Trump is thinking strategically and proactively even before he gets back into the White House. That’s the same reason he’s talking about Panama — to head off problems from the Chinese influence there, given the critical importance of the area and the Panama Canal that’s so vital for our commerce. Thinking that way has, unfortunately, been something we’ve been lacking for the last four years.

In my opinion, it isn’t really about acquiring territory so much as it is about securing the United States.

Now, the Trump magic appears to be working and bearing fruit.

Denmark sent private messages in recent days to President-elect Trump’s team expressing willingness to discuss boosting security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence on the island, two sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios.

Not only that, Greenland’s leader Múte Egede said that he was prepared to enter into negotiations with Trump about the territory. […]

— Read More: redstate.com

In other words, this is a man used to doing whatever he wants with absolutely no political repercussions. During COVID-19, that looked like him eating at the French Laundry while he ordered the rest of his state locked down. During the L.A. wildfire, that looks like him going on “Pod Save America” to deflect blame from his decades of failed leadership.

The optics were bad enough, but wait until you see the fundraising scandal that emerged out of that appearance. We’ll get there. Believe that.

EXCLUSIVE: @GavinNewsom discusses the need for answers with the LA fires.
New pod out tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts.
Get more Pod Save America on YouTube!#PodSaveAmerica #CrookedMedia #Governor pic.twitter.com/31HRB22hy6

— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) January 11, 2025

The need for answers? Newsom is the Governor of the State of California. He is ultimately responsible for every single thing that has gone wrong in Los Angeles, and he’s doing the hot dog meme, acting as if he’s trying to find the guy who did this. He’s the guy who did this.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a list a mile long of overpaid, social justice-obsessed local officials who also share in the blame. Newsom is not an innocent bystander, though. Leaders do not get to pass the buck when their underlings fail miserably, especially not in a state as centrally controlled as California. You can’t trim a bush in that state without Newsom’s approval. The readiness and water shortage problems fall squarely at his feet. […]

— Read More: redstate.com

According to Red State:

Biden Aides Terrified That Trump Won’t Give Him a State Funeral, Just Hoping He Outlives 2nd Term

Aides to President Biden are reportedly concerned about what will happen if he passes away while Donald Trump is in the White House. Particularly whether or not Trump will authorize a state funeral in his honor.

A report from CNN details in-depth the thought process of the current president as he confronts his own mortality, seeing exactly how a funeral for a former president is conducted in the wake of the passing of Jimmy Carter.

Like most presidents, the outlet notes that Biden has already approved a plan for his own services. However, concern has seeped in that Trump, who is just days away from being inaugurated for a second term, would eschew decorum. […]

— Read More: redstate.com

Joe Biden made bizarre remarks about how he could have beat Trump, and how Kamala Harris could have beaten Trump, not seeming to realize that she lost. He went off about who he pardoned would depend on Trump in a truly twisted statement. Then there was the wild pro-censorship tirade against Mark Zuckerberg doing away with fact-checkers. Biden — the guy who lies like he breathes — then gave a disjointed, barely coherent rant about the importance of truth.

January 20 can’t come soon enough.

The Democrats lied and covered up Biden’s cognitive decline for years now. They sold us a false story about Kamala Harris and “joy.” It was all about retaining control. But it ended up costing them. Fortunately, the cover-up failed and contributed to their downfall. The American people rejected what they were selling.

Now we have the chance to move in a positive direction, Trump is going to bring a lot of change starting from day one. And he’s bringing an energy and an appeal that Joe Biden never had. I can think of nothing that communicates that more than what you can see in a video posted by Rep. Dan Mueser (R-PA). […]

While visiting Immanuel Christian School this morning, we were lucky to have President Trump say hello to the second and third grade classes. Thank you, President Trump, for taking the time to chat with these great students! I know this will be a moment they will never forget. pic.twitter.com/nG07unDQ2j

— Congressman Dan Meuser (@RepMeuser) January 10, 2025

— Read More: redstate.com

Another illustration of his suitability surfaced Friday, when the border czar gave an interview to NBC News detailing some of his plans.

