Things Aren’t Going So Well For Netanyahu, But All Is Not Lost

Things Aren't Going So Well For Netanyahu, But All Is Not Lost

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is finding himself increasingly isolated diplomatically at the same time that he must make legacy-defining choices over the fate of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu, inadditionto facing calls at home for an end to the war, must navigate pressure from European countries that have threatened toreprimandIsrael for its latest advance into Gaza and President Donald Trump'sinsistencethat the prime minister promptly end the war. The demands have presented Netanyahu with a difficult choice as he weighs whether or not to see through a full occupation of the war-torn territory despite friction with his chief Western backers. "I think where Israel is today is an understanding that Hamas really isn't going to come to any agreement, and that the hostages are not likely to come back," Gabriel Noronha, president of Polaris National Security, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "That's sort of where I see things going. The question is, how do you get your hostages back in a way that's politically acceptable?"(RELATED: Legacy Media Outlets Worked With Literal Terror Propagandist, Hamas Doc Shows) Displaced Palestinians gather to collect portions of cooked food at a charity distribution point in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 19, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images) Israel made a new push tocapturethe entire Gaza Strip under "Operation Gideon's Chariot," with over 300 peoplekilledin Israeli airstrikes since May 15. In total, Palestinian health authorities — which are run in Gaza byHamasand do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their casualty figures—estimatethat 50,000 Palestinians have died during the war as of March 2025, though the tally is disputed. In reaction to the Israeli offensive, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced thesuspensionof free-trade talks with Israel, adding that the 11-week block on aid to Gaza was "cruel and indefensible." France and Canada alsojoinedthe U.K. in calling out Israel's new push into Gaza, saying they would take "concrete action" if Netanyahu did not halt his advance. Netanyahu subsequentlyaccusedthe three nations of "emboldening Hamas" in an address on Friday. "I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice," Netanyahu said. "You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history." Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza for three months,partiallylifting the blockade on May 18. The World Health Organization (WHO)claimedthat a famine could break out in Gaza if aid continued to be stifled. From the U.S. side, Trump has reportedly expressed impatience with Netanyahu, calling on the war to end quickly but stopping short of abandoning Netanyahu entirely, two White House officialstoldAxios on Tuesday. The U.S. is thelargestfinancial and military supporter of Israel, sending nearly $310 billion in overall assistance over the course of the country's existence. Trump previously pressured Netanyahu tocommitto a ceasefire in Gaza in January, which freed 33 hostages held in Hamas captivity. However, theagreementbroke down in March when further hostage releases stalled,leaving58 hostages in Gaza, of which atleast20 are thought to be alive.(RELATED: Well-Connected Billionaire Leveraged US Tax Dollars To Help Hamas Gear Up For Oct. 7, Lawsuit Alleges) Hamas terrorists stand next to Israeli hostages (L-R, holding certificates) Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy on a stage before handing them over to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025, as part of the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange of a fragile ceasefire. (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images) While Netanyahu's position is certainly precarious, all is not lost for his career given his reputation for getting out of politically perilous situations. One such example is his surprise election victory in 2022, in which he beat a broadcoalitionhellbent on ousting him from the government, Annelle Sheline, research fellow in the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute, told the DCNF. "Netanyahu is very good at getting out of difficult political situations, and we've seen him survive instances in the past when everyone said, 'Oh, it seems like this is it for him,'" Sheline told the DCNF. "A big part of his motivation to continue the war is to avoid accountability for the various legal troubles he's in once he's no longer minister." In addition to a November 2024 arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanityissuedby the International Criminal Court (ICC) that ostensibly leaves him exposed to arrest if he stepped into one of 124 countries worldwide, Netanyahu is also currentlyon trialfacing corruption charges that his supporters have largely dismissed as politically-motivated. Critics lambasted the ICC warrant,arguingthat it destroyed the ICC's credibility; former President Joe Bidencondemnedthe move at the time. Despite his difficulties abroad, Noronha thinks that Netanyahu's position in the Israeli Knesset is likely secure, as his coalition continues to hold the majority whilepickingup even more seats in the September 2024 elections byappointingrival Gideon Saar to the security cabinet. The September 2024 election results came as a surprise to some given that Netanyahu's party was initiallyprojectedto lose the majority for his broader coalition in a hypothetical election following the Oct. 7 massacres. "His coalition is still the strongest coalition, and frankly, he's the most stable arrangement of all the alternatives to him, in terms of internal Israeli political dynamics," Nornoha told the DCNF. "I suspect the election is going to be a validation of his governing approach, and I expect his coalition to gain some seats. So I don't think he's going anywhere." As of mid-May, Netanyahu's governing coalition would fall short of a majority and lose to former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a hypothetical election,accordingto a Channel 13 news poll released Wednesday. Moreover, 67% of respondents indicated support for ending the war in Gaza with a hostage deal in the same poll. Netanyahu's office did not respond to the DCNF's request for comment. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contactlicensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Things Aren’t Going So Well For Netanyahu, But All Is Not Lost

Things Aren't Going So Well For Netanyahu, But All Is Not Lost Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is finding himself increasingly...

