Free Republic

The U.S. expects Ukraine's response Wednesday to a peace framework that includes U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and unofficial recognition of Russian control of nearly all areas occupied since the 2022 invasion, sources with direct knowledge of the proposal tell Axios. -snip- What Russia gets under Trump's proposal "De jure" U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea. "De-facto recognition" of the Russia's occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. A promise that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO. The text notes that Ukraine could become part...

File this one under "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished." The liberal media has been leading the charge against the Trump tariffs. So what happens when Trump heeds the warning signs and pulls back? Does the MSM applaud his statesmanship, his courage in changing course given changed circumstances? C'mon—of course not. This is the liberal media, after all. Get the rest of the story and view the video here. Thus, on today's Morning Joe, Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei, purporting to explain Trump's change of direction, declared: "Make no mistake: he panicked."

One country that did not feature on Donald Trump's list of tariffs on US trade partners was Russia. US outlet Axios quoted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying this was because existing US sanctions on Russia "preclude any meaningful trade" and noting that Cuba, Belarus and North Korea were also not included. However, nations with even less trade with the US - such as Syria, which exported $11m of products last year according to UN data quoted by Trading Economics - were on the list. The US imposed large-scale sanctions on Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine...

President Trump said Monday he will "lead the charge" to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for his refusal to support Republicans' government funding bill.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky angered Donald Trump so much during the peace talks with Russia that Trump was on the verge of withdrawing American military support from Ukraine, three U.S. officials familiar with the discussions tell Axios. -snip- The deal Trump appears to be negotiating could be highly controversial. Based on their public and private statements, Trump's team is expected to pressure Zelensky into giving up Crimea (which Putin seized in 2014) portions of eastern Ukraine and the Azov Coast (occupied in Russia's 2022 invasion).

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) questioned former President Trump's commitment to slashing government spending in a heated exchange with top Trump ally Russell Vought during a recent closed-door meeting, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Paul is among a dwindling number of Republicans who've refused to publicly back the former president as the party's 2024 nominee. And those in Trump's orbit are getting antsy. "There's a growing sentiment in Trumpworld that Rand can't be trusted, and it's a great disappointment," Trump ally and consultant Alex Bruesewitz told Axios. Driving the news: Paul grilled Vought on May 22 over the Trump administration's...

As President Trump continues to dominate the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, attention has turned to who he will pick as his running mate. Now, we have a list of names Trump and his team are reportedly considering, but a potential wild card lurks. On Thursday, Axios published an extensive piece detailing the potential makeup of a Trump Cabinet in a second term. The 45th President and his team’s primary focus is ensuring all positions in government will be filled with people loyal to the America-first agenda and Trump. As Gateway Pundit readers know, Trump’s first term was marred by disloyal...

Could we see the return of the Commander in Tweets? According to an Axios report, former President and 2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is plotting a comeback to the blue bird after a nearly 2 1/2 year hiatus. Trump’s account is still active, thanks to CEO Elon Musk, and he has 87 million followers. From Axios: As Trump tries to reclaim the White House while fighting off felony charges, people close to his team think he’ll eventually get back on Twitter — and that when he does, it will be with showmanship and a purpose. A person close to Trump’s...

Some of Donald Trump's handpicked candidates are hitting an obstacle in their efforts to purge the Republican Party of Trump skeptics: money. Lots of it. Driving the news: Key Trump-backed Republican challengers were heavily outraised by their Republican primary opponents late last year, newly filed financial reports show.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), an ally of former President Trump, is reportedly considering retiring from Congress to take a job with Newsmax, according to an Axios report. Gaetz, who was first elected to the House in 2016, the same year Trump won the presidency, has told allies that he is thinking about ending his congressional career in its third term. He's started early conversations with Newsmax about joining the conservative network, according to Axios. Newsmax saw its ratings shoot up in the weeks following Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election and is seeking to cast itself as an alternative...

President Donald Trump is furious at Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials who are not joining his futile attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Axios reported Tuesday, citing multiple top officials. The outlet said the president was "turning bitterly on virtually every person around him" who he believes is not supporting him. Trump thinks that those who are not fighting in his corner are, in Axios' words, "weak, stupid or disloyal" and "beneath contempt." Trump has complained about Pence and recently brought up an ad by the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican super PAC, that said...