Elections Archives - Furthermore with Amanda Head

White House’s full-bore approach spreads to state redistricting efforts

chadadmin / November 18, 2025

Articles / Elections / Politics & Policy White House’s full-bore approach spreads to state redistricting efforts The efforts by states to redraw congressional district lines came to a head this summer during Texas’ fight that could result in five blue-leaning seats turning red. By: President Donald Trump’s aggressive governing style has made its way into state legislatures as they navigate the challenges of redistricting in their own states. Indiana is the latest state to examine its U.S. congressional district lines, aided by both Trump and Vice President JD Vance. As the battle over congressional districts is spreading across the country, red states like Indiana are looking at the way blue states have gerrymandered and believe they are not playing the same game with the same rules. “The rules are laid out a certain way, and we play by the rules. It works if all the other teams are playing by the same rules,” but if not, it’s an uneven playing field, according to Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith. “States like Massachusetts are a good parallel to Indiana, because we’re about the same population. We both have nine congressional seats. They’ve got about 30% Republican out in Massachusetts. We have about 30% Democrats here in Indiana, but Massachusetts has zero Republican representatives out there,” Beckwith told Furthermore with Amanda Head Podcast. “States like Illinois, California and Massachusetts are stealing our votes in Washington. I wish we could play fair, but they’re the ones who are not. So until we fight back, we’re never going to be able to have our fair voice represented in Washington.” Throughout Trump’s campaigning last year and his second term thus far, his aggressive maneuvering has enabled a number of successes, like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and sweeping deportation efforts. That level of savagery seems to be evident in the results Beckwith hopes to see in his own state. “We have seven Republicans and two Democrats and we’re going for nine-zero,” Beckwith told Furthermore with Amanda Head Podcast. Indiana’s current congressional map contains seven Republican districts and two Democratic districts. District one, represented by Democrat Rep. Frank Mrvan, is in the northwest corner of the state, miles from Chicago’s city center. District seven in the middle of the state, surrounding Indianapolis, is also represented by a Democrat, Rep. André Carson. In October, Vance traveled to Indianapolis to privately encourage Indiana Republican legislators to support the redistricting efforts, which would inevitably add more safe GOP seats before the 2026 elections. Joined by Senator Jim Banks, R-Ind., Vance pressed the case alongside Trump, who made conference calls with Republican legislators in the state. The fight is ongoing, according to Beckwith. He told Just The News that supporters of the effort have managed to whip 21 or 22 votes, but that’s a few votes short of the 25 vote threshold, with Beckwith serving as the tie-breaking vote. Beckwith indicated that a secret vote was held in the Senate earlier this week. President Pro Tempore of the Indiana Senate, Rodric Bray, then reported that they did not have the votes to pass the measure and forewent holding an on-the-record vote. But Beckwith argues that a public vote might pass when Indianans are allowed to know how their representatives are voting. “It’s a huge slap in the face to the people of Indiana, because you’re not respecting the Constitution and the constitutional authority that the governor has to call a special session.” “There’s at least three or four that would come over if they had to put their name next to a public vote. That’s the thing that’s so shady. How do we know that these senators, if they had to come out publicly for it, wouldn’t change their tune?” Bray effectively ended the effort by saying his chamber does not have enough votes for its passage. Earlier this week, POLITICO reported that Trump invited Bray and others to a face-to-face Oval Office meeting as early as this week – in an attempt to convince them to join his redistricting effort to give the GOP an advantage in the midterm elections. Roughly 20 other states are adopting new maps or are in the process of arguing for measures to redistrict: California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah and Texas have approved new maps, though Utah’s and Texas’ are currently being litigated. Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Kansas, and Nebraska are all exploring official actions, or are in the process of forming commissions to examine the issues. Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, New York and Wisconsin are enduring pending litigation in their redistricting battles. This summer, all eyes were on Texas as lawmakers initiated a mid-decade congressional redistricting process following a U.S. Department of Justice letter citing concerns over racial gerrymandering in four majority-minority districts. With support from Trump to redraw boundaries, the new maps, approved by the state legislature in August and signed by Governor Greg Abbott, were designed to shift up to five Democratic-held districts toward Republican advantage, particularly in areas like Houston and Dallas. However, on Tuesday, a federal three-judge panel ruled the maps unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering, and ordered the state to use the 2021 boundaries for the 2026 elections. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is sure to come. Amanda Head of Just The News reached out to Senator Bray’s office for comment but has not heard back. TOP STORIES White House’s full-bore approach spreads to state redistricting efforts Americans still have Bidenflation blues, despite economic improvements going into the holidays Alarming number of Americans, Democrats expect a politically violent future White House trying to sort out what Biden and Blinken ignored in Nigerian war on Christians In off-year elections, Republicans ignored major Trump wins that could’ve changed the night LATEST EPISODES Lt. Gov. Beckwith: Senators defying Gov Braun’s special session is a ‘slap in the face’ to Hoosiers & POTUS Can Virginia limit teens’ social media use? NetChoice argues new law violates First Amendment rights Moms for Liberty CEO: Saving America starts with saving our school aged children from indoctrination Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is one step ahead, waging new underground war against the cartels Trump

