Free Republic

The chief group backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid made a $2.75 million cash infusion to a pop-up super PAC right around the time that group spent millions attacking former President Donald Trump The payments from the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down to Win It Back PAC — a group linked to Club for Growth — were revealed in the latter group’s filings with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday. Win It Back PAC spent more than $6.4 million on digital and TV ads over the summer opposing Trump’s candidacy. It also funded a field program and text messaging.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A new book reveals that Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) “threw Trump under the bus” during Graham’s secret grand jury testimony in the Georgia election subversion case.The new revelation was unearthed by Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman in “Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election” ($30), on sale Jan. 30:“After fighting a four-month legal battle all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to block his grand jury subpoena — and losing — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham turned on a dime ‘and threw Trump...

On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, a former ally of Donald J. Trump, delivered a blistering critique of the former President, implying that Trump prioritizes personal loyalty over the nation’s welfare. In 2017, Donald Trump, who was then serving as President, threw his support behind Ron DeSantis in the race for Florida’s governorship. This endorsement from Trump was a significant boost for DeSantis, a tea-party conservative, enabling him to surpass the right-wing GOP candidate Adam Putnam, who was serving as Florida’s agriculture commissioner at the time, Politico reported. “Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant...

A video has surfaced showing Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in a controversial exchange with a Trump supporter. This footage, rapidly gaining traction on social media, seems to be the reason for President Trump’s recent scathing critique of Ramaswamy on Truth Social. In his post, Trump expressed dismay at Ramaswamy’s tactics, suggesting a shift in the latter’s stance from supporter to a political adversary employing “deceitful campaign tricks.” ["Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, “the best President in generations,” etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks. Very sly,...

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has used a 'burner' account on X to secretly post and re-post anti-Donald Trump content on the social media app ahead of her state's first-in-the-nation caucus, according to a report. Reynolds, who endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary, is not the first anti-Trump heavy hitter to get caught with a burner, after Mitt Romney's infamous 'Pierre Delecto' account was unearthed in 2019. But, the Reynolds revelation came just four days before voters will begin to caucus for both candidates, as well as former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. 'The contrast...

Ron DeSantis has further alienated the America First conservatives he hoped to win over from Donald Trump’s base by disparaging January 6th protestors, denying they were motivated by patriotism.Speaking at a CNN town hall, the Florida Governor was asked if “the January 6th insurrections display[ed] patriotism, as some of them claim they did” by an audience member.“No, of course not,” DeSantis replied immediately. “I mean, that was not a good day for the country. I think the media has taken that, and I think the left has taken that, and really tried to politicize it, but it was not a...

“If I had been President, none of that would have happened. Obviously, I would have won the election against Joe Biden and we wouldn’t have been in those situations to begin with,” said DeSantis, who was in the middle of his first term as Governor in 2021. DeSantis also chastised the former President for the decision “to invite all his supporters to D.C., the belly of the beast knowing that it’s a hostile jurisdiction for Republicans.”

“Did the Jan. 6 insurrectionists display patriotism, as some of them claim they did?” the voter asked at a CNN town hall in Iowa. “No, of course not. That was not a good day for the country,” DeSantis responded. “I think the media has taken that and the left has taken that and really tried to politicize it, but it was not a good day for the country.” “Patriotism to me is when you put yourself out there and put service above self,” the governor continued.

Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to Vivek Ramaswamy saying he would be "complicit" in lawfare against the Trump campaign by remaining in primary contests that ban the former president and a new attack ad from the Haley campaign RON DESANTIS: Just absurd. I mean, I have a responsibility to accumulate delegates. I'm not gonna unilaterally cede any, I'm gonna win as many as I can, and I've been very clear about both of those decisions in those states. It's not consistent with the Constitution. I do expect them to get reversed. (LAURA INGRAHAM:)Nikki Haley super PAC has an ad out that...

Former Trump official Alyssa Farah Griffin said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that a second Trump term “could mean the end of American democracy as we know it.” Anchor Jonathan Karl said, “President Trump saying he’ll be a dictator on day one of his second term. Here’s a continuation of my conversation with three women who served in his White House. What would it mean in your mind if he became president again?” Farah Griffin said, “Fundamentally, a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it. I don’t say that lightly. We all witnessed...

