Tag Archive for: White House

Meet The Hyper-Lib Taking Over The White House Press Corps

A new president took the helm of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) on Tuesday, but CBS News’s Weija Jiang’s tenure seemingly won’t be much of a departure from the reign of her predecessor.

Jiang has served as CBS’ Senior White House correspondent since 2018 and will serve as president of the WHCA for a year. She was first elected to a three-year WHCA board position in 2023. She is taking over as president from Eugene Daniels — formerly Politico’s White House correspondent and now MSNBC’s senior Washington correspondent.

Daniels’ tenure was marked by cries that the Trump administration was a major threat to press freedom, even while President Donald Trump made himself readily available for gaggles, press conferences, briefings, and interviews.

Jiang’s reporting history suggests it’s unlikely she will take a much different posture toward the Trump administration.

The CBS News correspondent sparred with Trump amid the 2020 Covid pandemic. She and the president got into a back-and-forth over the rapidity of his administration’s response in April that year, with her tacitly alleging that Trump had delayed widespread Covid testing to hide the total number of cases.

“Did your delay in embracing wide-spread testing have anything to do with a desire to suppress the official number of U.S. cases and deaths as you try to re-open the country?” Jiang asked.

“No, we just wanted to make sure that we had the proper machinery apparatus and everything else out there before people started wasting money,” Trump replied. “Method of saving money.”

Jiang also claimed a White House official called the virus the “Kung-Flu” to her face and insinuated administration officials might be making racist comments behind closed doors.

“Makes me wonder what they’re calling it behind my back,” she wrote on X in March 2020.

During the Biden administration, however, Jiang served as a useful parrot for the president and his staff’s preferred narratives.

In February 2024, Biden bumbled a question about the Israel-Hamas war by mixing up the presidents of Mexico and Egypt. Biden referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as “the president of Mexico.”

Jiang opted to exclude this mistake in her coverage of Biden’s press conference, instead merely noting that Biden had elsewhere offered his  “sharpest criticism yet of Israel.”

In March 2024, Jiang excused Biden’s apparent inability to remember key details while speaking with Special Counsel Robert Hur in a probe about Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. Hur alleged in a report about the interview that the president could not remember the year his son Beau died and whether or not he was Vice President in 2009.

Jiang, however, accused Hur of lying about Biden’s memory lapses in an X post following the release of the interview transcript.

“The President was fired up about Hur’s claim that he couldn’t remember when his son Beau died… because it was false,” Jiang wrote. “He immediately said the date, according to the interview transcript.”

Jiang doubled down during an on-air hit on CBS News.

“Many of the details that Biden couldn’t recall, such as how boxes were packed up, how they were transported, those are things that would likely be tricky for anyone to remember decades later,” Jiang said. “It is notable though that [Special Counsel Robert] Hur wrote that Biden could not remember when his son Beau died. That’s just not true.”

The Hur transcript, however, indicates that while Biden remembered the date — May 30 — when Beau died, but could not recall the year.

“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died,” Hur wrote.

More recently, Jiang covered events at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) during last year’s presidential election and praised then-Vice President Kamala Harris for her appeals to Gen-Z voters.

Jiang pointed to pop star Charli XCX’s June 2024 “kamala IS brat” tweet, unflinchingly parroting Gen Z explanations as to why the comparison resonated.

“It’s a vibe,” Jiang said, describing how others explained the term to her. “It is a spirit that you encompass that really addresses the feminine spirit, the feral-ness of women using their voices, and of being unapologetically yourself.”

“That is a compliment for anybody who might have questions,” Jiang continued. “It’s really about owning who you are and being able to roll with that, even if sometimes it means laughing at yourself, being a little self-deprecating, being a little bit fun.”

Jiang praised Tim Walz during additional coverage at the DNC. remarking on his ability to be “an attack dog” who “has a way of attacking, but still coming across as joyful and jolly.”

Daniels indicated he is proud to pass the torch to Jiang.

The association is in amazing hands w/ @weijiaShe will lead with strength, perseverance, humility and love,” Daniels wrote in a send-off post on X. 

AUTHOR

Tayte Christensen

Contributor

RELATED ARTICLES:

White House Press Selects Queer, Anti-Racist ‘Comedian’ To Host Trump’s Correspondents’ Dinner

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner Was A Monument To Corporate Press’ Self-Importance And Left-Wing Cronyism

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

White House Saves Taxpayer Dollars With Lowest Payroll In 16 Years

The Trump White House released its payroll for the first time this term and it’s the lowest in 16 years.

Total White House payroll amounted $44.1 million for 404 employees in 2025, which is the lowest it’s been since at least 2009 when adjusted for inflation, according to Open The Books. The number represents a 29% drop from the Biden White House’s $62.2 million in payroll for 565 individuals in 2024.

Despite the overall payroll cut, top staffers like White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt are both making $195,200, which is more than their predecessors. Former President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients earned $168,000 in 2024 while former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made $180,000 serving the previous administration.

The reduced budget is in part due to a smaller legal counsel. Trump’s White House budget for legal counsel is $3.8 million for 27 lawyers, while the Biden White House employed 45 lawyers at a combined salary of $6.3 million by the close of Biden’s term. That represents a cut of $2.5 million.

Since 1995, the White House has been required to provide Congress an annual report on the salaries of White House personnel.

The White House is not paying multiple prominent employees, according to the Trump White House’s report. The employees are Marco Rubio as National Security AdvisorDavid Sacks as White House AI and crypto czar, Steve Witkoff as special envoy for peace missions and Paula White as senior advisor to the White House Faith Office.

The White House staffer taking home the biggest paycheck is Jacalynne Klopp, who works as an advisor and is earning $225,700 annually.

While President Donald Trump’s salary is not listed, he has previously said he would donate his salary to the government, a practice he’s maintained during his first term.

AUTHOR

Adriel Perez-Gonzalez

Contributor

RELATED ARTICLES:

Biden White House Staff Is Largest Since Nixon, Costs Taxpayers $225 Million

Every Reporter In DC Has Trump’s Phone Number – Biden Aides Allegedly Disconnected His After One Phone Call

REPORT: Brennan And Comey Under Criminal Investigation Over Trump-Russia Probe

Every Member Of SCOTUS Greenlights Trump Order — Except One

EXCLUSIVE: Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette Throws Her Hat Into South Carolina Governor’s Race

After 4 Years In Charge, Top Congressional Democrats Suddenly Want Epstein Files Released By White House

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Shockingly Small Portion Of Democrats Are Proud To Be American, Poll Shows

Fewer Democrats are “extremely” or “very” proud to be American than at any point in the last 25 years, a new poll shows.

