the cast’s commentary, watch the episode above.

Want more ‘Normal World’?

To enjoy more whimsical satire, topical sketches, and comedic discussions from comedians Dave Landau and 1/4 Black Garrett, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Cry me a river

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I’m done with liberal tears. I don’t care.

Do you enjoy finding out your ex-girlfriend got dumped after you’ve been married for five years? No. You couldn’t care less. I knew they’d be crying, and I care as much about their belief system today as I did before Trump won.

The only remotely thing interesting about their meltdowns is how they’ve gone from, “Muh … RACIST” to “Muh … UNEDUCATED!” I actually prefer the latter allegation because it’s more true.

I don’t “wish them nothing but the best.” I don’t wish them anything. They blew it a long time ago, and we’ve moved on.

For the next four years, we will be building a wall, deporting illegal aliens, privatizing everything, trashing CRT, dismantling affirmative action, de-wokeifying education, embracing meritocracy, and basically allowing America to reach its full potential without Marxist bureaucracy in the way.

The crybabies can join us or move to Europe or go on a sex strike, we don’t care. Bye-bye! Home to Mommy.

—Gavin McInnes, host of “Get Off My Lawn”

Time to build

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A national mandate has been delivered by the American people to Donald Trump and all who would serve at his pleasure: a mandate to secure our borders, revive our economy, and bring peace to our empire — to change the trajectory of our nation.

The American revival has begun. This is our century. We will not surrender to despair and malaise, nor consign ourselves and our civilization to decline and collapse.

Beyond this political victory, achieving this grander civilizational goal will require sober thinking and serious work. Politics and civic duty will be required, as will enterprise and economics, entertainment and the arts, technology and exploration.

The American people and their engines of war and peace — private and public, secular and religious, urban and rural — must set their minds and hands to the work needed for this revival of their civilization. America has been drowning in mere inches of water. All we must do is stand up.

—Andrew Beck, co-founder, Beck & Stone

Sun’s out, guns out

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That disorienting feeling you are feeling is not vertigo.

It’s the Overton window, which just made the most dramatic shift to the right in decades.

The win is so massive. Their loss is so total.

The worst people in America are vanquished. Evil dynasties fell. All Trump’s enemies are in exile, humiliated. GOD IS GOOD.

On November 5, 2024, America fought and won a second war against European governance. We rejected unelected bureaucracy. We rejected state-enforced decline, crushing and inhuman rule by faceless overlords, socialism, communism, European-style feudalist wars over territory, and globalist rot.

Next summer is going to be the biggest and best White Boy Summer we’ve ever had. You have six months to work on your tan.

—Peachy Keenan, cultural commentator and author of “Domestic Extremist”

Fear factor

David Dee Delgado

A decade as pariahs. Reverse McCarthyism.

Think of how many of us in blue cities put up with the petty harassment, the constant, low-grade fear they’d come after our livelihoods or our families. And come they did.

A Tuesday evening in November put an end to all that. Suddenly, we’re citizens again. MAGA hats in Manhattan and Beverly Hills. Has any other piece of clothing so enraged a regime?

For ten years our friends, families, and employers pretended that voting for an extremely popular, mainstream politician and his frankly milquetoast policy proposals was not wrong, not misguided, but deeply, historically evil.

I can’t think of anything less American than that. Trump will inevitably disappoint, as does every president once faced with the task of actually governing. It remains to be seen whether he will make good on his promises.

But we must remember him for what he was — a hammer that punched through the door of an absolutely rotten elite that simply had to go. And, ultimately, a leader who freed us from an era of fear.

—Isaac Simpson, founder and director, WILL

Dictatorship at the door, democracy on the floor

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She would nod while delivering her response to a question like a teacher trying to get buy-in from a truculent fourth grader.

There was a fair amount of “Nnkay?” — eventually fodder for impersonators on TikTok.

But even very simple, general, softball questions got engulfed in “Americans have hopes, and dreams, and aspirations” — as if, yep, those three things were not the exact same thing.

What was clear to the world was that this woman had not done the homework. If you look at video of her in Europe right as the invasion of Ukraine happened, a reporter asks her a fairly specific and detailed but not at all hostile question, and she makes a comical deer-in-the-headlights face and points at a diplomat from Iceland, as if to say, “He knows the answer!”

