(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Former Democrat operative Evan Barker, who raised roughly $50 million in funds for Democrats throughout her career, recently revealed why she broke from the party and cast her ballot for Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
Barker admitted she was “one of those people who laid [sic] in bed for three days” when Trump defeated Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, she explained Democrats losing touch with their constituents prompted her to cross the aisle.
“On Tuesday, I voted for Donald Trump,” she said in an article published Saturday for the Free Press.
“It felt like the biggest middle finger I’ve ever raised to the party I’d supported for most of my adult life,” she added. “When he won, I was utterly euphoric.”
Barker said uber-wealthy talk-show host Oprah Winfrey’s “tone-deaf speech” stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris was what pushed her over the edge to support Trump.
“A larger than life Hollywood billionaire so far removed from the experience of average Americans—indeed, from her own experience growing up poor in rural Mississippi—her presence was dumbfounding to me,” Barker wrote. “She said nothing that spoke to the Americans who had once constituted the Democratic base.”
Winfrey reportedly even charged Harris’s campaign $1 million for the handful of appearances she made with the candidate.
While finishing high school, Barker worked as an intern on former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign at age 17. She then served as a field organizer for Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 campaign, later becoming a consultant for several Democrat U.S. House and Senate campaigns and Soros-backed district attorney races by age 26.
Barker does not consider herself a Democrat anymore, but she would not say she is a Republican. She said she has “no regrets” for her vote, despite losing friends and facing social challenges.
“I could scarcely believe I was cheering with the crowd as each swing state turned red,” she wrote. “But I was, and I felt the same sense of elation I felt when Obama won in 2008.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
In the 10-minute vlog, Kai Trump first spoke to the camera as her hair was being straightened before heading to Mar-a-Lago.
With 30 minutes to spare, she admitted she had not yet chosen the black dress she would wear despite having four options.
“We’re going to Mar-a-Lago soon in like 30 minutes. And I’m just going to see my grandpa, have family dinner with him,” she said. “Just like, spend time with him. And then I think I’m going to head over to the convention center after to see my friends and like, close family too that have supported me and my grandpa over time.”
Kai Trump admitted she had been anxious in the days leading up to Nov. 5 while driving to the event. She said she hoped the results would be known that night or the morning after.
“The past five days, I have been so nervous,” Kai Trump continued. “I feel like I’ve had butterflies in my stomach for so long.”
Footage showed the Trump family posing for a Mar-a-Lago group photo that went viral.
“We have to get Elon with his boy,” the then-Republican nominee said, ushering loyal campaign ally Elon Musk and his young son toward the group to join for a picture.
Kai Trump also shared footage from the Palm Beach County Convention Center, where she joked around with friends.
Biting into a Rice Krispie treat, the president-elect’s granddaughter expressed how stressed out she was over the election results, which had not yet been announced.
“I’m stress eating though, I can’t stop eating, like, sweet because I’m so stressed,” Kai Trump said.
Kai Trump told the camera following a few jump-cuts that Trump was on his way and that he was up in the vote count.
A few days later, the president-elect’s granddaughter filmed from her car and reflected on experiencing Trump’s historic win.
“Obviously, we didn’t really get to film the end because he won and we were just celebrating with family, and it was just a really special moment for all of us,” Kai Trump explained.
She said she was “extremely proud” of Trump and that he “worked his butt off.”
“He’s such an incredible person. Such a unique person. And he just fights every single day for America, over and over and over again,” Kai Trump said.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump handed another high-level appointment in his administration to a local ex-lawmaker from his home state of New York on Monday afternoon.
Former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., whose 2022 run came close to toppling incumbent Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul, will be the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Trump announced in a statement.
The 44-year-old Army reservist and lawyer affiliated himself with several environmental-related caucuses while serving in the House. That included the Congressional Estuary Caucus, the Conservative Climate Caucus and the Climate Solutions Caucus, according to his Wikipedia page.
Zeldin will likely play a significant role in one of the centerpieces of Trump’s agenda—the revitalization of American energy production.
“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump said in the statement.