Just 36% of Democrats said they are beyond “moderately proud” of their country, down from 62% in 2024, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. The survey found that overall American pride is at a record low of 58%, but Democrats are “mostly” responsible for the decline.

Democrats’ current level of national pride is at its lowest since 2020, when it was 42%, according to Gallup. It jumped to 62% once former President Joe Biden took office the following year, and it stayed above 50% throughout his term. The last time the percentage reached above 80% for Democrats was under former President Barack Obama.

Patriotism among Republicans does not correlate as strongly with election wins, Gallup’s polling indicates.

Eighty-five percent of Republicans were “very” or “extremely” proud to be American in 2024 while Biden was in office. Republicans’ national pride stayed in the 80-90% range throughout Biden’s presidency, but for Democrats, it cratered after President Donald Trump returned to office.

Independents’ pride in their country similarly hit a new low of 53%, down from 64% in 2024, according to the poll. Republicans have consistently been the proudest to be American since 2001, when Gallup first started taking the survey.

The survey also found that the younger Americans are, the less likely they are to be proud of their country. Generation Z is the only cohort with less than a majority who said they are very or extremely proud to be American at 41%. This contrasts with the patriotism among 58% of Millennials, 71% of Generation X and 75% of Baby Boomers, the poll shows.

Gallup noted that it conducted its poll before Trump decided to bomb Iranian nuclear sites on June 21. A Tyson Group survey found that most voters approved of the strikes, Axios reported Friday.

AUTHOR

Hudson Crozier

DCNF Crime and Extremism Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Early Iran bomb damage spin falls apart

GOP Effort To Strip Illegal Immigrants Of Taxpayer-Funded Benefits Fails In Senate

Twenty-One Things to Know About Zohran Mamdani

House Judiciary Targets Ex-Pfizer Executive With Subpoena

Beloved’ Gay Tradition Is Now A Total Freak Show

Americans Don’t Know What To Make Of Trump Economy, Poll Shows

RELATED VIDEO: President Trump is Ready to Rock at Florida’s Alagator Alcatraz

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Trump Issues Scathing Warning To Republican Congressman

President Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie after he voiced opposition to the White House’s strike on Iran.

Trump announced Saturday on Truth Social that the U.S. had bombed Iran’s nuclear sites across Natanz, Esfahan and Fordow. Massie, who has opposed the president several times, responded with a series of tweets, saying that Trump’s move was not constitutional. The president wrote a long Truth Social on Sunday saying that he and his team would primary the congressman.

“Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is. Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” Trump wrote.

“He’s a simple minded ‘grandstander’ who thinks it’s good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon, while at the same time yelling ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ at every chance they get,” he added.

Massie, along with Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna, introduced a resolution June 17 that seeks to prevent Trump from engaging in “unauthorized hostilities” with Iran.

The president said he will personally campaign against Massie and that a wonderful “American Patriot” would challenge the Republican congressman in the primary.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair echoed Trump’s warning with a short post on Sunday.

“I hope Thomas Massie is enjoying his last term in Congress,” Blair wrote. 

Just hours after the president’s post, Axios reported that Trump’s political operation launched an effort to oust Massie from his seat.

While the Republican congressman and Trump have clashed for years, Massie successfully fought off primary challengers in the last three election cycles. Massie previously told Axios that internal polling shows that he has strong support in central Kentucky.

Massie has also opposed the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which aims to advance many elements of his agenda. The Republican congressman previously voted against the bill, citing concerns on its impact on the national deficit and the lack of reductions in federal spending.

Massie also was one of two Republicans to break with the party and vote against revenge porn legislation backed by First Lady Melania Trump. The legislation overwhelmingly passed through Congress and was signed by the president. Massie said the legislation was “a slippery slope, ripe for abuse, with unintended consequences.”

“Any serious person considering running should spend money on an independent poll before letting swampy consultants take them for an embarrassing ride,” Massie told Axios Sunday regarding news that Trump’s team was preparing to primary him.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correpondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Trump Addresses Nation After Bombing Iran

‘Peculiar To Hear’: GOP Rep Says House Speaker ‘Misinterpreted’ Trump’s Power To Bomb Iran

A couple of tweets by an Iranian patriot

RELATED VIDEO: Fordow wasn’t just another nuclear site. It was Iran’s most protected one.

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

EXCLUSIVE: Lee Greenwood Talks Trump Military Parade, Kennedy Center Revival

A few weeks ago, famous country singer Lee Greenwood was thousands of miles away from the U.S. performing his hit “God Bless the USA” in Qatar for the troops. Greenwood will take the stage again in the nation’s capital this weekend for the Army’s big anniversary parade.

Then, he will probably find himself fulfilling his duties as a member of the Kennedy Center’s new board.

Perhaps Trump’s favorite performer, the president often uses Greenwood’s hit as his walkout song. In many cases, such as at the 2024 Republican National Convention, the musician is there to perform it personally. The Army’s 250th birthday celebration — also, coincidentally, Trump’s 79 birthday — will be no exception, Greenwood told the Daily Caller in an exclusive interview.

“My initiative over the past 20 or 30 years has been to take care of the military in various ways. And so, yes, I will be performing, and I will be in the parade, and I’ll be performing for the president,” Greenwood told the Caller, adding that he plans to give Trump his newly released “God Bless The USA Bible – The Presidential Edition” as a birthday gift.

The upcoming performance at the military parade will be special for Greenwood. The Trump administration has been meticulously planning the $45 million parade, which is supposed to feature more than 6,600 soldiers, over 50 military aircraft, and roughly 150 military vehicles, including tanks, Humvees and other equipment.

“My dad was in the Navy, and joined the Navy right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. So that was his war, and he survived World War Two. I didn’t know until about 17. So even though I did not serve in the military, I consider it a responsibility to honor those who have served,” Greenwood told the Caller.

Greenwood was recently awarded a two time platinum plaque during CMA Fest last week in Nashville for “God Bless The USA.” The song was released in 1992 (the same year Greenwood married his wife Kim) and at the time he was focused on singing country ballads. The future hit was just one of a few singles Greenwood released, but it didn’t immediately take off.

