Barack Obama tried to stop Kamala Harris from becoming the Democrats' presidential nominee in 2024, fearing she was not up to the task of beating Donald Trump, according to a new book.
Throughout her vice presidency, Harris had long been dismissed as an awkward and ineffective communicator.
Nevertheless, Democrats quickly rallied behind her after the seismic end of Joe Biden's re-election campaign last summer.
Jonathan Allen, co-author of the book FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, described how Obama scrambled to set up a "mini primary" to find a new candidate.
“He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats, and he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention. [He] did not have faith in her ability to win the election,” Allen told MSNBC's Morning Joe.
According to Allen, Obama refused to endorse Harris in a phone conversation with her on the very day that Biden "passed the baton."
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn (D), a political power broker who helped secure Biden's nomination in 2020, made a rushed endorsement of Harris after realizing Obama's plan.
“Obama had set up a call with Clyburn for like 5:30 that afternoon. And Clyburn thought to himself, this guy is going to try to rope me into the open convention thing, I better get my endorsement of Harris out there fast so this is a short conversation,” Allen said.
Rumors have long swirled about Obama's doubts concerning Biden's political talents. Obama famously snubbed his former running mate's presidential hopes in 2016 to support Hillary Clinton's doomed campaign. Lingering resentments were apparent in July 2024 as Biden, fighting for his political life, swiped at Democratic "elites" trying to force him aside.
Despite offering tepid support to Biden after his debate meltdown, Obama was said to be working against Biden behind the scenes. But Obama also seemed skeptical of Harris, who received his cautious endorsement nearly one week after Biden dropped out and immediately endorsed her. Obama initially seemed to favor an open primary process, rather than a coronation like the one Harris received.
"We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges," Obama said at the time.
Harris' defeat to President Trump has left Democrats adrift. Even Obama, the longtime spiritual leader of the party, appears less influential than ever before.
In the wake of Trump's historic re-election, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) all but admitted that Biden saddled the party with a weak candidate.
"The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary," Pelosi said. "And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time."
President Trump has made the difficult decision to remove a historic tree from the White House.
The southern magnolia tree, planted by Andrew Jackson according to tradition, is in "terrible condition," posing a safety hazard, Trump said.
While the tree must unfortunately come down, Trump said he plans to preserve the wood "for other high and noble purposes!!!”
Legend has it that President Jackson brought the seeds for the tree from the Hermitage, his home in Nashville, Tennessee.
The seventh U.S. president is said to have planted the tree, which stands outside the South Portico, in honor of his late wife Rachel, who died months before Jackson became president.
Jackson was president from 1829 to 1837. According to the National Park Service, the first photographic evidence of Jackson's magnolias date them to the 1860s.
"Working together with a fantastic and very talented Executive Residence Staff, along with the wonderful people at the National Park Service, we are making tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History,” Trump said in his post.
“One of the interesting dilemmas is a tree planted many years ago by the Legendary President and General, Andrew Jackson. It is a Southern Magnolia, that came from his home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee.”
"The bad news is that everything must come to an end, and this tree is in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed,” Trump added.
“This process will take place next week, and will be replaced by another, very beautiful tree. The Historic wood from the tree will be preserved by the White House Staff, and may be used for other high and noble purposes!!"
President Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Jackson, who, like Trump, was known for his forceful personality and anti-establishment politics.
During a visit to the Hermitage in 2017, Trump drew direct parallels between his MAGA movement and Jackson's populism.
"It was during the Revolution that Jackson first confronted and defied an arrogant elite," Trump said at the time. "Does that sound familiar to you? I wonder why they keep talking about Trump and Jackson, Jackson and Trump. Oh, I know the feeling, Andrew."
Lately, Trump has shown more of an interest in President William McKinley, who oversaw America's expansion into a world power at the 20th century, winning overseas territories for the U.S in the Spanish-American War.
Trump has credited McKinley's tariffs with unleashing American prosperity during that time, an achievement Trump hopes to recreate as he ramps up a new trade war.
Democrats have been desperate to land a glove on Donald Trump - but "Signal-gate" has not put a dent in his popularity.
A new poll from CBS News found Trump's approval rating holding strong at 50%. The poll was taken after The Atlantic published its story about the administration's leaked Signal chats.
Notably, most Americans told CBS that they do believe the Signal breach is "serious," but it hasn't impacted Trump's popularity. His overall job rating is split down the middle 50-50.
The poll, which surveyed 2,600 Americans on March 27 and March 28, found that some parts of Trump's agenda have been received better than others.
While the president's ambitious deportation plans remain popular, voters are cool to his sweeping tariffs, which are seen as an economic risk. And many Americans feel Trump isn't focused on lowering inflation as much as he should be.
