With President Donald Trump likely finishing out his second term in the White House by 2028, short of congressional action that would possibly extend that, all eyes are on his replacement as the next Republican MAGA leader.
Most believe that will undoubtedly be Vice President J.D. Vance, who remains extremely popular with the MAGA base and has the full support and vote of confidence from his boss, President Trump.
According to Fox News, VP Vance stopped just short of announcing his intentions to run in 2028, saying that the job simply won't be "given" to him while adding that he prefers not to speak on the subject while there's still so much to do now.
While Vance is humble regarding the subject, Trump has recently hinted that his VP will likely be next in line for the Republican Party to back for the White House.
During an interview with Laura Trump on "My View," the vice president hinted at the possibility of running in 2028, adding that if he performs his job well, "the politics will figure itself out."
VP Vance admitted that he "doesn't like thinking about" running for the presidency and would rather focus on the tasks at hand that he deal with on a daily basis as vice president.
"If we do a good job in 2025 and 2026, then we can talk about the politics in 2027," Vance said. "I really think the American people are so fed up with folks who are already running for the next job, seven months into the current one."
I love this answer from .@VP JD Vance regarding running for the presidency in 2028.
A man of sound character! pic.twitter.com/RxSD6GUVWA
— Erica 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@EricaRN4USA) September 7, 2025
The vice president also admitted that if he does decide to run, it won't be easy, or "given" to him, noting the talent pool on the Republican Party side is deep and worth of competition.
"There are a lot of great people," Vance said.
"If I do end up running, it's not going to be given to me—either on the Republican side or on the national side. I'm just going to keep on working hard.… [This] may be the most important job I ever had, outside of being a father to those three beautiful kids. So I'm going to try to do my best job, and I think if I do that, the politics will figure itself out."
Users across social media reacted to Vance's comments about a 2028 presidential run.
"He is a great role model. I love this man," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "JD has such a sound character. His leadership brings comfort in these crazy times."
It seems like Democrats switching to the Republican Party is a more frequent occurrence in the last several years than it has been in decades, and this week brought another example of it happening.
According to Breitbart, Garfield, New Jersey Mayor Everett E. Garnto, Jr. presumably shocked his supporters and colleagues by announcing his exit from the Dem Party in order to join the other side.
What makes his switch especially notable is the fact that he not only left his party, but immediately endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli for governor.
The move undoubtedly tossed a massive wrench in the upcoming election cycle, and will make for a major shift in one Bergen County’s largest municipalities.
Garnto made the announcement during Ciattarelli’s Garfield Rally last week, sending shockwaves through the community and the New Jersey political world.
Michael Casey, the New Jersey State Director for Early Vote Action, announced the bombshell news in an X post.
"Democrat mayor of Garfield NJ has officially SWITCHED parties 🔵->🔴 and ENDORSED Republican Jack Ciatteralli for Governor MAJOR endorsement for @Jack4NJ in a city that has been a longtime Democrat stronghold. Standing room only as hundreds of Garfield residents were in attendance," he wrote.
🚨NEW JERSEY
Democrat mayor of Garfield NJ has officially SWITCHED parties 🔵->🔴 and ENDORSED Republican Jack Ciatteralli for Governor
MAJOR endorsement for @Jack4NJ in a city that has been a longtime Democrat stronghold
Standing room only as hundreds of Garfield residents… pic.twitter.com/NdLhYX76FA
— Michael Casey (@MichaelCasey_) September 4, 2025
Breitbart noted:
Garnto, a retired Garfield police officer who served 29 years on the force and 12 years as president of the local Police Benevolent Association, was elected to the city council in November 2024 as a Democrat. He later became mayor after his colleagues selected him for the position.
While the county has had a Democratic stronghold, Trump won the county by nine points in the 2024 election.
Garnto also admitted that he supported President Trump during the election.
Users across social media weighed in on the news of the party switch.
"Welcome to the family!" one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Maybe the other sensible Democrats should too."
Five Republicans helped block a censure motion against Rep. LaMonica McIver, the New Jersey Democrat who was criminally charged for allegedly assaulting immigration officials outside a detention facility.