Donald Trump’s administration would shut down the Darien Gap, the dangerous Panamanian jungle hundreds of thousands of migrants cross each year on their way north, incoming border czar Tom Homan said Thursday in a one-on-one interview at the U.S. southern border.

“It needs to happen,” he said. “Shutting down the Darien Gap is going to protect our national security. It’s going to save thousands of lives.”

That’s an interesting tactical idea; we can cut down on a fair amount of the Latin American influx at a serious geographic choke point. Oh, yes, some will get around it, with improvised watercraft if nothing else – but that’s only one step of many towards getting control of our illegal immigration problem. The Hammer has more ideas. Using the military, though — that’s a more complicated issue, as we can’t simply deploy the 82nd Airborne into a foreign country. But President Trump has shown himself pretty good at applying pressure on other national leaders. It will be interesting to see what pressure he applies to Columbia and Panama to get them to clamp down on these crossings.

Homan, acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration and a former ICE agent himself, also acknowledged that Trump’s mass deportation plan would include “collateral arrests” — undocumented immigrants without criminal records who are discovered as ICE agents search for their targets.

Homan warned that workplace roundups would ramp up again soon after Trump takes office.

“We’re going to do it in a smart way,” he said. “We’re still working on how exactly we want to roll this out, but [work site] operations have to come back again because it’s the No. 1 place we find victims of forced labor being run by many cartels.” […]

— Read More: redstate.com

Now, you’d like to think that would cause the Democrats to do a little re-evaluation to consider how they might change their actions that are being rejected. You’d like to think that. But it’s the Democrats, so they never truly re-evaluate their radical policies that harm people. They only re-evaluate how they are trying to message/manipulate you.

It tells you something that instead of changing policies, here’s their solution for trying to reach you — a video telling you how they’re “different” and will “fight” for you. They are so desperate, and it’s great.

Senate Democrats are here to fight for you. pic.twitter.com/uWxoJNrEzA

— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) January 9, 2025

They’re “different”? Really? Many of them have been there for years — for some, it seems like forever. They’re mostly the same sad characters who have been part of the swamp forever. I look at them, and largely, I think “weird.”

They certainly are “different,” though — but not in a good way. That’s why they weren’t getting before the election what it was that people cared about. They thought they could win by just demonizing President Donald Trump. They didn’t care about the things that the American people cared about, like the border and inflation. They were in their bubble, and it isn’t really about the people, but about holding onto their own control. […]

— Read More: redstate.com

People in Venezuela do. Venezuelans have been under the boot of Nicolás Maduro for a while now, and he’s making sure his political opposition doesn’t amount to much – even to the point of having them reportedly detained by the police.

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s aides said she was detained on Thursday, followed moments later by official denials of her arrest, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests seeking to block President Nicolás Maduro from clinging to power.

It remained unclear what exactly happened after Machado bid farewell to hundreds of supporters, hopped on a motorcycle and raced with her security convoy down a main Caracas avenue.

At 3:21 p.m. local time, Machado’s press team said in a social media post that security forces “violently intercepted” her convoy. Her aides later told The Associated Press that she had been detained, and international condemnation poured in from leaders in Latin America and beyond, demanding her release.

But about an hour later, a proof-of-life, 20-second video of Machado emerged online in which she says she was followed after leaving the “wonderful” rally and had dropped her purse.

So things are a little muddled. This could be a major misunderstanding or a deliberate attempt to intimidate a political opponent.

Maduro’s camp responded in predictable form:

Meanwhile, Maduro’s supporters denied Machado had been detained, claiming that government opponents were trying to spread fake news to generate an international crisis.

“Nobody should be surprised,” Communications Minister Freddy Nanez said. “Especially since it’s coming from the fascists, who were the architects of the dirty trick.”

