President Trump on Monday roasted California Governor Gavin Newsom for being admittedly disabled and unable to read or write, and said his mental ability is a disqualifier for the likely Democratic Presidential candidate.
Newsom has been using his family dysfunction and his inability to read, which he wrote about in a memoir, to seemingly position himself for the Democratic Party’s 2028 nomination. The strategy would appear to make sense for the same party that elected Joe Biden and selected Kamala Harris to replace him in the 2024 election.
During one recent interview with MeidasTouch, Newsom desperately tried to sell his book, saying, “You should buy this book. It’s all the OP research.” He also flat-out admitted, “I can’t read a speech. I can’t read and write.”
“The irony of me writing a book and then reading, by the way, that book. The audio book, that alone, that was 18 hours of pure hell. God bless the people that helped edit that and the grace of theirs,” he continued.
In another bizarre revelation, Newsom said he helped his mom through assisted suicide “when it was illegal.” “And I was there with her, held her hand, her last breath,” he said.
WATCH:
“I think a president should not have learning disabilities,” Trump said on Monday.
While discussing the SAVE America Act and the need for voter ID requirements, Trump turned his focus to California, accurately noting that a poll worker in the state can be thrown in jail for a civil rights violation if they ask a voter to see their ID.
According to the California Secretary of State’s office, “Poll workers must not ask a voter to provide their identification unless the voter list clearly states identification is required.” Only first-time voters who registered by mail “may be required to show identification to vote,” and they don’t even have to show a photo ID! And photo ID at the polls in California “does not have to contain the voter’s address or be issued by a government agency.”
“That’s how crazy it’s gotten with a low-IQ person. You know, because Gavin Newscum has admitted that he has a— that he has learning disabilities,” Trump said. “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president.”
“Everything about him is dumb,” Trump continued before highlighting a recent incident, where Newsom told a room full of black people that he had a 960 SAT score, “can’t read,” and is just as stupid as they are.
WATCH:
Trump: Do you know in California, if you ask a person to show their identification, they have the right to put you in jail. If you’re an official, and you say, may I please see your identification, you’re subject to going to jail. That’s how crazy it’s gotten with a low IQ person. You know, because Gavin Newscum has admitted that he has a— that he has learning disabilities.
Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want— I think a president should not have learning disabilities, okay? And I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing. The President of the United States— Gavin Newscum admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia.
Everything about him is dumb, but then he looked at the audience and said, “But I’m smarter than you, or something like that.” It was pretty silly. So, now, on top of everything else, I call him a racist because it happened to be a black audience. I will tell you this, I think it was the worst interview I’ve ever seen of any human being in my life, okay?
As The Gateway Pundit reported, Newsom touted his low IQ in an attempt to relate to Black people during a book tour event in Atlanta. “I’m like you,” Newsom told the crowd before revealing that he suffers mental disability.
He later lost it in response to criticism from Fox host Sean Hannity, posting a profane message on X.
Trump signs Executive Order establishing aniti-fraud Task Force led by JD Vance – Mar 16, 2026
President Trump on Monday signed an executive order to establish an anti-fraud task force, chaired by Vice President JD Vance, to investigate and root out the massive fraud in federally funded welfare programs across the country.
Trump announced during his State of the Union speech last month that Vance would lead his administration’s “war on fraud.” Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson will serve as the task force’s Vice Chairman.
Before signing the order, Trump hilariously vowed that Vance would “not be like a Kamala [Harris], where she was put in charge of the border.”
“Remember, Kamala was put in charge. She was the border Czar. She never went to the border. She never called any of the great Border Patrol, the Border Patrol testified, we never spoke to her in four years. And that was a disaster, but this is different, this is a different group of people,” Trump said.
This comes amid findings of billions of dollars stolen through Somali fraud schemes involving Minnesota daycare centers, which received national attention from investigative journalist Nick Shirley’s exposé late last year. It was also recently revealed that Somali fraudsters have transported nearly $1 billion in bulk cash through the Minneapolis airport alone to Somalia since 2024.
Trump highlighted Shirley’s reporting before signing the order, stating, “You saw where a young gentleman was going around and knocking on doors, and none of the nursing homes existed, none of the nurseries existed.”
He further slammed the Somali immigrant community, the main perpetrators of the fraud in Minnesota, and called out the Democratic Governor and Attorney General, as well as Somali Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, for being “complicit” in the scheme.
