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New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Vance Embraces Role of Loyal Trump Warrior, Shifting Away From Past Stances
JD Vance wanted the Jeffrey Epstein files released. He repeatedly called for ending American military assistance to Ukraine. And he warned against the United States becoming involved in any overseas conflicts. But that was all before he became President Trump's vice president. In his first six months in the role, Mr. Vance has emerged as a warrior for Mr. Trump, vigorously promoting and defending the president while twisting away from his past stances on a range of topics. It's the latest sign of how Mr. Vance, who assailed Mr. Trump in 2016 and once called himself a 'Never Trump guy,' has transformed himself into a fiercely loyal ally — even when it puts him at odds with the political movement in which he is seeking to build his own following. On Monday, speaking in front of steel plant workers in Canton, Ohio, Mr. Vance defended the administration's decision not to release files related to the case of Mr. Epstein, a move that has provoked sharp blowback among right-wing influencers and lawmakers. 'We're not shielding anything,' Mr. Vance said, echoing Mr. Trump's claims that previous presidents did not do enough to shed light on the case. 'Donald J. Trump, I'm telling you, he's got nothing to hide. His administration has got nothing to hide. And that's why he's been an advocate for full transparency in this case.' The stakes are high for Mr. Vance as he seeks simultaneously to demonstrate his allegiance to the president and to position himself as his natural successor. So far, Mr. Trump has repeatedly declined to endorse his vice president — or anyone else, for that matter — as worthy of inheriting his political movement. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Indianapolis Star
23-07-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Todd Young's political survival means never fully crossing Trump
Sen. Todd Young has been one of the most outspoken Republican critics of President Trump's tariff rollercoaster — within limits. "What I've been pushing for is more clarity so that our investors and businesses know when they can deploy capital and what return on investments they can project and all the rest of it," Young told NPR in April. Three months later, economic uncertainty reigns. Trump is still trying on new tariffs as casually as red ties and he's floating the idea of firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over interest rates that are likely stuck in place because of the president's tariffs. Young's professed quest for clarity has stopped short of concrete action — even though he's the Republican senator you might most expect it from. Young opposed Trump's nomination for president, signed onto a bill to reassert congressional authority over tariffs and is a longtime advocate for congressional independence. Yet, when the Senate has taken up resolutions to push back against the president's tariff power, Young has voted with Trump. So far, Young's approach has turned out … fine. Tariffs are beginning to push prices up, but the overall effects have fallen far short of the worst-case scenarios that I and others have warned about. The economy's steady hum has justified Young's measured approach. Therein lies Young's tightrope act. He is balancing career aspirations against statesmanship, with no margin for error. He is betting on his own effectiveness, his reelection and America's resiliency under an erratic president. For Young to survive, all three elements must remain in equilibrium. Young's tolerance for the president's chaos is most maddening to Democrats and Never Trump Republicans who want to see Young use his power. Young is one of 53 Republican senators, a narrow majority that gives him an often consequential vote. He could pose a serious threat to Trump's agenda. He'd also be burning down his Senate career. Young almost certainly will face a Trump-friendly Republican primary challenge in 2028 when he'll make his case to Indiana voters who have overwhelmingly supported the president. MAGA Republicans will seize on Young's history of disloyalty, even though he has more recently positioned himself as a "team player" for Trump. With every Trump act that Young might oppose, the senator has to weigh the short-term efficacy of standing up to the president against the long-term gains he believes he can make as a behind-the-scenes policy grinder in the Senate. Young is focused on preserving and implementing the CHIPS and Science Act, a crucial Biden-era law to bring microchip manufacturing to the U.S. He wants to build more ships in America. He's warning that the U.S. is at risk of losing a biotechnology race with China and urging his colleagues to make it a higher priority. Briggs: Jim Banks would let Trump commit any crime you can imagine As I've written before, these are not the types of issues that land politicians on cable news, but it is the work that drives Young to keep going — presumably beyond 2028. "I'm motivated to try and get more big things done and inclined to keep trying to do that for a while," Young told me during a recent conversation. If Young directly challenges Trump on tariffs, or pretty much anything else, he could lose allies and become less productive on policy work. He'd also give fuel to Republican adversaries who'd like to further weaken his already damaged reelection prospects. If you view Young from outside the confines of MAGA, you can argue that principles should drive him toward courageous self-inflicted obsolescence. But you can just as easily argue that something would be lost if Young went down. Briggs: Mike Braun's tuition freeze for Indiana colleges is a marketing gimmick Young is navigating a political movement that has claimed the careers of so many other moderate Republicans. If he outlasts Trump, he could be the sole survivor in the tradition of former Sen. Richard Lugar. Young has sacrificed neither his conscience nor his influence. Would Young throw away his career, his future, to take a stand against Trump? What line would Trump have to cross? Young has maneuvered through six months of Trump's second term without showing his cards on those questions. Unlike so many other Republicans, Young remains upright, still keeping his balance.