America, Articles, Elections, Politics & Policy

Democrats panic over redistricting numbers with pivotal SCOTUS decision looming

chadadmin / October 16, 2025

Episodes Democrats panic over redistricting numbers with pivotal SCOTUS decision looming If all states redistrict to the extent allowable, Republicans stand to gain more than Democrats. By: Lawyers involved in a consequential case on election redistricting re-argued Louisiana v. Callais on Wednesday before the Supreme Court, whose ruling could set a landmark precedent for other states performing redistricting operations. Democrats and media organizations are using phrases like “gutting voting rights” to refer to the possible outcome of reshaping the application of the Voting Rights Act nationwide. The stakes of the case “are only heightened by the backdrop of this national gerrymandering crisis,” former Democratic Attorney General Eric Holder, who leads Democrats’ main redistricting arm, said ahead of the high court hearing, according to Politico “We’ve been in redistricting battles for a very long time,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told Just The News earlier this week. “And you know, most recently, we drew a map that the courts basically directed us to draw, reluctantly. We had been saying we didn’t think we could do this in a constitutional way. And they said, ‘Do it anyway.’” The landmark case, which was consolidated with Robinson v. Callais, challenges the constitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional redistricting map enacted as Senate Bill 8 following the 2020 Census. The map created a second majority-Black congressional district to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting, but it faced lawsuits alleging unconstitutional racial gerrymandering under the Fourteenth Amendment. In January 2024, the Louisiana Legislature approved the new map during a special session to address prior court orders requiring fair representation for Black voters, who comprise about one-third of the state’s population. A three-judge federal district court panel ruled 2-1 in May 2024 that race had predominated in drawing the districts and blocked the map’s use, prompting direct appeals to the Supreme Court. Reality appears to be setting in for Democrats that when redistricting (or “gerrymandering” when it’s on the opposing side) is maxed out, Republicans gain more seats, some publications and networks are spiking the decibels of the alarm bells. “As I sat and listened to today’s oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, I was reminded of just how much is at stake in our country’s democracy,” said Louisiana Democrat Rep. Cleo Fields. “This case marks a pivotal moment in not only Louisiana’s ongoing fight to protect fair representation, but states all across this nation as well. While I am cautiously optimistic following this morning’s hearing, we must remain vigilant and committed to defending the principles enshrined in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” Axios ran the Wednesday morning headline, “Louisiana’s Supreme Court case could gut Voting Rights Act,” fearmongering that “the case could end the legal basis minority voters use when challenging maps that dilute their political influence” and that it “could leave many places in the country without a remedy, even in extreme cases of racial discrimination and racial vote dilution,” according to Stuart Naifeh of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund. CNN on Wednesday discussed Democrats falling behind and warned its audience, “You go along in the states, Democrats run out of room. Republicans are able to gain plus seven House seats. That does not even take into account the potential gutting of the VRA before the Supreme Court.” The Supreme Court, weighted 6-3 conservative, opened with Chief Justice John Roberts expressing frank skepticism. He began the hearing by questioning the applicability of the Court’s 2023 Allen v. Milligan decision (a 5-4 ruling upholding VRA redistricting claims in Alabama, which he authored). He downplayed its precedent, noting it “took the existing precedent as a given” and subtly critiqued ongoing race-focused remedies as potentially indefinite, an argument that Justice Brett Kavanaugh also raised. Kavanaugh, whose swing vote upheld the VRA in 2023 (with a concurrence calling for temporal boundaries), pressed attorneys on whether race-based remedies should “carry on indefinitely.” He likened it to the Court’s 2023 affirmative action ban, suggesting perpetual racial considerations undermine equal protection. This hints at his potential shift, which could flip the 2023 outcome. TOP STORIES DOGE says that it has created $210 billion in taxpayer savings Top White House official hints Antifa could soon be designated foreign terror group: ‘Stay tuned’ Despite appearances, the NFL still pays lip service to ‘woke’ crowd WH Press Secretary Leavitt says Democrats’ language attacking ICE is ‘despicable’ How Trump can navigate budget negotiations to avert government shutdown LATEST EPISODES Democrats panic over redistricting numbers with pivotal SCOTUS decision looming Inside Operation Summer Heat: FBI Director Kash Patel on Crime, Counterintelligence & Accountability DOJ vs. Gun Owners: Why AG Pam Bondi Must Stop Fighting the Second Amendment From Columbus to Trump: How America’s Heritage Fuels Newfound Patriotism Virginia Lt. Gov. GOP Nominee: Jay Jones ‘revealed the violence problem that’s prevalent in Democrat Party’ RELATED ARTICLES DOGE says that it has created $210 billion in taxpayer savings Top White House official hints Antifa could soon be designated foreign terror group: ‘Stay tuned’ Despite appearances, the NFL still pays lip service to ‘woke’ crowd WH Press Secretary Leavitt says Democrats’ language attacking ICE is ‘despicable’ How Trump can navigate budget negotiations to avert government shutdown Convention of States effort surges as Trump aims at shrinking size, scope of federal government Fed rate cut makes minimal immediate impact, but long-term effects in question Trump visits a U.K. facing internal social, political turmoil with message of freedom, friendship Trump Agriculture Department funds Farm-to-School program at historic levels Ignored by media, enabled by Dems: how soft-on-crime policies unleashed murder of Ukrainian refugee