“This is not a Republican, Democrat thing. This is wherever it’s taking place. It seems that it’s usually in blue states. If it’s in a red state, we’re going there too,” Trump said. “If we found half of the fraud that’s taking place in this country, and I think you have a chance of doing that, we would have much more than a balanced budget. That’s the kind of numbers you’re talking about. The theft is incredible,” he continued, noting that Vance and Ferguson will get to the bottom of it and suggest policy changes to prevent fraud.
“As you stated in your State of the Union address, in light of widespread revelations of fraud in federally funded programs in states like Minnesota and California, this executive order in front of you will establish a new task force aimed at rooting out that fraud, returning potentially billions or tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of dollars to the American taxpayer,” White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf explained. “This is going to launch a whole-of-government approach to rooting out the very serious problem of fraud in federally funded programs around the country.”
WATCH:
Trump: This is a very big thing that we’re doing. It’s about fraud, having to do with all the fraud that’s taking place in our country. And we have two people that are extremely brilliant and just very talented, and they’re going to be put in charge…
As an example, again, you’ve been seeing it and seeing it pretty big in Minnesota, $19 billion dollars. But that’s only for one little aspect of the fraud. It’s $19 billion and California, as they say, is 10 times worse and other states are ten, and this is not a Republican, Democrat thing. This is wherever it’s taking place. It seems that it’s usually in blue states. If it’s in a red state, we’re going there too.
But it seems that it’s heavily, heavily, heavily Democrat, and what they’ve done is so, so sad. When you look at the Minnesota scam, a lot of it has to do with Somalia. Nobody’s calling out anybody, but a lot of it has to do, but it’s Somalia and plenty of others. And I believe the governor is complicit, I believe Ilhan Omar is complicit, I believe that your attorney general is complicit. And if they are, you’re going to hopefully find out about it, and you’re going to be— you’re going to have to do what you have to do.
If we found half of the fraud that’s taking place in this country, and I think you have a chance of doing that, we would have much more than a balanced budget. That’s the kind of numbers you’re talking about. The theft is incredible. And I think JD will make— and Andrew will make a charge later on that local states should handle nursing homes and all of these things that the federal government shouldn’t be involved in. It’s too big. The federal government should handle military and a couple of other things, but when it comes to nursing homes, you saw where a young gentleman was going around and knocking on doors, and none of the nursing homes existed, none of the nurseries existed.
The money that’s being paid out, and the federal government pays for it. When you see all these people coming in, illegally, into our country, many criminals, many drug dealers, murderers, 11,888 murderers, and you look at California, and more and more come in, and yet they never had money. And yet they pay them! You know why they pay them? Because the federal government is charged with paying them. We’re not paying them anymore, and I said that.
So, these two really smart guys are going to be, I think it’s going to— hopefully it’s going to be JD, this will not be like a Kamala, where she was put in charge of the border, and she never went there. JD, right? You promise? Remember, Kamala was put in charge. She was the border Czar. She never went to the border. She never called any of the great Border Patrol, the Border Patrol testified, we never spoke to her in four years. And that was a disaster, but this is different, this is a different group of people.
Later in the press conference, when Trump signed the order, he declared, “The kind of money we’re talking about is is just country changing it’s country changing money. It’s having a deficit to having a really profitable country where you can lower your taxes substantially for people, and I think you have an opportunity to do it.”
“They were not even lax. Lax isn’t a good enough word. The previous the previous administration was fraudulent, okay? And I think that’s what you’re going to find also,” Trump said.
“I think they’re going to find numbers… that are far higher than you would think,” he added before calling out Minnesota, California, and the “slob of a Governor,” JB Pritzker of Illinois.
The battle over election integrity and conservative priorities in Washington is heating up as Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO)revealed that a major update to the SAVE America Actis expected to hit the Senate floor this week, complete with a powerful amendment crafted in coordination with President Donald Trump.
The announcement signals a major escalation in the ongoing fight between America First lawmakers and the entrenched Washington establishment that has repeatedly obstructed conservative reforms.
In an explosive video statement, the Missouri senator teased his amendment, which builds on the core protections of citizenship proof and photo ID by targeting the Democrats’ favorite fraud tool: mass mail-in balloting.
Schmitt:
“Okay, some big news on the SAVE America Act. It is finally coming to the Senate floor this week. I’ve been working with President Trump in the White House and will be introducing a substitute amendment that would include not just proof of citizenship to vote and photo ID, but also getting rid of the mass mail-in balloting scam we’ve seen in too many places.
