Free Republic

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing a range of food products, including coffee, bananas and beef, to escape his sweeping tariffs. The move comes as his administration faces mounting pressure over rising prices. While Trump previously downplayed concerns about the cost of living, he has focused on the issue since his Republican Party's poor performance in last week's elections. The dozens of products included on the White House's list of exemptions range from avocados and tomatoes to coconuts and mangoes. These goods, the Trump administration said on Friday, cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically. Trump...

The election results were hardly a surprise. The polls have indicated what the results would be for many weeks. Conservatives hoped they were wrong, that reason, history, and morality would prevail, but sadly, the voters in N.Y., California, Virginia, and New Jersey gave themselves over to the dark side.How can we explain those voters who have elected a communist, a Marxist jihadist, in NYC? A wannabe murderer in Virginia (Jay Jones), a man who fantasized via texts about murdering his opponent and seeing his children murdered in their mother’s arms? They elected him along with a woman (Abigail Spanberger) who...

On the menu today: It’s an off-year election, and Republicans lived up to it by having an off year. A really off year — read on. We’re going to take yesterday’s elections in ascending order of importance, but first, the big picture. We’ve all heard President Donald Trump offering his usual spiel — “I’m the greatest, I’m the most popular, everybody loves me,” etc. Well, as of this writing, the president’s job approval in the RealClearPolitics average is 43 percent. If you’re wondering about the range, CNN has it at 39 percent, Rasmussen Reports has it at 47 percent. On...

The Islamification of the West is happening everywhere. Now that New Yorkers have elected a terrorist-sympathizing communist to run their city, I think we can all agree that the barbarians are inside the city gates. Along with Mayor Sadiq Khan of London, Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City represents the foreign face of major Western metropolises. What’s next? Should we expect an imam to take over Vatican City as the next pope? Anybody who experienced the 9/11 Islamic terror attacks firsthand should feel queasy about what just happened in New York. Anybody who sacrificed years to fight Islamic extremism...

The Fox News Decision Desk has projected that New York City will elect Democratic Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor. The self-described democratic socialist toppled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a contentious fight for the future of New York City — and possibly the direction of the Democratic Party. Mamdani, the 34-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens, triggered a political earthquake when he declared victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary in June, pulling an upset over a former governor who was widely expected to win the party's nomination. He has since been catapulted onto the national stage,...

For an off-year election, Tuesday's contests seem to have an awful lot of consequence. We've had our eyes on several races nationwide, and it all comes down to Election Day. It feels like a long time waiting for this moment, but we're here. Of course, certain key contests are dominating the headlines. Two big races are happening in Virginia. For some reason, the latest polls show Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a lead of anywhere from seven to 15 points in her race against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. This is happening despite abject racism against Earle-Sears and the proven success that...

Thread on the ( mostly all) Blue State Elections

The progressive candidate is on the cusp of a historic mayoral win. And that's adding to unease among Democrats looking for a way back to national power.On the cusp of electoral victory, New York mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani marched over the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday and arrived at City Hall, where he greeted cheering supporters with a promise.“We stand on the verge of ushering in a new day for our city,” he said. Their conviction would “be the light that our city and our nation so desperately need.”Put differently: His importance won’t stop at the shores of the Hudson.If public...

It was a long shot for Republican Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and now it’s over. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) has won the gubernatorial race, ending a contest that’s been riddled with drama. Sears had opportunities to turn things around. A white elderly Democrat carried a sign that was primarily seen as racist when Sears spoke out at an Arlington School Board meeting regarding the story of Richard Cox, a sex offender, who camped out at a high school girls’ locker room, claiming to be transgender. Spanberger’s answer to this question was also a trainwreck. Truth be told, Abby...

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, instead sending members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week’s legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote.Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House “space” to release the Epstein information on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that aims to force the release of more documents.“There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they’re already doing,” Johnson...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday disowned his supporters who have called for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, chiding them as "weaklings" who "bought into this bulls---." The lengthy post on Truth Social represents the clearest split from the faction of his MAGA base that has questioned the Justice Department’s handling of the case. My "PAST supporters have bought into this “bulls---” hook, line, and sinker," he said in the post, adding, "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their...

Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler predicted that if it appears that former President Donald Trump is winning his state, it will be a temporary “red mirage.” Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are battling for the state’s 10 electoral votes on Tuesday. Wikler appeared on MSNBC to make the argument that once the results start pouring in and Trump looks to be in the lead, it is not to be believed. “So, in Milwaukee, you’ll see 100% of precincts reporting before you see the numbers that come out of those early votes in person, and those absentee ballots, which,...

For months leading up to the midterm elections, Mark had been imploring his audience on TV and radio to ignore talk of the red wave. The most important thing to do was vote and ignore the static from the pundits. Watch as Mark breaks down the numbers and statistics about why a red wave was unlikely in 2022, but why the numbers help him hold out hope for 2024. Did you catch red wave fever? Did you vote?

CNN political commentator Van Jones said Friday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that the beginnings of what could be a blue wave are forming for Democrats in the 2022 midterm election. Jones said, “Coming into Labor Day weekend, you are starting to see the beginnings of what could be a blue wave. I don’t think people understand, on the Democratic side, how upset and how motivated Democrats are. There was a season of shame from the time that the Afghanistan exit was botched and this whole year of getting nothing done where Democrats had our heads held down.” He added, “Now, because...

Fresh off of a host of unpredicted defeats from Republican congressional candidates on election night, Speaker Pelosi claimed the moral victory. In what was forecasted to be a “blue wave” year for congressional Democrats, Republicans managed to flip blue seats and cut down the Democratic majority. Thus far, no House Republicans lost their reelection.

What will be the final word on the election? That remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: Anticipating a revolution, the media was far, far wrong. And Thursday, Adam Carolla pointed it out. Adam occupies an interesting place in the entertainment ether: He’s a comedian who apparently found out late he’s actually somewhat of a conservative. To him, his views aren’t excessively political; they’re merely common sense. And that sense is widespread — he’s a great friend to both conservative Dennis Prager and outspoken left-winger Jimmy Kimmel. Speaking to Fox and Friends on the 5th, the man who...

This year’s presidential election hasn’t provided the catharsis that many on the left were awaiting. Instead of the hoped-for “Blue Wave,” we have a still-too-close-to-call presidential election, while Republicans picked up House seats and appear to have held on to the Senate. One response might be self-criticism: to wonder how, after four years of single-mindedly trying to get rid of Trump and marginalize his followers, things didn’t go better. Instead, Democrats’ thinkers seem to be asking themselves variations on “How can I live in a country where half the people supported Donald Trump?” ... professors around America were expressing anger...

Oops. Again. Don't count your chickens before they hatch, because sometimes you will end up with egg on your face as happened when CNN's Chris Cillizza gleefully anticipated in October that a Blue Wave election would carry over into state legislative races. What brought such joy to Chris was his expectation that those Democrat legislators would redistrict their states congressional delegations to favor their party. Here is Cillizza on October 20 drooling over possibility of new Democrat state legislators in "Why a Democratic landslide in November could crush the GOP for the next decade (or more)."

Minnesota A victory in the North Star State would kick a Planned Parenthood vice president from Congress, and have titanic implications for the Senate in 2020. In just four weeks, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., has seen her staggering 11-point lead in Minnesota completely washed out.The race between the Democratic senator proudly called the “highest ranking planned Parenthood executive in US politics” and an unapologetically conservative former talk radio host, Rep. Jason Lewis, should be turning heads as both a critical race in its own right and a potential sign of much larger changes in the 2020 race.“We are seeing...