“In the early days, I don’t know that it really made much of a mark, but after the Gulf War and then the attack on America and many other things … have brought it to the forefront,” Greenwood told the Caller.

“And now singing with the President of the United States… every American understands what the song is, and it’s adapting to American way of life,” Greenwood explained.

Greenwood hasn’t just been tasked with singing Trump’s walkout music. The president also appointed the country singer to the board of the Kennedy Center as part of his takeover of the facility. In the first month of his second administration, Trump said he would be leading the Kennedy Center board as chairman and then purged multiple board members appointed by former President Joe Biden.

Those ousted included former Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and former senior advisor Mike Donilon. As part of his new vision for the Kennedy Center, Trump denounced the “anti-American propaganda” previously pushed at the performing arts center and said his takeover would ensure future performances are more aligned with his vision.

As a board member, Greenwood is a part of the committee for choosing the honors. As the Kennedy Center undergoes its Trump revival, Greenwood told the Caller that the board hopes they will have a diverse audience from all over the world.

“The audience will be a cross section of America,” Greenwood explained. “We hope to have international participants as well. And the people in the audience, of course, will get a good cross section of what American culture is … as well as our approach to international culture. It’ll give you a good idea of the diversity and the tolerance that we will show for our audiences and in the presentation.”

Greenwood told the Caller he has performed all over the world, including some of the “finest places in Vegas” but the Kennedy Center is a “beautiful venue” that the new Trump-appointed team is working on restoring to its former glory.

“You may not see it upon the eye when you first walk in the door, but there’s a lot of places in the building that have been abused and really not done well. And I think that’s the main focus for the president, is to make this building, once again, the beautiful structure was intended to be,” the country singer told the Caller.

Greenwood stressed that the board, on behalf of the president, is excited to share the revamped Kennedy Center and that they hope to bring it more attention and fame than ever before.

“When people are attending shows, [Trump wants them] to have the best of a guest experience … so that you will begin to spread the word that the Kennedy Center is back, and in fact, one of the finest performing venues in the entire country,” he added.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

RELATED ARTICLE: EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center Breaks All-Time Attendance Record Amid Liberal Bellyaching Over ‘Trump Takeover’

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Trump Reveals What Would Cause Him To Invoke Insurrection Act To Put Down LA Riots

President Donald Trump said that he would invoke the Insurrection Act in response to the Los Angeles riots if “there’s an insurrection.”

As riots broke out across the streets in L.A. in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the area, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to deploy to the city. Hundreds of Marines were then deployed to downtown L.A. to help control the riots, raising the question of whether Trump would consider using the Insurrection Act, which allows the deployment of U.S. troops to ease domestic unrest.

“Will you invoke the Insurrection Act to deal with the situation in California?” RealClear Politics White House correspondent Phil Wegmann asked Tuesday.

“If there is an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it, we’ll see. Can I tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible as you have seen on your networks,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“People were with heavy hammers pounding the concrete, pounding the curbs and handing these big chunks of concrete to people and they were taking that concrete going up to bridges and dropping it into the roof of a car. They were throwing it at our police. They were throwing it at our soldiers that are there, and we got it stopped and we have them in custody right now. Look, if we didn’t get involved, right now Los Angeles would be burning just like it was burning a number of months ago with all the houses that were lost. Los Angeles right now would be on fire. We have it in great shape. We’re not playing around.”

“How will you determine whether or not there is an insurrection?” Wegmann followed up.

“Well you take a look at what is happening. I could tell you there were certain areas of Los Angeles last night you could have called it an insurrection. It was terrible these are paid insurrectionists,” Trump began.

“These are paid trouble makers. They get money. When you take a look at what they do, when they show up … everyone is like, ‘what is he doing?’ The one guy is pounding the curb, breaking the curb and handing big pieces of granite, in some cases it’s granite, and concrete to other people and running out with it and watch the other people and they try to throw it into the face of the soldiers, throw it into the face of the police and they hurt people badly,” he continued.

The Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president the authority to use the National Guard and military in order to combat “unlawful obstruction or rebellion” within U.S. borders. It was first signed into law by Former President Thomas Jefferson after it was believed that then-Vice President Aaron Burr was plotting to acquire the Louisiana Territory and other land in the Southwest. Former President George H.W. Bush was the last to use the act in 1992 to quell Los Angeles riots. Before him, Eisenhower used the act in 1957 to enforce school desegregation in the south.

The unrest began over the weekend after ICE agents arrested 100 illegal immigrants, including drug traffickers and gang members, in raids across the city. The protests eventually turned into violent riots where some anti-Trump protesters burned cars and threw Molotov cocktails, rocks and fireworks. Some property was defaced with slogans like “KILL ICE.”

There were nearly 1,000 rioters that descended on the city as they caused damage to federal buildings and assaulted ICE agents, slashed tires and destroyed government property Friday night, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Trump Says Tom Homan Should Arrest Gavin Newsom As Riots In LA Rage

All The Usual Suspects Are Behind The Left’s Latest ‘Protests’

Dems Can’t Figure Out What Their Message On LA Riots Should Be

How Well-Funded, Organized Leftists Helped Jumpstart LA Riots

Pete Hegseth Puts Democrat Lawmaker in Her Place in Fiery Exchange Over LA Riot and Use of Marines

RELATED VIDEO: Tyler O’Neil Lays Out How Organizations Like the SPLC, CHIRLA, and Antifa Fuel Violence and Riots

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

EXCLUSIVE: White House Celebrates Army’s Big Birthday With Video Series

The White House is releasing a video Thursday celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary as part of a history series that tells the story of American Independence, the Daily Caller learned first.

To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the White House Salute to America 250 Task Force partnered with Hillsdale College to release a series of videos about the story of America’s founding. Wednesday’s video, the second video in the series, features Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who tells the origin story of the U.S. Army.

The video, obtained first by the Caller, explains how the Second Continental Congress decided to create an army, how George Washington led the troops, as well as the victories of Trenton and Princeton.

HEGSETH: “We’re not interested in your woke garbage and your political correctness.”