The Hill
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Does Trump see an off-ramp for Iran's leaders and a historic tipping point?
President Trump has come to possibly one of the most historic tipping points of our time — a tipping point he may have accelerated. A tipping point which, if things continue in this direction, might recalibrate the Middle East for the better for decades to come. The question then becomes: How best to increase the positive momentum? One of the main reasons I believe Trump has been a successful and transformative president is because he brought decades of real-world business experience into the Oval Office for the first time in decades. Love them or not, Joe Biden was a 50-plus-years career politician; Barack Obama was a little-experienced local Chicago politician; George W. Bush was a 'nepo' politician who rode the coattails of his father; Bill Clinton was an academic and career politician; George H.W. Bush was a courageous war hero who then fell into a career of politics and diplomacy; Ronald Reagan was an actor and two-term governor of California; and so on and so on. All these presidents were still creatures of politics and beholden to their particular party. Aside from being the first president in our lifetimes to bring decades of real-world business experience into the White House, Trump gleefully and very publicly cut the special interests' umbilical cords which connected so many presidents to the entrenched elites in D.C. Hence the creation of the 'Never Trump' movement and now a decade of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' Trump does believe in 'America First.' To make that expression a reality, he is willing to break with the entrenched elites, outrage the legacy media, ignore academics who never worked in the real world, defy the 'globalist' leaders of other nations and, sometimes, challenge the thinking and perceptions of the MAGA movement. We are witnessing all those Trump tactics with regard to the latest Israel-Iran conflict. In the business world, you are often faced with 'buy,' 'sell' or 'sit this one out' opportunities. While building his global business empire, Trump has engaged in such negotiations thousands of times. More often than not, he acted upon instincts honed by decades of success. Many MAGA supporters — and quite possibly Trump himself — initially viewed the current Israel-Iran war as a 'sit this one out' situation. But Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear weapons facilities may have created an unplanned tipping point for Trump towards much greater peace and stability in the region, while strengthening the national security of the U.S. Going back to before to his first presidential campaign in 2015, Trump had long condemned the Iraq war, the tragic loss of life and the neocons and hawks who incessantly called for that invasion. We saw that same conviction from Trump when it came to the war in Ukraine. He wanted peace and was desperate to stop the useless slaughter of hundreds of thousands of human beings. During his decades of being a master business negotiator, Trump also knew that it was wise — and was often the key tactic — to offer the CEO and upper management of the company he was dealing with a face-saving off ramp. Trump may now sense that the leadership of Iran is desperate for such an off ramp. There is no doubt that Trump believes Iran to be a rogue state directly responsible for the killing and maiming of thousands of American soldiers; of controlling the most ruthless and dangerous terrorist organizations in the world; of openly calling for the annihilation of America; and which is directly destabilizing the Middle East, while causing the deaths and suffering of literally millions of people in the region. But that is the truth of the present and the past. What if one were presented with the rarest of opportunities — to affect the truth of the future? What if, via the actions of others, certain policies and happenstance, you were gifted a window to rid the world of a truly evil entity capable of killing millions? But it was a window quickly and maybe permanently slamming shut. No president in our lifetimes has pushed to keep Americans out of harm's way or for global peace more than Trump. He owes no one an apology nor an explanation. Trump does want peace — but knows peace and freedom come at a cost. In his first term, he saw the window to eliminate ISIS and jumped through it to crush the vilest terrorist organization the world has ever known. With regard to Iran, Trump ordered the elimination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a man directly responsible for the killing and maiming of countless American troops. Businessman Trump has operated with the 'carrot and stick' method his entire adult life. Usually while flying by the seat of his pants. Trump created the 'America First' movement. Now, his instincts may be telling him he has a fleeting sliver of time to create an 'Iran First' movement for the long-suffering people of that nation — a people yearning to live in peace, who hate those who have turned their nation into a murderous theocracy. Iranians are poised to act, but they need a tipping point to give them cover not to be slaughtered in the streets if they rise as one to reclaim their country. Trump may be about to give them that tipping point. Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.