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How A ‘Nonpartisan’ Government Budget Office May Be Misleading Lawmakers On Spending As GOP Megabill Looms Large

How A 'Nonpartisan' Government Budget Office May Be Misleading Lawmakers On Spending As GOP Megabill Looms Large

The agency providing Congress with cost estimates — including projections for the GOP's major reconciliation bill — has a long history of inaccuracy and bias, according to some policy experts and lawmakers. Established in 1975, theCongressional Budget Office(CBO) was created to "provide objective, nonpartisan information to support the Congressional budget process and to help the Congress make effective budget and economic policy." While it plays a key role in shaping legislative debates, including on the GOP's sweeping reconciliation package designed to advance Trump's agenda, some CBO critics argue that its projections often fall short of the office's mission. Each year, the CBO produces roughly 600 to 800 costestimates, including for major legislation such as theAffordable Care Act(ACA), theInflation Reduction Act(IRA) and the current GOP reconciliation bill. The agency's most recent estimateprojectedthat the Republican proposal would add $2.3 trillion to thedeficitover a decade. However, the agency's track record includes several high-profile estimates that have been significantly off-base, viewed by some as honest miscalculations and by others as purposeful distortions.(RELATED: House Passes Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' In Massive Victory For Speaker Johnson) MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 15: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to guests at Ingeteam Inc., an electrical equipment manufacturer, on August 15, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Biden used the opportunity to speak about his "Bidenomics" economic plan on the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) For instance, the CBO initially estimated that President Joe Biden's signature IRA would reduce the deficit by approximately$58.1billion between 2022 and 2031. However, its 2024 outlook revised that estimate to a$428 billionincrease in the cumulative deficit, $224 billion of which they attributed to adjusted projections of the IRA's electric vehicle tax credits and revenues from gas taxes. The CBO declined to comment in response to a DCNF inquiry. "Unfortunately, we've seen time and again that the CBO scores Democrats' spending priorities favorably and Republicans' tax relief unfavorably," Republican Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "CBO falsely claimed that Republicans' Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) would reduce tax receipts for the Treasury. In reality, TCJA exceeded CBO's predictions for tax receipts by more than $1 trillion while growing the economy for everyday Americans." Estes and other critics say the core problem is the lack of transparency into CBO's data and methods. Notably, the CBO will eventually weigh in to score the Senate version of the GOP's reconciliation bill, the House version of which passed by a tight party-line vote on Thursday. "They seem to issue press statements designed to influence the news cycle without sharing the data," Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "As we are debating reconciliation, for example, they don't share annual cash flow projections of bringing down the deficit by year. We need that data to make decisions." Davidson, along with other Republican legislators, has introduced various proposals they say will help address the problem. One such bill, theCBO Show Your Work Act, would require the agency to make its models, underlying assumptions and data preparation routines available to Congress. "The CBO is wrong more often than right. We must install common-sense guardrails, ensuring that reports are accurate and free from left-leaning political bias," Republican Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia told the DCNF. Carter co-sponsored theHEALTH Panel Actwith Estes, which Carter argues will improve the accuracy of the CBO's scoring of healthcare-related measures.(RELATED: Trump Budget Czar Thumbs Nose At 'Partisan' Watchdog Over Impoundment Allegation) WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) hold a press conference on the Republican budget bill at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images) The agencypurportsto hire people "on the basis of their expertise and without regard to political affiliation." However, the Health Analysis Division, which produces estimates for major programs like Medicare and Medicaid, is staffed overwhelmingly by Democrats, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) recentlyfound. "The real problem is the pervasive groupthink that comes from allowing our institutions to hire left-wing leaders to recruit analysts almost exclusively from left-wing universities," AAF President Tom Jones said in a statement to the DCNF. "This practice has created a monster in our government, where institutions like the CBO operate as echo chambers for progressive academics." Others note the inherent difficulty in modeling complex legislative proposals. "CBO has the difficult task of not only estimating costs of these provisions and the direct revenue implications, but also how all those things in a blender affect economic growth and how that economic growth affects revenue collections," Hayden Dublois, data and analytics director at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), told the DCNF. Dublois, who recentlytestifiedbefore Congress about the CBO's poor track record, pointed to recent efforts to improve transparency — including a meeting between the CBO, lawmakers, and organizations like the FGA — as a positive step in the right direction. "I'm hopeful that they're taking feedback into account," Dublois said. "Transparency and accountability should be a nonpartisan priority." Other projections of the GOPreconciliation packagehave varied drastically from the CBO estimates. Trump administration officials have suggested that the bill would not add to the deficit, but instead end up saving$1.6 trillion. Others, such as the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Penn Wharton Budget Model, have estimated greater increases to the deficit at$3.8 trillionand$3.3 trillion, respectively. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contactlicensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