*Troops go wild in applause* pic.twitter.com/yTpW11Kg3C

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 10, 2025

The video series began with an introduction from Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, who explained its dedication to the Declaration of Independence. The first video also covered the battles of Lexington and Concord. Both videos can be found on the White House 250 website.

“These battles were more than military engagements. They were seminal moments that gave birth to our nation,” Hegseth says in the second video. “Every volley fired, every battle one and every sacrifice paid moved our nation one step closer to the promised self-determination and freedom.”

The second video is being released in accordance with President Donald Trump’s $45 million military parade set to be held June 14 in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and Flag Day. Trump also visited Fort Bragg with Hegseth on Tuesday to give a speech celebrating the Army’s birthday.

The celebration Saturday is expected to include more than 6,600 soldiers, over 50 military aircrafts and 150 military vehicles, including tanks, Humvees, and other equipment.

The parade is the first of many celebrations the president plans to have to pay tribute to America’s founding, telling NBC News that he wants to establish a national “Victory Days” recognizing U.S. triumphs in both World War I and World War II.

In the video, Hegseth explains the importance of remembering the Army’s formation since “their story defines us all.”

“The Army story begins in the spring of 1775, one month after the Massachusetts militia humbled British regulars at the battles of Lexington and Concord, America’s colonial leaders assembled in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress. The meeting had been called to address long standing grievances with Britain’s imperial government, but the recent bloodshed at Lexington and Concord fundamentally changed the purpose of the gathering,” Hegseth says.

“Until then, many colonists had hoped for reconciliation with their mother country. It was increasingly clear that freedom would not be possible without war,” he continues.

Disclaimer: Reagan Reese, an author of this article, is an alumna of Hillsdale College. 

AUTHORS

Reagan Reese and Sally Lynne

Contributors.

RELATED ARTICLE: ‘What A Stupid Question’: Karoline Leavitt Clashes With Reporter As She Attempts To Trip Her Up Over Riots

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Trump Orders Probe Into Biden’s Presidential Actions

President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Wednesday evening directing a probe into “who ran” the U.S. during former President Joe Biden’s time in office.

Questions regarding Biden’s mental state have rapidly developed among Democrats since the release of Jake Tapper’s and Alex Thompson’s “Original Sin,” detailing the former president’s mental decline while in office. In the White House’s press release, Trump said the memorandum will direct the investigation into “whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden’s mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President.”

“The Memorandum also mandates an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Biden’s purported execution of the numerous executive actions during his final years in office, examining policy documents signed with an autopen, who authorized its use, and the validity of the resulting Presidential policy decisions,” the statement added.

Prior to the 2020 presidential election, Republicans began to sound off over concerns about Biden and his mental state. While some Democrats have still supported Biden following the book’s allegations, others have begun to question his time in the White House and the issues he oversaw.

According to the White House’s statement, Biden’s use of the “autopen raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of his actions,” citing reports that indicate the former president suffered from “serious cognitive decline.”

“Despite Biden’s cognitive deficiencies, the White House issued over 1,200 Presidential documents, appointed 235 judges to the Federal bench, and issued more pardons and commutations than any Administration in U.S. history,” the statement reads. “The authority to take these executive actions is constitutionally reserved for the President, yet the Biden White House used an autopen to execute the vast majority of Biden’s executive actions, particularly during the second half of his Presidency.”

In his final month in office, Biden issued a wave of pardons, notably commuting the sentences of 37 out of the 40 “most vile and monstrous criminals on Federal death row,” the White House said.

Tapper’s and Thompson’s new book, based on interviews with multiple sources, reveals Biden’s decline had become so alarming among aides that some considered placing him in a wheelchair following the 2020 election.

Though Democrats initially rallied behind Biden as their 2024 nominee, lawmakers and pundits quickly reversed course after his disastrous June debate against Trump, where the now-former president froze mid-sentence and struggled to complete his arguments. Questions about whether Biden could last another term spread immediately.

As calls from lawmakers mounted, Democrat donors also paused millions in contributions until Biden exited the race. By July 21, Biden announced his withdrawal and endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s next nominee.

AUTHOR

Hailey Gomez

General Assignment Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Meet The Biden Inner Circle House Republicans Want To Drag In For Testimony

House Oversight Committee Expanding Investigation Into Biden ‘Cover-Up’

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

White House Sends Congress $9.4 Billion Rescissions Package

The White House sent a $9.4 billion rescissions package partly aimed at codifying work done by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to Congress late Tuesday.

The House Oversight Committee confirmed that Congress had received the package in a post to X.

“The White House just sent Congress a $9.4B rescissions package—including $1.1B in CUTS to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. These outlets ATTACK the America First agenda on the taxpayers’ dime. We’re ready to STOP this propaganda machine,” the post read.

The news comes after Russell Vought, Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), announced May 28 that the White House would be sending a rescissions package to Congress this week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said May 28 in an X post that he is “eager and ready to act” on the measure. “When the White House sends its rescission package to the House, we will act quickly by passing legislation to codify the cuts,” he wrote.

The upcoming rescissions package is set to include $1.1 billion in funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the organization that helps fund National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It also proposes an $8.3 billion reduction in funding for foreign aid, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NBC News reported.

The package can be approved in both the House and Senate with a simple majority, enabling Republican lawmakers to move it forward without Democratic backing.

Lawmakers will have 45 days to act on the proposal to rescind previously appropriated funding.

Although Elon Musk has departed DOGE and turned his attention to his various business ventures, the agency is expected to remain active through July 4, 2026.

Editor’s note: A quote has been altered to better reflect the original statement.

AUTHOR

Ashley Brasfield

Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Trump Pushes Recission Bill—Looking to Cut $9.4 Billion From Federal Budget

Did Republicans Just Give DOGE A Big Beautiful Backstab?

MSNBC Guest Admits Elon Musk ‘Made A Difference’ With DOGE

Citi Stops Debanking Gun Retailers

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Karoline Leavitt Says Trump Admin’s Naming And Shaming Of Sanctuary Cities Coming Back

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Caller on Tuesday that the Trump administration will soon be releasing a new list of sanctuary cities that are not in compliance with federal statutes.

The Department of Homeland and Security removed its previous list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” Sunday, which was previously ordered under a Trump executive order. After the list was first posted, several city leaders voiced concerns that their areas were included in the list.

Leavitt told the Caller at Tuesday’s White House briefing that the list would be reinstated soon.