Elections, Politics & Policy

‘Charlie Kirk effect’ in full force as voters register Republican in large numbers

chadadmin / September 23, 2025

Elections / Politics & Policy ‘Charlie Kirk effect’ in full force as voters register Republican in large numbers The surge in GOP voter registrations strengthens Republican momentum in key swing states ahead of the 2026 midterms. By: On Sunday, as tens of thousands of mourners filled State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona, for a memorial service for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, voter registration tables at the event were inundated with future voters. The massive event doubled as a tribute to Kirk’s lifelong focus on conservative activism and youth outreach. In line with his legacy, voter registration booths staffed by Turning Point volunteers were set up inside the stadium, drawing significant participation. 200,000 to 300,000 attendees, many register to vote Turning Point USA has not published official voter registration data. However, approximately 200,000 people registered for tickets for the memorial in advance and estimates report that there were 200,000 to 300,000 with overflow. On-site law enforcement corroborated these estimates. Given the scale of attendance, that could translate to thousands of new registrations, given the crowd size and focus on unregistered conservatives (roughly 30% of U.S. Christians are unregistered, a group Kirk spent significant time and treasure to engage). Recent data show GOP voter registration gains in key states like Pennsylvania, where Republicans clocked in at +3,022 net in the days following Kirk’s assassination (week ending September 22). This included 1,756 Democrat-to-Republican switches. Additionally, North Carolina and Arizona both outpaced prior months and linked the surge directly to the assassination and memorial. The “Charlie Kirk Effect” Matt Margolis of PJ Media remarked that “Some on the left celebrated the attack.” That reaction has now triggered what’s being called the “Charlie Kirk effect,” a historic wave of Democrats abandoning their party and joining the GOP. On Sunday, Kirk’s wife, Erika, publicly forgave her husband’s alleged killer. By contrast, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told CNN viewers that if his party regains power, they will use the government to go after anybody “doing the bidding of the Trump administration.” Democrats losing on the economy, immigration and crime CNN’s Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten broke down numbers from a new Washington Post/IPSOS poll showing that Democrats are underwater on three major issues: the economy, immigration and crime. When asked which party is trusted more on the economy, Republicans had a seven-point lead. On immigration, an issue for which Democrats have demonized the Trump administration, Republicans are up by 13 points. California’s Democratic Speaker of the California State Assembly recently referred to ICE agents as “secret police.” As for crime, blue-city mayors and sanctuary state governors are under investigation for allegedly trying to falsify crime data in opposition to Trump’s utilizing the National Guard in several cities. Independent voters are tilting to GOP as well Independents in the poll favored Republicans by one point on the economy, ten points on immigration and 21 points on crime. He also reflected on the same poll leading into the 2022 midterm elections, which resulted in a 12-point lead on the economy for Republicans, a three-point lead for Republicans on immigration. On crime, Republicans saw a 13-point lead. “At this particular point, the ball may be on the ground, but the Democrats have not picked up the ball and run with it. If anything at this particular point, it’s the Republicans who are running with the ball on the top issues of the economy, immigration and crime,” Enten said. TOP STORIES ‘Charlie Kirk effect’ in full force as voters register Republican in large numbers Convention of States effort surges as Trump aims at shrinking size, scope of federal government Fed rate cut makes minimal immediate impact, but long-term effects in question Trump visits a U.K. facing internal social, political turmoil with message of freedom, friendship Trump Agriculture Department funds Farm-to-School program at historic levels LATEST EPISODES Pregnant women should be trusted to make decisions, don’t need noble lies from gov’t or maker of Tylenol New Film Friday: Conflict & the Battle for Israel, Dinesh D’Souza unveils “The Dragon’s Prophecy” Tylenol risks, ICE shooting & Bolton’s Classified Case: Just The News reporters present today’s headlines Congressman Fine celebrates Trump’s tariff triumphs, also says “we’ve got a Muslim problem in America” From Jimmy Kimmel to Charlie Kirk: This episode exposes double standards & political persecution RELATED ARTICLES Convention of States effort surges as Trump aims at shrinking size, scope of federal government Fed rate cut makes minimal immediate impact, but long-term effects in question Trump visits a U.K. facing internal social, political turmoil with message of freedom, friendship Trump Agriculture Department funds Farm-to-School program at historic levels Ignored by media, enabled by Dems: how soft-on-crime policies unleashed murder of Ukrainian refugee Trump administration wants to revolutionize AI’s integration into education with ‘watchful guidance’ Illinois State House Minority Leader: Chicagoans are crying for help Trump strikes skeptical tone on his own Covid vaccine record, policies Trump may be reassembling the way college athletes do — or don’t — get paid Trump’s executive order to protect the U.S. flag hits at heart of culture

