Latest news with #TPUSA
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Charlie Kirk says JD Vance is a guiding light for future conservative leaders
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk points to Vice President JD Vance as the conservative candidate to beat among young voters in the 2028 presidential election, should he run. During an interview at last weekend's Turning Point Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, Kirk said he believes Vance will be the candidate that young Americans look up to as the future leader of the conservative movement once President Donald Trump leaves office. 'I think JD Vance fits that mold really well,' the political activist said when asked by Fox News Digital who the guiding light for young conservative voters in 2028 will be. Kirk, whose mission with TPUSA is to educate and engage young voters and students on conservative principles, named several qualities which allow the vice president to connect with younger people. 'He can operate seamlessly in a podcast environment,' he said, remarking that Vance has a 'wonderful family.' 3 Kirk said he believes Vance will be the candidate that young Americans look up to as the future leader of the conservative movement. AFP via Getty Images Kirk also mentioned the 40-year-old Vance, the third-youngest VP in the nation's history, relates to younger Americans because of his age, while acknowledging Vance hasn't committed to a presidential bid. 'He's the youngest vice president in quite some time, one of the youngest in American history,' he said. Beyond Vance, Kirk stressed that any future leader of the conservative movement needs to address the top concerns of young people in America today, namely the high cost of living. 3 Kirk also mentioned the 40-year-old Vance, the third-youngest VP in the nation's history, relates to younger Americans because of his age. AP 'But outside of the candidate, we need to actually be able to deliver and go to the American people and go to the younger voters and say, 'Here's how your life was, and now it's easier for you to own a home. You don't have to rent for the rest of your life. It's easier to get married, easier to have children.'' Elsewhere in the interview, Kirk warned Republicans that the GOP may lose the young voters that helped Trump win the White House in 2024 if they don't deliver on cost-of-living issues. 'The biggest threat to the Republican Party in 2028 is if we do not deliver on our promises of [home]ownership for the next generation,' Kirk told Fox News Digital. 'The youth vote didn't just vote for Donald Trump. Young voters put Donald Trump in the White House.' 3 Kirk warned Republicans that the GOP may lose the young voters that helped Trump win the White House in 2024 if they don't deliver on cost-of-living issues. Getty Images The TPUSA founder also stressed that the future conservative leader would have to deliver on the major issues conservatives of all ages are focused on. 'We have to deliver on immigration, on the deportations. We have to deliver, I think, on managing the size and scope of the federal government from cost savings and from cutting spending,' he said. Kirk mentioned that he 'would love' for Vance to be the man that takes up the conservative mantle, referring to himself as a 'big JD guy.' However, he noted that it's more important that, whoever the candidate is, they are solid on core conservative issues. 'I say, 'Guys, if we don't deliver, it doesn't matter who you run, because then we're going to have big problems,'' he said.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Why Jeffrey Epstein's client list is a MAGA breaking point
Regarding the July 14 front-page article 'MAGA faithful's disquiet grows': The Turning Point USA Action Summit made one thing clear: The MAGA movement's youth are no longer content with silence. I applaud them for pressing for the truth, even when the results might make their own political hero uncomfortable.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
11 key figures in the fight over Epstein files
A Justice Department memo seeking to douse conspiracy theories around Jeffrey Epstein has split the MAGA influencer ecosystem into competing factions, with some of President Trump's loudest backers refusing his demand to drop the issue. The memo said there was no evidence Epstein kept a 'client list' or blackmailed powerful global figures. The report also concluded that Epstein had died by suicide in prison; some right-wing figures suspect he was murdered by powerful forces protecting secrets. The report's findings were a serious blow to legions of right-wing keyboard warriors who had hoped the Trump administration would finally bring to light a vast conspiracy surrounding the financier and convicted sex trafficker. Democratic lawmakers have fanned the flames of the MAGA infighting, even seeking to force votes in Congress to disclose more information about the convicted sex offender. Here are 11 figures that have emerged as key fronts in the debate. Steve Bannon The former White House adviser has warned the Epstein turmoil is a serious problem for the MAGA movement, predicting Friday that the GOP could lose as many as 40 seats in the 2026 midterms over the issue. 'You're going to lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement. If we lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement right now, we ain't gonna … we're gonna lose 40 seats in '26,' he told a live audience during his 'War Room' podcast. 