“The Department of Homeland Security will be releasing a new list of sanctuary cities – an accurate list of sanctuary cities,” she said.

The Caller also asked Leavitt how the administration would be cracking down on sanctuary jurisdictions following the terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. A month before the attack, the state passed sanctuary protections for illegal immigrants.

“As for what we’re doing to crack down, the president has signed executive orders and has directed the attorney general to prosecute federal – state and local officials were not complying with federal immigration force – authorities, and most importantly, federal immigration law,” Leavitt told the Caller.

Trump’s April executive order on sanctuary cities warned that jurisdictions that do not comply with federal law would be at risk of losing federal funding. The order also directs the U.S. attorney general and secretary of Homeland Security to “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to bring non-compliant jurisdictions into compliance.”

“The Order ensures illegal aliens are not being favored over American citizens by directing the Attorney General to address state or local laws that unlawfully prioritize aliens,” a fact sheet on the order writes.

It was under the same order that Trump directed DHS to publish a list of states and local jurisdictions that are “obstructing federal immigration law enforcement.” Each sanctuary jurisdiction will be notified of its non-compliance so they can be given an “opportunity to correct it.”

“DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with Federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens,” the previous list reads.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

‘Nihilistic Bloodlust’: Veteran Liberal Activist, Pro-Harris PAC Leader Praises Murder Of Israeli Embassy Staff

‘Sanctuary State’: Colorado Dems Move To Shut Out ICE

Former DA Reveals Allegation Against Illegal Alien Charged With Jocelyn Nungaray Murder

RELATED VIDEO: Karoline Leavitt: New Trump Executive Order Will Target Sanctuary Cities

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

‘Habitual Lawbreakers’: ICE Rolls Up Hundreds Of Illegal Migrant Criminals In Sprawling Massachusetts Operation

Federal immigration authorities arrested well over 1,000 illegal migrants during a month-long enforcement operation across Massachusetts.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, working alongside a slate of other federal partners, arrested 1,461 illegal migrants throughout the Bay State during the month of May, the agency announced Monday. Most of the apprehended foreign nationals carried significant criminal histories, such as drug traffickers, sex offenders and murderers.

“Make no mistake: Every person that we arrested was breaking our immigration laws, but most of these individuals had significant criminality,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said in a prepared statement.

“They are criminal offenders who victimized innocent people and traumatized entire communities — murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, child sex predators and members of violent transnational criminal gangs,” Hyde continued. “Some were convicted of violent crimes in the United States, and others were wanted for criminality in their native countries. All made the mistake of attempting to subvert justice by hiding out in Massachusetts.”

Of the roughly 1,500 arrested by ICE agents, more than half had serious criminal convictions or charges, according to the agency. Nearly 800 of the migrant offenders were either convicted or charged of crimes in the U.S. or in another country.

Members of notorious criminal syndicates were also targeted in Operation Patriot, including MS-13, Tren de Aragua, 18th Street and Trinitarios gangbangers, ICE leadership confirmed. A total of 277 of those nabbed had been previously ordered removed by an immigration judge, but had refused to comply and remained illegally in the U.S.

“This was a massive, multiagency immigration enforcement operation aimed at keeping our region safe from habitual lawbreakers who have flouted our country’s immigration laws and, in many cases, committed violent crimes that have endangered our families, friends, and neighbors for far too long,” FBI Boston acting Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Milka said in a press release.

“Together, with our partners, we have identified and removed hundreds of illegal alien offenders from the Commonwealth, including murderers, gang members, child predators and a possible associate of a suspected terrorist, and our work is not done,” Milka continued.

Operation Patriot was assisted by the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, the State Department and several other federal agencies — a multi-agency effort that has become the norm under the current administration.

Since returning to power, the Trump White House has marshaled in the service of numerous other major agencies to assist with immigration enforcement. A directive handed down in January from the Department of Homeland Security grants members from across the federal government many of the same powers as ICE agents.

The Trump administration has made numerous other reforms designed to give ICE agents more freedom to carry out their mission, such as nixing “sensitive locations” that prohibited enforcement actions in certain locations, such as hospitals, schools or churches. The previous limitation gave illegal immigrants the ability to hide from ICE apprehension.

The reforms have been working — the White House announced in April that it arrested more than 151,000 illegal migrants and deported more than 135,000 during its first 100 days in office.

The city of Boston, and the entire state of Massachusetts, are considered sanctuary havens by immigration observers — the administration included both localities in a since-deleted public list of sanctuary jurisdictions across the U.S., and the Center for Immigration Studies labels the entire state as such in its running list of sanctuary localities.

Following President Donald Trump’s re-election victory, the Boston City Council in December 2024 voted to reaffirm its sanctuary city status.

AUTHOR

Jason Hopkins

Immigration Reporter

RELATED ARTICLES:

Everything You Need To Know About The ‘Illegal’ Biden-Era Migrant Parole Program Trump’s Itching To Kill

Deranged Legacy Media Twists Itself Into Pretzel To Avoid Crediting Trump

John Fetterman Lays Into His Party For ‘Unacceptable’ Handling Of Border Crisis

Colorado Terror Attack: Pro-Hamas Illegal Immigrant Injures 8 Jews with ‘Makeshift Flamethrower’

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Admin Rolls Out New Tool To Stop Noncitizens From ‘Hijacking’ U.S. Elections

The Trump administration is unrolling a new initiative Thursday that will help prevent noncitizens from voting in U.S. elections, a high-priority policy for the White House.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program and partnering with the Social Security Administration in order to ensure “a single, reliable source for verifying immigration status and U.S. citizenship,” according to a memo exclusively shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Under the update, state and local officials will be able to input Social Security numbers for verification of U.S. citizenship and thereby prevent foreign nationals from voting in American elections.

“For years, states have pleaded for tools to help identify and stop aliens from hijacking our elections,” USCIS Spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement provided to the DCNF.

“Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, USCIS is moving quickly to eliminate voter fraud,” Tragesser continued. “We expect further improvements soon and remain committed to restoring trust in American elections.”

SAVE, an online service administered by USCIS, allows various government agencies to verify the immigration status or U.S. naturalization of applicants seeking benefits or licenses.

The new partnership allows government agencies to create cases in SAVE using an applicant’s Social Security number rather than a Department of Homeland Security identifying number, which is not collected by a majority of state and local agencies, according to a separate news release. Additionally, agencies for the first time will be able to submit more than one case at a time, streamlining the process.