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that former President Donald Trump is a “weak and feeble man who has no sense of character and integrity and has no sense of leadership.” Anchor Jonathan Karl said, “President Trump saying he’ll be a dictator on day one of his second term. Here’s a continuation of my conversation with three women who served in his White House. What would it mean in your mind if he became president again?”

Former President Donald Trump is facing a backlash after calling one of the most conservative members of Congress a RINO who should be primaried—one week after the filing deadline. Trump blasted Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, on Truth Social after the congressman endorsed Trump’s rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, for president. “Has any smart and energetic Republican in the Great State of Texas decided to run in the Primary against RINO Congressman Chip Roy,” Trump wrote. “For the right person, he is very beatable. If interested, let me know!!!” Trump’s comments appeared to...

On Sunday, Nikki Haley went on ABC’s “This Week” to take shots at President Trump. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Haley slammed President Trump for his response to the January 6 fed-surrection. Haley told far left host Jon Karl, “I think Jan. 6 was a terrible day, and I think that the tone at the top matters,” Haley said in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “When President Trump had the opportunity to stop it, when he had the opportunity to say – the bully pulpit matters, people listen – he didn’t,” Haley added. “I hate...

Ron DeSantis asked Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday to arrange a head-to-head debate that would allow the Florida governor to take on former President Trump. “Well, Sean, I don’t think we’ve spoken since that debate, and the reaction that I’ve gotten has been incredible in terms of obviously being able to show that freedom works, and the California model’s a failure, what that means for the country,” DeSantis said. DeSantis praised Hannity’s moderating skills and suggested he hold additional debates with either of his top competitors in the presidential primary

Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who headed the Republican House majority during former President Trump’s first two years in office, says that Trump is not conservative but instead an authoritarian narcissist whose guiding principle is to aggrandize himself. Ryan defended former Republican Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for standing up to Trump and said many Republican lawmakers probably now regret not voting for impeachment charges and missing their chance to remove him from the political stage.

Mayor Eric Adams says New York City needs more cops after years of officers leaving the department. “We can use more,” Adams said on the “Morning Joe” program on MSNBC Monday. “I’m very clear on that.” “The numbers are down, but based on the numbers, no one does it better than the New York Police Department.” The NYPD has lost more than 2,000 uniformed officers over the last few years as the pandemic and anti-cop sentiment during the Black Lives Matter protests caused many to reconsider the job and resign or retire. Prior to the pandemic, the city had about...

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said Thursday on News Radio 610’s “New Hampshire Today” that former President Donald Trump was wrong about Hezbollah being “smart.”Pence was responding to Trump’s comments during a speech in Florida on Wednesday, where he called Hezbollah “smart” and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Pence said, “This is no time for the former president or any other American leader to be sending any message other than America stands with Israel.”He continued, “Hezbollah aren’t smart, they’re evil. The former president also said when Russia invaded Ukraine in a similar, unprovoked, unconscionable invasion...

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said the historic vote to remove Kevin McCarthy from his role as speaker on Tuesday was “a total disgrace.” He also had strong words about former President Donald Trump, who he said was a “scourge” on the country and the Republican Party. snip Ryan said an “unprincipled demagogue” overthrew McCarthy for “just doing his job” — referring to Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who coordinated the effort to remove McCarthy from his role, and who Ryan criticized by name later in his remarks. “The kind of populism we have right now is not rooted in principle....

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) took a shot at former President Donald Trump and criticized him for his lack of “leadership” during his Wednesday announcement that he is not seeking reelection in 2024. Romney criticized Trump for calling “global warming a hoax” in a video statement he released. Romney also said, “neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their party to confront” the “critical challenges” facing the country like the “mounting national debt, climate change, and the ambitious authoritarians of Russia and China.”

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday suggested that neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump were of an appropriate age to lead the nation. Appearing on CBS News, the governor fielded a question as to the ages of Biden, 80, and Trump, 77. Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history while Trump previously held that title. "I think that's absolutely a legitimate concern," the governor said. "The presidency's not a job for someone that's 80 years old, and there's nothing wrong with being 80 obviously. I'm the governor of Florida. I know a lot of people...