How A ‘Nonpartisan’ Government Budget Office May Be Misleading Lawmakers On Spending As GOP Megabill Looms Large

How A 'Nonpartisan' Government Budget Office May Be Misleading Lawmakers On Spending As GOP Megabill Looms Large The agency providin...

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Here's what's in Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

Here's what's in Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

(The Center Square) – Republicans' mammoth budget reconciliation bill includes major changes to Medicaid, food stamps, student loans and more. It also permanently extends President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts – at a cost of at least $3.3 trillion. Passing the House Thursday by a razor-thin margin, theOne Big Beautiful Bill Actfunds large swaths of Trump's policy agenda while authorizing a $4 trillion debt ceiling hike. The legislation consists of 11 separate House committee prints that collectively fulfillthe budget resolution's 10-year spending and savings instructions. The bill includes more than $1.5 trillion in savings found by congressional committees. But budget watchdogs say the package, if passed by the Senate without major alterations, will still addanywhere from $3.3 to $5.2 trillionto the national debt andat least $3.2 trillionto the primary deficit by 2035. Most of the cost stems from the Ways and Means committee's portion, which deals with codifying most of the sunsetting 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. That includes the higher standard deduction for nearly all tax filers, the $2,000 child tax credit – both parents will need a Social Security number to claim it – and the 20% Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. American manufacturers would particularly benefit from the legislation, which would allow them to deduct 100% of facility improvement or construction costs. The bill would deal a blow to large universities by increasing endowment taxes, as well as hiking taxes on many private foundations. Republicans clashedover how high to raise the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction cap, eventually settling on $40,000 for taxpayers earning less than $500,000 annually, via a last-minute Rules Committee amendment. The tax portion of the reconciliation bill also features many short-term tax provisions set to expire after four years. Those include boosting the maximum standard deduction from $15,000 to $16,000 for single filers and from $30,000 to $32,000 for joint filers. The maximum child tax credit will see a $500 increase and the QBI deduction will rise to 23%. Other temporary changes lasting until fiscal year 2028 include nixing taxes on tips and overtime, making the adoption tax credit partially refundable, ending interest on loans for American cars, and increasing tax deductions for eligible seniors by $4,000. While lawmakers on the Ways and Means committee contributed most to the cost of the reconciliation package, the Energy and Commerce committee found the most savings – over $988 billion – primarily via scaling back the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and Medicaid spending. Energy and Commerce's addition claws back unobligated funds from the IRA and repeals or phases out more than a dozen IRA renewable energy-related subsidies. Four tax credits related to alternative fuel vehicles, three credits related to home energy efficiency or "clean" energy sourcing, and the clean hydrogen production credit will end by 2026.After facing pressure from fiscal hawks, the Rules Committee pushed forward the 2032 phaseout deadline for the IRA's clean electricity production and investment credits to 2028. Medicaid reforms in the bill include changing program eligibility requirements back to pre-COVID-19 standards, imposing work requirements on most able-bodied adults without dependents, and closing loopholes exploited by states. The plan also axes federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other reproductive clinics, as well as prevents Medicaid and CHIP funding from going to gender transition procedures on children. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the changes will save hundreds of billions of dollars and make at least 7.7 million current Medicaid recipients – including 1.4 million people without verified citizenship status – ineligible for Medicaid coverage by 2034. But given the Biden-era 20% spending increase on Medicaid, total program spending will still grow by at least 3% a year for the next decade. Another last-minute addition by the Rules committee doubled down on Medicaid reforms, accelerating the work requirement deadline to take effect in 2026 and preventing states from implementing new taxes on providers. House Democrats, none of whom voted for the bill, repeatedly called the Medicaid changes "cruel." They similarly blasted the Agriculture