Latest news with #CharlieKirk
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Conservative Gen Z bringing 'greatest generational realignment' in 50 years, Charlie Kirk says
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk touts the rise in conservatism among Gen Z, pointing to the organization's recent Student Action Summit as evidence.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don't Be Fooled: Donald Trump Got Absolutely Torched This Week
So this is the thing about stories like the Jeffrey Epstein saga: There's always new stuff waiting to come out. The explosive story that The Wall Street Journal dropped Thursday evening about Donald Trump's alleged note to Epstein in a 'birthday book' compiled for the child molester in 2003 by Ghislaine Maxwell was bound to come out. And if other things are out there about Trump's history with Epstein—as there almost certainly are—they're bound to become public someday, too. That's the first reason Trump needs to be worried. Even if his name does not appear on some master list created by Epstein with a heading like 'Good Friends of Mine Who Raped Underage Girls With Me,' it still has to be the case that there are emails, photographs, and other material that at the very least won't look good. (I couldn't help wondering what Maurene Comey, the sex crimes prosecutor in New York's Southern District who was fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday, knows about Epstein and Trump.) And here's the second and more interesting reason. These cracks in the MAGA coalition right now are only that—cracks—but time may prove this week to have been a pivotal, even decisive, moment in MAGA history. On Monday, several voices in MAGA world (Charlie Kirk, Laura Ingraham, Megyn Kelly) were outraged over the administration declaring the Epstein matter closed. On Tuesday, a lot of those same voices said okay, nothing to see here, time to move on. Then, on Wednesday, they pivoted back to outrage, suggesting that on this one matter, social-media marching orders from Dear Leader could not staunch the blood flow. And Thursday night, the Journal story broke. We don't know yet what the impact of the Journal story will be in MAGA world, though it seems to be rallying some of his Epstein critics to his defense. So it might be that the story allows Trump to play victim and blame the fake news. Trump denies that he wrote the greeting and, as usual, has vowed to sue, which means he's suing none other than Rupert Murdoch, who quite interestingly—if Trump's Thursday night rant on Truth Social is to be believed—turned down the chance to use his power to kill the story. Or it might edge some to start coming to grips with the fact that their hero is not the valiant knight they imagined him to be. To a certain kind of person who consumes a certain kind of media, Trump is a sea-green incorruptible: the man who quite literally risks his life (the two assassination attempts) to slay the debauched and ossified dragons that have been perverting America for decades and keeping the decent God-fearing people of 'normal' American down. Now? As I said, we can't make any conclusions just yet. But this is the week the pixie dust didn't work. Maybe it's a one-time thing. On the other hand, maybe it's not. Before we get to all that, let's do a quick deconstruction of what the Journal reported. There was a drawing of a naked woman (and why the Journal hasn't posted an image of this thing is weird). Inside the drawing was a typewritten imagined dialogue between Trump and Epstein: Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything. Donald: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is. Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is. Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it. Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret. Obviously, the key line here is Trump saying 'enigmas never age.' I have to say I give him credit for seeming to know what the word 'enigma' means. In fact, the use of 'enigma' is the one piece of evidence that suggests that maybe this wasn't Trump! But 'never age.' And Epstein replying that this fact was 'clear to me the last time I saw you.' That's clearly a reference to a specific event. If you want to believe it refers to that time they bought Girl Scout cookies together, be my guest. If this is a genuine article, well, it's very rare in this life that things like that card exist in isolation. The two were joined at the hip for 15 years. There will almost certainly be new explosions in the coming weeks. They probably won't emerge from the grand jury materials whose release Trump authorized in the wake of the Journal scoop. We can presume that material has been vetted to exculpate Trump. But maybe there were things that the grand jury didn't see. As The Washington Post noted Friday morning, 'the grand jury testimony would constitute only a fraction of the evidence amassed by federal authorities.' But back to that pixie dust. That's the story here. Every single thing Trump has done for 10 years—every outrage against decency, every crime, every incitement to violence, all the rest—have been justified in MAGA world because Trump was doing all these things for them. And he was supposed to blow the lid off this whole Epstein thing for them, too. Instead, he's covering up for himself. The order to Bondi about the grand jury material just looks like the kind of ass-covering bullshit move any politician would make. Members of the r/Conservative subreddit on Friday morning were definitely not appeased. Most of MAGA will continue to believe. Some people will need a photograph of Trump in flagrante delicto with a 12-year-old before they reconsider. And even then, they may insist the photo is fake. But others are already starting to question the whole enterprise. If Trump loses just 15 percent of his hard-core supporters, that's huge; electorally, it's potentially decisive. If we put his hard-shell supporters at 30 or 35 percent of the country, well, 15 percent of that is 4 or 5 percent. In a country this narrowly divided, that's a lot to lose—a lot of midterm voters who decide the hell with it, I'm staying home. And finally, let's not forget what this is about. Epstein did literally the sickest things a human being can do. Even if Trump didn't do them, if he was that close to Epstein for that long, there's roughly zero chance he didn't know something. Is that what supposed Christians want in a president of the United States? Some of them are already wondering. As other shoes drop, more will. This article first appeared in Fighting Words, a weekly TNR newsletter authored by editor Michael Tomasky. Sign up here.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