The amendment would allow mail-in balloting only for the military, the elderly, people with disabilities, or those who are absent—reasonable situations like that. It would also ban transgender mutilation for kids and keep men out of women’s sports.
These are widely popular measures. I’ll be working with Senator Lee and many others in the Senate to get this done this week.”
WATCH:
BIG UPDATE on the SAVE America Act coming to the Senate floor this week.
I’ve been working closely with President Trump on a key amendment that we must get done.
It can be recalled that Senator Mike Lee said recent discussions with Thune and his staff have led to meaningful progress on how the bill could be debated and brought to a vote.
Lee confirmed the breakthrough in a new video clip: a HYBRID form of the talking filibuster is now set to be implemented.
Sen. Mike Lee: “Okay, important update on the Save America Act and the effort to get it passed. Look, I am guardedly optimistic. We’ve turned kind of a corner over the last few days.
[…]
What we’re coming up with is something that I think is best described as a hybrid version of the talking filibuster. But look, let’s not get mired down in nomenclature. What matters far more than what we call it is what we do with it.
We’re going to bring it to the floor. We’re going to debate it for an extended period of time before filing cloture. And in my view—at least, I don’t want to speak for anyone else—this bill needs to remain on the Senate floor before we file cloture for as long as it takes to get it done.
Iran prison photo: Confessions obtained through torture are admissible in court, and prisoners can be held for months or years without a trial. Photo: Student News Agency, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons.https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=103683908
The pro-Iran propaganda being circulated on social media claims that Iranians were already free under the Islamist regime that they did not elect. Some even go so far as to claim that Iranians are freer than Americans. This is clearly revisionism that ignores the realities of the past 47 years of state-sponsored repression, mass detentions, torture, and killing.
In order to move this argument from the realm of generally accepted truths to codified factual analysis, below is a comparison of the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Iranian equivalent. Spoiler alert: America wins.
First Amendment — Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
The First Amendment protects five distinct freedoms. Iran systematically criminalizes all five.
Religion: Prevailing fatwas prescribe the death penalty for apostasy. The penal code criminalizes insulting Islamic schools of thought and any educational or proselytizing activity that contradicts Islamic law, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The law prohibits Muslim citizens from changing or renouncing their faith.
Speech and Press: Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code imposes prison sentences for “propaganda against the order of the Islamic Republic.” Article 513 criminalizes “insults” to Islamic sanctities with one to five years in prison or potentially death.
Article 514 criminalizes insults directed at the late Supreme Leader Khomeini. The government severely restricts freedom of speech and the press, using the law to prosecute anyone who directly criticizes the government, raises human rights concerns, or questions morality code enforcement. Authorities routinely cut off internet access, slow speeds, and block websites and social media platforms.
Assembly: Article 610 designates “gathering or colluding against the domestic or international security of the nation” as a crime punishable by two to five years in prison. Article 618 criminalizes “disrupting the order and comfort of the general public” with sentences of three months to one year, plus up to 74 lashes.
Petition / Protest: Nongovernmental organizations that seek to address human rights violations are generally suppressed by the state. The Center for Human Rights Defenders remains banned, with several of its members imprisoned.
Second Amendment — Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Iran has no equivalent right. Private ownership of firearms is heavily restricted and controlled by the state. A bill pending before parliament would expand the authority of additional security and intelligence bodies to carry firearms while further entrenching impunity for their unlawful use, the opposite direction from individual rights.
Third Amendment — No Quartering of Soldiers
There is no equivalent protection in Iranian law. The IRGC and Basij, a paramilitary force, operate extensively within civilian spaces and institutions. The Fact-Finding Mission investigated the roles and responsibilities of the IRGC, the Basij, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Interior, and the morality police, all of which operate throughout civil society with impunity.
Fourth Amendment — Protection Against Unreasonable Search and Seizure
On paper, Iranian law has nominal warrant requirements. In practice, they are meaningless. Although the constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, the government generally does not observe these requirements.
The law requires a warrant or subpoena for an arrest and states that arrested persons should be informed of the charges against them within 24 hours, requirements routinely ignored. Authorities conduct raids on the homes of Baha’is and members of other religious minorities, seize agricultural land, and confiscate property without judicial accountability.
Fifth Amendment — Due Process, Double Jeopardy, Self-Incrimination, Just Compensation
This amendment has no functional equivalent in Iran. Iran systematically extracts coerced confessions. Iran’s constitution states that “all forms of torture for the purpose of extracting confession or acquiring information are forbidden” and that confessions obtained under duress are “devoid of value and credence.”