Committee's section of the bill, which saves $230 billion by reforming the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP reforms include requiring states tocover 5% of their SNAP benefit cost shareby fiscal year 2028, with their contribution increasing the higher the state's payment error rate. States havean average payment error rate of 11.68%, as of 2023. The bill also closes state "waiver gimmicks" that haveexempted 84%of able-bodied adult beneficiaries without dependents from SNAP work requirements, plus bans all noncitizens aside from legal permanent residents from receiving benefits. Trump's border security and defense priorities received hundreds of billions of additional dollars collectively from the Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Armed Services committees' portions of the megabill. The Homeland Security committee authorized approximately $47 billion for the construction of the "Border Barrier System," a technologically enhanced southern border wall. Roughly $5 billion will go toward building new U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facilities and checkpoints and $6 billion toward border agent workforce and hiring. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement receives a $45 billion funding boost meant for building new detention centers from the Judiciary Committee's print. Notably, the bill also imposes new fees on immigrants, implementing a $1,000 minimum fee on migrants seeking asylum and a $500 fee on individuals requesting Temporary Protected Status, which is currently free. Sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children will face a $3,500 charge, while many work permit applications will carry a $550 fee that renews every six months. The Armed Services committee portion contributes $5 billion to border security efforts, but most of the $150 billion in spending is slated for shipbuilding, restocking munitions, increasing weapon production capacity and nuclear deterrence, and financingthe Golden Dome for America project. While the Transportation and Infrastructure committee gives $22 billion to the Coast Guard and $15 billion to the Federal Aviation Administration for infrastructure modernization, it imposes new fees on electric vehicle owners. Under the bill, EV owners will have to pay $250 annually as a contribution to the dwindling Highway Trust Fund. Owners of combustion engine vehicles contribute to the HTF every time they fill up their gas tank. The Natural Resources committee checks the box for Trump's energy agenda by expanding onshore oil and gas leasing on federal lands, reducing drilling royalty rates to 12.5%, and permanently reinstating coal leasing suspended by Biden. A final blow to the Biden administration in Trump's "big, beautiful bill" comes from the Education and Workforce committee's addition. It axes the 2023 SAVE loan repayment program, which amounted to potentially billions in complete loan forgiveness for thousands of student borrowers. The legislation also simplifies and shrinks student loan repayment options and penalizes higher education institutions that allow students to take out unaffordable levels of debt. Additionally, it restricts Pell Grant eligibility to students taking more than six credit hours and low-income students in short-term programs. Under normal Senate filibuster rules, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would have no chance of passing. But since the budget reconciliation process bypasses the filibuster, Republican leaders are hopeful the package will make it to the president's desk. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is aiming for that to happen by Independence Day. Senate Republicans are eyeing potentially derailing changes, however, with some senators opposing the IRA and Medicaid cuts – key compromises Johnson made with House hardliners – with others wanting even more spending reductions. "I think you can improve the product," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in an interview about the bill with Punchbowl News. "There are certain things the Senate wants to have its imprint on." House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, cautioned against drastic bill reforms. "I'm urging my Senate colleagues to take up our balanced reconciliation package – and only consider changes that further strengthens our fiscal reforms – so we can quickly advance this One Big Beautiful Bill to the President's desk and deliver for the American people," he said.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Here's what's in Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

Here's what's in Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' (The Center Square) – Republicans' mammoth budget reconciliation bill...

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Remembering Julie Moore, the civilian who helped change military protocol