The new tool’s unveiling drew praise from the Tennessee secretary of state’s office, which has been involved in a select group of states providing testing and feedback on these verification updates.

“I commend President Trump and his team for building a super tool for election officials to identify and remove ineligible voters,” Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said in a statement provided to the DCNF. “I predict this system, once fully developed, will be a game changer for election officials.”

“President Trump’s super election integrity tool means if you are an ineligible registered voter in Tennessee, we will find you,” Hargett said.

Polling indicates that basic voter protection regulations, such as requiring a photo ID to vote and providing proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time, are incredibly popular among Americans.

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has prioritized reforms to keep noncitizens out of U.S. elections. The president in March signed Executive Order 14248, Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, which aims to protect voting systems from fraud, systemic error and foreign influence.

Trump has also voiced strong support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation sponsored by Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy that would require states to obtain proof of citizenship prior to registering an individual for any federal election and also requires state officials to remove all noncitizens from existing voter rolls. That bill passed the House in April, with only four Democrat lawmakers voting in favor of it.

Despite pushback from Democrats who claim GOP concerns over noncitizen voting is overblown, numerous high-profile cases of foreign participation in U.S. elections have been documented in recent months.

Federal prosecutors in April charged two Ukrainian nationals — 53-year-old Svitlana Demydenko and her 22-year-old daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko — with unlawfully voting in the 2024 presidential election. Akeel Abdul Jamiel — a 45-year-old Iraqi national — was accused by federal prosecutors that same month of participating in the 2020 presidential election.

State officials in Texas, Alabama, Virginia and Ohio identified as many as 17,000 noncitizens on state voting rolls and worked to remove them from the books ahead of the 2024 general election. America First Legal, a Washington, D.C.-based group aligned with the Trump administration, sued Maricopa County, Arizona, in August after the county recorder allegedly failed to purge 35,000 registered voters who did not provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

The Trump administration hinted at more updates to come in the future.

“USCIS will continue to improve and add more capability and functionality to SAVE,” the USCIS news release reads. “Providing more tools within SAVE ensures state and local governments have robust and reliable access to federal databases to confirm the U.S. citizenship of individuals on their voting rolls and registering to vote, in support of [Trump’s executive order].”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from Tennessee secretary of state’s office.

AUTHOR

Jason Hopkins

Immigration Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: ‘One Step Ahead’: House Republicans Want To Make America’s Borders Even Harder To Illegally Cross

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Trump Suggests Biden Diagnosis Could Be Part Of Bigger Conspiracy

President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that there may be a larger conspiracy at work following former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis. 

Trump addressed Biden’s stage four prostate cancer diagnosis while in the Oval Office, calling the situation “very sad.” The president added that people should look into how Biden’s cancer developed into a dangerous situation with no earlier detection.

“If it’s the same doctor who said there was nothing wrong there, that’s being proven to be a sad situation,” Trump told reporters. “In other words, there are things going on that the public wasn’t informed. And I think somebody is going to have to speak to his doctor, if it’s the same or even if it’s two separate doctors. Why wasn’t the cognitive ability — why wasn’t that discussed? I think the doctors said he’s just fine, and it’s turned out that’s not so. It’s very dangerous. Look, this is no longer politically correct. This is dangerous for our country.”

Biden’s team announced Sunday that the former president had been diagnosed with an “aggressive” cancer, which has spread to his bones. Since, many doctors have come forward to express concern about how the cancer was caught so late.

Doctors and cancer experts told the Daily Caller that Biden likely had cancer while he was in the White House. Such a type of cancer, the metastasization from prostate cancer spreading to the bones, typically takes at least five years, experts told the Caller.

“It’s not credible that we are hearing of his metastatic disease for the first time because he was having difficulty urinating and they found it. That just doesn’t track,” Dr. Steven Quay, a physician, scientist and member of the American Association for Cancer Research, told the Caller.

Trump raised similar concerns in the Oval Office on Monday.

“The other thing is, you have to say, why did it take so long when you — this takes a long time. It can take years to get to this level of danger. So it’s a — look, it’s a very, very sad situation, and I feel very badly about it, and I think people should try and find out what happened,” Trump said.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

MSNBC Guest Says There Is No Doubt Biden Had Cancer ‘At The Start Of His Presidency’

COVER-UP: Biden Battling ‘Most Aggressive Type’ of Prostate Cancer with Bone Metastasis

President Trump, Melania Issue Statement On Joe Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

‘Hang It Around Their Neck’ — Against Long Odds, GOP Operatives Have A Plan To Win In 2026

Whether it’s a 12-hour-long protest on the Capitol steps about inflation, assaulting police officers during a protest at an ICE facility, or the threat of ousting the newly elected leadership of the DNC, it’s safe to say that since President Donald Trump retook the White House in November, Democrats have found themselves lost as a party, if not in total disarray.

The Democrats’ apparent lack of direction and constant infighting could help carry the GOP through a midterm cycle that, given historical trends, they appear destined to lose.

Over more than a dozen interviews, party officials and GOP consultants told the Daily Caller that they have a plan to bring Republicans more victory in 2026 — and they’re fully intending on using the divisions in the Democratic Party to achieve this goal.

“There’s an old rule in politics that I tell my clients, which is when your opponent is committing suicide, stay out of the way,” a national GOP operative told the Caller. “And that’s what the Democrats are doing right now.”

DEMS IN DISARRAY

In stark contrast to the Democratic Party, the GOP is fresh off a week-long celebration touting the Trump administration’s success in the first 100 days of his second term. Six months after Trump was elected for the second time, and the party took both the House and the Senate, the GOP is in prime position to enact the MAGA agenda.

Despite the celebration, the thought of the 2026 midterms still looms. The question of how to continue to capitalize on the nation’s massive shift to the right is on the minds of GOP strategists, top party officials and the White House.

“What I am going to tell my clients is let the Democrats be Democrats. If they think that transgender issues and Harry Sisson and those guys are going to deliver them great wins, God bless them. Keep going, kids,” one Midwestern conservative strategist told the Caller.