64% said Trump is not focused enough on lowering prices, and 55% said he was too preoccupied with raising tariffs. Most expect tariffs to raise prices further.
While Trump has conceded that tariffs could cause short-term pain, he says they will redound to the nation's benefit down the line. Still, few Americans are willing to take the risk: only 5% said they want more tariffs.
On the other hand, Trump still has somewhat of a grace period. 38% of Americans still blame Joe Biden for economic woes, more than the 34% who point to Trump.
Overall, Trump's approval rating on the economy is 48%. But his handling of his signature issue, immigration, receives net-positive ratings. 53% approve, versus 47% who disapprove. And a whopping 58% approve of his deportation policy.
One of the most controversial elements of Trump's agenda - his effort to slash the government workforce with DOGE - is dividing Americans 50-50, the CBS poll found.
Democrats have struggled to coalesce around a leader or message since Trump's historic triumph in November. After months of getting steamrolled by the president, Democrats pounced on the recent publication of leaked messages that were inadvertently shared with a liberal journalist.
While 44% said the breach is "very serious," 31% said "somewhat serious" and 25% said not serious at all.
The takeaway from the poll seems clear: Americans want to see Trump do more about the economy, but they aren't holding "Signal-gate" against him.
The message for Democrats is that they cannot expect one mistake to throw Trump off track. And the problems facing Democrats are deeper and more fundamental: while Trump remains relatively popular, voters see his opponents as out of touch with the cultural mainstream.
In short, it looks like Democrats' dark days are far from over.
President Donald Trump hasn't forgotten who wronged him during his first term in office and beyond, and many believe it's now his time to exact sweet revenge on his political opponents.
According to Breitbart, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard announced over the weekend that under President Trump's orders, she revoked Hillary Clinton's security clearance, along with several other high-profile Democrats.
Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris also had their clearances revoked, according to Gabbard.
Additionally, the Democrats will also no longer be allowed to hear classified briefings.
Gabbard made the bombshell announcement in an X post over the weekend, naming several Democrats who will no longer be privvy to receiving classified information.
"Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked former President Joe Biden’s security clearance, and revoked clearances and access to classified information for Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, and Alexander Vindman," Gabbard wrote.
Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked former President Joe Biden’s security clearance, and revoked clearances and access to classified information for Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, and Alexander Vindman.
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 28, 2025
Breitbart noted:
Gabbard made the call per President Donald Trump’s March 22 memorandum stating that it is “no longer in the national interest” to have those individuals, as well as several formerly high-ranking Biden administration officials, family members, and other figures, to have classified material.
In a February Truth Social post, Trump announced his intention to revoke the clearances.
"There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings. He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents," he wrote at the time.
Users across social media reacted to Gabbard's announcement, with many cheering her on.
"I already feel we're safer as a country because of this move!" one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Thank you Tulsi! They are all traitors."
It's incredible to watch the Democrats squirm with Trump in office, especially when he makes moves like this.
President Donald Trump's efforts to deport the millions of illegal immigrants let in by former President Joe Biden's administration are in full effect, and the left is going nuts over it.
"According to the Daily Caller, a Biden-era program that allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants in from a select group of nations is being canceled, and those who enjoyed their temporary status have received notice that it's over.
The CHNV program, "an initiative launched by the previous administration that flew in over half-a-million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela," has been ended.
The program had been in use for years, and allowed the Biden administration to haul in hundreds of thousands of migrants who otherwise wouldn't have been here.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed last week that the migrants who had the temporary status under the CHNV program had been notified that their time under the program is up.
The Daily Caller noted:
In a public statement confirming the termination letters, DHS called CHNV a “disastrous” program and ripped the Biden White House for importing “loosely vetted” migrants en masse that competed with American workers.
A senior DHS official held nothing back when describing why the program was such a terrible idea.
"They allowed more than half a million loosely vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed," the official said.
They added, "The previous administration lied to America."
The program was originally launched in 2022 and was exclusively for Venezuelans, only later to be expanded in 2023 to include the three additional nations.
Republicans were not fond of the program for many reasons, one of them being that they accused the Biden administration of using the program to loosen pressure on the southern U.S. border.
The Daily Caller noted:
During its peak, CHNV was flying roughly 30,000 migrants into the U.S. every single month, allowing them to circumvent the U.S.-Mexico border entirely.
Many believe the program was simply abused and used for political purposes.
It's refreshing to see President Trump follow through on his initiatives and shut down programs like these.
In a stunning reversal, President Trump has recalled the nomination of congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Ny.) to be his ambassador to the United Nations.
For Trump, the decision comes down to simple math: House Republicans' narrow majority leaves little room for error as they prepare to pass Trump's agenda.