In brief, the reason the coconut lost was not “misogynoir,” not gender war, not “a battle for the future of our multiracial democracy.”

It was because she appeared incapable of the gig and the orange man seemed capable. You might not like his solutions, but he knows what he wants to do and how he’s going to do it.

Legacy media was shocked and appalled that large percentages of “Latinx” people wanted to make money and wanted things to run properly. For this disloyalty, you had the likes of Joy Reid and Al Sharpton saying that the “Latinx” were more racist (read: anti-black) than whites were. So much for thick-and-thin loyalty!

People want (yes, go for it, Mussolini meme-makers!) the trains to run on time. They want crime to be punished and for the border to be enforced.

It cannot be overemphasized what an existential shock to the system it is that Trump suggested that the United States of America is not just some block of real estate that anyone on earth can hang out in but rather an exclusive club — kind of like Roy Cohn’s favorite hangout, Studio 54 — where to gain admittance you have to show some value.

What a concept! It makes even the Ella Emhoffs of the world worry that someday they might not be on the list. This to me is an admirable form of discipline for the hoi polloi.

The second-biggest takeaway from this election is that the entire legacy media sang the same note together.

It’s brat summer, wear Charli XCX putrid green, it’s coconut-tree meme time, it’s the summer of vibes, she didn’t do so badly against Trump, Walz didn’t do so badly against Vance, her “60 Minutes” bobbles didn’t matter, she’s gonna win it in a landslide, it’s gonna be a squeaker but she’s gonna make it after all, she’s gonna save democracy …

… and no real Americans out there in the real world bought it.

Puerto Ricans went up for Trump after the garbage gag. No one will trust the mainstream media in the same way ever again.

The biggest takeaway: We have a golden age coming at us. Not just in terms of laws passed but where the culture is going. It feels weird to have hope on a large scale!

—Matthew Wilder, writer and director of the forthcoming film “Morning Has Broken,” with Ava McAvoy and Fred Melamed

Uncle Donald

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I don’t think it’s very feminine to have political thoughts — it’s kind of a dirty topic that’s best left to the men. But I used to be very involved before I married my husband. I would mostly help my dad, John Lamb, with his campaigns.

It’s hard to have feelings about Trump, in the way that it’s hard to know what to think about your eccentric uncle. When I spent six months in Germany in 2019 as an au pair, the children I looked after asked me, “How can you stand to have him for your president?”

I felt a righteous indignation to defend his honor — as if he were my uncle. A little unsavory, perhaps, but still family.

I also felt pride — not the brazen sense of superiority Americans stereotypically display in Europe, but a simple, sincere gratitude for my country. I decided then to like Trump, to the point that I became more active on Twitter so I could see his tweets.

I liked that he didn’t seem calculating, that he just said things as he saw them. Sometimes even I was offended by what he said, but I could respect his authenticity. When he didn’t make it the second time around, I regretted that I hadn’t liked him a little more. America felt less fun those next four years.

This election, I ignored the news as much as I could, although my husband and I did watch both debates. I remember thinking how Trump seemed changed — more poised. I had a feeling he might actually be able to win this time, especially when Kamala took over the race. Nobody wants a prosecutor for a president.

Is a Trump presidency truly God’s will? It’s still too early to know, in my opinion. Part of me wonders if there might be more assassination attempts, or if the left has accepted this victory to lull us into complacency. I really don’t know — all I’m certain of is that these next four years show promise to be interesting and fun.

—Keturah Hickman, writer and lace tatter

Go fast and go forward

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We are on the good timeline now.

The triumph of Trumpism is complete. He has put away the old GOP and defeated both the Clinton and Obama factions of the Democratic party. Trump has built a coalition of core Americans and Silicon Valley power brokers that is unique to modern history. Young people, tired and put off by the constant moral hectoring of the left, have also come on board. It is now cool to support Trump. It is high-status to support Trump.

In this new environment, anything is possible.

American dynamism has been tamped down for decades by bureaucratic dead weight and the enervating spirit of the longhouse. No more. The conditions are ripe for unprecedented growth and innovation. We are going to the stars, literally. And a wide-scale cultural renewal is imminent.