“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” the president-elect added. “He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”
During Trump’s first term, the country flourished in large part due to the deregulatory measures that helped it to achieve energy independence for the first time in decades—even allowing the export of energy to other nations.
The Biden administration quickly reined it in, however, shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline and implementing other severe restrictions on fossil fuels and other energy sources deemed to have an environmental impact. Instead, the Democrat president earmarked billions on wasteful green-energy projects, many of which sputtered and failed, including a push to incentivize electric vehicles.
Trump pointed out on the campaign trail that Biden’s policies, which instead relied on importing energy from other nations, many of which maintained adversarial relationships with the U.S., actually harmed the environment since America’s energy production was considered to be among the cleanest.
Zeldin was the fifth high-profile addition to Trump’s administration, which will also include chief-of-staff Susie Wiles, border czar Tom Homan, UN Ambassador Elise Stefanik and deputy policy director Jason Miller.
Trump has signaled an urgency to get top appointments made quickly in order to hit the ground running when he takes over on Jan. 20 of next year, even signaling to the incoming GOP majority in the Senate that he expected no delays in confirmation from Democrat fillibuster attempts.
He strategically decided to form a privately-funded transition team, led by former Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon, to prevent any government influence on the process that might lead to moles and resistance operatives from within the deep state being installed in key policymaking spots.
Like Zeldin, Stefanik is a House member from New York. Although she won her 2024 reelection with 62.5% of the vote, making it a safe Republican seat in the deep-blue state, it remains to be seen whether Zeldin’s former campaign rival, Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul, will name an interim appointee to fill the seat or if it will remain vacant until a special election can determine the outcome.
(Headline USA) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is refusing to allow Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, R-Pa., to attend Senate orientation this week despite the race having been called in his favor.
Schumer is withholding his invitation to McCormick because he does not believe McCormick’s race against ousted Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is over, Schumer’s office said.
The New York Democrat also claimed Casey must concede the race first, which he has not done.
“With over 100,000 ballots left to be counted in Pennsylvania, the race has not been decided,” a spokesperson for Schumer said. “As is custom, we will invite the winner once the votes are counted.”
Republicans blasted Schumer and the other Senate Democrats for denying the results of the Pennsylvania Senate race.
“What happened to all the demands that our leaders accept the outcome of the elections?” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote on X.
Schumer is not allowing @DaveMcCormickPA to participate in Senate orientation this week because Casey refuses to concede the race. What happened to all the demands that our leaders accept the outcome of the elections?
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., one of the Republicans in the running to take over as Senate Majority Leader next year, blasted Schumer’s politicking as “beyond unacceptable.”
Thune added, “The voters of Pennsylvania have spoken. Looking forward to having Dave’s strong voice in the Senate Republican Conference.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, even offered to “personally escort” McCormick to the orientation and invited his Republican colleagues to join him.
“I’m willing to personally escort @DaveMcCormickPA into the Capitol for new-senator orientation. I’d like to see how they’d keep him out if he literally walked into ‘the room where it happens’,” Lee said on Sunday, adding, “I’d welcome other senators to join us!”
I’m willing to personally escort @DaveMcCormickPA into the Capitol for new-senator orientation
I’d like to see how they’d keep him out if he literally walked into “the room where it happens” https://t.co/6grLl0eUcf
Casey has also refused to accept the outcome of the election, saying he will not concede until every vote is counted.
I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election. It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We…
“I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election,” Casey wrote on X on Thursday. “We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted.”
Child-psychiatry fellow Amanda Calhoun told MSNBC’s Joy Reid that a boycott might be best for some leftists’ mental health.
“There is a societal push that, if somebody is your family, they are entitled to your time,” she said. “And I think the answer is absolutely not.”
She claimed if members of Reid’s far-left audience believed a Trump vote went against their values it was acceptable to avoid family during the upcoming holidays.
“So, if you are going through a situation where you have family members or you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you, that are against your livelihood, then it’s completely fine to not be around those people, and to tell them why,” Calhoun claimed. “To say, ‘I have a problem with the way that you voted because it went against my very livelihood, and I’m not going to be around you this holiday, I need to take some space for me,’” she added.
