Free Republic

With only nine months until the midterm elections, Democrats will scrutinize every move President Donald Trump takes as they fight to reclaim control of the House and the Senate. Victor Davis Hanson lays out the narrow road ahead to victory for Trump and the GOP during the 2026 midterm elections. History is not on the incumbent’s side. Messaging mistakes and unforced errors could shift key voters and hand Congress back to Democrats. Hanson explains what it will take to hold a Republican majority—and why the stakes for these midterm elections could not be higher—on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson:...

The House this week is set to take up the SAVE America Act (the SAVE Act 2.0), an election-integrity measure that some Senate Republicans can’t seem to get behind even though the vast majority of Americans already have. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s office confirms the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register and photo identification to vote in federal elections, will hit the floor on Tuesday. While Democrats will spend hours making a mockery of truth and reality in opposing it, the legislation is expected to pass mostly along party lines — as the...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lisa Murkowski became the first Republican senator to speak out against the SAVE Act, a sweeping election bill backed by President Donald Trump that would require proof of citizenship to vote nationwide.

Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said it was “not realistic” to remove over 25 million people in this country who are undocumented.’#Lawler said, “Look, this is an issue that I’ve been focused on for years. You know, for 40 years, we have not solved our immigration crisis. The American people were rightly outraged by what happened under the Biden administration, where you had over 10.5 million migrants cross our border, most of them illegally. You know, porous Southern border needed to be shut down. President Trump did that. The fact is, we have had nine straight...

The FBI's seizure of ballots, documents, and machinery used by Fulton County in the 2020 presidential election was challenged by Fulton County election Commissioner Marvin Arrington. "Look, we went through all this nonsense in November of 2020," he complained. "At that time everyone agreed that Trump lost the election. The media declared Biden the winner. Judges determined that Trump lacked standing to challenge the results. Reexamining the outcome at this late date isn't worthwhile and could destabilize the country if it turns out that some mistakes were made." FBI Director Kash Patel pointed out that "the 'lacks standing' grounds used...

President Donald Trump’s approval rating with Republicans has taken an eight-point hit since the fall, according to data from a national polling series. Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment outside regular working hours. Republican National Committee (RNC) national press secretary Kiersten Pels told Newsweek that Trump has "lowered prices, secured the border, and ensured workers keep more of their hard-earned pay," adding: "With strong momentum, Republicans are united, energized, and ready to win in the midterms." Why It Matters It signals a measurable softening in GOP support over just more than three months, as overall approval numbers...

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he “saw no evidence” to back the claims of senior Trump administration officials that Alex Pretti was attempting to assault law enforcement officers and instead “saw a man that was retreating” when he was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis. “I saw no evidence — I saw a man that was retreating. He went to the middle of the street, he didn’t even obstruct traffic, he let a car go through. As the agents advanced on him, he retreated to the side of the street. A woman is violently...

Here are the two problems voters face because of “maverick” congressional Republicans: Their own 'integrity' forbids them to do what voters want them to do. They know better. Their non-combative (weak) nature is a feature, not a bug, and it’s killing the conservative agenda. Frankly, I’d like to strangle any Republican who does not support what Trump is doing.

Seven Republican senators on Thursday voted against advancing a six-bill funding package to keep the government open past Friday, citing concerns about the ballooning federal deficit and what they saw as the failure of the so-called appropriations minibus to significantly cut spending Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) voted against a motion to advance the bill, even though it had the strong support of Senate GOP leaders.The package, which was blocked on a 45-55 vote, would have failed regardless of how the Republicans...

With the clock ticking down to a potential government shutdown this Friday, Senate Republicans are reportedly considering a move that could leave the southern border wide open to invasion.A group of Republican senators is now openly discussing whether to split the Homeland Security appropriations bill away from a six-bill funding package in order to avert a partial government shutdown that would impact the Pentagon and several other major federal departments, according to The Hill.The six-bill package includes funding for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education, Transportation, State, and financial services-related agencies.DHS, the very agency responsible for...

