Free Republic

An instructor at Donald Trump's Trump Entrepreneur Initiative—originally known as Trump University—once offered advice about how illegal immigrants can purchase homes in the United States. Real estate agent Tina Merritt wrote a blog post for the Trump Blog in April 2010 titled "Can an Illegal Immigrant Buy a Home in the United States?" Merritt explained that the answer was "yes." Here's an excerpt from the archived blog post: First of all, you do not have to have a social security number to buy or sell a home in the U.S. Some mortgage lenders require one; however, there is not...

Donald Trump had by far his worst debate of the 2016 campaign on Thursday. He was defensive and vulgar, evasive and condescending, rude and imperious. He moved drastically to the center on immigration, repudiating his position on H-1B visas on stage and saying “everything is negotiable,” including the border wall and the fate of illegal immigrants already in the United States. He defended his calls for expansive torture and the killing of civilians related to terrorists, saying the military “will do what I tell them” even if his orders contradict the law. He dismissed his opponents as “little Marco” and...

If conservative pundits like Ann Coulter and Breitbart's John Nolte want to make fools of themselves, so be it. But as a Christian and by consequence a political conservative, I want no part of the Donald Trump campaign. I admit to being initially amused by The Donald's antics, and delighted by the fits he was giving the mainstream press and Republican establishment so desperate to eliminate him. But the longer this reality TV show has dragged on, the more frustrated I have become with this mindless game far too many Christians and conservatives seem to be playing. Because they rightly...

Trump earns support from Americans who think he has a Midas touch and will use his business skills to fix the mess President Obama has created. But a closer look at Trump’s record reveals his success story is just that -- a story. How many of his supporters know about Trump University? Trump Air? Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump ties, or the United States Football League? Trump's business history reveals someone skilled at making money at the expense of other Americans while his businesses fail, and a man who will say almost anything about these failures. And his legacy of...

The incoming fire appears to have taken a toll in South Carolina, a state that had been seen as favorable territory for Cruz due to its conservative and evangelical bent. But new polls released this week show Cruz trailing by double digits, with Trump poised for a huge win in the state on Saturday. Wednesday's Monmouth University poll gives Trump 35 percent support, nearly doubling Cruz, who garnered just 19 percent. Trump's lead extends to the very evangelical community that Cruz had expected to win in large numbers.

I filled in for Herman Cain earlier today and had on Senator Jim DeMint, the current President of the Heritage Foundation and former Senator from South Carolina.The interview was about the Supreme Court, but I had to ask DeMint about the attacks on Cruz in South Carolina. Neither Cruz nor Rubio would be in the Senate but for Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund supporting them.Senator DeMint told me he knows Ted Cruz, knows he is honest, and knows that the attacks are coming because Cruz fights Washington. Washington politicians, in turn, have decided they have to take out Ted Cruz.You...

TheBlaze TV and radio host Dana Loesch took to Twitter yesterday to call on Governor Chris Christie, Dr. Ben Carson and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina to do the country a favor by dropping out: "If Christie, Fiorina, and Carson don’t exit after tonight I have to question whether they are in it for the country or themselves." Earlier today, Christie took her advice. A few hours later, Fiorina did the same thing. Sadly, however, Ben Carson has done the exact opposite. Instead of suspending his campaign, the famed neurosurgeon left for South Carolina yesterday evening. Unbelievably enough, he did...

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson tells Jake Tapper he is "not getting any pressure" to suspend his campaign despite dismal results in N.H. and is confident to win South Carolina.

Shortly after Barack Obama swept into the White House while giving Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid a coattail Marxist Congress, Newsweek Magazine ran the cover "We're all Socialists now,"... ...it took until last night before it was literally true, as New Hampshire gave a full-throated socialist a rout over semi-socialist Hillary Clinton on the Democrat side and the once and now apparently again socialist Donald Trump won... ...In case you missed the final score, it was Bernie by about 18 over Hillary and Trump by about 18 over John Kasich. Yes, John Kasich. ... ...Trump has flirted with socialist talking...

It's easy to pick Ted Cruz if the choices are, well, everyone else still running for the GOP nomination. As I refuse to insult my fellow citizens by entertaining the idea that Donald Trump is a serious candidate worthy of debate, I will focus on why conservatives should pick Cruz over Marco Rubio. First, let me say it if it isn't clear...if I were a Republican who could vote in a GOP primary, I'd vote Cruz. He's not my first choice, in fact he's my 5th of this cycle, but here we are. It's Not Just Amnesty The easy knock...