The psychiatrist’s comment came after woke universities enacted safe spaces and coping activities in the wake of Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Women’s liberal arts college Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania established an “informal gathering space” with catered food for students post election.
The president of the college also wanted to turn a portion of a building into a “politics free zone.”
A private high school in New York City allowed “excused absences” the day after the election to help snowflake students cope with the results.
Trump captured all swing states and received 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’s 226 electoral votes.
The president-elect also received the popular vote.
(Headline USA) Leftist infighting in the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris’s disastrous loss escalated this weekend, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., going after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for criticizing the party’s performance.
In a scathing letter posted the day after the election, Sanders blasted Democrats for “abandoning” working class Americans while President-elect Donald Trump made gains across all demographics.
It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.
While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders wrote.
“First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well,” he continued. “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”
Pelosi lashed out in response, saying she didn’t “respect” Sanders’ criticism.
“I have a great deal of respect for him, for what he stands for, but I don’t respect him saying that the Democratic Party has abandoned the working-class families,” Pelosi told the New York Times. “That’s where we are.”
The former speaker then sniped that Harris “ran ahead of Bernie Sanders in Vermont.”
Pelosi also insisted that “cultural issues” were the reason Trump gained among working-class and minority voters.
“Guns, God and gays—that’s the way they say it,” she claimed.
Sanders, however, stood by his comments.
“Here’s the reality—the working class of this country is angry, and they have a reason to be angry,” Sanders told CNN on Sunday.
“We are living in an economy where the people on top are doing phenomenally well, while 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck,” he continued. “We need an agenda that says to the working class we’re going to take on these special interests and create and economy and a government that works for you.”
(Headline USA) Vice President Kamala Harris’s failed 2024 campaign had to pay Oprah Winfrey $1 million to get the celebrity billionaire to campaign on Harris’s behalf, according to a new report.
A little less than one month after Winfrey hosted Harris for a townhall event in September, the Harris campaign sent $1 million to Winfrey’s company, Harpo Productions.
A few weeks later, Winfrey again appeared on the campaign trail for Harris at the vice president’s final rally in Philadelphia.
We’re voting for values and integrity,” Winfrey said at the rally. “We’re voting for healing over hate.”
Winfrey wasn’t the only celebrity the Harris team had to spend money on, according to the Washington Examiner.
The campaign also spent $100,000 building a special set for podcast host Alex Cooper in Washington, D.C., so Cooper would interview Harris on the popular “Call Her Daddy” show.
The Harris campaign also spent more than $20 million on concerts held at her rallies, including performances by Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit, Chrisitina Aguilera in Las Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, and Lady Gaga in Philadelphia.
The news comes amid reports that Harris’s campaign is millions of dollars in debt following her disastrous loss to President-elect Donald Trump. Harris’s team reportedly owes $20 million despite raising more than $1 billion over the course of her candidacy, according to Politico.
“I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 (sic) Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of $’s left over,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this weekend.
“Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others. Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do,” he continued. “We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested the incoming Trump administration may not go after political opponents with the same legal warfare tactics previously used against the president-elect.
Ramaswamy, a highly floated contender for a Cabinet position in President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, punted on the concerns relayed by ABC This Week anchor Jonathan Karl that Mike Davis, a prospective attorney general appointee, would invite political prosecutions.
Although Karl acknowledged Davis said he was not interested in a role in the Trump administration, he read aloud a tweet from Davis saying he wanted to “legally, political, and financially” make Democrats pay for the lawfare they put Trump through.
Here's my current mood:
I want to drag their dead political bodies through the streets, burn them, and throw them off the wall.
(Legally, politically, and financially, of course.)
“The fact of the matter is, you haven’t heard that from Donald Trump,” Ramaswamy told the ABC host.
“And you could airlift any quote from a number of people on the left who aren’t very happy with the election result either but who aren’t going into the Harris-Biden administration in their trailing days either,” he continued. “What you’re hearing from Donald Trump is, he is going to be a president for all Americans.”