Fox News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
DAVID MARCUS: What surprised me most when Never Trump and MAGA met in DC
In the 19th century, steam locomotives were very cool, and as my son and I discovered at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, they are also one of the few things that can bring MAGA and Never Trump together. That was the strange scene the morning of the U.S. Army 250th Birthday Parade and the Washington anti-Trump protests, both scheduled for later that day, at the American History Museum, families with "No Kings" T-shirts next to folks in MAGA hats, all admiring our nation's greatness. It felt a bit like the dance at the gym in "West Side Story," neutral territory for our political Jets and Sharks, but with less jumping. Beyond the museum walls was a festival atmosphere of flags and patriotic adornments, but also the signs of hyper-security, even snow plow trucks back-to-back blocking the District's streets. I met Jeremy from Virginia, whose crew dropped the eight miles of concrete barriers protecting the parade route. I ask if they do this work often, he said, "this kind of thing is a small part of our business but has great margins. It's a nice bonus." And it made me think, as he and his guys took a smoke break, how much of the much ballyhooed $25-$45-million-dollar price tag of the U.S. Army parade went to companies like this? These are the little stories beneath big national ones. Likewise, the protest of 1,000 souls or so marching to and fro, very near the parade site required a heavy police presence, which made me wonder how much 2,000 No Kings protests all across the country costs states and localities. And nobody elected anybody to decide to spend that money, which isn't to say people shouldn't protest, but those who use taxpayer money to complain really shouldn't rain on anyone else's parade. Katie and Cindy had come up from Georgia to be at the Army Parade and were typical of the Trump supporters in town, "we just love him," Katie told me, hair in a ponytail behind her MAGA hat. But there were people there to protest, too. Scott had come from Seattle and wore his No Kings shirt, adorned with American flag imagery, "I don't think any protests will pop off at the parade," he told me. He was right. A rule of thumb that I have discovered all over the country held firm in D.C.: when people are together, in person, in relatively small groups, rational and respectful political discourse can -- and does -- happen. At one point, I watched as two women in Trump shirts politely tried to explain to two men in pride gear that Trump is not a racist or a homophobe. I don't know if any minds were changed but just the tone was a welcome and hopeful sign. Physical interaction is an antidote to hatred and fear, and that is exactly why both sides often try to silo their supporters to maintain ideological purity, whether it's the right saying, ignoring the mainstream media, or the left blocking certain channels from their parents' cable news diet, and bragging about it in the New York Times. This siloing tactic works so long as you keep everything online, so long as you tell people to cut out family members on the other side from their lives, so long as the algorithm provides soothing reinforcement of beliefs. The touch of human breath, in a real conversation, breezes all of that conditioning away, and two people, who are just being people, can truly talk about anything. On Saturday, Washington, D.C. was unique in that it held court to one major event bringing out Donald Trump supporters and another for those who despise him. Despite the proximity, order held and both groups seemed to claim success by nightfall. There were fireworks in the sky, but blessedly none on the ground. The highlight of the Museum of American History, especially as it was also Flag Day, is Old Glory herself, the original Star Spangled Banner that flew over Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. "I didn't think it would be this big," my son said, gazing beyond the glass at the 32' by 40' historical treasure. It is a big flag. And today it represents a very big and diverse nation, one with fractures running through it made of politics, race, and identity. But when we get small, when we talk one on one and really listen, those fractures mend. And I saw some of that in our nation's capital this weekend. Let's pray it is a growing trend.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor candidate David Jolly says Republicans have put Florida in 'affordability crisis'