"I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump wrote.
A stalwart Trump ally, Stefanik first won attention for defending Trump during the Ukraine impeachment saga and later received praise for her withering questioning of Ivy League presidents over campus anti-Semitism.
She would have brought a staunchly pro-Israel viewpoint to her work at the United Nations, which is often critical of the Jewish state.
Trump won Stefanik's district in upstate New York by 30 points, but the uncertainty of a special election there appears to have weighed on the president.
The GOP is also growing concerned about an April 1 special election in Florida to fill the seat formerly held by Mike Waltz, who is now Trump's national security adviser. The Republican candidate in the race, Randy Fine, is trailing his Democratic opponent in fundraising.
"With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations," Trump wrote.
The news of Stefanik's withdrawal has emboldened Democrats, who have felt encouraged by a recent upset in Pennsylvania after months of struggling to oppose Trump.
"Republicans and Donald Trump knew they were on track to lose the special election because of their deeply unpopular, disastrous agenda," DCCC spokesperson Courtney Rice.
Trump expanded on his decision to pull Stefanik Friday, saying it boils down to "politics 101."
“We don’t want to take any chances, so I went to Elise and I said, ‘Elise, do you mind?’” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“We don’t want to take any chances. It’s as simple as that. It’s basic politics. It’s politics 101. She’s very popular. She’s going to win.”
Reacting to the shocking change of fortune, Stefanik told Fox News' Hannity that she is "proud to be a team player."
Tucker Carlson has announced that his father, Richard Warner Carlson, has died.
In an obituary posted on X, Carlson said his father died at home on Monday in Boca Grande, Florida at the age of 84 after six weeks of illness.
"He refused all painkillers to the end and left this world with dignity and clarity, holding the hands of his children with his dogs at his feet," Carlson wrote.
Richard Carlson possessed an "outlaw spirit tempered by decency" that led him on an adventurous career in journalism and government affairs - all while remaining dedicated to two sons he raised on his own, Tucker Carlson wrote.
In his time as an investigative reporter for ABC News in California, Carlson knew the most interesting personalities of the day, including Jim Jones, Patty Hearst, Eric Hoffer, and Jerry Garcia, "as well as Mafia leaders and members of the Manson Family," Tucker Carlson wrote.
Richard Carlson later took on government roles, moving to Washington in 1985 to work in the Reagan administration as director of Voice of America and then as U.S. ambassador to Seychelles under the George H. W. Bush administration. In the 1990s, Carlson became CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and also led a division of King World television.
Obituary for my father.
Richard Warner Carlson died at 84 on March 24, 2025 at home in Boca Grande, Florida after six weeks of illness. He refused all painkillers to the end and left this world with dignity and clarity, holding the hands of his children with his dogs at his… pic.twitter.com/4lMygMkSIT
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 26, 2025
In his later years, Carlson traveled the world and got involved in "countless intrigues" in dozens of countries, his work remaining a mystery to his own family.
"He spoke to his sons every day and had lunch with them once a week for thirty years at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, always prefaced by a dice game. Throughout his life he fervently loved dogs," the obituary read.
Born February 10, 1941, Richard Carlson was left at an orphanage in Boston, where he developed rickets. His adoptive father, a tannery manager, died when he was 12.
After a volatile youth that saw him jailed for car theft, he set out for California in 1962, where he worked as a merchant seaman for one year before entering journalism as a copyboy at the Los Angeles Times, later becoming a wire service reporter for UPI and an investigative reporter and anchor for ABC News.
In 1975, Carlson became a single father to his two sons, Tucker and Buckley, after splitting from their mother, artist Lisa McNear Lombardi. She left for Europe, never to return, and Carlson raised the boys in San Diego, California.
"He threw himself into raising his boys, whom he often brought with him on reporting trips," Tucker Carlson wrote.
Richard Carlson married frozen dinner heiress Patricia Swanson in 1979, and they were happily married until her death sixteen months before Carlson's own, according to the obituary.
He is survived by his sons, Tucker and Buckley, his beloved daughter-in-law Susie, and five grandchildren.
"He was the toughest human being anyone in his family ever knew, and also the kindest and most loyal. RIP," Tucker Carlson wrote.
Vice president J.D. Vance will fly out of Washington D.C. Friday to see Greenland with his wife Usha, as President Trump continues to ramp up demands for the United States to take over the Arctic island.
While it might look like a couple's vacation, the visit is seen by many as a charm offensive to advance President Trump's goal of annexing the island.
The vice president's involvement is a change in plans. His wife was initially set to lead a U.S. delegation to Greenland's capital, Nuuk, for a tour of cultural sites with national security adviser Michael Waltz.