In practice, the use of physical and mental torture to coerce confessions is prevalent, especially during pretrial detention. Detainees report being held blindfolded and in handcuffs while subjected to electric shocks. One account stated: “All confessions are coerced. They would write up what they want themselves or would dictate what to write, and if you did not accept to sign, they would hit you with a shocker on the head.”
Trials are systematically unfair. Due process violations include denial of the right to a lawyer from the time of arrest, admission of torture-tainted confessions as evidence, and summary trials. The judiciary, lacking independence, plays a central role in entrenching impunity.
Double jeopardy is common practice. Authorities open consecutive cases with identical or similar charges for a single act, a systematic abuse of the judicial process used to extend imprisonment indefinitely.
Just Compensation / Property: Iranian authorities have destroyed Baha’i graves, seized ancestral land belonging to Baha’i families, demolished homes, and confiscated property without compensation or legal recourse.
Sixth Amendment — Right to Speedy Trial, Public Trial, Impartial Jury, Counsel, and Confrontation of Witnesses
Iran uses an inquisitorial system in which the judge holds absolute power and is the sole arbiter of the verdict. Jury trials are constitutionally available only in certain press cases; they are not a general right.
Trials are conducted in secret, without providing accused persons access to a lawyer of their choice or sometimes any lawyer at all. One defendant was denied access to counsel until two days before his trial. Courts have admitted confessions extracted under torture and proceeded to conviction on that basis.
Defendants are held for months without charge or verdict. One journalism student spent eight months in Dowlatabad Prison without a judicial verdict or final case determination, in a state of complete legal limbo.
The Special Clerical Court, which handles cases involving clergy, functions independently of the regular judicial framework, is accountable only to the Supreme Leader, and its rulings cannot be appealed through normal channels.
Seventh Amendment — Right to Jury Trial in Civil Cases
No equivalent exists. A woman’s testimony in court is given half the weight of a man’s, and monetary compensation awarded to a female victim’s family upon her death is half that owed to the family of a male victim. These inequalities are codified features of the civil legal system. The diyyeh (blood money) system, rooted in Sharia, assigns different monetary values to the lives of men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims.
Eighth Amendment — No Cruel and Unusual Punishment, No Excessive Bail or Fines
Iran’s Hudud penal code is effectively the opposite of the Eighth Amendment.
For offenses classified as Hudud, the penal code prescribes death by hanging, stoning, or decapitation, as well as amputation of limbs and flogging. Crimes in this category include adultery, alcohol consumption, theft, apostasy, and homosexual intercourse.
The December 2024 hijab law imposes flogging and exorbitant fines, up to approximately $8,600, for the act of a woman not covering her head in public.
The death penalty is available for apostasy, heresy, adultery, recidivist alcohol use, same-sex conduct, and insulting the Supreme Leader. Iran remains one of the world’s highest per-capita users of the death penalty.
Under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the death penalty applies to offenses including murder, rape, drug trafficking, and crimes classified as hudud (fixed Quranic punishments) or qisas (retribution). Rather than using 18 as the threshold for criminal responsibility, Iran applies the concept of bulugh (Islamic puberty), meaning girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 can be sentenced as adults. Authorities continue to sentence and execute individuals for crimes committed before they turned 18.
Ninth Amendment — Rights Retained by the People (Unenumerated Rights)
The Ninth Amendment holds that the government cannot infer from its listed powers the authority to violate unlisted rights held by the people.
Iran operates on the inverse principle: only rights explicitly permitted under Islamic law as interpreted by the Supreme Leader are recognized. Ultimate power rests in the hands of the Supreme Leader and unelected institutions under his control. The Guardian Council, an unelected body of 12 religious jurists, vets all legislation to ensure compatibility with its interpretation of Sharia, functioning as a ceiling rather than a floor on individual rights.
Tenth Amendment — Powers Reserved to the States and the People
The Tenth Amendment distributes power downward to states and individuals. Iran concentrates power upward. The Guardian Council disqualifies electoral candidates it deems insufficiently loyal to the clerical establishment. Ethnic minorities, including Kurds, Azeris, Arabs, and Baluchis, have no protected rights of regional autonomy. Minority activists are regularly arrested and prosecuted on vaguely defined national security charges in trials that fall grossly short of international standards.