Remembering Julie Moore, the civilian who helped change military protocol

When Kisha Patterson last spoke to her husband, Esau, it was an ordinary conversation under extraordinary circumstances. "We talked that morning," she said. "It was like any other day. He was like, 'Hey, I'll call you back.' I was like, 'Okay.' You know, not thinking too much of it, kind of took it for granted." In April of 2004, Army Staff Sergeant Esau Patterson was serving in Iraq. They'd met years earlier in church, at Ft. Benning in Georgia. They got married, had two children, and were planning a family reunion for when he returned. But then came a knock at the door. "And there's two uniformed service members standing there," said Kisha. "And they looked at me, and I could see tears in their eyes, and that's when I knew." A car bomb had killed her husband. He was 25 years old. "I would never get to say goodbye," she said. "I would never get to touch him. I would never get to do anything else." I asked, "What did it mean to you to have service members there with you?" "It meant that what he died for was okay, that he was truly protecting and serving this country," Kisha replied. Those soldiers were carrying out a solemn duty that had not always been performed. During the Civil War, the military had no formal casualty notification system. Occasionally families would receive a letter. By World War I and through the Vietnam War, the military was sending telegrams, until an Army wife named Julia Moore (known as Julie) stepped in. "She completely changed the culture of the military," said her son, Greg Moore. "In 1965, during the Battle of the Ia Drang, death notices were delivered to spouses by telegrams and taxicabs. Cold, cruel, dispassionate. She was outraged." Julie Moore's husband, Hal, was a highly-regarded Lt. Colonel then serving in Vietnam when, as she described in a letter, a taxi driver pulled up to her house: "When he rang the bell I decided not to answer; that way, everything would be all right," she wrote. "I finally said to myself, 'Come on, Julie, you have to face up to what's to come, so go answer the door." It turned out, the driver needed directions. Greg Moore said, "At that moment, she knew what it felt to get that telegram, and she never wanted to have anybody else get that telegram and not have somebody physically with them." So, Julie Moore made a deal with the local Western Union office: they would call her whenever a telegram came. The 2002 movie "We Were Soldiers" portrayed how Julie Moore would rush to comfort the widows. Even as she cared for her five young children, Moore helped other Army wives on the home front, as she recounted in a 2001 interview: "I think people forget that these men had families. And these families had problems. And the wives are left alone to deal with them as best they can. And these women were really up to the task. They really were." Together, the Army wives successfully lobbied the base commander. Julie's son Dave Moore said, "What they really wanted was the Army to make a fundamental change, which they did, in that the Army should take responsibility for delivering these telegrams to the wives and personally care for the spouse during that time of cathartic change." Service members now notify families in person, and offer additional support. When Army Sgt. First Class Kendrick Ray delivered a casualty notification in 2021, it was a sacred mission. Now, he helps families in the days after. Asked what goes through his mind before he knocks on the door, Ray replied, "I just said a prayer, like, 'How can I be of service to this family? I don't know what they're going through, but give me strength to, you know, face whatever it is once I ring the doorbell.' "I believe now it's my purpose," he said. "I can let people know, like, 'Hey, you're not alone. we're right here with you, every step of the way.'" Julie Moore died in 2004. Her husband died 13 years later. In 2023, the Pentagon renamed Ft. BenningFt. Mooreto honor them both. It marked the first time an American military base had been named for a civilian. Dave Moore said, "It's not a legacy she asked for; it's a legacy she built herself towards. And the hero rises to a moment and achieves great things." This year,the Army post was re-named Ft. Benning. But just down the road, at the National Infantry Museum, her name endures. I asked Kisha Patterson, "When you think about what she did, what comes to your mind?" "She's phenomenal," Patterson replied. "I can't imagine having received a telegram with that information on it. So, I just thank her. There're husbands that endure this same pain. There are mothers and fathers, there are children that get these knocks. So, she has, yes, she has truly made a difference for all of us." For more info: National Infantry Museum, Columbus, Ga. Story produced by Robbyn McFadden. Editor: Joseph Frandino. 4 women arrested for allegedly aiding escaped New Orleans inmates Passage: In memoriam The Book Report: Ron Charles on new summer reads

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Remembering Julie Moore, the civilian who helped change military protocol

Remembering Julie Moore, the civilian who helped change military protocol When Kisha Patterson last spoke to her husband, Esau, it was an or...

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7 most likely successors to Trump in 2028