America, Articles, Elections, Government, Politics & Policy, White House

Newsom targets Trump as proxy for potential 2028 GOP presidential candidates, nominee

chadadmin / August 22, 2025

America / Articles / Elections / Government / Politics & Policy / White House Newsom targets Trump as proxy for potential 2028 GOP presidential candidates, nominee Though 2028 won’t be opportunity for Newsom to go head-to-head with Trump, his latest tactic is imitating the president to boost his political capital. By: The next presidential election will not be a match between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump. But Newsom – considered a top-tier, potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate – is walking and talking like he’s running and that the GOP nominee will be a Trump acolyte. Among Newsom’s recent and most notable moves appears to be imitating Trump’s signature, all-capitalized social media posts, including two with his infamous signoff: “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!” “DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!,” the governor’s press office posted Aug. 12, ahead of the state’s Democrat-controlled Assembly’s ultimately successful effort Thursday to pass a series of Newsom-backed bills to redraw the state’s congressional maps. The effort was in response to a similar one in the GOP-controlled Texas Assembly, and backed by Trump, to try to pick up more House seats in the 2026 midterm elections. (Newsom later Thursday signed two of the three bills and declared a Nov. 4 special election in which voters will be given the opportunity to grant final approval to the newly drawn maps.) Ahead of Trump’s meeting last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Newsom’s office posted: “DONALD IS FINISHED — HE IS NO LONGER “HOT.” FIRST THE HANDS (SO TINY) AND NOW ME — GAVIN C. NEWSOM — HAVE TAKEN AWAY HIS “STEP.” MANY ARE SAYING HE CAN’T EVEN DO THE “BIG STAIRS” ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE — USES THE LITTLE BABY STAIRS NOW. SAD! TOMORROW HE’S GOT HIS “MEETING” WITH PUTIN IN “RUSSIA.” NOBODY CARES. ALL THE TELEVISION CAMERAS ARE ON ME, AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR. “EVEN LOW-RATINGS LAURA INGRAM (EDITS THE TAPES!) CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT MY BEAUTIFUL MAPS. YOU’RE WELCOME FOR LIBERATION DAY, AMERICA! DONNIE J MISSED “THE DEADLINE” (WHOOPS!) AND NOW I RUN THE SHOW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GCN” GOP strategist Mike Biundo, who served as campaign adviser to Trump and GOP Sens. Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania, and Rand Paul, Kentucky, told Just The News, “Enter failed Governor Gavin Newsome, riding in on his Trump-Derangement-Syndrome horse, with no record to run on and no policy wins to tout. So what does he do to infuse his fledgling, low-energy national foray? He tries to give it a Trump-trolling sugar high. The problem for him is that, like most sugar highs, it won’t last.” In the 24 hours preceding the writing of this article, the Newsom press office directly mentioned and attacked Trump in 12 posts with others indirectly referencing Trump or his policies. Newsom’s