The House voted 215-207 to reject the resolution brought by Clay Higgins (R-LA), which would have removed McIver from the Homeland Security Committee.
“Had she withdrawn from the Homeland Security Committee, I certainly wouldn’t have offered a resolution, even though censure [is] legitimate and called for,” he said.
The five Republicans who voted to kill the measure are Reps. Don Bacon and Mike Flood of Nebraska, Dave Joyce and Mike Turner of Ohio, and David Valadao of California. All Democrats voted no.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) voted "present." Notably, Garbarino, who is known to be a moderate, has been the chair of the Homeland Security Committee since July.
Turner later said his vote was in error, but it would not have impacted the outcome.
Garbarino called the vote premature without a complete House Ethics investigation.
“I voted ‘present’ in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation and to comply with Committee rules and fundamental due process considerations requiring that Ethics Committee Members make impartial and unbiased decisions,” Garbarino said.
McIver has been charged with assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark during a visit in May.
Prosecutors released bodycam footage that they said shows McIver grabbing and shoving Department of Homeland Security officials outside the facility.
Democrats have rallied to McIver's defense, portraying her as a victim of political retribution who was carrying out legitimate congressional oversight.
“We were all elected to do the people’s work. I take that responsibility seriously -- Clay Higgins clearly does not,” McIver said before the censure vote.
The criminal case against McIver was brought by U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, whose authority has been challenged in the courts. An Obama-appointed judge ruled recently that she is serving "unlawfully," but Habba has said she is the target of dirty politics by partisan judges and Democrats who have obstructed her appointment.
Both of New Jersey's Democrat senators have refused to advance Habba's nomination, using a traditional courtesy called the blue slip, which gives deference to home-state senators when considering nominees for U.S. attorney and the federal courts. Despite Trump's demands to scrap the blue slip, Senate Republicans have defended it, so far.
Notorious lefty congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is facing a rebuke from Congress over a provocative speech condemning the United States and Israel, with some accusing her of supporting terrorism.
At a pro-Palestine conference in Detroit, Tlaib described America as an evil "empire" and charged her fellow lawmakers with supporting a "genocide" in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have died in Israel's military offensive against Hamas.
While Israel has faced backlash from Democrats and a handful of Republicans, most members of Congress still support arming Israel, making Tlaib part of a radical fringe.
She appeared to relish that fact in her speech at the People's Conference for Palestine, where she denounced her colleagues as "sellouts" and "warmongers."
Other speakers at the Palestine event were even more extreme, with some dabbling in overt Hamas sympathy or calling for government officials who support Israel to be "neutralized," according to the Jerusalem Post.
Tlaib's speech echoed common sentiments on the far left, where Israel and the United States are often linked as partners in a brutally oppressive "empire."
Tlaib said the United States was built on "slavery, genocide, rape and oppression," and she urged Palestine supporters to put their faith in radical action rather than American institutions.
"Outside of the decaying halls of the empire in Washington, D.C., we are winning. They are scared," she said.
Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, was previously censured in November 2023 for her use of anti-Israel rhetoric in the wake of the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.
After her latest tirade, Georgia Republican Buddy Carter introduced a resolution censuring Tlaib for "vilifying her colleagues, endangering the lives of Jewish people, and celebrating terrorism."
"Her conduct is beneath that of a civilized person, let alone a member of Congress. I am calling on the House of Representatives to censure her remarks and put Democrats on notice for enabling and cheering on antisemitism in their own party," Carter told Fox News Digital.
Tlaib brushed off the threat as an attempt to silence "the world," which she apparently believes speaks through her.
Tlaib is far from the only Democrat in Congress who appears to identify more with ethnic kinfolk in distant lands than the United States, which Tlaib supposedly represents, at least in theory.
Chicago-born congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Il) recently told a crowd in Mexico that she feels more tied to Guatemala than America, leading critics to label her a traitor.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Mn.) is now a multi-millionaire after her net worth increased by $30 million in a single year, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
She owes the sudden increase in wealth to a 3500% jump in the value of her husband Tim Mynett's business investments, according to Omar's latest financial disclosure.
