234 Comments
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Richard Luthmann's avatar

This is what competence looks like when it has a spine. Bessent brought money discipline and knife work. Mullin brought working-man force and zero tolerance for smearing federal officers. Rubio brought foreign-policy command and the ability to expose clown questions in real time. The Democrats came for soundbites and left with body damage. The difference from Trump’s first term is obvious. In 2017, he inherited a Cabinet filtered through Senate Republicans and establishment comfort. In 2026, he built a war Cabinet for a country under siege: Treasury, Homeland Security, State. No weak links. No apologies. America First with teeth.

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Perfection R.L. !

Indydoc's avatar

America first with teeth-I like it

Lloyd Garnett's avatar

Agree … but I’m a little wary of the proposed new DNI … It’s arguably the most dangerous of the many dangerous pits of nasty vipers in the whole swamp.

Don Surber's avatar

Don't worry. He'll stay in line or Bessent will kick his ass

Retirednottired's avatar

Trumpian brilliance to appoint leader with executive experience, but in NO way beholden to ANY Deep State operatives in Intel.

Lloyd Garnett's avatar

Very opaque, very Byzantine, very treacherous for anyone, who doesn’t already know who the rogues are, how they operate, where the hiding places are. Just because one has the title and lawful authority to go with it, doesn’t mean one has the tools to pry the lids off. The insiders have an insidious history of keeping the outsiders on the outside, even when the outsiders are their lawfully appointed bosses and legally entitled to be on the inside.

Lloyd Garnett's avatar

I did mean DNI.Thank you for catching my brain cramp!

revmaddog1948's avatar

America first with teeth. Excellent.

MLR's avatar

It’s about time that the Republicans brought a “gun to a knife fight.”

Adorable Deplorable's avatar

Yeah, but if they did it would be a Wile E Coyote GUN that shoots out the word BANG. This would be playing tough for the Republicans we have.

OldeArtiste's avatar

They should bring blank rounds with their gun at least; those things are LOUD and would really frighten the Dems.

Damn the torpedoes's avatar

Rubio has come into his own, running circles around the second string carnival called democrats. He went into a battle of wits against unarmed opponents. He clearly is the most qualified 2028 candidate for the republicans. They all seemed to forget he sharpened his steel blade in those very rooms for years, and they are no match for his intellect, his recall of facts, and his quick wit. They’re excessively stupid. And Bessent makes me refill the popcorn bowl. They are both eloquent representatives of their boss who winds them up and lets them go, sans gloves.

Playswithneedles's avatar

My favorite part was when that hideously ugly AWFL stormed out on Rubio after he took her down and he called out, “Thanks for coming!”

tj's avatar

That was mine too. She asked 5 min of questions and then the next one, a Republican I think, was letting Rubio use her time to answer.

That whole session was nuts. If we had half the competence of the Cabinet in the House/Senate, we might actually get the country moving on the right track.

UncleWiggly's avatar

The democrats ran DEI candidates and they won. Hopefully it won’t happen again.

Retirednottired's avatar

Rubio, Bessent…. Sounds like good combo for 2028.

Retirednottired's avatar

(Forgive grammar and other errors today, working left handed after carpal tunnel surgery.)

steph_gray's avatar

No worries. I did a lot of posting over a couple of the last few years with first one hand, than the other, in a cast.

We find a way!

Alice Ball's avatar

I voted Bessent bc even though all did a great job shredding the dummies who have only “RACIST” as a reply, Rubio may run for president and is the head of State Dept & thus is in a different position than Bessent, who can completely shred them as he’s Treasury, no presidential aspiration, and thus free to kick their ASS repeatedly and consistently!!! I just love it!!!!!

TeaPartyGal's avatar

I too voted for Bessent because (a) I just don't want all this acclaim to go to Rubio's head. I hope he doesn't succumb to getting haughty.

And (b), because most people in politics (and that would include just about everyone else in Trump's cabinet), do not have a strong understanding of finance. Therefore, if any of them become President, they are sure going to need to KEEP Bessent, because without him they are liable to be bamboozled into doing things that will hurt our economy. America is still on VERY thin ice financially. Bessent is worth his weight in gold.

tj's avatar

Triple his weight in gold especially if he can get the Cartels and Antifa's money laundering shut down.

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

I can not envision a better mind than Bessent to be in charge at this crucial time. He is Einstein on speed sharp with a keener sense of humor that may soar over some dem/media abilities to understand. Just wickedly good !!

Jake's avatar

He's a key member assigned to take down the Democrats money machine. Future protests are going to be pretty small when they're not getting paid.

tj's avatar

I hope he keeps up the good work. He knows his stuff and he is finding a lot of snakes under the rocks he keeps flipping.

WTPuck's avatar

And he seems to enjoy it. That makes me happy.