strategy appears to be working, according to the latest University of California Irvine-OC Poll. In early June, just 38% of poll respondents approved of the overall job that he was doing as governor. But when voters were asked the same question by the same pollsters, after Newsom’s fight with Trump over the federalization of the National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles, his approval rose to 56%. And in a poll conducted by Politico and The Citrin Center public opinion firm and released Wednesday, Newsom was the top presidential choice of 25% of California’s Democratic voters for the 2028 Democratic primary. The poll also showed that among state Democrats, Newsom is leading all prospective candidates, including Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee, who garnered 19% of their support. On the inaugural episode of his new podcast, on March 6, Newsom broke from progressives by speaking out against allowing males to compete in female sports. He made the declaration to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, telling him, “I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness – it’s deeply unfair.” Newsom has also flip-flopped on other issues, like the use of the term “Latinx,” California’s high-speed rail, state oil production, bail reform, and the current hot topic, redistricting. Biundo also said: “The Democratic Party as a whole is desperately searching for an identity. The American people only need to compare President Trump’s record with Newsom’s in California to see that he is a non-starter. As a Republican Operative, I hope the Democrats nominate Newsom. I am in the mood for another landslide from whatever candidate we put up as the GOP nominee.” TOP STORIES Trump’s executive order to protect the U.S. flag hits at heart of culture Newsom targets Trump as proxy for potential 2028 GOP presidential candidates, nominee Cities across America would benefit from Trump’s D.C.-style takeover Trump to make upgrades to White House, the first of this century Trump 2.0 White House hones messaging to challenge false stories, engage pop culture LATEST EPISODES Biden’s Retaliation Backfires: DOJ settles with FBI whistleblowers—major victory for Empower Oversight ‘SCOTUS didn’t get it right the first time,’ Texas AG Paxton backs Trump on flag burning executive order $7 Million Seized, No Charges Filed: A Shocking Story of One Family’s Fight Against Amazon & abuse by FBI, DOJ Amanda Head breaks down the latest headlines with Just The News reporters, Ben Whedon and Natalia Mittelstadt Rep. Grothman: ‘Watergate was nothing compared to Hillary Clinton’s lies to manipulate 2016 election’ RELATED ARTICLES Trump’s executive order to protect the U.S. flag hits at heart of culture Newsom targets Trump as proxy for potential 2028 GOP presidential candidates, nominee Cities across America would benefit from Trump’s D.C.-style takeover Trump to make upgrades to White House, the first of this century Trump 2.0 White House hones messaging to challenge false stories, engage pop culture Critical Condition: America faces a supply chain crisis for basic drugs, and Trump wants to fix it Trump GDP, tariffs and inflation data