Omar's shocking turn of fortune is sure to raise eyebrows, especially after she went out of her way to deny being a millionaire earlier this year.
“Since getting elected, there has been a coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign claiming all sorts of wild things, including the ridiculous claim I am worth millions of dollars which is categorically false,” she told Business Insider.
“I am a working mom with student loan debt," she added. "Unlike some of my colleagues — and similar to most Americans — I am not a millionaire and am raising a family while maintaining a residence in both Minneapolis and DC, which are among the most expensive housing markets in the country,” she added.
At least part of that statement was true: Omar does have unpaid student loans, according to her financial disclosure for 2024, which listed up to $100,000 in student loan and credit card debt.
Omar's 2024 disclosure also shows that her husband's California-based winery, eStCru LLC, has between $1 million and $5 million in assets, after Omar reported between $15,000 and $50,000 in 2023.
More significantly, Mynett's venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital, was worth between $5 million and $25 million in 2024 after Omar reported just $1,000 in assets in 2023.
This would not be the first time that Omar and her husband - who began their relationship as an affair when they were both married to different people - have come under scrutiny.
When Omar was seeking re-election in 2020, her campaign paid nearly $3 million to a consulting firm owned by Mynett.
While Omar severed ties with Mynett's consulting business by the end of 2020, his recent ventures invite further questions about whether he is exploiting his wife's political connections for profit.
Mynett's venture capital firm claims to have $60 billion under management, and its website touts its "extensive global network" and expertise in structuring "legislation."
Omar and Mynett have appeared together at events promoting foreign investment in Africa, according to the Washington Free Beacon, which noted that Omar started the U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group shortly after Mynett launched his venture capital firm.
Omar is now far richer than she could have ever dreamed before coming to America as a refugee from war-torn Somalia - but she is still convinced that America owes her something.
Leading Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler unexpectedly announced that he will not seek re-election next year, ending his 34-year run as a representative from New York.
Widely recognized for his rotund figure and slouching gait, Nadler has been a fixture in Democratic politics ever since he won his first House race in 1992.
The 78-year-old says the Democratic party needs "generational change," pointing to the dismal end of President Biden's career as a cautionary tale.
“Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party,” Nadler told the New York Times, “and I think I want to respect that.”
A staunch liberal, Nadler became widely known as a leading critic of Trump during the president's first term, when Nadler led two failed impeachments as chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
Trump and Nadler have clashed since the 1980s, when Trump became famous as a Manhattan real estate developer. The president once called Nadler "one of the most egregious hacks in contemporary politics."
His retirement comes after three House Democrats died while in office this year, fueling demands for fresh blood as Trump bulldozes through opposition in both parties.
Nadler, although advanced in age, is as vocal as ever, telling the Times that he is stepping aside to help Democrats resist Trump "and his incipient fascism."
“I’m not saying we should change over the entire party,” he told the outlet. “But I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump," he added.
His departure will open up a contentious Democratic primary in his overwhelmingly liberal district, which spans some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America, covering Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East and West sides.
"It’s a big deal. Nadler is a legend. He’s an institution in both Manhattan and Washington,” a Democratic Party insider told The New York Post.
“His retirement represents a generational opening. I could see at least a half dozen people running for that seat in a Democratic primary,” the insider added.
Nadler has not named a successor, but the Times reports that he is likely to endorse his former aide Micah Lasher, who represents parts of the Upper West Side in the New York State Assembly.
Staying true to his leftist record, Nadler has endorsed socialist Zohran Mamdani to be the next mayor of New York City.
A Texas man was arrested for threatening to chop off the head of a Trump administration staffer and kill their family - with the persistent suspect continuing to leave voicemails after the feds told him to stop.
Thomas Austria Crouse, of Austin, is facing up to five years in prison if convicted. The identity of the victim was not shared by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, which announced the charges.
The FBI, Secret Service, and Capitol Police are investigating the case, which began on the night of August 25 with an alarming phone call.