7 most likely successors to Trump in 2028

While President Trump says it's too soon to back a successor for his party's 2028 presidential nod, the jockeying and tea-leaf reading has begun in the search for the next GOP leader. The president himself suggested Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are possible contenders. Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.,suggested this past weekthat he was keeping the door open to a possible run after his father leaves the White House, acknowledging "that calling is there." Some swing state governors have also made moves that stoked speculation of presidential ambitions this cycle. Here are the seven most likely successors to Trump in 2028: Talk of Vance as Trump's heir apparent began as soon as the president named him his running mate last year. The former Trump critic-turned-acolyte was already a leading messenger of Trump's economic populism and international isolationism, and he has used the vice presidential bully pulpit as a megaphone for his spin on Trump's "America First" agenda. Trump has hinted that Vance could be his successor in 2028, but he has avoided an explicit endorsement. "I think [Vance is] a fantastic, brilliant guy," Trumpsaid in an interviewon NBC's "Meet the Press" released earlier this month. "Marco is great. There's a lot of them that are great," he continued. "I also see tremendous unity. But certainly you would say that somebody's the VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage." Vance has said he's not taking anything for granted,telling NBC News in an interviewthis past week, "My attitude is, if I do end up running in 2028, I'm not entitled to it." Trump has loaded up Rubio's portfolio in his new administration, most recently making him the only person other than Henry Kissinger to serve as secretary of State and national security adviser at the same time. The expanding influence in the White House has increased speculation about what comes next for the previous presidential candidate, who was reportedly on Trump's shortlist for potential running mates in 2024. But MAGA World sees Rubio as insufficiently committed to the cause, and his past rivalry with Trump still looms. Trump and Rubio ran against each other in the 2016 GOP primary, with thepresident calling Rubioa "perfect little puppet," "kid" and "Little Marco," while Rubio described the businessman as "touchy and insecure." Their relationship has evolved much since then.Rubio endorsed Trumpover fellow Floridian Gov. Ron DeSantis right before the Iowa caucuses, a key move in his path to the Cabinet. Trump's eldest son stoked speculation this past week that he might have presidential ambitions while speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum. "I don't know. Maybe one day. You know, that calling is there," Trump Jr. said at one point after the moderator asked if he would be interested in picking up the reins and running after his father steps down. "Maybe. You never know," Trump Jr. said later, when pressed again if his answer was "maybe." Trump Jr., like his father, would enter the Republican race with no experience in elected office, though he has years of experience as a prominent figure in Trump's political movement. Things could get awkward between Trump Jr. and Vance, who have been close political allies, if they end up competing for the crown. The GOP primary between Trump and DeSantis got nasty and personal, but the president was quick to forgive his one-time rival after Florida's governor dropped out and endorsed Trump. While some Republicans see the Florida governor as a potential president, the 2024 primary still presents a significant hurdle if he wants Trump's backing. Both men havetaken steps to shore uptheir relationship, with DeSantis taking proactive steps to align the state with Trump's immigration priorities. DeSantis was even at one point reportedly being considered for Defense secretary when Pete Hegseth's path through the Senate was looking unlikely. Other potential hurdles to a 2028 comeback for DeSantis: feuding with the Florida state Legislature and growing scrutiny over the Hope Florida Foundation, the charity arm of a welfare program tied to Florida first lady Casey DeSantis. Glenn Youngkin, who is term-limited as Virginia's governor, was seen as offering a playbook for Republicans to win in blue-leaning states after his 2021 election, delicately keeping Trump at arm's length during his campaign. Youngkin opted against seeking the presidency in 2024 after flirting with the idea, avoiding getting in the crosshairs of Trump. But he could run in 2028. The Virginia governorin an interview with The New York Timeslast month stirred speculation by keeping the door open. "I have said many times that I do believe that folks that worry about their next job before they've finished their current one have their priorities misplaced," he told the Times. "My job is to continue to serve Virginians the best I can all the way up and through the last day I'm in office, and I'm committed to do that." Youngkin has butted heads with Democrats who wield power in Virginia's Legislature, and he failed to win a trifecta that would have allowed him to advance more of his conservative agenda. During the 2023 election, Youngkin and Virginia's GOP tried to go on offense on abortion by suggesting a statewide 15-week limit. Democrats won full control of the state Legislature. Kristi Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, has been one of Trump's most ardent defenders and was also floated as a potential running mate for him last cycle. An anecdote included in a then-forthcoming book —about shooting her wirehaired pointerCricket for behaving badly during a pheasant hunt — largely extinguished those prospects. Trump still tapped her as a key Cabinet official, making her a face of his immigration policy as the head of the Department of Homeland Security. She's defended the administration's handling of the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, and she has sought to bar Harvard University from being able to have international students enroll in the university. Brian Kemp stoked speculation earlier this month that he might have his eyes on the White House in 2028 after he declined to run against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) for Senate next year, despite intense recruitment efforts from the party. Kemp notably didn't vote for Trump in the GOP primary,telling CNN last year that"the race was already over when the primary got here." Trumpreportedly badmouthedKemp, a very popular figure in a key swing state, following a fundraiser. The two managed to patch things up before the November election,offering supportive remarksto one another on Fox News and Truth Social, and Kempparticipated in a fundraiserfor Trump. Like Youngkin, Kemp's business bona fides and success in a swing state would also make him attractive to members of the party. But his cool relationship with Trump makes him an unlikely favorite for the MAGA wing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

7 most likely successors to Trump in 2028

7 most likely successors to Trump in 2028 While President Trump says it's too soon to back a successor for his party's 2028 presiden...

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