All Things Trump, Articles, Elections, Politics & Policy

Trump’s fight to keep non-citizens off voter rolls reignites in second term

chadadmin / June 30, 2025

All Things Trump / Articles / Elections / Politics & Policy Trump’s fight to keep non-citizens off voter rolls reignites in second term Part one of President Donald Trump’s battle to keep illegal aliens off voter rolls began near the end of his first term and will likely come hurtling back in the near future. By: The Supreme Court has never made a determination on the legal merits of the argument that noncitizens should not be counted in the United States census, but may soon be forced to do so. The fight to clarify the census and subsequently adjust congressional seats, Electoral College votes and federal funding, is coming down the pike, according to White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. Miller indicated last month that he’s eager to dive straight in and that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will help lead the effort. Trump has at his disposal a number of avenues to accomplish his goal, one of which includes Lutnick’s agency. Utilizing this route, the Commerce Department could propose adding a census question to distinguish citizens, legal permanent residents, and unauthorized immigrants, as suggested by a lawsuit filed by Republican-led states and the Department of Commerce in January 2025. The data could then be used to exclude noncitizens from apportionment, though not necessarily from the overall count. Republican support for this approach is growing, with bills introduced by Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., and Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., to mandate a citizenship question and thus exclude noncitizens from apportionment. A GOP-controlled Congress could facilitate approval of such questions, due by 2028. The Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling rejected the citizenship question due to procedural issues, and demanded a stronger justification for having the case reviewed by the Supreme Court before going to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Amending the Census Act is an option Furthermore, Trump could work with Congress to pass legislation amending the Census Act to exclude noncitizens from apportionment counts or mandate a citizenship question. Bills like those proposed by Edwards and Hagerty aim to achieve this, but such legislation would need to redefine “persons” in the 14th Amendment’s apportionment clause to exclude noncitizens, a significant departure from historical practice. It could also direct the Census Bureau to use citizen-only data for apportionment. With a Republican-controlled Congress, the winds are now more favorable. Passage is significantly more likely than in 2020, when a similar House bill passed on a party-line vote (206-202) but stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate. President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, rescinded a Biden-era executive order on January 20, 2025, which had reaffirmed counting all residents regardless of immigration status, signaling intent to revisit this policy. With a GOP-controlled Congress, there may be less political resistance to try again. Additionally, preparations for the 2030 census will begin during Trump’s second term, and federal law requires proposed census questions to be submitted to Congress two years prior, which gives a window to influence the process. Estimates of illegal alien populations vary due to inconsistent methods and tracking, but based on the most reliable and recent data from multiple sources including the Department of Homeland Security, the state with the highest number of illegal aliens is California, with 2.6 million. Texas took the number two spot with 2.06 million, and Florida comes in at third with 560,000. New York (with 540,000) and New Jersey (with 440,000) rounds off the top five. Despite the influx of illegal aliens to California, it lost a congressional seat due to the number of residents fleeing the state. The Orange County Register reported that California lost 817,669 residents in 2023 for a net outmigration of 341,866 citizens. If that trend continues, according to Thad Kousser, who is an expert in California and national politics and a professor of political science at UC San Diego, California will lose another four seats by 2030, even without census criteria changing. Texas would hypothetically gain three seats and Florida would gain three. Whether noncitizens count for census matters that affect representation In 2020, the Trump administration sought to exclude noncitizens from the U.S. Census count which is used to apportion congressional seats and Electoral College votes, a move that sparked significant controversy. In July of that year, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum directing the Census Bureau to use administrative records to identify and exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment count, arguing that including them dilutes the political power of citizens and constitutes voter suppression. The administration argued that the Constitution’s mandate to count “persons” did not explicitly require counting noncitizens for apportionment. This effort faced immediate legal challenges from blue states and cities, many of which were sanctuary jurisdictions, and immigrant advocacy groups, who argued the policy violated the Constitution and would discourage immigrant participation in the census, potentially undercounting communities with large noncitizen populations. The Supreme Court ultimately blocked the Trump administration’s plan in December 2020, ruling that the memorandum was premature and lacked sufficient justification, though it did not address the merits of the Administrations’ argument. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, hailed the decision as a victory for fair representation, while supporters of the policy, including then-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, argued it was necessary to ensure electoral fairness. Without time for the issue to play out further, the Census Bureau claimed it was constrained by time and logistical challenges, and ultimately included all residents in the 2020 count. TOP STORIES Trump’s fight to keep non-citizens off voter rolls reignites in second term Hegseth announces new intel on US bombing Iran, criticizes media for pushing preliminary report Trump’s next battlefields: a NATO-snubbing Spain and a conflicted U.S. intel community Trump bombed Iran into a ceasefire and sent a loud message to China and Russia Ten years after Trump’s golden escalator announcement, Republicans campaign on transformed agenda LATEST EPISODES Supreme Court strikes back, Jesse Binnall says anti-Trump, rogue judges just got checked Trump’s strategic strike on Iran crippled their nuclear ambitions, sparking a new path for regime change Trump’s precision strike on Iran sent a global message, Victoria Coates talks on restoring American deterrence Iranian threats,

All Things Trump, Articles, Elections, Politics & Policy

Ten years after Trump’s golden escalator announcement, Republicans campaign on transformed agenda