MAGA—From Elon Musk To Charlie Kirk—Rally Behind Trump After Epstein Birthday Card Report
President Donald Trump's base vigorously defended him in the wake of a Thursday Wall Street Journal report that he wrote a sexually suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday, with some claiming the alleged letter doesn't sound like the president. President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters while meeting with NATO Secretary General ... More Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on July 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by) Getty Images JD Vance: The vice president tweeted that the Journal 'should be ashamed for publishing' the report, calling it 'complete and utter bullshit' while criticizing the paper for failing to publicize the letter or show it to the White House before writing about it. 'Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?' Vance wrote. Charlie Kirk: The conservative influencer tweeted 'this is not how Trump talks at all. I don't believe it.' Laura Loomer: Calling the Journal report 'totally fake,' Loomer said 'everyone who actually KNOWS President Trump knows he doesn't type letters' but instead 'writes messages in big black Sharpie.' Matt Gaetz: The former Florida GOP congressman, who has faced a sexual misconduct scandal of his own, called the report 'laughably false' and said 'I hope Trump gets millions' by suing the Wall Street Journal. Karoline Leavitt: The White House press secretary accused the Journal of publishing 'a hatchet job article with a FAKE 'birthday letter,'' accusing the paper of refusing to show the White House the letter and having 'conceded they don't even have it in their possession.' Elon Musk: 'It really doesn't sound like something Trump would say tbh,' the billionaire tweeted. Steven Cheung: The White House Communications Director accused 'the Democrats in coordination with the Fake News' of 'publishing a totally false and defamatory article,' in a tweet that said 'nobody in their right mind would ever believe this trash.' Musk's artificial intelligence assistant, Grok, gave contradicting responses to Musk and another user who asked about the legitimacy of the Journal report. In response to Musk asking if the report is fake or true, Grok said it's 'most likely fake' and 'doesn't match Trump's direct style or known handwriting.' But in response to another user, the chatbot said 'the letter appears authentic' and rejected Trump's denial as lacking 'substantiation.' Crucial Quote 'The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in response to the Journal report, pointed out that Trump auctioned off a hand-drawn picture of the Manhattan skyline, contradicting Trump's claims that he doesn't draw pictures. Key Background The Journal reported that Trump gifted Epstein the sexually suggestive letter that included a drawing of a naked woman for his 50th birthday in 2003, citing documents reviewed by the paper, which did not publish an image of the alleged letter. In it, Trump allegedly wrote 'A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.' The report comes as Trump is facing mounting backlash from his base over the Justice Department's refusal to release any additional documents on its investigation into Epstein, despite previous suggestions from Trump's top law enforcement officials that it would. Trump has urged his supporters to move on from talking about Epstein. Further Reading Trump Directs Bondi To Release Some Epstein Documents, Threatens To Sue Wall Street Journal And Murdoch (Forbes) Jeffrey Epstein's Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump. (Wall Street Journal) House Approves $9 Billion Claw Back Of Public Broadcasting And Foreign Aid Funds After Drama Over Epstein (Forbes)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Bullies MAGA Influencer to Fall in Line on Epstein
Over the weekend, right-wing media figure Charlie Kirk hosted the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, where the young conservatives in attendance were up in arms about President Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Now, after a phone call from the president himself, Kirk is backing off of the issue. 'Honestly, I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being,' Kirk said on the Monday episode of his talk show. 'I'm going to trust my friends in the administration. I'm going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done. Solve it. Ball's in their hands. I've said plenty this last weekend.' Attendees of Kirk's conference were vocal about their disapproval of the Trump administration closing the Epstein case after entertaining—and promising to substantiate—conspiracy theories about the deceased financier and sex criminal. On Friday, Kirk asked the crowd, 'How many of you, raise your hand, think this is a big deal, the Epstein thing?' Hands shot up across the room, and Kirk observed, 'Every hand has gone up.' Another Friday speaker, Fox News's Laura Ingraham, asked the audience, 'How many of you are satisfied … with the results of the Epstein investigation?' Boos resounded. Many in MAGA, blaming Attorney General Pam Bondi for the Epstein fiasco, called for her firing, leading Trump on Saturday to attempt to dispel his base's outrage on Truth Social. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?'' he posted, defending Bondi and calling the Epstein files a concoction of MAGA adversaries that 'nobody cares about.' Kirk, whose conference was clear evidence to the contrary, nonetheless announced on Monday that he'll devote no more airtime to the matter, instead deferring to his administration 'friends' Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, Pam Bondi, and Todd Blanche. A new CNN report may explain Kirk's decision to turn away from the Epstein issue. In doing damage control over the weekend, Trump reportedly made phone calls to Bondi's 'most vocal critics' in order 'to stem the bleeding over the Epstein files.' Trump is said to have called Kirk on Saturday. It remains unknown which other conservative figures the president phoned in hopes of quelling dissent over the Epstein case, but it might be worth keeping an eye on who in MAGA world suddenly, inexplicably changes their tune.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Charlie Kirk backtracks after saying he's ‘done talking about Epstein,' claims he meant just ‘yesterday'
