Heavyweight Weigh-In
The “high stakes” of Trump's visit will play out over the next 10 years.
Good advice👍: Eric Church on what to do when “life gets you out of tune.”
Stop and listen📱: Spread some good, my people.
Watch HERE
Editor’s note✏️: I am in Boston shooting a special on the unsung patriots and plotters of America’s revolution.
👏Many of the men we highlight are younger than me — their dedication to the cause remains inspiring beyond words
250 years later, the self-evident truths for which they pledged their lives, fortune and sacred honor are still worth fighting for today.
Weigh In 💪
🥊President Trump and President Xi right now are like heavyweight boxers staring each other down at a weigh-in the day before their fight.
Strait talk: Xi agreeing to help open the Strait of Hormuz is different than actually doing it — we wait to see what actually comes out of the summit.
Trash talk🗑️: The headlines reporting Xi’s warning Trump of “conflict” over Taiwan is the geopolitical version of prefight jousting
Trump’s quote🗣️: Trump loves pro wrestler Ric Flair’s quote, “To be the man, you have to beat the man”
‼️Xi wants to be the man — reunify China with Taiwan and fulfill China’s destiny of greatness
👀This isn’t a showdown in a meeting room but a showdown over the next 10 years
Stakes🚨: China wants to take over the world, and America is trying to protect the world.
Mano a mano⚠️: It’s not just Trump vs. Xi
👀Bessent, Rubio and Hegseth are sizing up their counterparts within the Chinese Communist Party
Rubio is possibly the next president and a strong China hawk.
Hegseth on whether he can ready the Department of War to deter China
Bessent is sizing up what an economic war looks like
❓Do they show enough resolve that the Chinese think it’s not worth the fight?
Reality🤷: Weakness is provocative.
Restraint 🔐: Trump appears oddly restrained from his own trash talk about China
2015 Trump: “This is going to be an election based on competence. It’s enough with the nice. We’re tired of being beaten up by China.”
2016 Trump: “We’re too dependent on China. We’re too dependent. … What people don’t understand in our dealings with China, we have the cards.”
2016 Trump: “We have to take a tough stance on China. … China has to pay a price if they don’t start, you know, behaving because they’re killing us on trade.”
2016 Trump: “China is sucking us dry. They’re taking our money, they’re taking our jobs.”
Scene📺: Retired Admiral James Stavridis last night delivered a terrifying analysis that the odds of a China-America war are “uncomfortably high.”
Trump’s mind🧠: How Trump sets up America for the next 10 years of great power conflict with China will define his legacy
Watch tonight📺: Gordon Chang and Jamie Metzl on why Trump continues to keep Xi guessing.
Nebraska Nuttiness‼️
🗳️Donald Trump won Nebraska by 20.4% — now a union strike leader named Dan Osborn is ahead of Republican Senator Pete Ricketts.
Full disclosure✏️: I know Ricketts. He is a good man. Did a good job as governor.
‼️Republicans — especially Fox — deeply misunderstand the Left’s popularity.
The most popular of Democrats — much like Trump 10 years ago — promised to destroy the establishment.
👀Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz can’t say the same stuff the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezes and Abdul El-Sayeds of the world say
Why?: Because Jeffries and Schultz are the establishment.
🗣️The reason Dan Osborn in Nebraska and oysterman Graham Platner in Maine have a chance is that they are talking about tearing down the establishment in both parties.
2️⃣The two-party system has been fabulous at protecting the two-party system
Tonight📺: Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn joins us.
2028 & 2026🗳️
🗣️There’s a lot of complaining in the media about Trump needing to pivot back his attention to America — but Republicans may be happy he’s focused overseas.
👀In most election years, desperate incumbents would never turn down an opportunity to campaign with the sitting vice president
Today‼️: Vice President JD Vance was in Maine but not Maine’s senator, Susan Collins.
Vance talked about the administration’s efforts to combat fraud — Collins evidently had something more important.
What I’m thinking💭: If you’re a Republican in a tough race, do you really want this administration tagging along with you?
Positioning🚨: A year ago, Vance led the Republican field by a couple of touchdowns — now, he’s in trouble
❗Vance must run on the administration’s record and stay close to Trump
❗Marco Rubio can just say he’s the foreign policy guy — he doesn’t own things the way Vance does.
Who is the constituency behind these two?
Who do the CEOs, AI executives and China want?
Who does America want?
Look forward▶️: 2028 isn’t far away — Democrats have their plan
Kamala Harris: “In that no bad idea’s brainstorm we talk about what we need to do and think about the electoral college… Supreme court reform, which includes expanding the Supreme Court… Multi members districts… The Senate judiciary committee should have rules that they put in place…Statehood of Puerto Rico and D.C.”
🥊Democrats think they are in a fight for their existence because if they don’t win back the House and Senate, they become irrelevant
Look at the map where the population is moving to — Democrats view this as their last chance
Watch tonight📺: Mark Halperin, Kevin Walling and Larry O’Connor join us.
Bonus➕: Israel says they’re planning to sue The New York Times after they published an op-ed by Hamas apologist Nick Kristof that accuses Israel of raping people with dogs.
👎The accusations are appalling
The only thing The New York Times has had to say is there’s no truth to the rumors of them considering retracting the story and Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
📱Our friend Mark Halperin makes a good point, writing:
“If the @nytimes is so confident in @NickKristof reporting, why aren’t they publishing multiple front page stories daily following up on it? cc: @noam_dworman”
Maybe It’s Working 👀
🤦Democrats love to trash Trump’s foreign policy like it’s a sport for them — even with Trump overseas.
Reality👀: Trump’s foreign policy has been remarkably more successful than Democrats like to admit
❗The Middle East is realigned behind the U.S. and Israel
❗Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro is sitting in jail in America
❗Cuba is close to collapse — the CIA director visited today for negotiations
❗Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the UAE, and now, Israel is helping protect the UAE from Iran
❗President Putin is now in a losing stalemate rather than a winning one
Plus, the talk of a coup against him
❗The Chinese are wondering if Trump is as crazy as a fox
❗Our supply chains are far less reliant on China due to tariffs
🤷So maybe things are going better
Look back🔙: I remember when Putin invaded Ukraine under President Obama, and Obama completely screwed up the Middle East
Plus🤦: It only got worse under Biden — Putin invading Ukraine again, and October 7 happened
What I’m thinking💭: If Americans are sitting there looking at foreign policy, I’m not sure Democrats are winning the argument.
Tonight📺: Rep Ami Bera, D-Calif., joins us on whether Democrats’ constant beating of Trump will leave voters angry when they see real wins.