CactusMatt32's avatar

Bessent’s the guy that set up the trade when working for Soros, that bankrupted the Bank of England and made Soros billions. Currently he’s taking down the cartels, taking down the WEF and City of London financiers, draining Canada of their EuroDollar & Chyna transport trade against the US, resetting the oil trade between Chyna, Russia and the US - cutting out the ‘Brent Crude’ financial middleman contract, and getting ready to drop a dime on Federal grift schemes and Senator mortgage fraud…among other things….

James Mazzarelli's avatar

Exactly, and he's doing it relatively quietly, without a lot of fanfare.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Also voted for Bessent who, I'm sure, is doing a lot more than we're aware of - but everyone on that list is doing great - not a single bad choice in the poll.

Cookie McCall's avatar

I voted Bessent also but each choice had his own strengths

James Mazzarelli's avatar

Same. Plus, the stuff going on behind the scenes at Treasury will be written about for decades ... a new way to detect and stop fraud / crime.

Catherine Kasparian's avatar

Very enjoyable read. I can’t pick a favorite. They all bring it.

revmaddog1948's avatar

The plumber knows his s***. That caused a roar of laughter!

Douglas Baringer's avatar

Don, you old dog! Just when the news of the week is going kind of dull, you throw a "Greatest Hits" party. I am still giggling over "what's a duckworth? About 5 bucks a pound"

Don Surber's avatar

Made me laugh too

tj's avatar

I needed the laughs this morning. Had to go make sure the door was shut so hubby and the cat were undisturbed. 'UnSurbered?'

Douglas Baringer's avatar

For me, UnSurbered is starting the day in shaky condition.

Steve Boggs's avatar

That’s an updated version of ‘What’s a henweigh?’

CactusMatt32's avatar

I have been to Fenway, but I do like da baseball…

Joe LaGreca's avatar

I wouldn't pay 2 bits for that Duck.

tj's avatar

That is 2 bits and a coffee more than that Duck is worth.

Indydoc's avatar

Agree with duckworth

Suzie's avatar

I confess, when Rubio was tapped for Secretary of State I was more than anxious about him in that role.

Well, fast forward and call me ASTOUNDED about one THE MOST EXCELLENT SECRETARY’s there we have EVER HAD!!

While every single one of the Departments in our government over the course of the last five decades has been corrupted to the core, the State Dept. had to have been the absolute worst.

That place was an absolute nest of vipers with their fingers in every pie the world over impeding and obstructing and perverting the power of the US in every single sphere on a global scale - for decades!!

The dismantling of USAID was just one example of the incomprehensible corruption that riddled that department like a black mold.

Enter Rubio, with a whip, a saw and an axe, who,in record time set about to tear down that filthy habitation of traitors and incompetents and rebuild it from the ground up, into a lean, mean, America First fighting machine!

Astounding!!

And the same goes for Bessent at Treasury, and Zeldin at EPA - heck, the lot of them!

DHS gets a lot of the press becuase of its high profile mission to eradicate illegal immigration, but in every single one of Trump’s cabinet departments true warriors have been going above and beyond in just two short years to rebuild and reorganize this country from the inside out to operate the way it was originally intended to be.

It has been a thing to behold.

Pray God we won the November elections so that work can not only continue, but be set in stone for our country’s future.

Playswithneedles's avatar

43 years ago I worked briefly for an ambassador who was a Reagan appointee. He referred to the State Department as “Pinstripes and Reds”.

Wim de Vriend's avatar

Harry Truman called it the "striped-pants boys". That he didn't also call them the reds may be because State's secret Communists and red spies had not yet been fully exposed. See Whittaker Chambers, Alger Hiss ...

Playswithneedles's avatar

Didn’t know that. Thanks for the info. Probably where my ambassador got the idea.

CactusMatt32's avatar

If it walks like a duck…..

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Save some thanks for Elon T.P.G. .

WTPuck's avatar

DOGE was a godsend.

Ms. Bert's avatar

WTP....Doge IS a Godsend. I follow them on X.

NNTX's avatar

The groundwork laid by DOGE has allowed their successors to connect (financial) dots that are being used in the combat against fraud in multiple areas. DataRepubican on X is doing great work in this area.

Sheila Barkofske's avatar

That USAID comment also caught my attention too. Perhaps a more appropriate analogy would be Elliot Ness & the Untouchables.

CactusMatt32's avatar

47 much better than biker REX Tillerson, who sold out the BSA when they had a SCOTUS free to associate ruling….. in their haversack….

CactusMatt32's avatar

You’re just Jealous Hillary set the bar for him….not to mention Madeleine All’bright’

Suzie's avatar

Do you know that I had totally blotted out from my brain that Hillary was ever Secretary of State!? My God I can’t even imagine what they dug up on her when they were cleaning out those Augean stables!!

Don Reed's avatar

06/04/26: Mario Rubio reminds me of our high school wrestling champion, who ended his sports career in that venue with an undefeated record. His hostile interrogators should be suing each other for copyright infringement; they have all equally and identically made asses of themselves.

Don Reed's avatar

06/04/26: "Back in the Senate, Booker T. Newark managed to hit into a triple play with the bases empty..." --- Don Surber.