One thing that’s overlooked in Rules for Radicals – even by Alinsky himself – is the key role played by what I call “Alinsky Republicans” or “Alinsky conservatives.” These are the people who, despite their professed opposition to everything Alinsky and his book were trying to achieve, act as the catalyst – the trigger or fuse – for the climactic events leading to victory for radical activists. These are the defeatists, the doom trolls, who, after being frozen and personalized in good Alinskian fashion, simply give up, throw in the towel and sell out the cause they supposedly represent. They...

New York Congressman Mike Lawler has said that President Trump’s deportation policy is “not working” and urged him to embrace a mass amnesty for illegal aliens.After the killing of another far-left protester who was trying to interfere with the work of federal immigration officers, Lawler has penned an op-ed in The New York Times urging Americans to “wake up after Minneapolis” and take a new approach to immigration.He wrote in his piece:The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this month were tragic and preventable. No matter where you stand on immigration enforcement, the shootings show that what...

A growing number of Republican senators are calling for an investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as many Trump administration officials defend federal officers’ actions. Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Crapo of Idaho, John Curtis of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have all said there needs to be a thorough probe into Saturday's fatal shooting of Pretti, a U.S. citizen, by Border Patrol. Administration officials overseeing immigration enforcement may soon face public scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats alike. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.,...

A key House Republican called on President Trump Sunday to begin yanking ICE agents out of Minneapolis — warning the chaos will only “get worse” after protester Alex Pretti was fatally shot by a federal agent a day earlier. *** James Comer (R-Ky.) suggested a de-escalation was needed after the 37-year-old ICU nurse was gunned down — especially if “there’s a chance of losing more … innocent lives.” “If I were President Trump, I would almost think about, OK, if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of...

Republican Chris Madel is ending his campaign for governor of Minnesota, saying that he cannot support the national members of his party and their "retribution on the citizens of our state." Madel said he supported the original stated purpose of Operation Metro Surge — to detain the "worst of the worst" migrants who are in the country illegally — but said the operation has "expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats." His decision comes two days after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and ICU nurse. It was the...

Most in the GOP are silent or backing the Trump administration, but a conspicuous few are speaking out. A small but growing number of Republicans are raising public concerns about the killing Saturday of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by federal agents.Hours after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street, one House GOP chair called for the top ICE leader and other Trump administration officials to publicly answer lawmakers’ questions. GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina called for independent probes into the shooting, with Cassidy arguing the integrity...

Dozens of Republicans joined all voting Democrats on Wednesday evening to reject a GOP-led effort to eliminate federal funding for a nonprofit organization accused of bias against conservatives. Lawmakers voted 127 to 291 to strip $315 billion in funding for the State Department’s democracy promotion programs, including the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), out of a government funding package, falling well short of a majority. Republican Arizona Rep. Eli Crane, who offered the amendment, argued that although NED has the ostensible goal of promoting democracy, the organization has repeatedly promoted “anti-American objectives” and undermined freedom of speech.

House Republicans are asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to explain reports about the Biden administration having purchased a device allegedly linked to "Havana Syndrome." House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino led six subcommittee chairmen in sending a letter on Wednesday to Noem and her agency in which they ask for a detailed explanation of how the device was acquired, its cost, the results of the year-long testing period of the device and what specific analytical or operational purpose the department had for obtaining the device. [snip] More recently, there has been at least one news report in which...

WASHINGTON — The Senate advanced a resolution Thursday to block President Trump from taking additional military action in Venezuela, just five days after the capture of Caracas strongman Nicolas Maduro. In a 52-47 vote, the upper chamber agreed to consider a so-called “War Powers resolution” to force Trump to end hostilities toward the South American nation, in a blow to the administration. The measure must still clear the Senate and House to take effect

There have been times in the past when IÂ’ve gotten crosswise with certain segments of the conservative base and/or with the readership of National Review. And, because, like the Elephant Man, I am a not an animal but a human being, I have always had at least some self-doubt. ThatÂ’s as it should be. People who share principles should not only hear each other out when they disagree; they should be able to see each otherÂ’s points and hold open the possibility that oneÂ’s opponents have the better argument. This is not one of those times, at least not for...