Newly elected Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), held a press conference today to answer questions and introduce his leadership team: Assistant Majority Leader, also called the Republican “whip” John Barrasso (R-WY), Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR), Republican Policy Committee Chair Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), Republican Conference Vice Chair James Lankford (R-OK), National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-SC). WATCH:
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I’m not going to dwell too much on this announcement, because it has already been discussed.
President Trump has announced his nomination of Florida Senator Marco Rubio for the position of Secretary of State.
[Source]
This move takes Marco Rubio out of the position of Chairman for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). That’s the sum value of this move, and the companion reason for President Trump to appoint Steven C. Witkoff to be Special Envoy to the Middle East. (link)
Senator Marco Rubio will be State Dept Secretary with a short leash and a very limited portfolio. However, from his perspective the political status and future value is awesome. It will be interesting to see: (1) who is appointed chairman of the SSCI, and (2) who Ron DeSantis appoints as Rubio’s replacement.
[Now we must focus on the very important chairmanships of the senate committees that John Thune will decide.]
In the first ballot the results were: Thune 23, Cornyn 15, Scott 13.
Scott was removed and the Senators went to the second ballot between Thune and Cornyn.
As expected, the Scott coalition split 50/50. Thune picked up 6 votes from Scott’s group. Cornyn picked up 7 votes from Scott’s group.
It was always going to be this way. Remember, the Senate is a silo -by design- isolated from influence of the American public.
If we want to change the dynamic, we must repeal the 17th amendment and return to the original constitutional construct: Senators appointed to represent the interests of each state, by State Legislature.
The Senate was designed to represent the interests of the State, not ‘the people’; that’s the job of the House of Representatives.
As scheduled, President Donald Trump and Joe Biden meet in the Oval Office to discuss the transition of power. Joe Biden delivers remarks, including “welcome back.” President Trump thanks Joe Biden for his efforts to ensure a smooth transition. Then the insufferable media go bananas. WATCH:
There’s a livestream below as President Trump and Joe Biden meet behind closed doors together with their Chief’s of Staff.
The media is awaiting President Trump’s exit from the White House.
“This was no small thing, to restore a republic after it had fallen into corruption. I have studied history for years and I cannot recall it ever happening. It may have been that our task was impossible. Yet, if we did not try then how would we know it could not be done? And if we did not try, it most certainly would not be done. The Founders’ Republic, and the larger war for western civilization, would have been lost.”
“But I tell you this: We did not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we made with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from this day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.”
~ Mike Vanderboegh (adapted)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
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…And just like that, President Trump opens the door of possibility for a special election, and John Thune to fulfill Kimberly’s hope returning to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a full-throated gubernatorial endorsement from the Great MAGA King. But I’ll get to that in a moment….
First, President Trump has announced his nomination of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Keeping in mind that Tom Homan is already assigned the one task that Governor Noem would not like to be responsible for, controlling the border and deporting illegal aliens. Both matters are of interest to the Big Ag industry back home.
So, with a streamlined responsibility portfolio, at DHS Noem would be more focused on national security matters that are not tied to border security. The types of national security issues that Noem has a tendency to frame around constitutional freedoms, liberties, and the removal of systems that directly restrict the rights of Americans. Something, shall we say, directly in her wheelhouse.
Simultaneously, this appointment opens the door for Senator John Thune to return to South Dakota and run for Governor. This possibility directly fits into the wish list of his wife Kimberly Thune, together they have grandkids now. The family dynamic caused Senator Thune to seriously contemplate retiring two-years ago.
If you look at the structure of the announcements, there does appear to be a strategy at play; yes, including the likelihood of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.
Using the announcement of Steven C. Witkoff to be Special Envoy to the Middle East, I’ll try to put it together.
If President Trump pulls Marco Rubio out of the Senate, he opens up the position of Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). Rubio would love the opportunity to load his presidential aspiration resume with Secretary of State, for later use. However, this also opens the opportunity for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint an interim senator who would be more MAGA-minded, trustworthy and loyal (dare I say Gaetz).
With Rubio removed from the equation of the IC problem, the issue becomes mitigating (think neutering) the Secretary of State from undermining the Trump Doctrine; which, as you know, is the key Trump foreign policy approach using economic power combined with diplomacy.
President Trump has long expressed being sick and tired of U.S. mid-east policy, endless wars, endless spending etc. President Trump in term-1 created the Abraham Accords to establish long-term peace and stability in the region, as a countermeasure to all the prior administrations stirring shit up there. Essentially, the Abraham Accords create peace, get us out and allow policy to focus on more pressing foreign concerns, vis-a-vis China.
President Trump has announced the creation of a new department. The Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE (tongue in cheek head nod to the Dogecoin cryptocurrency created by Musk). Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will be tasked with reducing the size and scope of government and completing the agenda by July 4th, 2026.
Understandable selection. President Trump has announced the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense.
[Source]
Remember, under the Trump Doctrine, the use of the military takes a backseat to the deployment of economic weapons to achieve national security objectives. From this fundamental outlook, the Secretary of Defense needs to maintain a strong military, but only for use as a last resort when called upon.
If triggered for reasons of extreme national security, the Defense Department under Commander in Chief Donald Trump is expected to deliver much faster, harsher and a more directed forceful response. This was on display in Syria, 2017, when ISIS was destroyed in weeks; and then followed up with the first ever dropping of a ‘MOAB’, the Mother of All Bombs.
With this intent in mind, Pete Hegseth needs to harden the warriors and prepare them only in the event that all other approaches by President Trump have not led to the optimal outcome. This approach scares the crap out of militaristic nations who were stuck in the old ‘red line’ paradigm.