Free Republic

Donald Trump’s pursuit of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination will damage both the party and America, particularly if he succeeds. Neutral observers might think the growing mountain of legal challenges – criminal and civil – including the one filed on Tuesday in Washington, would give Trump pause, notwithstanding his current opinion-poll lead in the Republican race. And everyone not named Trump recognises the enormous risks if he becomes the first convicted felon nominated for the presidency, or worse yet elected president. For Trump, however, staying in the race increases his chances to get the nomination and secure funding to pay...

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running ads to promote the impending one-on-one debate against rival Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid their ongoing coast-to-coast feud. "Ron DeSantis is debating Gavin Newsom to highlight the choice facing American voters next year," the talking points added later. The campaign also released ads to promote the debate and encourage voters to "choose their fighter." "Who do you support?" the arcade game-themed advertisement reads.

A Ron DeSantis administration would begin with a bureaucratic bloodbath, the Florida governor vowed – using language that had some potential supporters feeling queasy. We’re going to have all these deep state people. You know, we’re going to start slitting throats on Day One,' he said. That came after a pledge about cracking down on Mexican drug cartels. 'At the border, they’re going to be shot stone, cold dead,' he said, according to New Hampshire's NPR affiliate .

Former national security adviser John Bolton argued that the indictment of Donald Trump may ultimately help the former president politically, saying it could be "rocket fuel" that helps him secure the Republican nomination. "I'm not worried about Alvin Bragg hurting Donald Trump. I'm worried about Alvin Bragg benefiting Donald Trump," Bolton said during a Sunday "Face the Nation" appearance on CBS. "If Trump is acquitted or he gets the case dismissed because it's not legally sufficient… that will be rocket fuel because he can say, ‘I told you this was a political prosecution.’" Bolton, who served in the Trump administration...

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton tells @MajorCBS he's still considering a presidential run, but doesn't have a "precise timeline" on his decision. On why he's considering a GOP bid: "The party has work to do to correct the damage that Trump has done." .....

So I won’t get any mail tomorrow. I will, however, be in my office, like most private sector workers. Sure, it’s going to be cold: the current forecast calls for a high temperature tomorrow of 17 below zero, and a low of 33 below. We are in the midst of a three-day stretch in which the temperature never gets to zero. Fahrenheit. And that is in the Minneapolis suburbs. So it is remarkable that just 13 days ago, the Minneapolis Star Tribune assured us that cold temperatures are a thing of the past, even in northern Minnesota: “We just don’t...