Since the 2024 election, Harris’s camp signaled that she wouldn’t make a decision about her political future until the summer. Joe Biden retreated to Delaware for a quiet life. Gavin Newsom launched a podcast. Gretchen Whitmer was spotted in the White House. And AOC and Bernie Sanders, two of the party’s furthest left candidates, stepped up to become the new faces of the Democratic Party.

“Democrats may not know who their leader is, but we do – it’s the Jasmine Crocketts, the AOCs, and the Bernie Sanders of the party. We’ll elevate their most extreme voices, like Jasmine Crockett, because they are the ones running the party right now, and they couldn’t be more out-of-touch with what most Americans care about,” Abigail Jackson, the deputy communications director for the Republican National Committee, told the Caller. 

Andrew Clark, founder of Relentless Strategies, told the Caller that the media is primed right now to cover tension within the Democrat ranks and that Republicans can use this opportunity to push Democrats to be on the record talking about the division in their party. Alternatively, they can force them on the record defending unpopular policy positions – like men in women’s sports. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia, and Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, who is running for an open Senate seat in Michigan, are both cosponsoring legislation that would allow men to compete in women’s sports, for example.

“Get Democrats on the record talking about it, draw attention to it,” Clark told the Caller. “If the Democrats go on the record now, that’s what gets used for ads in the fall — that lays the foundation for what these Republicans can run on and what these Democrats have to defend.”

In November, nearly every area of the country shifted to the right. American voters signaled leading up to Election Day that they were worried, first and foremost, about Democrats’ handling of the border crisis and the effect ‘Bidenomics’ had on the economy. But voters were also heavily persuaded by the candidates’ views on transgender issues. According to an analysis by Future Forward, a Democratic super PAC, Trump’s most effective ad was one telling voters that Harris was for “they/them” but that he was for “you.” That ad shifted viewers 2.7 percentage points in favor of the now president.

One strategist told the Caller that getting Democrats to take the unpopular stance on 70-30 and 80-20 issues – like wanting men in women’s sports – can prove to be lucrative for Republicans.

“It provides really kind of stark differences between our candidates and theirs that manifest themselves on the earned media front,” a GOP strategist told the Caller.

The Democrats’ collapse hasn’t just been on Capitol Hill, as one strategist pointed out. Across the country, Americans have protested the administration, especially Elon Musk’s role, by lighting Tesla chargers on fire, keying the cars and throwing Molotov cocktails at Tesla dealerships.

“What am I doing about this? I’m just collecting footage, some of this unhinged protest footage, like … domestic terrorism and like people keying cars and looking completely out of their minds,” one national strategist focused on full service creative services told the Caller.

The strategist also pointed out that Democrats have rushed to back federal workers: “These overpaid suburban D.C., career bureaucrats… if that’s their rallying cry, I think that they’re in trouble in the swing states.”

“I think any little bit of stuff that we have showing the Democrats spending a lot of time on those folks is going to be beneficial for us to hold, to have in the quiver to use,” the source added.

THE VIEW FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

Echoing what the strategists pointed out, one top White House official told the Caller that the “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill will give them an opportunity to further bury Democrats on policy.

“Like the big tax package and all this that’s come forward [in the reconciliation bill], we think there will be really popular things in there that 100% of Democrats will vote against, and then we will hang it around their neck like an anchor,” the official told the Caller.

While nailing Democrats to unpopular policy positions and highlighting the ongoing disarray in the party is important, the White House believes that the president’s ability to deliver on his campaign promises will be the best advertising the party has going into 2026, the official told the Caller.

“The big picture, the thing we’ve been most focused on so far, is just delivering the agenda that the president ran on, which is critical issue number one. We have to give the voters what they paid for to try to cement the coalition that brought him into office, which is, of course, the coalition that we need — at least some version — to turn up in the midterms in order to be successful where we want to be successful,” the senior White House official told the Caller.

That means delivering for voters on securing the southern border – which the administration has made leaps and bounds on. Illegal crossings were down roughly 95% in March from the monthly average during the Biden administration.

It also means putting more money into Americans’ pockets and addressing their concerns on the economy, something the administration is still trying to navigate as the stock market reacts to Trump’s tariff policies. The economy is something every strategist and consultant that the Caller spoke to agreed could tank the election for Republicans in 2026. And it’s an element the White House knows they have to address.

“The question is, what does [the economy] look like, sort of Q2 of next year? And if we can get the economy really moving in the right direction … by the data it already is … But get people feeling that, then I think we’ll be really successful,” the official told the Caller of the White House’s plans to address the economy.

WHERE TO FOCUS

Fixing the economy isn’t the only thing the party will be looking at the White House to do to help ensure the 2026 midterms are a building year for the GOP. Across the country, strategists, PACs and party officials will follow the White House’s direction on which states and races they should focus their time and resources.

The House of Representatives will be a big target focus, the White House official told the Caller, adding that “all of the swing districts, whether on the offensive or defensive side” will be a priority.

“The Senate is probably in a little bit safer territory, but we think we’ve got a great offensive opportunity in Georgia, good offensive opportunity in Michigan, and potentially good offensive opportunity in New Hampshire,” the official said of the top targets for the party moving into 2026.

The NRCC plans to build on down-ballot gains with different demographic groups, including Hispanic, African-American, and young voters, one party official told the Caller.

“I think for the Senate map, one of the things to lean into is the fact that Democrats don’t even want to be here,” one NRSC official told the Caller, mentioning all of the recent Senate Democrat retirees that have been announced. Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Gary Peters of Michigan have indicated that they will not be running for reelection in 2026.

And don’t count out New Jersey, a typically blue state that Trump narrowly lost in 2024.

At the time the White House official spoke to the Caller, Trump had yet to endorse in the New Jersey governor’s race. The official noted that they would continue to monitor the race and would get involved if they felt Republicans were in “striking distance.”

That would “bode well for ’26 and in the future,” the official added.

On Monday, Trump announced an endorsement of Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who is the frontrunner in the primary.

Part of the puzzle to defeating the Democrats in 2026 and securing further victory for the GOP is capitalizing on what the party has only recently embraced: early voting and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts.

American Majority Action’s Ned Ryun told the Caller that it comes down to the fundamentals: voter registration, more absentee voting, and embracing early voting where it benefits the party. Ryun also stressed the importance of the GOP – both on a national and local level – pressuring county clerks to clear their voter rolls of ineligible voters. In March, the Republican National Committee (RNC) requested all states provide the party information on how it maintains and cleans up its voter rolls, the Daily Caller previously reported.