Ramaswamy said Trump was focused instead on “what makes people’s lives better” and urged Democrats to give him a chance to do so.
“All the talk of retribution, is that gone now?” Karl pressed, challenging Ramaswamy on his mentioning that Trump did not prosecute 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton despite “lock her up” chants.
Trump has stated various times, “Success will be our retribution. Success will be our vengeance,” Ramaswamy reminded the ABC anchor.
“I do think that success is unifying,” Ramaswamy said.
“Nothing is going to unite this country more than economic growth,” he continued. “Nothing is going to unite this country more than people feeling like their wages are rising at a faster pace than prices, which hasn’t been the case for the past few years.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
(Headline USA) Former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who resigned from Congress following a tax fraud conviction, is paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a horse during a polo tournament, according to friends who are raising funds to pay for the ex-lawmaker’s medical care.
Grimm, 54, suffered the devastating injury in September and is now being treated at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey, where the late actor Christopher Reeve was treated after a similar equestrian accident in 1995, according to Vincent Ignizio, a friend of Grimm’s who is a former New York City Council member.
Grimm had been an avid polo player for years, Ignizio said. “It was a passion of his and he suffered a tragic accident at the end of September,” said Ignizio, who has set up a GoFundMe account to pay for Grimm’s medical care.
A retired Marine and former FBI agent, Grimm represented Staten Island and a part of Brooklyn in Congress from 2011 to 2015.
A federal investigation into Grimm’s fundraising that started in 2012 ultimately resulted in a 20-count indictment centered on a restaurant Grimm ran in Manhattan. Prosecutors said he underreported wages and revenue to the government and filed false tax documents.
Grimm won reelection in 2014 despite the indictment but pleaded guilty the following month to one count of tax fraud. He resigned from Congress in January 2015 and served eight months in prison.
Grimm attempted a comeback in 2018 but lost a Republican primary for his old district to incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan, who then lost the general election to Democrat Max Rose.
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis defeated Rose in 2020 and has represented the district since then.
(Money Metals News Service) In an era marked by fiscal uncertainty, JP Cortez, the Executive Director of the Sound Money Defense League, sits down with Lynette Zang of Zang Enterprises to discuss the urgent need for sound money principles in the United States.
Cortez’s passion for the principles of Austrian Economics and his dedication to preserving individual liberty through sound money guide his advocacy, resonating in legislative wins across over a dozen states since 2018.
Why Sound Money Matters
Cortez emphasizes that the drive for sound money goes beyond price speculation; it is a safeguard for a free society. Historically, sound money has constrained government overreach, avoiding unnecessary wars and bureaucratic inflation.
The essence of sound money, particularly gold and silver, is its proven ability to retain value, providing an economic foundation for societies worldwide.
Global Case Studies: Zimbabwe and the BRICS Alliance
Zimbabwe offers a cautionary example, says Cortez. In its attempt to stabilize its economy through a gold-backed currency, Zimbabwe fell short due to poor fiscal discipline. Despite creating a gold-pegged currency, the government’s inability to maintain its value resulted in further devaluation.
This scenario is a stark reminder that establishing a gold-backed currency is only half the battle; maintaining it is even harder. Similar moves by countries like Russia, India, and members of the BRICS alliance reflect a growing global inclination toward alternatives to the U.S. dollar, with gold and silver as the favored standards.
The Role of Convertibility and Accountability
For a currency to be truly sound, convertibility is crucial. Zang points out that without the ability to exchange currency for physical gold, a currency is only pegged and not genuinely backed. This lack of convertibility enables governments to manipulate currency values unchecked, diminishing public trust.
Cortez echoes this sentiment, noting that true reform would mean stepping away from simply creating gold-backed currencies and, instead, allowing people to use physical gold and silver as legal tender.
Empowering Citizens Through Legislation
Cortez believes in grassroots legislative efforts to reintroduce sound money at the state level. The Sound Money Defense League has collaborated on legislation that has seen success in states like Wisconsin, Alabama, Nebraska, and Kentucky.