According to a criminal complaint, Crouse called the "personal phone of an individual working for the President of the United States" and left a voicemail. It was not immediately clear how Crouse got the person's cell number.
Crouse "allegedly threatened to find the administration official, decapitate them, and kill the victim’s family," a Justice Department said.
"Given the violent nature of the voicemail and the references to the victim’s job as a presidential staffer, the voicemail was reported to the FBI. The criminal complaint alleges that further investigation revealed the phone call came from Austin. Crouse was identified as the caller."
The following day, Crouse agreed to stop making threats during an interview with the FBI, but the pledge lasted only a few hours.
The suspect instead continued to leave five additional voicemails for the victim, telling them to commit suicide.
On August 27, the feds arrested Crouse "based on a criminal complaint accusing him of transmitting an interstate communication containing a threat to injure the person of another."
Was the target a member of Trump's Cabinet? Or someone less well-known?
We do not have many details, but we do know that the incendiary climate being stirred up by the left exposes anyone tangentially connected to Trump to danger - including rank-and-file ICE agents who have come under violent attack for just doing their jobs.
Trump, of course, continues to face constant threats that have been encouraged by years of hyperbole comparing him to a dictator.
While the Justice Department is taking these threats seriously, the same, sadly, cannot be said of our deeply compromised judiciary.
Judge James Boasberg - the notorious Obama judge who tried to hold Trump officials in contempt for ignoring his arbitrary demands to stop deportation flights - has just released a woman from federal custody who had threatened to kill Trump.
The suspect in that case, Nathalie Jones, is a self-described schizophrenic who blames Trump for the death toll from COVID - a belief that was likely encouraged by the hysterical, leftist media.
The Justice Department urged the courts to keep Jones in jail, noting her "brazen decision to drive to Washington, DC, the day after telling law enforcement she would take the POTUS's life", but Boasberg found she is not a danger to the public and let her go, pending trial.
Texas Republicans aren't messing around. From the controversial redistricting bill to other politically white hot topics and agendas, the Texas GOP is making headlines by the day.
This week was no exception, as, according to the Washington Examiner, the Texas House passed a major conservative-led bill this week on the transgender bathroom controversy, at least as it pertains to the use of bathrooms on government property in the state.
The Texas GOP lawmakers' bill requires transgender-identifying people to use a bathroom on government property that corresponds to their biological sex -- a measure sought by Republican lawmakers for years.
The Texas Senate has passed several measures in the state's upper chamber that would have accomplished that goa, but until now, ran into House roadblocks.
The big development happened this week when the Texas House received Senate Bill 8 regarding the transgender bathroom policy. The bill ultimately passed 86-45.
The Examiner noted:
The legislation prohibits transgender-identifying people in public schools and universities, prisons, jails, and other taxpayer-funded buildings from using bathrooms, locker rooms, and other sensitive spaces on the basis of gender identity.
Should one of the people covered in the bill fail to follow the new law, assuming its signed into law, there are fines that will follow, and they're certainly steep enough to deter any non-compliance.
The outlet added:
Those impacted must use facilities that align with their biological sex, according to the bill, which contains proposed fines for violators from $5,000 to $25,000 for first offenses, and from $25,000 to $125,000 for subsequent violations.\
Family violence shelters would also be included in the new "bathroom bill," according to the report.
The passage of the bill immediately triggered Texas Democrats, with many of them calling it "anti-trans." One Texas Democrat said the bill amounts to "basically a vigilante potty police."
Users across social media had plenty to say about the passing of the bill, with many cheering GOP lawmakers for making it happen.
The “Bathroom Bill” clears its second reading in the House, 86–43. #txlege
Grateful for the leadership of @AngeliaOrrForTX — now let’s push it across the finish line! pic.twitter.com/h2LmOsk6Xu— Tywellborn (@tywellborn) August 29, 2025
"That's a YOU problem. Not an OUR problem. Use the bathroom that corresponds to your sex registry. The rest of your story isn't our problem," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Texas jails have become the largest mental health institutions in the state. It costs Texas about $650 million per year to care for these individuals; and they also tend to stay in jail longer and have a higher rate of recidivism."