The bottom line is that the U.S. Bill of Rights was designed to protect individuals from state power. Iran’s legal framework, including the Islamic Penal Code, Sharia-based Hudud provisions, press laws, and the constitution’s subordination of all rights to the Supreme Leader’s interpretation of Islam, was designed to do the opposite. In virtually every category, what the Bill of Rights explicitly forbids, Iran’s system explicitly authorizes or mandates.
Former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst Seth Chambers via Greene County Sheriff’s Office website
A former United States Marine Corps. An intelligence analyst has been indicted by a grand jury in Missouri for transmitting classified national defense information to two individuals, including one in the People’s Republic of China, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday.
Seth Chambers, 35, was a civilian contractor stationed in Iraq, a role that gave him security clearance to view classified materials at the TOP SECRET level.
He “willfully transmitted SECRET level documents to two separate individuals who were not entitled or authorized to receive it,” the DOJ said.
Chambers allegedly transmitted documents “containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents” to one individual in Maryland in December 2022 and to one individual in China in April 2023.
Chambers was arrested and made his first court appearance last week.
He currently faces up to 10 years in prison for each count if convicted.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Texas County, Mo., man has been indicted with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information. The indictment was returned by a Springfield grand jury under seal and was made public today after the arrest and initial appearance of the defendant.
Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst, was employed as a civilian contractor and stationed in Iraq during the time frame alleged in the indictment. The indictment goes on state that, as part of his duties, he held a security clearance that authorized him to view classified material up to a TOP SECRET level and therefore had access to national defense and classified information.
According to court documents, on two separate occalas Hunter and Sean O’Dowd of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. It was investigated by FBI Kansas City Field Office.
This comes after the DOJ announced the arrest of a former US Air Force Pilot for “providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization” late last month.
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr.’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.
US District Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, issued a preliminary injunction and invalidated RFK Jr’s key vaccine advisory panel after he replaced all 17 people who previously made the vaccine recommendations.
Judge Murphy’s order comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other groups.
A federal judge on Monday blocked key parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including a move to reduce the number of shots routinely recommended for children.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston sided with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups, which said health regulators had acted unlawfully to carry out Kennedy’s agenda of upending immunization policies and warned the changes will reduce vaccination rates and harm public health.
Vaccine makers have grown increasingly wary of U.S. vaccine policy, including the makers of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna. Companies that make other shots on the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule include Merck, Sanofi and GSK.
As Kennedy’s policies have taken hold, pediatricians have faced parents increasingly skeptical about vaccines and medical treatments, while nearly a dozen states have begun considering legal changes that would relax vaccine requirements for school enrollment.
In January, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will recommend fewer routine vaccines for most American children.
The change follows a directive from Trump in December, who ordered federal health agencies to examine how peer-developed nations structure their childhood immunization schedules and whether the United States has fallen out of step with international best practices.
Under the revised framework, only 11 “consensus vaccines,” those widely recommended across developed nations, will remain universally recommended for all children.
These include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and varicella.
Several other vaccines, including influenza, COVID-19, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal disease, will no longer be universally recommended for all children under RFK Jr’s new vaccine schedule.
Instead, they would be administered based on individual risk factors or after consultation between parents and healthcare providers.
Note: The information provided here or in any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice. Gateway Pundit benefits from purchases made through our sponsors.
That’s not a typo. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, U.S. consumers were charged $160 billion in credit card interest in 2024 alone – the highest figure on record, driven by average APRs that have now reached 22.3%.
If you’re carrying a balance, a significant portion of every payment you make each month is going straight to interest. Not reducing what you owe. Just the cost of owing it.
A 0% APR credit card changes that immediately. For up to 21 months, every dollar you pay goes entirely toward your balance – not toward a bank’s bottom line.
It works two ways: transfer an existing balance and stop the interest clock today, or use it to finance a major upcoming expense – a home repair, medical bill, or long-planned trip – without paying a cent in interest while you pay it off.
There’s no annual fee, no complicated rewards structure, and checking whether you qualify won’t affect your credit score.
President Donald Trumpappeared to publicly reveal the once-private medical prognosis of Florida Congressman Neal Dunnduring a meeting tied to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Artson Monday.
The unexpected exchange unfolded as Trump sat alongside House Speaker Mike Johnsonand began recounting a story about a Republican lawmaker who had been gravely ill.
Trump disclosed that Dunn, 73, had received a grim prognosis related to a severe heart condition, stating he “would be dead by June” without intervention.
Johnson appeared caught off guard, noting that the details “weren’t public,” but confirmed the diagnosis was “terminal” and praised Dunn as a “champion and patriot” for continuing to work despite the outlook.