A day after proclaiming that he was 'done talking about' Jeffrey Epstein and that he would 'trust my friends in the government' amid the MAGA fallout over the Trump administration's handling of the disgraced financier's files, Charlie Kirk is now insisting that he merely meant 'yesterday' and he would continue to discuss the issue. The Turning Point USA founder's walkback comes as Donald Trump has been unable to quell the right-wing firestorm over his Department of Justice's memo last week that concluded Epstein was not murdered in jail and did not maintain a 'client list' in order to blackmail prominent figures who took part in his underage sex trafficking. Over the weekend, the president ordered his MAGA 'boys' and 'gals' to move on from the Epstein files, which he wildly suggested were fake and 'written by Obama' and 'Crooked Hillary.' He also urged his base to fall in line and support Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been under intense fire for signing off on the memo despite previously boasting that she had the 'client list' on her desk. Trump has also privately doubled down on his support for Bondi, who recently clashed with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino amid a growing rift between the FBI and DIJ over the fallout from the Epstein memo, prompting Bongino to consider resigning. With the president pushing his aides to let the Epstein saga die out, he's also called some of Bondi's most vocal critics in the MAGAsphere to get them to back off – including Kirk, who has been largely critical of Bondi. Additionally, speakers and attendees at this past weekend's TPUSA student summit bashed Bondi and the administration for their handling of the Epstein case. MAGA podcaster Charlie Kirk claimed on Tuesday that his previous promise that he was 'done talking about Epstein' was only meant for one day. (Rumble) 'Plenty was said this last weekend at our event about Epstein,' Kirk declared on his Monday podcast. 'Honestly, I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being. I'm gonna trust my friends in the administration, I'm gonna trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done [and] solve it. Ball's in their hands.' Adding that 'everyone knows my opinion about the Epstein thing,' Kirk concluded on Monday by reiterating that he would 'trust my friends' in the administration before telling viewers that he was moving on to other matters. 'I think that there was plenty of, let's say, speeches that were directed towards this topic this last weekend,' he stated. 'So we don't need to spend our valuable time on this program relitigating it.' With Kirk's comments about moving on from Epstein drawing scrutiny and headlines, especially in light of his phone call with Trump, the right-wing activist took to his Tuesday show to maintain that he had never intended to drop the issue altogether. Grumbling that he was responding to the 'viral fake news' that he was done talking about the deceased sexual predator, Kirk complained about the amount of coverage his comments on Monday received before reading them back in full, claiming he was misconstrued. ''Honestly, I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being.' Nobody, not a single news outlet, said 'for the time being.' They did not include that second part of the sentence,' he groused. (For the record, most publications included that part of the quote – including The Independent.) 'Again, no one covered the second part of the statement,' Kirk continued. 'No one covered it. This thing has, like, 10 million views on social media. And, unfortunately, too many people on our side fell for this garbage. And I get that it's heightened — and, by the way, part of this is I'm gonna have some compassion. This is a very hot moment. Very hot.' He also took issue with the amount of criticism he's taken for saying that he's going to trust his 'friends in the government,' noting that he's 'not trusting the government' but rather individual members of the administration that he knows his viewers admire. 'When I said for the time being, I was talking yesterday,' Charlie Kirk declared Tuesday. (Rumble) 'You guys are all fans of Dan Bongino and Kash Patel,' he said. 'We are trusting that they heard you, they heard me, and they are working to fix this. Let me finish this. But let me say this again — I would love to see the DOJ move to unseal the grand jury testimony.' After wondering if he 'should I have said those five words in the sequence I said,' Kirk continued to bash the media's coverage of his remarks before asserting that he merely meant he was taking a one-day break from Epstein-gate. 'When I said for the time being, I was talking yesterday,' he huffed. 'I was telling the audience, guys, I got a whole deck of stories I gotta cover here. You see, they wanna cover MAGA in disarray, and there is so much going on right now.' While insisting that he would continue to focus on the Epstein case during his podcast on Tuesday, that wasn't the case during a Fox News interview the same day. During an appearance on Harris Faulkner's morning news program to discuss TPUSA's weekend event, which saw thousands of attendees irate and angry over the Epstein fiasco, Kirk and the Fox anchor completely sidestepped the issue. Of course, Fox News has heeded the president's call to stop covering Epstein amid the continued backlash. Starting Monday morning, the conservative cable giant has all but ignored the issue, mentioning the deceased pedophile a total of just eight times the entire day, with zero mentions before the 6 p.m. ET hour. By comparison, the network's stars brought up former President Joe Biden 158 times.