People want beauty, they want optimism, they want adventure, and they want heroism. We are going to deliver them the symbols and narratives that instantiate this latent yearning. We must not lose sight of this opportunity. We must not get bogged down in petty squabbles and factional disputes. We must go fast and go forward.

—Jonathan Keeperman, founder, Passage Publishing

Exit the Twilight Zone

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There have been times over the past four years when I have felt like I’m living in the Twilight Zone.

We have been gaslit over and over by the Biden administration and the media regarding the strength of the economy and all of their accomplishments.

I would hear this while pulling my hair out to keep my restaurant going amid skyrocketing costs and frequent supply shortages — as our family’s savings evaporated.

I would hear this while my wife and I did everything we could to support our four children, while also having to protect them from relentless ideological nonsense. And while being called bigots for wanting our daughter to play in sports with just biological women.

All of this against a backdrop of lies suggesting this is simply what “democracy” is.

But the people have spoken, and it turns out that many of us have seen through the lies. We want to leave this twisted, far-left fantasy world and get back to reality.

It’s comforting to watch the left’s once semi-secret agenda get exposed once and for all — just before the new administration rips it up.

I feel confident we will see the cost of goods come down as a result of less inflationary spending, smaller government, regulations being rolled back, and American food producers being given priority within the supply chain. I know it will be easier to get my kids healthy food without having to spend a mortgage payment. There’s a lot of work to be done, but winning the election was the most important first step.

—Chef Andrew Gruel, restaurant owner and author of “Andrew Gruel’s Family Cookbook”

Folie à Duh

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To all the members of the intellectual dark web who could not bring themselves to endorse Trump, hereby known as the ineffectual dork web:

Listen, you guys had a good run. Everyone had high hopes that your breakaway sect of intelligentsia would recognize that your little pet anti-woke topics weren’t just isolated problems but endemic to the entire rotting corpse of the left.

We thought you guys would realize that the issues you were stumbling upon had actually been clocked years before by the ordinary, uneducated Americans despised by the elites and that this might engender some humility.

Congrats for realizing trans people are mostly perverts and DEI is wildly unpopular. It doesn’t take a great genius to realize castrating children and villainizing white people is wrong. In fact, these are basic moral intuitions that the intellectual class somehow deluded themselves into suppressing, before tepidly rolling back their cultural revolution while expecting great acclamation for such efforts.

We are sick of gentility and nuance, because we rightly perceive it as another form of intellectual skullduggery. That’s different from genuine analysis and argument, which have tremendous energy and dynamism. Your role, whether you realize it or not, has been to sterilize these insights at every turn, stripping them of their charisma and repackaging them into ineffectual and glib “discourse.”

For whom? You have irreparably alienated yourself from the left and will never be welcomed back there again. The left’s fundamental tenet is not freedom or equality or the exchange of ideas, but eradicating all opposition on its ineluctable, grand march toward progress.

Understandable mistake, but you only get to make it once.

You’re done. Nobody is going to take away your little Substacks or your sparsely populated conferences or your anti-woke nonprofits, but they’re going be irrelevant.

Nobody on the right will engage with you again. These are our issues now, and any useful ideas we can extract from your self-serving, butt-covering pontification will be repurposed by those of us who actually want to do something about these problems.

—Catherine Sulpizio, writer and co-host of the podcast “Temple of Friendship”

Win or die

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Trump has won. Although this incredible victory is cause for celebration, I believe the risk of disaster has never been higher than it is right now.

As one Russian official said of attempts by the czar to modernize Imperial Russia shortly before the revolution: “The most dangerous thing you can do to a bad system is try to reform it.”

For the American right, this is the eye of the storm. It’s only going to get crazier from here, and only organization and discipline will carry us through the challenges ahead. We could go into a new golden age and reach higher than anyone else has done before, or we could collapse into despair and passivity in just a few years.

It really is up to us. We get to choose whether we win or die. That’s the only choice.

—Conundrum Cluster, writer and critic

Vibe shifting

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There’s been a “vibe shift.”

Our decade of shameless anti-Americanism is over. The climate in which former New York governor Andrew Cuomo said “America was never that great” is finished.