Republicans have a majority in the Senate, but that majority could be even thinner, or lost, if the latest trend of Republican senators not seeking reelection in 2026 continues.
According to the New York Post, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) made the bombshell announcement this week that she's no longer interested in seeking reelection next year, leaving a swing state Senate seat much more vulnerable, presumably, than the Republican Party would like it to be.
Ernst joins a growing list of Republicans who aren't seeking reelection next year, giving some up-and-coming Republicans a chance but also decreasing the overall odds of the party keeping the majority in the upper chamber.
The Iowa Republican fell out of favor with MAGA supporters earlier this year after she initially fought back against the nomination of Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary.
Ernst reportedly broke the news to some of her inner circle, who spoke anonymously about her decision to throw in the towel before the 2026 election.
BREAKING: Republican Senator Joni Ernst will not run for reelection. pic.twitter.com/dADqOKMOvA
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) August 29, 2025
The news immediately sparked a race for new Republicans interested in taking her place, as CBS News noted.
Some Iowa Democrats have already jumped into the race, including state Sen. Zach Wahls, state Rep. Josh Turek, and Des Moines School Board chairwoman Jackie Norris.
The Republican senator has long hinted about her lack of desire to stay in the game, but vowed earlier this year at a talk that the state would stay in Republican control.
"Every day we get a new Democratic member of the House or Senate that decides to run for this Senate seat — bring it on," Ernst said at a meeting of the Westside Conservative Club. "Bring it on, folks. Because I tell you, at the end of the day, Iowa is going to be red."
CBS News added:
White House officials had hoped Ernst would run again, instead of joining other Republicans who are leaving the Senate, including North Carolina's Thom Tillis, Alabama's Tommy Tuberville and Kentucky's Mitch McConnell.
Users across social media commented on the news of Ernst dropping out.
"Yassssss! Another RINO gone without having to primary her! Now do Grassley!!! Iowa, haven't we suffered enough?" one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "RINOs dropping like flies. Tillis and Ernst are out. Cornyn is toast. All we need to do is ditch Thune and we might see actual change."
It'll be interesting to see who ultimately prevails in the race to replace her.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s shakeup of public health policy is facing backlash from some Senate Republicans who voted to confirm him to President Trump's Cabinet.
Kennedy's sudden firing of Susan Monarez as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was condemned by Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who was a key vote for Kennedy to lead the Health and Human Services Department.
Cassidy is now sharing second thoughts, saying the government's vaccine recommendations can no longer be trusted because of Kennedy's recent moves and turmoil at the CDC.
The senator was echoed by Sen. Susan Collins (R), of Maine, who expressed "alarm" at Monarez's firing less than a month into her job, calling her a "highly capable scientist who brought a wealth of experience to the agency."
Monarez's firing was reportedly prompted by her refusal to endorse Kennedy's vaccine policies, with Monarez's lawyers saying she chose "protecting the public over serving a political agenda." The White House says Monarez was fired for failing to support President Trump's priorities.
"As her attorney's statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the president's agenda," the White House said.
Four top CDC officials have also resigned in protest after Monarez's dramatic firing, which came after months of tensions surrounding Kennedy's reforms, particularly concerning vaccines.
His critics accuse him of conducting a dangerous coup against established science, but Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, says he is fighting a corrupt system that prioritizes profits for Big Pharma.
Kennedy purged an influential vaccine panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), earlier this year and replaced its members with people sympathetic to his views -- and he has restricted access to COVID-19 shots to include primarily those with higher risk, ending the emergency authorization that allowed most people to easily get them.
In the wake of Kennedy's shakeup of the CDC, Cassidy has called for a September 18 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to be postponed indefinitely, saying the panel's recommendations would “directly impact children’s health."
The meeting will cover vaccines for COVID-19, hepatitis B, RSV, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella.
"Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September ACIP meeting,” Cassidy said in a statement.
“If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in the CDC leadership,” he said.