After international backlash from Greenland and Denmark, the Trump administration curtailed the itinerary to a stop at a U.S. military base.
Greenland's rich mineral resources and Arctic location give the island strategic importance, especially as Russia and China escalate their presence in the Arctic region. The U.S. maintains a single military base in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base.
Trump's repeated threats to annex the island, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, have inflamed both Greenland and Denmark.
In a short and diplomatic video, Vice President Vance said there was "so much excitement around Usha's visit to Greenland this Friday" that he couldn't let her go alone.
The vice president said he is eager to "check out" the security situation in Greenland, as he emphasized the administration's goal is to strengthen Greenland's security and the security of the world.
“We’re going to check out how things are going there,” Vance said in the video shared Tuesday. “Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.”
Looking forward to visiting Greenland on Friday!🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/p3HslD3hhP
— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 25, 2025
The administration's initial plans sparked pushback. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen accused Trump of exerting "unacceptable pressure," while Greenland insisted that Usha's trip was uninvited and that there was an ulterior motive.
"We are now at a level where it can in no way be characterized as a harmless visit from a politician's wife," Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede said.
Ahead of Vice President Vance's trip, President Trump offered a blunt reminder that the United States intends to acquire Greenland one way or another.
"We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it," Trump said Wednesday. "I hate to put it that way, but we're going to have to have it."
The Senate confirmed pro-Trump businessman John Phelan to be the Secretary of the Navy in a bi-partisan vote.
The final vote was 62-30, with 11 Democrats joining all 51 Republicans who voted on the nomination. Even Jack Reed (D-Rd.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee, voted yes after expressing some doubts about Phelan's experience.
The Harvard Business School graduate is the founder and chairman of the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC, and previously was the co-founding partner and chief investment officer of MSD Capital, the private investment firm for tech billionaire Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies.
Phelan, an experienced businessman, presented himself as an outsider who would make necessary reforms to the Navy.
“The U.S. Navy is at crossroads, with extended deployments, inadequate maintenance, huge cost overruns, delayed shipbuilding, failed audits, subpar housing, and, sadly, record-high suicide rates,” he told he told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February.
A handful of Democrats questioned Phelan's readiness for the role, but his hearing was far from contentious.
"You're a nontraditional appointee for this position, and that can be OK if the tradition is not working," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine (Va.) said.
Ranking member Jack Reed - who ultimately voted for Phelan - initially expressed doubts about his ability to manage a complex military organization like the Navy.
Phelan said it was time to try a new approach.
“The Navy and the Marine Corps already possess extraordinary operational expertise within their ranks. My role is to utilize that expertise and strengthen it to step outside the status quo and take decisive action with a results-oriented approach,” he said.
Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth was among those who congratulated Phelan on getting the job.
"Congratulations John Phelan on being Confirmed as the 79th Secretary of the Navy! Looking forward to supporting our warfighters together," Hegseth said.
Phelan's confirmation comes after a Navy aircraft carrier was damaged in a collision with a merchant vessel last month. In a previous concerning incident, a pair of Navy Pilots were shot down over the Red Sea by friendly fire.
During his confirmation hearing, Phelan told the Senate that President Trump is particularly concerned about the condition of the Navy's fleet. Phelan said Trump texts him in the middle of the night with pictures of rusty warships.
“The president has been very consistent when he spoke with me: shipbuilding, shipbuilding, shipbuilding,” Phelan said.
President Trump ordered the state of Colorado to remove an unflattering and "purposefully distorted" painting of him from the state's Capitol.
The awkward picture has been hanging in the Capitol Rotunda in Denver since 2019. In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a photo of the painting, which he described as "truly the worst."
"Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before," Trump wrote.
The same artist who made the Trump painting, British-born Sarah Boardman, also painted the picture of Barack Obama hanging next to it.
"The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst," Trump wrote. "She must have lost her talent as she got older," Trump wrote.
Trump said he spoke with the Democratic governor, Jared Polis, about taking the picture down. The president also knocked Polis over his handling of the Tren de Aragua gang, which came to national attention last year after occupying an apartment complex in the Denver area. Polis infamously dismissed the gang takeover - which was captured on video - as a product of the "imagination."
"In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain," Trump said.
"I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself!"
When the painting went up in 2019, the Colorado Springs-based artist said wasn't influenced by her personal feelings about Trump, according to Newsweek.
"My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting. In five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another president on the wall who is only historical background and he needs to look neutral," she said at the time.
A spokesperson for Governor Polis responded to Trump with sarcasm.
"Gov. Polis was surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork," Polis' spokesperson wrote.
While Polis is busy firing back at the president, Coloradans continue to feel the impact of the migrant crisis in their state.