Being an American patriot is “in” again. Crank up the rock ‘n’ roll. Have a cigarette. From here on out, every day is the Fourth of July. Stand tall like an American should — because you don’t have to walk on eggshells any more.

I’ve spent more than a decade traveling this country and I now spend most of my time writing and thinking about America and celebrating this great country. As we forge into the next few years, I’m up for the task of dedicating all of my energy toward provoking the greatest resurgence in national spirit, romance, and mythos this country has ever seen. And I know I’m not alone on that score.

What the liberals get wrong about today’s paradigm shift is that we’re not about “American History X”-style curb-stomping rage and goose-stepping crap.

This is about the rhythm of the Rolling Stones, the Mississippi Delta blues, the little barbeque shacks and honky-tonks on the side of the highways. It’s about the view from the top of Mount Washington and the stars from the beaches on Lake Superior. It’s about old colonial-era homes on the Mohawk and ice cream socials at the town hall.

If there’s any “populist rage” here, it’s only a rage at the fact that a class of sleek, self-interested, globe-trotting elites ever sought to bleed the color from this nation. They tried to take away the fun, the vigor, the head-high pride that so many of us feel for this land. They tried to make us into a giant “human resources pool” instead of the big, weird, wild nation we always were.

Sure, there’ll be policy changes. Some of them will be good; others might not be. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that the dark days are over. We’re done flying the flag at half-mast.

—A.M. Hickman, itinerant geographer and proprietor of “Hickman’s Hinterlands”

Whose freedom?

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Abortion doesn’t save women. It doesn’t stop or fix rape. It doesn’t end poverty. It doesn’t stop domestic violence.

It doesn’t do anything except undo a woman’s healthy biology, kill her child, and send her right back to whatever circumstances she came from.

This is our freedom? This is our equality?

I am legitimately angry on behalf of all the people who think the election results mean they have no agency or control over their own bodies, lives, or futures.

These people are in despair because they’ve been lied to. They’ve been told that women need to go to war with their bodies to be free, that limits on abortion limit access to lifesaving care, that surgical and hormonal intervention is the way to “treat” gender dysphoria, that restricting abortion or “gender-affirming” care leads to suicidal ideation.

These lies demand that you, an individual, rely upon your government to be safe, free, and successful.

You are so much stronger and more capable than you have been told. You have so many more options and paths to a joyful life than you have been led to believe.

—Robin Atkins, licensed mental health counselor and founder of Charis et Veritas

Dad energy

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I never thought this would happen. I’ve been living in an insane world that put into practice the worst kind of child abuse anyone could imagine in a perverted nightmare.

People acted like it was normal. They acted like it was loving. And applauded the permanent destruction of the health and wholeness of children around the country.

Mothers, evil, wicked mothers, got spots on breakfast television and heart emojis from America for practicing Munchausen by proxy on their children. Mostly their sons.

Had I been born a little later, I could have been one of them. I was a sweet, sensitive, fey boy who thought God had cursed him with a freakish defect, one that would forever set him apart. Had someone promised to ease my pain with this warped “health care,” I would have embraced it.

And I would have woken up years later even more broken than I am.

Donald Trump and his team, for the first time in our history, have called this what it is and have said no more in plain terms. “Mutilation.” “Abuse.”

A matriarchal, smothering mother culture has held America hostage for too long. We need a father energy now.

To any liberal reading this: I used to “hate” Trump every bit as much as you do. My hope for you, man or woman, is that you understand how blatantly you’ve been lied to about Trump.

And I hope you consider the psychological manipulation that has given these lies such power: the lingering father wounds you haven’t wanted to attend to, because it was easier to rage against the big imaginary “fascist” than to face the demons of your childhood

This was me. And if you recognize yourself in it, I want you to know that you don’t have to pretend any more. Believe me, it’s better on the other side.

—Josh Slocum, host and co-creator of the “Disaffected” podcast

Man the lifeboats

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The Trump Restoration will look less like “righting the ship” and more like launching the lifeboats.

Giving Americans the freedom to exit failing financial, political, educational, and corporate systems is the right thing to do, but it will accelerate their failure of those systems.

After this week, we are much shorter on U.S. government and much longer on America.

—Kevin Dolan, founder, EXIT

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