'We're gonna lose the president' in 2028, he added. Bannon has avoided pointing fingers at Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel or FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who have taken significant heat online. But he has blamed the 'deep state' for obstructing Trump officials inclined toward transparency and urged Trump to appoint a special counsel to examine the Epstein files. 'In that arc of looking at how the deep state has tried to stop Trump and the MAGA movement, you can easily fit in the Epstein situation,' he said at the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Student Action Summit, a major gathering for young conservatives held this weekend. Charlie Kirk Kirk, the popular conservative activist who helped found TPUSA, has encouraged his followers to move on from the Epstein files in recent days. 'Honestly, I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being. I'm going to trust my friends in the administration. I'm going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done, solve it, ball's in their hands,' he said on his show Monday. Trump reportedly called Kirk over the weekend as the president seeks to shut down criticism of the administration's handling of the Epstein files. 'I'm going to trust my friends Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, my friend Pam Bondi. All these guys,' Kirk said, also mentioning Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Many young conservatives in Kirk's ecosystem, however, have not been as willing to trust the Trump administration. Some attendees at the weekend summit were adamant they still wanted the files. 'I think that there was plenty of, let's say, speeches that were directed towards this topic this last weekend. So we don't need to spend our valuable time on this program relitigating it,' Kirk said Monday. Laura Loomer The far-right influencer has been among the loudest voices calling for Bondi's ouster, often referring to the attorney general as 'Scam Blondi' on X. On Sunday, she also called for a special counsel to investigate the government's handling of the files. 'Blondi is literally blowing up the Trump admin by concealing information, spending time on Fox News lying to MAGA base and by releasing contradictory statements,' she wrote on X last week. 'She lied on national TV and needs to be held accountable for harming the Trump admin and public trust.' Loomer is known to have Trump's ear and has taken credit for the April firings of several senior national security officials. Trump has so far stood by Bondi. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!' the president said Saturday on Truth Social. Tucker Carlson Carlson has taken a different bent from many MAGA figures, focusing on the theory that Epstein was an intelligence asset affiliated with the Mossad, Israel's national spy agency. 'The only other explanation that I can think of … is that intel services are at the very center of this story, US and Israeli, and they're being protected,' he mused in a lengthy podcast with conservative commentator Saagar Enjeti last week. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett dismissed the claim as 'categorically and totally false' and specifically derided Carlson in a Monday post on X. Megyn Kelly Kelly, the former Fox News anchor who now hosts an eponymous show, has criticized Bondi for setting false expectations around the release of Epstein files, while refusing to dismiss the idea that the disgraced financier might have connections to foreign intelligence. 'She has never missed an opportunity to go on television and dangle sweet nothings that might be coming your way,' Kelly said of Bondi at TPUSA's summit, onstage with Kirk. 'I am convinced, based on my own sources and my own reporting on this story, he wasn't one of ours,' Kelly said of Epstein. Attorney General Pam Bondi Much of MAGA's ire has focused on an interview Bondi gave on Fox News in February, in which she responded to a question about Epstein's client list by saying it was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' After the release of the DOJ's memo, Bondi claimed she was referring broadly to case files related to Epstein, not to a literal list of clients. Earlier this month, before the memo's release, Bondi raised eyebrows when she said the FBI was reviewing 'tens of thousands of videos' of Epstein 'with children or child porn.' Bondi also addressed questions around a 'missing minute' in 2019 security camera footage of Epstein's prison cell around the time he died inside, showing no one went in or out. She said the brief lapse around midnight was caused by a daily reset of the video feed. Deputy FBI director Dan Bongino Bongino reportedly skipped work on Friday after clashing with Bondi over the Epstein situation. The New York Times reported that Bondi, who has taken much of the fire online, accused him of planting negative news stories about her. Bongino was a podcaster before he joined the FBI and, like his boss Patel, helped fuel conspiracies surrounding Epstein. 'I think Jeffrey Epstein may have some videotape of people central to the Democrat, and maybe Republican party, doing some things, let's just say they shouldn't be doing,' he said on his podcast in 2023, citing an 'unimpeachable source.' Trump has backed Bongino in recent days. 'I spoke to him today,' Trump told reporters Sunday. 'Dan Bongino, very good guy. I've known him a long time. I've done his show many many times. He sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he's in good shape.' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Ill.) Khanna is among the Democrats seeking to stoke the controversy with demands for transparency. The Illinois Democrat attempted Monday to force a House vote to release records related to Epstein via an amendment to a cryptocurrency bill. The amendment died in the House Rules Committee after a Republican majority voted to strike it down. 