Trump elaborated that Johnson had informed him of Dunn’s condition earlier, emphasizing the political stakes amid the GOP’s slim 218-214 House majority.
Dunn reportedly pledged to Johnson that he would “last this out” and keep voting for the president’s agenda, even if it meant until June. Trump then described how he mobilized White House physicians, calling them “miracle workers,” to evaluate Dunn.
Within hours, Dunn underwent emergency surgery at Walter Reed Medical Center, receiving multiple stents and other treatments.
Johnson later shared that Dunn returned to a conference meeting with renewed energy, acting “30 years younger” and crediting Trump’s leadership for his “new lease on life.”
Full transcript:
Trump: And then we had another death, and we had some things, but we’re looking very strong. We had one man who was very ill. It looked like he wasn’t going to make it. I don’t know. I won’t mention his name. Should I? Do other people know his name? Do you want to mention it? He’ll be proud. Go ahead. Tell them this story.
Mike Johnson: Okay. Well, thank you, Mr. President. Congressman Neal Dunn of Florida had some real health challenges, and it was very serious. He had a pretty grim diagnosis, and I mentioned it to the president. I said, “Congressman Dunn is a real champion and a patriot because he’s still coming to work. If others got this diagnosis, they would be apt to go home and retire.”
Trump: What was the diagnosis?
Mike Johnson: I mean, I think it was a terminal diagnosis.
Trump: He would be dead by June.
Mike Johnson: Okay, that wasn’t public, but yeah. It was grim—that’s what I was going to say.
Trump: With a heart problem, by the way. This was a heart problem.
Mike Johnson: So, long story short, the president called him to encourage him and thank him, and they had a conversation. The president mentioned during that conversation, “I had to get my doctors involved,” and they did. Within a number of hours, they took him to Walter Reed for emergency surgery. The man has a new lease on life. He acts like he’s 30 years younger. He walked into the conference meeting and we thought we’d seen a ghost. I spoke with him over the weekend, and he’s encouraged and thankful. He thanks the president for his leadership and intervention. Thank you.
Trump: He actually called Mike. Mike called me and said, “Sir, we’re up by three, but we’re going to lose one by June.” I said, “Who?” Neal Dunn. He said, “Congressman—great congressman. Incredible.” He called to say that he was terminal, really bad heart. There’s nothing they can do. I said, “That’s bad.” Number one, it was bad because I liked him. Number two, it was bad because I needed his vote.
But he really said, “Mike, I’m going to last this out for the president and you. However long I live—I mean, it looks like June is the time—but however long I live, I’m going to be voting for you.” I mean, how many people are going to say that? Most of them are going to say, “Mike, I’m retiring immediately. That’s the end.”
Mike Johnson: He’s an extraordinary guy.
Trump: But he didn’t do that. It was really impressive. Then I realized I have doctors in the White House. The White House doctors are incredible. They’ve helped me with other people. They’re helping me with people right now—people who are very sick. They’re like miracle workers.
So I said, “I have to call them.” I called the two doctors—both great—and they immediately went over to see the congressman. He was on the operating table about two hours later. It was a long operation. They gave him more stents and more everything you can have. I think he’s got everything you could possibly have.
They called and said, “Sir, I think he’ll be fine.” I said, “You’ve got to be kidding.” They said, “I think he’ll be fine.” Mike was telling me the story that the other day he came into a meeting for the first time in a long while.
Mike Johnson: Well, it was incredible. I mean, he has a new lease on life. He has more energy than a man half his age. He’s very encouraged and has encouraged all of us. So again, a testament to great leadership. My hat’s off to Neal Dunn and his beautiful wife and family. He’s an extraordinary individual.
Israel said Monday it had launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon along multiple fronts, escalating its occupation and bombing campaign.
Lebanese state media reported Israeli troops advanced through the western sector near Labouneh hill, Ramyeh, and Mrouhin, with simultaneous incursions toward Aitaroun and Maroun al-Ras in the central sector. Approximately 14 percent of Lebanon’s territory is under Israeli evacuation orders, according to the aid group Norwegian Refugee Council.
Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the start of what the IDF called “limited and targeted ground operations,” but gave no details on its scope.
The offensive follows an Israeli air campaign that Lebanese authorities say has killed 886 people, including over 100 children, and wounded more than 2,000.
BIG UPDATE on the SAVE America Act coming to the Senate floor this week.