Former Florida Congressman David Jolly believes 2026 will be a 'generational change' election in Florida and is building his campaign for governor around that idea. The former Republican is the only serious Democratic candidate who has declared to run so far. With the primary 14 months away and the general election 17 months away, Jolly is aiming to convince Democrats he can win on a message that appeals to voters in places where Democrats usually don't compete. As part of that effort, Jolly was in Northwest Florida this week doing media interviews and building the early stages of his campaign. He sat down with the News Journal for a one-on-one interview on June 11. Jolly, a Dunedin native and son of a Southern Baptist preacher, has been involved in Florida politics for decades, mostly in the Tampa area. He was the long-time aide of late Republican Congressman Bill Young and succeeded Young in a 2014 special election after Young's death. While he worked for Young, Jolly earned a law degree from George Mason University. He left Young's office in 2006 and became a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., before he ran for Young's seat in 2014 as a Republican. In 2016, Jolly flirted with a run for the U.S. Senate but backed out of the race after Marco Rubio gave up his presidential run. Jolly was defeated in his bid for reelection to Congress by Democrat Charlie Crist. Jolly was an early critic of Donald Trump in the Republican Party and was one of the early 'Never Trump' Republicans. Jolly ultimately left the Republican Party in 2018, and he officially registered as a Democrat in April. Jolly rejects the label of moderate or centrist, but if there is a label, Jolly says he's a pluralist. 'I'm for lower corporate taxes, but more gun violence prevention,' Jolly said. 'That makes me to the right on one issue and to the left on another. We could go down the list, and you're going to find me all over the left-right spectrum. I am in a post-ideological space. This is about bold solutions to big problems.' Meet David Jolly: Former Republican Florida congressman running for governor Jolly acknowledges that his policy positions have changed, especially in the last 10 years, with the rise of Donald Trump. While some may compare him to Crist, who failed to beat DeSantis in 2022, Jolly said Crist would never admit he changed. However, Jolly said his policy views have changed, but his values, based on the core of his Christian faith, haven't changed. 'What I discovered in my journey is, even as a Republican, I was trying to figure out how to ensure that the economy worked for all people. That government actually served people – seniors, veterans – and that everyone was lifted up regardless of your walk of life, who you love, who you worship, the color of your skin. Those values have never changed.' Jolly said his views on the legal status of abortion have changed since he was a Republican. He said he believes the standard of the Roe v. Wade case should be codified in law. 'I wrongly conflated my personal faith teachings with being anti-Roe, when I got into office,' Jolly said. 'But you can kind of see my journey over three or four years. I was the only Republican in Congress who voted against the Planned Parenthood investigation. When Republicans moved to rescind money from Planned Parenthood, I offered a compromise to say, we will defund corporate Planned Parenthood, but we're going to move that money to community health centers to ensure there's no disruption of health care.' Jolly said he supported Amendment 4 last year, which would've made abortion a right under the Florida Constitution. 'I think Amendment 4 is right, not just for reproductive freedom, but because it also ensures that the ability of the faith communities to evangelize faith teachings remains uninhibited as well,' Jolly said. Beyond Jolly's change on the issues, he said Republicans are the ones who have changed more over the last 10 years. 'The party I belonged to was for fiscal discipline and staying out of your bedrooms, and now we're exploding the debt, and we want politicians in your classrooms, your doctor's offices and your bedrooms,' Jolly said. 'That's a big change, right? I'm willing to talk about it. I'm not sure some of my Republican colleagues are.' Jolly believes that if any change is going to happen in Florida, it has to come from the Democratic Party. Jolly said Republicans haven't addressed the real needs of Floridians while they've been in power, and voters will be ready for a change. 'We're in the midst of a generational change environment in what would be the sixth year of a president, in the midst of a state affordability crisis that we haven't seen in 25 years,' Jolly said. 