Now that has a familiar ring to it. But it’s not the American right that is looking at the first few pages of this playbook. Four years of lawfare against a former president speak eloquently to that. […]

— Read More: redstate.com

A recent report by Parents Defending Education (PDE) sheds light on the scope of these efforts. The Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) allocated over $100 million in grants to support programs like restorative justice practices (RJP), social and emotional learning (SEL), and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across 946 school districts.

While these programs aim to improve school environments and address disparities, the results raise critical questions about their effectiveness, unintended consequences, and impact on core academic priorities.

Restorative justice practices replace traditional punitive measures like suspensions with dialogue-driven conflict resolution. The goal is admirable: reduce disciplinary disparities and create a more equitable environment. Yet, in practice, RJP often falters.

The inconsistency in implementing restorative practices undermines their intended impact. Teachers frequently report feeling unsupported when dealing with persistent misbehavior, as these practices can blur the lines of authority. Worse, replacing traditional discipline with restorative measures can embolden disruptive students, reducing the deterrence for poor behavior and jeopardizing classroom safety. […]

— Read More: redstate.com

Trump’s Tuesday morning press conference from Mar-a-Lago gave us a bunch of information and much to analyze and comment upon. We saw Trump at rest but on point and rarin’ to go. However, the talking points Trump gives up front are never the best part. The best part is when he takes reporters’ questions and answers extemporaneously, off the cuff, and gives the most detailed information and insight into his thinking. You want to really know his agenda or what he is mulling over? It is always articulated there.

Reporters, you’re talking to the president (to be). If he starts talking in the middle of your question, stop and let him talk. That’s when you get the good stuff. Stop interrupting him so you can get in your dumb protest statements disguised as journalism.

— Kira (@RealKiraDavis) January 7, 2025

After Trump had already spoken for just over an hour, he took questions. For 22 minutes, he waxed eloquently. He had a few minutes of help from Businessman Steve Witkoff, who Trump called his “negotiator” in the Middle East. The rest of the time was all him. Trump discussed J6 and potential pardons, the Panama Canal, Greenland, Russia and Ukraine, and Elon Musk. After all that wealth of information, one reporter decided to challenge Trump about whether he would use military might against Canada.

REPORTER: Are you serious about making Canada the 51st state of the United States[..]. The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada said, ‘Under no circumstances will Canada ever be the 51st state.’ He stated that there is no way it would happen.

TRUMP: It’s all right. Maybe he won’t win, but maybe he will.

This reporter could have taken Kira Davis’ sound advice above and allowed Trump to finish, but he wanted to prove a point, so he inserted another question.

REPORTER: You are considering military force to acquire Panama and Greenland, are you also considering military force to annex and acquire Canada? […]

— Read More: redstate.com

She also seemed oddly obsessed with Hegseth’s tattoos, suggesting he could be an “insider threat.”

Elizabeth Warren has sent a letter to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth in which she claims that having a Deus Vult tattoo, Latin for “God’s will” and a Christian motto that dates back to the First Crusade, makes him a “potential insider threat.” pic.twitter.com/4lySEYI9vn

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 7, 2025

When Warren et al obfuscate about the woke/DEI nonsense, remember Milley claiming it’s offensive to say anyone at DOD is woke (while he ranted about “white rage”). And remember— when Milley was defending DEI, DoD was weeks away from defeat in Afghanistan…https://t.co/118Pzlj5a1

— Jerry Dunleavy IV (@JerryDunleavy) January 7, 2025

Sen. Elizabeth Warren strongly suggested that there are concerns that Army veteran Pete Hegseth could be an “insider threat” due to his Christian tattoo and seethed over his crusade against woke military policies in a blistering missive to the defense secretary designee.

While outlining over 70 questions to Hegseth and giving him four days to reply, Warren made clear that she sees him as “unfit” to helm the Pentagon and teased a fiery showdown when he appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee next week.

“I am deeply concerned by the many ways in which your behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense,” Warren, 75, wrote in the 33-page letter to Hegseth sent late Monday. […]

— Read More: redstate.com