chadadmin / June 17, 2025

All Things Trump / Articles / Elections / Politics & Policy Ten years after Trump’s golden escalator announcement, Republicans campaign on transformed agenda Trump’s Republican Party looks wildly different from ten years ago, and Republicans must codify and expand his populist ideas if they want to hold the majority in next year’s midterm election. By: As congressional representatives head home to campaign in their districts this week, the party priorities look very different from those of 2015. Ten years ago, when then-candidate Donald Trump descended the golden escalator at his midtown Manhattan Trump Towers property, it produced a spark that spread American populism fire throughout the Republican Party, a party which at the time was mired by warmongering, false promises of fiscal responsibility and acquiescing to leftist accusations and policy. The official party platform in 2015 remained the party agenda from the previous general election in 2012. The priorities enumerated weren’t that far off from what was listed in the 2024 party platform. But, even four months into his second term, President Donald Trump clearly took his promises seriously and is working to enact what voters sent him to Washington to do. In 2012, the Republican Platform titled “We Believe In America” was 62 pages and was adopted at the Tampa, Florida Republican National Convention. It reflected the personality and politics of then-candidate Mitt Romney. In 2024, the Republican Platform, titled “Make America Great Again,” clocked in at 16 pages, consisting of 20 clear and concise agenda items. Among those items: to seal the border and stop the migrant invasion, to carry out historic deportation operations, to make America affordable again, to make Trump’s tax cuts from 2018 permanent, to strengthen and modernize the military, to keep men out of women’s sports and to keep the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Economy The 2012 platform, in many more words, emphasized reducing the federal deficit through spending cuts and supported a balanced budget amendment with a cap on federal spending. It also advocated for a simpler, flatter tax code with lower rates for individuals and businesses to stimulate economic growth. The official party platform expressed opposition to new taxes and aimed to make the bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 permanent. Unsurprisingly, it promoted free market policies and reducing government interference to encourage economic growth and entrepreneurship, particularly supporting small businesses. Trump’s economic ideas similarly reflect those from the 2012 platform, with demonstrably more muscle and enactment. The Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) lowered income tax rates across most brackets, with the top rate dropping from 39.6% to 37%. The standard deduction nearly doubled (e.g., $12,000 to $24,000 for married couples), benefiting about 70% of taxpayers who take it over itemizing. The Tax Policy Center estimated 65% of households saw tax cuts in 2018, averaging $1,600, though benefits skewed toward higher earners. Government reform Similar to the party platform from 2024, the 2012 platform called for rolling back excessive regulations, particularly those from the Obama administration and appointing judges who adhere to constitutional originals. It called for reducing the size and scope of the federal government, returning power to states and individuals. It advocated for eliminating wasteful programs and reforming. Sound familiar? If so, that’s because many Americans voted on this very issue in support of what is now the Department of Government Efficiency instituted under Trump. National defense and foreign policy The 2012 platform, similar to Trump’s agenda, called for maintaining a robust national defense, modernizing the military, and ensuring adequate funding. It opposed budget cuts and advocated for American exceptionalism, supporting allies like Israel and confronting adversaries like Iran. It also promoted democracy abroad, which is a departure from Trump’s platform which advocated for “no new wars” and a strong opposition to the nation-building ways of the Republicans of 2012. Social issues While many Republicans take issue with the novel “big tent” personality of the party present day, it’s undeniable that on one particular traditional issue, abortion, Trump has done more to protect the sanctity of life that any other president. The 2012 platform supported a constitutional amendment to protect unborn life and opposed funding for abortion through organizations like. The 2012 platform also sought a constitutional amendment to define marriage between one man and one woman. Education In 2012, the party platform, promoted parental choice and education, including charter schools, vouchers, and homeschooling. It opposed federal overreach in education. It also called for reducing federal involvement in student loans and encouraging private sector alternatives and trade schools. One of the 20 policy points in the 2014 MAGA agenda was to, “cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.” On March 20, 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all legally permissible steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and transfer its authority to states and local communities. TOP STORIES Ten years after Trump’s golden escalator announcement, Republicans campaign on transformed agenda ‘Rubber stamp’ vaccine advisory board fired by RFK Jr. for conflicts of interest has revealing past Weekend of LA riots shows media hasn’t learned anything from America’s election of Trump Second Lady Vance launches reading initiative to combat abysmal literacy rates Weaponized sugar pill? Homeland ends controversial and costly Quiet Skies domestic spying program LATEST EPISODES Fleitz: Biden’s weak Iran policy made regime $100B wealthier, funded Hamas Oct. 7 slaughter of Israelis ‘One electromagnetic pulse attack & we’re set back to 1871, Iran is plotting it now,’ warns top expert Army soldier branded ‘white supremacist,’ ousted from service for photo of Trump sparking Congressional defense California In Crisis: Gov. Newsom, Mayor Bass blasted over illegal immigration & public safety failures Mom-Turned-Activist takes on California’s vaccine laws in explosive court battle RELATED ARTICLES Ten years after Trump’s golden escalator announcement, Republicans campaign on transformed agenda ‘Rubber stamp’ vaccine advisory board fired by RFK Jr. for conflicts of interest has revealing past Weekend of