'We won't stop until the files are released. This may have been our first attempt, but the public will not be gaslit. We will keep fighting for transparency,' Khanna wrote on social media after the vote. Democrats on Tuesday, in a last-ditch attempt, sought to force a vote on the amendment, but the GOP torpedoed the move. House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, have also called on the DOJ to release the files. Elon Musk Musk asserted during his public breakup with Trump that the president is named in the Epstein files, and seized on the DOJ memo, which coincided with the launch of his new political party. Musk said last week that exposing secrets around Epstein would be a high priority for his 'America Party.' 'What the hell kind of system are we living in if thousands of kids were abused, the government has videos of the abusers and yet none of the abusers are even facing charges!?' he wrote on X Saturday. 'This is a very big deal.' Alan Dershowitz Epstein's former lawyer Alan Dershowitz said this week that judges in New York are suppressing information about the case, not the Trump administration. Dershowitz, who helped get a plea deal for Epstein in 2008, said that there's no Epstein 'client list,' just a redacted FBI affidavit from accusers. He added none of the Epstein associates named in the affidavit are figures currently holding a public office. 'There are several of them from accusers that accuse Jeffrey — that accuse various people of having improper sex, and that has been redacted, the names of the people accused have been blacked out,' Dershowitz said Monday in an appearance on NewsNation's 'Cuomo.' Dershowitz has said he knows the names, but is 'bound by confidentiality.' President Trump Trump hob-nobbed with Epstein in both New York City and Palm Beach, but the president has said they had a falling out years before Epstein was convicted of any crimes. Trump has previously raised questions about how Epstein was killed and promised to bring transparency to the case. He again defended Bondi while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. 'The attorney general has handled that very well. She has really done a very good job,' Trump said of the attorney general, also backing the findings of the memo. 'The credibility is very important. And you want credible evidence for something like that. And I think the attorney general has handled it very well,' Trump added. The White House has denied reports of divisions within the Trump administration. 'Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all,' the White House said in a statement.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
The 1600: Tucker Has a Point
The Insider's Track Good morning, This other dad I know from the park confided in me the other day that he taught his kids from a young age that when the ice cream truck is playing music, that means it ran out of ice cream. I still can't decide if that's evil or brilliant. Maybe both? Last night I watched this speech that Tucker Carlson gave at the Turning Point USA conference on Friday, after several people told me it was worth putting myself through. His remarks got a lot of pickup in the media for what he said about Smeffrey Smepstein (I promised one of you I wouldn't mention his name again this week), in which he accused the disgraced and deceased financier of being a Mossad agent. (The Israelis have said that's "totally false," btw. So that settles that!) But if you watch the whole 45 minute speech, it's actually the least interesting thing Tucker talked about. His broader point was actually in line with what we discuss all the time here: that all of these cultural issues that take up so much oxygen in the national conversation are taking attention away from Our Biggest Problem, which is the affordability crisis that is creating a lack of faith in our entire economic system. Quick note about Tucker, since someone will inevitably accuse me of "promoting fascism" or something by highlighting his remarks. I don't much care for his shtick, and I find him to be pretty smug and grating to listen to. If you watch the whole TPUSA video, there's parts where he sounds especially unhinged. But he's also very smart, thoughtful and challenging, so I make a point to pay some attention to what he's up to, especially now that he is no longer a Murdoch/Fox mouthpiece. I also know one of his kids and they're super cool, normal and well-adjusted, so that reflects well on him in my mind. Here's the relevant excerpt of his speech if you don't want to sit through the whole thing. (The good stuff starts around the 19 min mark.) "Basic economics really matter. They matter because, not that it's bad that rich people are getting richer. It's bad that everyone else is getting poorer. And it's especially bad that young people can't afford homes. Let me just put a very precise point on this. If you want a measure of how your economy is doing, I personally favor eliminating GDP as a measure. I don't even know what that is. It's clearly not relevant. They tell me Japan has a stagnant GDP. Have you been to Tokyo? It's the single most radicalizing experience you'll ever have. Because it's just so nice. You lost the war, really? Can we lose the war and wind up like this? GDP. No. I don't know what even that is. Total economic activity, no, no. My measure's really simple. I got a bunch of kids. Can they afford houses with full-time jobs at like 27, 28? The answer is, no way." The