Politics By Other Means👀

Trump needs the Navy to do what he can’t

Redistricting Runamok✏️: Our buddy Tom Dupree joins tonight on the endless court battles over redistricting.

• ❌Virginia’s Supreme Court might kill the Democrats big win last month

• ✏️Tennessee and other red states want to redraw maps to become more red — those will get challenged soon

  • Absurd🤦: Democrats claim Tennessee redrawing is racism blah blah

    • ‼️Really?!?! New England is 40% Republican and most of the states don’t have a single Republican congressmen among them

• Why it matters 👀: Redistricting makes America more extreme — on both sides.

  • 👎It’s objectively bad for the country.

• What’s next▶️: As Congress refuses to do its job, the courts become increasingly important

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Apprentice final season🎬: Amazon says they might remake “The Apprentice” — who needs that when we have the real thing?

• Split screen📺: Today, Vice President JD Vance stumped in Iowa — and Secretary Marco Rubio briefed from the White House podium

  • What I am thinking💭: This is the divide in MAGA and the Republican Party

  • The choice‼️: Trump needs his chosen pick to win in 2028 — his loyalty is to his legacy

  • What to watch for👀: Rubio can’t run for POTUS as secretary of State — does he resign after the midterms?

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High Seas, High Stakes‼️

@CENTCOM / X

👀Trump needs the U.S. Navy to do what he can not.

• Philosophy🗣️: Clausewitz said war is politics by other means

  • The politics📃: Trump can’t go into the midterms at war and with high gas prices

    • Despite the Iranians shooting at U.S. warships and them shooting back — Trump says he will let everyone know IF there is a ceasefire violation.

  • The war💣: A Navy blockade of Iranian commerce and naval escorts for all other ships through the Strait of Hormuz will allow Trump to declare victory and lower gas prices

Verbal gymnastics🤸: The swashbuckling bravado by Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary Marco Rubio and President Trump himself is gone — Project Freedom is “defensive” in nature.

• Wait what🤔: When was the last time America played defense?

• Be smart🧠: Trump doesn’t want to restart the war — it puts America’s military in the crosshairs

• Question❓: What are the rules of engagement? How much fire must American ships take before taking out Iranian threats?

• What I am thinking💭: This is going to get messy.

White House reality‼️: What happens in the Strait of Hormuz the next few weeks will determine Trump’s future and legacy

Watch tonight📺: Brent Sadler and retired Maj. John Spencer on whether the Navy can pull off the impossible

• Plus➕: What do voters actually think — Trump went all in to oust Republicans he doesn’t like in Indiana — what do his coattails look like with Chris Cilliza.

  • Never changes🤷: Trump believes he is the single best person in the world at communicating his own message and by a force of will that he can communicate even what is unpopular

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GOP Betting the Farm‼️

😬Republicans are betting the farm that Democrats are too extreme for Americans — never bet the farm.

• 🤷Republicans certainly do have enough material:

  • ❗Synagogues and homes last night were vandalized with swastikas in New York City

    • Reality🤷: This is what happens when you elect a Hamas-adjacent and pro-Palestianian mayor who leads “from the river to the sea” chants

    • 👎And who refuses to condemn statements like “globalize the intifada”

      • Don’t forget this is in a city with the largest Jewish population

  • ❗The Nazi-tattooed Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, Graham Platner

    • 📈Platner is leading the polls by around +35

  • ❗Michigan’s Hamas-enthusiast, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed

    • 📈El-Sayed is a leading candidate

  • ❗Seattle’s socialist mayor who says the real problem with old people being beaten in the streets are the CCTV cameras that captured the video.

    • 🗣️Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson: “Turning on more cameras won’t magically make our neighborhoods safer, but it will certainly make our neighborhoods more vulnerable.”

• Watch out⚠️: This is not a safe bet for Republicans.

• Why🤷: There is this massive anger in both parties to tear down America’s political establishment — because so many believe the system isn’t working for them.

  • Republicans are dreaming about Susan Collins vs Nazi-tattoo Platner — and Mike Rogers vs El-Sayed

    • What I’m thinking💭: No two people are more establishment Republican than Mike Rogers and Susan Collins

  • ‼️Voters want someone to tear the establishment apart

    • Look back🔙: Trump started doing that and got distracted.

    • It’s about American’s hating the establishment because they think the system isn’t working for them.

    • Wow😮: Sen Bernie Sanders says El-Sayed will take over the establishment of both parties

      • Sanders: “We need leaders in Washington who have the guts to take on the political establishment of both political parties. To take on the oligarchs and the economic establishment. That’s why we need Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate. ”

Tonight📺: Yemisi Egbewole and Philip Wegmann on whether Republicans are making the same mistake Democrats made in 2016