Articles, Elections, Politics & Policy

Angry democrats gone wild

chadadmin / March 14, 2025

Articles / Elections / Politics & Policy Angry democrats gone wild With wild scenes from the nation’s students deploying to Spring Break hot spots, Democrats are in tight competition for questionable decisions. By: Since the November election produced no discernible pivot from Democrats, midterm battleground voters show no new love for the party or their message. In a blow to platform architects and champions of progressivism in the Democratic Party, a new Navigator Research poll shows that a majority of those polled, 56%, do not believe Democrats are looking out for working people. Just 39% believe they have the right priorities. One of the researchers who conducted the poll met with House Democrats at their Issues Conference on Wednesday in Leesberg, Virginia to discuss the party’s platform heading into the crucial 2026 midterms. If Democrats are able to flip the House of Representatives, it gives them a small boost in combatting President Donald Trump’s agenda. Without that, they will remain effectively powerless to stop anything out of the executive, with the exception of fighting long court battles to overturn Trump and Republicans’ actions. A deeper dive into the poll reveals how voters feel about work and its value to the Democratic Party. Only 44% reported that they think Democrats respect work. An even smaller margin, 39%, believe Democrats value work. An even harsher blow: 69% of voters said Democrats focus too much on being politically correct. 51% said the identifying term “elitist” fits the party well. According to the same survey, however, Republicans have their own set of issues. 54% of respondents said they view Republicans in Congress unfavorably. Roughly one third said they approve of Republicans’ handling of the economy. Perhaps the harshest blow in the results was the finding that among independents, only 27% believe Democrats are focused on helping them. 55% said Democrats are focused on others. Since the campaign for the 2024 general election, the Democratic Party has experienced a great deal of difficultly fusing the fringes of their party and congealing a winning message. On core issues like the border, economy, law-and-order and social issues like trans rights, Democrats stumbled over their own messaging. Since then, they’ve yet to find even one major issue that aligns with broad sentiment in the country. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn joined the Furthermore with Amanda Head Podcast on Friday and spoke to this very issue: “The American people gave Donald Trump an overwhelming vote to deal with the border, inflation, get our country back to its standing in the world, crime in our communities, the bureaucracy and reduce the federal government, and find a way to get this country back on track. Donald Trump made that promise. That is exactly what he with a Republican House, and Republican Senate is doing so the Democrats again find themselves on the wrong side of the issue, and the American people are looking at them and their antics and saying to them, ‘you are out of touch with where the American people are.’” To Blackburn’s point, many high profile Democrats have been airing their grievances publicly. Democrat senator Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., appeared on ABC’s The View told their viewers, “I think there’s a feeling in the country, and I often say this, we’re about to turn 250-years-old, right? We’re still pretty young for a country. These are, like, our angry teenage years, right?” Further insulting voters she continued, “we are going through this push and pull where we’re happy, we’re sad, we want this, we want that, and what do you do when you have a teenager who’s threatening themselves and others? You just try to get them through this period alive so that their brain can fully form and you can come back.” Another Democrat with brow-raising comments: that of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders, who was born in 1941 and is of Jewish heritage, lived his early years during the Holocaust and World War II. He also was an adult during Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and 9/11. Despite living through those harrowing periods in our nation’s past, he told Jon Lovett on Pod Save America that, “these are the scariest times in my life.” Sanders, who owns three homes, told the podcaster, “it is not just that they want to give tax breaks to billionaires and cut programs for working people. Trump is suing major media outlets and is threatening to investigate PBS and NPR. So it’s not only the power of money, it’s also combined with that the movement toward authoritarianism.” TOP STORIES Angry democrats gone wild Beyond budgeting, Republicans hope to force spending ‘showdown’ with two arcane weapons Philadelphia Eagles to visit the White House to celebrate Super Bowl win After a flurry of activity right out of the gate, Trump takes victory lap in speech to America Republicans float two-part plan to avert government shutdown, White House meeting set Wednesday LATEST EPISODES Mike Benz Unredacted: JFK assassination files show CIA’s deep & everlasting covert infiltration of US government Former Health & Human Services Director & FDA advisor applauds Secretary RFK’s ‘Operation Stork Speed’ 5 yrs later, Dr. Risch details where health officials went wrong & why they couldn’t ’slow the spread’ in 15 days MasterChef Winner Turned Queen of Cookies: Whitney Miller’s Journey in Southern Cooking & Baking White House Q&A with Trump, Sen. Blackburn on Dems’ shutdown threat & Mike Howell exposes Biden’s autopen scandal RELATED ARTICLES Angry democrats gone wild Beyond budgeting, Republicans hope to force spending ‘showdown’ with two arcane weapons After a flurry of activity right out of the gate, Trump takes victory lap in speech to America Republicans float two-part plan to avert government shutdown, White House meeting set Wednesday White House pauses all aid to Ukraine amid rift with Zelensky Taiwanese chipmaker commits another $100 billion investment to U.S. Even before Congress acts, Trump’s border policies already crater illegal immigration by 95% Trump’s art of the deal is now becoming the art of the clawback Velocity of early Trump