median age of a first-time homebuyer in America was 38 last year. This year it'll probably crack 40. In the 1990s it was 28-30. Some 70% of Americans can't afford a $400K house, the median sale price of a home in the US right now, according to the Nat'l Assoc. of Homebuilders. You can be in your mid-30s, with a spouse, good job and some savings, and be completely priced out of the American housing market. That is a disaster for our society. Tucker makes the point that when people don't own things, they don't feel ownership of their country and it creates some of the political volatility we're seeing now. Elect a smooth-talking socialist the mayor of the financial capital of the world? Sure, why not! What the hell do I have to lose? The other thing, as any non-billionaire trying to raise kids in NYC can tell you, is that it becomes very difficult to start or expand a family if you don't have a house. Homes and kids are the things that give you agency and ownership in our society. They make you care about your community, your city, your country's future, in a way that's different than if you're just slumming it as a single person renting an apt in a hip neighborhood. As Tucker put it: "If you have a lawn, you're thinking long term." Neither of our esteemed political parties have figured out how to deal with this. Trump is demanding the Fed lower interest rates, which would help the housing situation to a degree (even though as this morning's CPI data shows inflation has not been completely tamed). But he's also slapping tariffs on housing materials like copper and deporting construction workers, all of which will make it harder to do the massive amount of homebuilding we need to be doing. The Democrats have never met a regulation they didn't approve, but at least are now paying lip service to this concept of "abundance politics" where we cut the red tape and build, build, build: housing, transit, infrastructure, you name it. But liberals still need to figure out a way to deal with their "groups", from the unions to the NGOs, who make everything so difficult. Anyway, it's summer and the news at the moment is blah, so take a few minutes to watch that video linked above. It's nice to hear someone with actual influence over those in power making the point that basic economic and quality-of-life concerns trump the culture wars and Smepstein distractions. The Rundown Republican lawmakers have blocked a move that could have forced President Donald Trump's administration to release the files on the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's death and investigation. All but one of the GOP members of the House Rules Committee voted against a Democrat amendment that would have allowed Congress to vote on whether the files should be made public or not. Read more. Also happening: Russia-Ukraine war: The United States will send additional Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine, part of a European Union–funded deal intended to bolster Kyiv's defenses against intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks and coming as President Donald Trump is voicing increased frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Will the missiles help Ukraine turn the tide against Russia? California: The Republican Party's hopes of winning the state may have taken a hit as the proportion of Republicans registering in the state has declined. According to party registration data, the proportion of people in California who have registered as Republicans has dropped from 28 percent in December 2024 to about 23 percent in June 2025. Read more. This is a preview of The 1600—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
MAGA starts to move on from Epstein drama as Trump digs in
MAGA may be starting to move on from its infighting over Jeffrey Epstein. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who didn't show up for work on Friday after a fight with Attorney General Pam Bondi and weighed resigning in protest of the administration's handling of the Epstein case, spoke to President Donald Trump over the weekend. He subsequently returned to the office on Monday — though it remains unclear whether he will stay on at the FBI long term, two sources familiar with the situation told Semafor. And while several prominent Trump-aligned pundits continued to air frustrations with the Justice Department's decision to effectively declare the Epstein matter closed, one of them — TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk — said Monday he wouldn't be commenting further. Notably, he also spoke with Trump this weekend. The Epstein flap, as of Monday night, now appears to be the latest example of a second Trump term that's been defined by the president's ability to bend GOP lawmakers and his base to his will. Trump made clear that he wants to get past the circular firing squad that the conservative movement descended into last week over Epstein documents. So far, with only a few exceptions, he's getting what he wants from his party. A reprieve from the Epstein files would be welcome news for Republicans who want to limit the fallout from the accused sex trafficker's case, a conspiratorial focus on the right since his 2019 death while awaiting trial. For quite a few in the GOP, an Epstein fight between leadership at the FBI and DOJ is nothing but an unwelcome distraction. 'It's all National Enquirer stuff,' Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told Semafor. 