Cortez argues that citizen involvement in state legislation is vital. Unlike federal systems, state legislatures are more responsive to public opinion, and citizen engagement could tilt the scales in favor of sound money policies.
The Sound Money Index: A Pathway for Involvement
The Sound Money Defense League’s Sound Money Index, in exclusive partnership with Money Metals Exchange, serves as a guide for citizens eager to advocate for sound money. Updated annually, this index ranks each U.S. state based on its pro- or anti-sound money policies.
Metrics include sales and income taxes on gold, the establishment of bullion depositories, and the integration of gold in state pension funds. This index enables citizens to hold their states accountable and participate in pushing for sound money legislation.
Education as a Catalyst for Change
Cortez stresses that education is pivotal in achieving lasting reform. With over 7,400 state legislators in the U.S., many of whom have little understanding of sound money, public education and engagement are essential.
Cortez and Zang agree that America’s monetary system faces significant challenges, from a growing national debt to increasing inflation. The Sound Money Defense League’s mission to empower citizens and promote legislation aims to create a more resilient monetary system for future generations. As Cortez emphasizes, this movement is not merely about economic reform but a stand for individual liberty and fiscal responsibility.
Through community engagement, grassroots advocacy, and educational initiatives, Cortez calls for a national and even global sound money movement, inspiring citizens to take control of their economic futures and protect their freedom.
JP Cortez explains that sound money is essential for a prosperous society as it helps prevent excessive government growth, unnecessary wars, and fiscal irresponsibility. Gold and silver, in particular, are reliable stores of value, helping to protect individual freedoms and promote economic stability.
What lessons can we learn from Zimbabwe’s attempt at a gold-backed currency?
Cortez points to Zimbabwe as an example of the challenges in maintaining a gold-backed currency. He notes that while establishing one is important, maintaining it requires significant fiscal discipline, which Zimbabwe lacked. This demonstrates the importance of long-term political commitment and economic stability to avoid currency devaluation.
Why is convertibility essential in a gold-backed currency?
Zang highlights that for a currency to be truly backed by gold, it must be convertible, allowing people to exchange currency for physical gold. Cortez agrees, adding that without convertibility, a currency is only pegged to gold, leaving it vulnerable to manipulation and reducing public trust.
How can citizens contribute to the sound money movement?
Cortez encourages citizens to get involved at the state level by supporting sound money legislation. He notes that state legislatures are more responsive to public input than federal bodies and that citizen advocacy has already led to legislative victories in multiple states.
What is the Sound Money Index, and how can it help citizens?
The Sound Money Index, created by the Sound Money Defense League and Money Metals Exchange, ranks U.S. states on their sound money policies. It provides citizens with insights into their state’s stance on sound money, empowering them to advocate for reforms such as eliminating taxes on gold and silver.
What are the risks of a fiat currency system?
Cortez argues that fiat currency is vulnerable to inflation and government manipulation. He explains that fiat money enables the government to devalue currency over time, eroding purchasing power, creating inflation, and funding debt-driven government policies.
How does grassroots legislative work impact sound money policy?
Cortez notes that grassroots legislative efforts are crucial, as local and state advocacy has the power to influence policy changes directly. He emphasizes that citizen engagement can lead to the reduction of taxes and regulatory barriers on gold and silver, thus promoting sound money practices.
Is hyperinflation a possibility in the United States?
While Cortez does not predict an immediate hyperinflationary event, he acknowledges the risk due to rising national debt and relentless government spending. He emphasizes that this scenario could severely undermine the dollar’s value if government policies continue without reform.
What role does education play in the sound money movement?
Education is essential, according to Cortez, as most state legislators and the public are unaware of the benefits of sound money. The Sound Money Defense League offers scholarships and fellowships to educate young people about sound money and monetary history, fostering a more informed base of advocates.
What do you see as America’s monetary future if changes aren’t made?
Cortez and Zang agree that without a shift to sound money practices, America’s monetary system is at risk of continued devaluation and loss of purchasing power. This scenario would harm individuals’ savings, lead to more economic inequality, and eventually destabilize the economy.