'So the conditions right now are different than any cycle we've seen, probably for 20 years.' Jolly officially declared his bid for the 2026 governor's race on June 5. His announcement came as the Florida Democratic Party has struggled to regain relevancy and Florida has shifted into a solidly Republican-dominated state over the last decade. While Republicans have controlled the Statehouse for nearly 30 years – a Democrat hasn't won a governor's race since 1994 – Florida's status as a swing state in presidential and other statewide elections left open space for Florida Democrats until Republicans decisively won every statewide office in 2022. Florida Sen. Jason Pizzo, who was the Democratic Party leader in the Florida Senate and seen as a top contender for the Democratic nomination for governor, shocked state political observers in May when he announced he was leaving the party, declaring it 'dead' in Florida. Pizzo declared he was running for governor as a non-party-affiliated candidate. Jolly said his campaign is about attracting voters from all walks of life with a message of making Florida an affordable place to live with economic and educational opportunities for families. 'The race is not about the president,' Jolly said. 'It's about Florida. But then also, we have to be in communities where Democrats haven't been, and we have to make this race bigger than the Democratic Party. This has to be a race about Florida's voters and whether or not they want change or more of the same. If that is the question, in the midst of a change environment, we win this race.' Jolly said he would tackle affordability by focusing on the ballooning cost of housing and, particularly, homeowners' insurance. He said he wants to pass policies that will lower homeowners' insurance by 50% with a state catastrophic fund that would remove hurricane coverage from the private market. Jolly said he would also focus on making public education competitive with private schools in the era of school choice by raising teacher pay to levels that would put Florida at the top of the teacher pay list instead of near the bottom. 'If you truly think we have an affordability crisis, do you trust current leaders in Tallahassee to deliver a solution? Because they've had decades to do that, and they haven't,' Jolly said. Jolly said that growing up in Florida, he felt it was a place people could come and chase their dreams, but today it's become a place for the "rich and the reckless," instead of a place for everyone. "There's a certain mystique and dream quality to Florida that I think is escaping us and getting out of reach," Jolly said. "So, how do we bring that back in 2026 in a way that makes sense. The affordability crisis is No. 1." Jolly said he is looking to bring together a new coalition that reflects the fundamental values of the Democratic Party. 'I need to be able to sit in faith communities and say, the reason I'm trying to lead a Democratic coalition is I believe these values best align with the faith community,' Jolly said. 'I need to be able to go to gun owners and say, 'Look, I know gun owners aren't the problem, but if we strengthen our gun laws, we'll save your kids, just like we'll save ours.' I need to be able to go to (agricultural) communities and say, your labor markets are tight because of DeSantis' immigration crackdown.' Jolly's message would also push back on the labels Republicans often use as cudgels against Democrats in campaign ads. 'We also need to be Democrats that go into South Florida and condemn socialism and communism and defend capitalism,' Jolly said. 'And say, we're the party for fair capitalism that will ensure that if you end up unemployed that there's going to be food security and housing and access to health care while you get back on your feet. Those are messages that don't need to change. I think they need to be amplified.' The 2026 governor's race is still in its early days. Pizzo is already in the race as an independent candidate. On the Republican side, Congressman Byron Donalds appears to be the early front-runner with President Donald Trump's endorsement. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett is also competing for the GOP nomination. Other names are floating out in political circles as potential contenders, such as former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis. Donalds has also been touring the state and meeting voters and officials. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves endorsed Donalds earlier this month after meeting with him. Donalds has already taken aim at Jolly in a post on X, calling him an 'anti-Trump, radical leftist.' "He's completely out of touch with Florida's voters and our values,' Donalds wrote. 'Florida is Trump Country, and I am proudly endorsed by President Trump to be Florida's next Governor." So far, one public poll from the polling firm Victory Insights reported Donalds was 5.3 points ahead of Jolly in a one-on-one race based on a poll of 600 likely Florida voters. The poll found Donalds with 36.7% support, Jolly with 31.4% support, and 31.9% undecided. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: David Jolly says Florida Republicans created an 'affordability crisis'