'Everybody's had their speculation of who did what and why they did. We got so many more things up here that we got to do other than worry about that. Now, if [there's] something out there, I think they should put it out. But it's obvious there's nothing there.' Tuberville added that Bondi 'might have misspoken a couple times and said there was a list, and she probably should have said, 'There are a bunch of files on my desk and we've got to go through it.'' Bondi added fuel to the years-long firestorm among conservatives about Epstein's powerful network of friends in politics and business. She told Fox News in February that a list of Epstein's clients was 'sitting on my desk right now to review,' raising the expectations of Trump diehards, and is now seen by critics as overpromising in public remarks (Bondi later said she was referring to documents in general). There is no evidence that the alleged client list exists. Bondi also angered conservative pundits after they were invited to the White House and given an 'Epstein Files: Phase 1″ binder that turned out to be largely already-released details. Throughout it all, disagreements between the FBI and DOJ grew over the handling of the Epstein documents — only for the two agencies to release an unsigned, two-page memo last week declaring that 'no further disclosure' of documents would be necessary. It's turned into something between a letdown and a sideshow for Republicans who were bracing for more. 'I'm kind of surprised, because I was led to believe there was more there than what's indicated,' Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Semafor. 'I can't draw any more conclusions, just that I'm surprised.' 'My strongest feeling is: I'm glad I have nothing to do with it,' said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Not everyone in the party is willing to move on. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, asked his followers on X on Monday afternoon about Epstein's alleged fixer: 'Would you like to see Ghislaine Maxwell testify before Congress — about everything she knows about Jeffrey Epstein?' Then there's right-wing agitator Laura Loomer, who is calling for a special counsel in the Epstein case. It seems there's a portion of the base who isn't willing to follow Trump on this particular issue — and that could be a lasting issue for the president, who clearly doesn't want to hear the name Epstein again. Over the weekend, the Student Action Summit held by Kirk's group put members of the administration and frustrated MAGA influencers on the same stage at a high-tension moment. The three-day Tampa conference was thick with criticism of DOJ and disbelief that the president could have let so many people down. 'What is it about Jeffrey Epstein that's so infuriating to people, so infuriating that it's actually causing seismic political problems?' asked Tucker Carlson on Friday. 'It's the frustration of normal people, watching a certain class of people get away with everything every single time.' Megyn Kelly also bemoaned Bondi's actions to Kirk. Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon urged the president to appoint a special counsel to examine the Epstein information, even as some in the movement pivoted to other stories. Congressional Democrats have written to the White House and Republicans for weeks, demanding more Epstein disclosure, often citing Elon Musk when they asked for it. Once they saw MAGA commentators arguing about the DOJ memo, they started trying to remind Trump's voters that the president had also socialized with what DNC strategist Tim Hogan called 'notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.' On Thursday, the DNC created @TrumpEpsteinBot, an X account with daily updates on how 'the Epstein files' hadn't been released. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the lead Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told Semafor that his party wants to 'know exactly what Donald Trump is hiding.' He vowed to ask for Epstein documents to be declassified, and to pursue that outright in 2027 if Democrats retake the House. 'Clearly, when the Attorney General says that she has the files on her desk and then tries to run away from that statement, we need to find out why,' Garcia told Semafor. That was a shift from how Democrats talked about the Epstein story after his death in prison — as a Republican fixation. One key question: What does Bongino's future look like after all this? On Sunday, Trump confirmed he'd spoken to the FBI's No. 2, telling reporters he thinks Bongino is still in the role and that he's a 'very good guy.' 'He sounded terrific, actually,' Trump said. 'No, I think he's in good shape.' But it's still not clear whether Bongino wants to stay at the FBI, or whether the rift between him and Bondi can be repaired. And while Trump publicly praised Bongino, he historically doesn't appreciate being publicly pushed to make a decision (in this case, to fire Bondi, whom he's openly defending). As a media personality, Bongino spent years cultivating an impressive following on the right, many of whom remain behind him in this current fight. If he leaves the FBI, will he return to his successful conservative podcasting sphere? And, perhaps more importantly, will Trump let him go without a fight? In his Off Message newsletter, Brian Beutler Democrats to make life unpleasant for Trump figures who changed their Epstein stories. 'Their participation should haunt them til they die. They should be branded with a scarlet E.' Fox News isn't much about Epstein right now, according to Media Matters's Matthew Gertz. On Monday, a New York Times story about the use of an autopen to sign clemencies in Joe Biden's final days had featured nearly 100 times on the network before prime time. There were no mentions of the Epstein story.