Ted Cruz won last week's Iowa caucuses, exceeding expectations and capturing an impressive 27 percent of the vote. Donald Trump took second place, while Marco Rubio took third. What happened next?...

With lawsuits pending and shady partners, Trump's business empire could not withstand the scrutiny of a presidential campaign, and even his kids might have been muddied. Editor's Note, 8/10/15: Four years ago, Wayne Barett reported shady business deals ahead of Trump's flirtation with a White House run. After first exposing Trump’s ties to organized crime in his 1992 book, Barrett looked into his most recent business dealings and discovered the following: One associate who was an "unindicted co-conspirator" in a massive 2000 stock swindle-and escaped prison only by helping to convict 19 others, including six members of New York crime...

Politics is a full-contact sport, but it’s not OK to hit below the belt. Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio spent last week blaming frontrunner Sen. Ted Cruz for a problem that originated from Team Carson’s own disorganization—even after media records and Iowa exit poll data cleared Cruz. Before you vote in your primary, you deserve the truth...

Donald Trump doesn't know what he thinks about health care. He has been a periodic advocate of a United Kingdom–style monopoly system and a periodic critic of such monopolies. He says that we should repeal the so-called Affordable Care Act and replace it with . . . something. Something "terrific." Well. When asked by New Hampshire debate moderator Mary Katharine Ham whether his flirtations with single-payer leave him closer to Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders than to mainstream Republicans, Trump gave a hilariously incoherent answer based in one part on banalities and one part on lies -- which is the Trump...

The initial stupefaction and dismay with which liberals greeted Donald Trump's candidacy have slowly given way to feelings of Schadenfreude- reveling in the suffering of others, in this case the apoplectic members of the Republican Establishment. Are such feelings morally wrong? Or can liberals enjoy the spectacle unleavened by guilt? As Republican voters start actually voting, is it okay to be sad - alarmed, even - by the prospect that the Trump hostile takeover of the GOP may fail? There are three reasons, in descending order of obviousness, for a liberal to earnestly and patriotically support a Trump Republican nomination....

Good political ads create two reactions. They make voters stand up and cheer. Or they make them cringe and think, "That's gonna leave a mark.... aanndd I need to watch that again." Such is the nature of the ad Chris Christie dropped on Marco Rubio this evening. So grab some popcorn and a chair and watch "It's A Simple Question." For full disclosure, I am helping the Keep the Promise PAC team. Link to Ad Video Link to You Tube

There's a reason why nearly zero Republican Senators are rushing to the microphones to endorse Ted Cruz. Compared to his bold attempts to topple the president's middle-class-crushing, business-squashing, government-dependency-boosting, liberty-erasing imperialism, they look like the Lollipop Guild all obediently singing to Obama's tune. So they hate Ted Cruz. Americans want to know why they overwhelmingly voted to send Republicans to Congress to smash a presidency that nearly 67% oppose and they're furious that it seems nothing is ever done. Except by Ted Cruz. Senator Cruz led the fight against the Gang of Eight Bill that would have essentially handed amnesty...

A Midway businessman is facing charges under Utah's commercial terrorism statute after investigators say he took scores of free tourism brochures out of stands owned by a competitor and replaced them with his own brochures. Scott Jay Eckersley is charged in 4th District Court with four counts of commercial obstruction, a second-degree felony. Wasatch County prosecutor Mckay King said the charges are appropriate, based on the allegations against Eckersley. Over the past year, Eckersley went to the Zermatt Resort & Spa in Midway four times and "totally cleaned out" a competitor's display of free tourism brochures, according to Wasatch County...

In the announcement speech for his presidential campaign, Donald Trump railed against Obamacare. "We have a disaster called the big lie: Obamacare," Trump declared. "I would repeal and replace the big lie, Obamacare." Well, that sounds like something a Republican candidate would say. But there is one problem: Trump helped finance the Democratic takeover of Congress in 2006 - which put in place the liberal majority that passed Obamacare over the objections of congressional Republicans. And he continued to support a Democratic Senate majority after Obamacare...

Not defeat, but rather how one responds to it, determines “winners” and “losers.” Winners say, “Congratulations.” Losers affirm their designation by barking, “You cheated.” Donald Trump, after uncharacteristic graciousness in defeat Monday night, emerged as himself by accusing Ted Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucuses from him. At least Al Gore could claim he won the popular vote. The Donald lost convincingly to a man down five in the polls entering the contest. But he’s convinced he didn’t lose. Trump, using his preferred means of discourse, tweeted: “The State of Iowa should disqualify Ted Cruz from the most recent election...