After working on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Ryun and his group are now shifting their focus to Virginia, where they plan to practice the “fundamentals.”

NEW MEDIA APPROACH

Early voting isn’t the only new tool that the GOP harnessed for the 2024 election. Trump’s media strategy, which included appearing on podcasts and talk shows outside of legacy media programs, was a break from the traditional route politicians usually take on the campaign trail. It was also a strategy Harris and her campaign struggled to embrace, fumbling a potential interview with Joe Rogan that would’ve given the vice president a better chance at reaching independent and undecided voters.

The White House has indicated that the new media strategy is here to stay, shaking up the press briefing room to include new and independent media outlets and adding them into the daily rotation of reporters that cover the president.

The NRSC, meanwhile, is encouraging Senate Republicans to embrace this new approach — and create a novel media strategy of their own.

A national Republican working on Senate races told the Caller that the NRSC advised each Senate office in February to have an active presence on social media and to draft up a new media engagement plan as part of a list of benchmarks meant to assist incumbents up for re-election in 2026.

A month later, the NRSC encouraged incumbents to “lead the fight” for President Trump’s efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse from government spending through unconventional channels. Candidates were advised to “be a leader on cuts your senator is passionate about through regional and new media,” the source told the Caller.

The NRSC also appointed Senator Marsha Blackburn to be vice chair, with the expectation that she will assist Senate Republicans in breaking into the new media sphere.

One senator who took the new media strategy in stride was Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

A Senate aide explained to the Caller that they first implemented the new media strategy when Congress was voting on the “Keep Men Out Of Women’s Sports Act.”

Sen. Tuberville had already appeared on Megyn Kelly’s independent podcast to promote the bill and the pair started a pressure campaign on X in support of the legislation. That “opened up the door” for Thune to use that outlet to publicly advocate for the bill.

“She had a call with the leader [Thune] and it was him saying, ‘Look, this is a priority,’” the aide recounted to the Caller. “We gave her the exclusive so that she could be the one to announce when that vote would be taking place on her show. We gave that to her because we saw that as being the best place for it, because that’s where the conversation was focused.”

Another Senate aide told the Caller that it has been important to put members of Congress on hour-long podcasts in addition to quick TV hits because it helps show in-depth policy knowledge and allows constituents to get to know their senator on a more personal level. Some senators do podcasts that correspond with specific policy focuses, like cryptocurrency or culture war issues.

“What has kind of been the playbook forever has been five minute Fox [News] hits, and you get your message out,” the Senate aide explained. “But people don’t really know you.”

ANGRY VS. HAPPY VOTERS

“Policy is the politics,” is a message the Caller heard from nearly every consultant or party aide over the course of numerous interviews. The best message the party can campaign on, they stressed, is the president and the GOP delivering on promises made to the American people.

The fear, though, is that angry voters are typically more motivated to turn out in a midterm than happy voters.

The GOP has already learned this lesson from the special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. Although Republicans managed to hang on to now U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz’s vacant seat, the March race was much closer than the party anticipated — particularly after Trump’s decisive victory just six months prior.

The party faced the hard truth that yes, voters upset with the current administration are more motivated to show up to the polls, one national GOP strategist told the Caller. However, the source noted that the tight race shouldn’t have been a total shock given how much money Democrats poured into the race.

“Our people – they got the message on time, but it took them a little bit longer. And so they basically needed to be rustled up to say, ‘Hey, this is important.’ But once the message was delivered that, ‘hey, the President’s agenda is on the line,’ it was lights out,” the source told the Caller.

The White House feels similarly, one official told the Caller, acknowledging that, at a certain point, they can’t help but make Democrats angry if they deliver on Trump’s campaign promises.

But the official added that the fight in 2026 is really about inspiring the Republican coalition to keep fighting each and every election cycle. Voters need to understand that Trump’s long-term success is in many ways predicated on having a friendly Congress to codify his agenda through legislation, the official explained.

“What it really comes down to is the Republican coalition … can we connect the need for a Republican Congress to Trump’s success in the minds of those voters that have really only turned out when Trump is on the ticket,” the official said.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

RELATED ARTICLE: Joe Rogan Responds To Kamala Campaign’s Alleged Lies About Their Interview That Wasn’t

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Trump Announces First Wave Of Federal Court Nominations

With 46 current judicial appointments to make, President Donald Trump began the process Tuesday by nominating five judges, in addition to one last week, according to a list shared with the Daily Caller.

Over the past few weeks, the Senate has been awaiting Trump’s long-awaited judicial nominees. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Caller in March that she did not have an update on when the nominations or vetting would begin but said she would provide a list of names to the outlet. The White House provided a list of six judges being nominated to federal courts, including one judge to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit who was appointed earlier.

“A former Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Joshua knows what is required to protect the Rule of Law and Constitutional Rights for the Great People of Missouri. We must have Constitutionalist Judges now, more than EVER BEFORE. Congratulations Joshua!” Trump wrote on Tuesday in a Truth Social post.

Trump nominated Whitney Hermandorfer last week to serve on the Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit. Hermandorfer is the director of the strategic litigation unit in the office of the Tennessee Attorney General. She has been both a law clerk to Supreme Court Justices Samuel A. Alito and Amy Coney Barrett and Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of then the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, according to a document provided to the Caller.

The president also nominated Joshua M. Divine, of Missouri, to serve as judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and Western District of Missouri on Wednesday. Divine is the solicitor general for Missouri and director of special litigation in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. Previously, Divine served as chief counsel to Republican Sen. Josh Hawley.

Also to serve on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Trump nominated Zachary M. Bluestone. He is currently an appellate chief and a violent crimes prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. Bluestone was previously deputy solicitor general.

Maria A. Lanahan was also nominated by the president Wednesday to serve on the Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Lanahan is principal deputy solicitor general in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. Lanahan previously served as senior manager and litigation counsel for Charter Communications, Inc.

Also appointed to the Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is Cristian M. Stevens, who is on the Missouri Eastern District Court of Appeals. Stevens was previously the deputy attorney general of the Criminal Division in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Trump also nominated Edward Aloysius O’Connell on Wednesday to serve as associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is chief of staff and deputy general counsel of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Over the last two decades, O’Connell served as a prosecutor in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.