BRAVO! And I apologize for having voted for Rubio in the Poll. Every single person in it is doing equally excellent work. All of this --- what I've witnessed since January of 2025 --- has been personally disorientating; in the past six decades, I have seen nothing remotely like it.

Brian LeMay's avatar

Had to vote for Marco ; he doing about ten jobs ain't he ?

EODMom's avatar

Maybe they should also give him the job of Senate GOP Leader as a side hustle.

TeaPartyGal's avatar

Would love to see some memes go around with Rubio as Senate GOP Leader. Thune needs to be mocked.

Don Reed's avatar

06/04/26: Thune is the American Keir Starmer (British PM). Where did they find this f*ck-up?! In Karen Bass's Christmas stocking?

NNTX's avatar

Mitch McConnell “sponsored” Thune.

Heard an interview with Ken Paxton today. He was in town meeting with various folks, including Thune—and ensuring they will support his run in TX especially as Talarico has big bucks from Schumer.

Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting. Paxton was quite diplomatic—but those of us in TX know he is a full on fighter and will be a great addition to the pantywaists Rs in the Senate (a few exceptions of course).

WTPuck's avatar

In his spare time. LOL.

Adorable Deplorable's avatar

There are an awful lot of people who cannot be embarrassed. This would be 99% of congressional Dems.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Whenever I watch these DEM's in action in those hearings, I wonder how could the DEM leadership put these clowns on committees - but then I quickly realize that all of the DEM's is one big clown show led by clowns.

tj's avatar

Makes you wonder how the clowns got elected now doesnt it? I know a bunch are in solid blue, vote Dim no matter who, but some of them arent. We have one we have been trying to get rid of for more than a decade. He started making squeaking noises and the Dims shut him down. I am not sure he does anything but show up to vote party line now, if that.

WTPuck's avatar

And in OH Sherrod Brown is running AGAIN. The man hasn't had a real job in his entire adult life. He needs to just. go. away.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

There's a certain breed that gets addicted to political life - once they a get a taste, they're hooked for life - that's because they don't have to roll up their sleeves & work like their constituents do.

NNTX's avatar

But he is ahead in the polls against Husted, who seems a bit colorless. Tell me Sherrod Brown won’t win, please!

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Amen A.D. as a conscience is required.

GaryC9's avatar

Now we need House and Senate members with the same spine and zero tolerance for BS that Trump’s cabinet just displayed.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Keep dreaming - Republicans are ladies & gentlemen - while the DEM's are street fighters.

Wim de Vriend's avatar

Paid-for street fighters. Expose the money men, and they'll be gone.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Yes, their street thugs are funded by the likes of Soros - but, I was referring to the elected DEM politicians.

NNTX's avatar

Trump has been winnowing the herd to some effect. There are some good newer folks in both houses—Senate has Moreno and Schmitt, in Congress Brandon Gill and Tim Burchett are good. And to be fair, some veterans such as Ron Johnson and even Grassley have been stand up on COVID and other corrupt actions.

Y’all help me out and name the decent folks we can support in the Senate and Congress. Sadly a number of the Senators end up leaving for other races (Tommy Turberville of AL, Marsha Blackburn of TN, Harriet Hageman of WY come to mind. Also was sad to see that Elise Stefanik is leaving the House. She is liberal but remember she is in NY. She was a real fighter for Pres Trump and against the garbage DEI policies of the ivy league presidents. Her takedown of those clowns a few years ago was fabulous to watch.

Jake's avatar

The past couple of days Scott Bessent has put a stake in the heart of illegal alien vampire. He's blocking illegals from using our financial system. He's going to impound any money he finds trying to use the system. Imagine living in the US without cards or checks. Who's going to cash your paycheck. Is your paycheck even worth anything if banks refuse to honor them. Sec Bessent has just taken the illegal alien problem to a new level.

tj's avatar

Plus he started killing off the Remittance loop hole. If you are on any government system, SNAP, HUD or anything else, you cant send money out of country or you get removed from the government funding program. Part me actually wishes they would just be removed from any government funding program. Too many leeches, not enough oversight.

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

We eat our beef one bite at a time which is how Bessent is straightening out the finances of this indebted nation. jmho

Sheila Barkofske's avatar

Totally agree. That was a huge shot across the bow!

Adorable Deplorable's avatar

Rubio is 100% presidential material and the gift that keep on giving... day in and day out!

Joe LaGreca's avatar

I think Rubio has learned a lot since joining the gang of 8 & running for president in 2016 - not the same guy - the years have matured him in a good way. Will be a tough choice in 2028 if both Rubio & Vance decide to run. I was leaning towards Vance, but also think highly of Rubio.

TeaPartyGal's avatar

Vance has been at a disadvantage, not having a department to run. And we don't really know yet if he has the superstrong executive skills needed for the Presidency. He does have the intellect and verbal skills. The fraud problem is a meaty project that will give Vance a chance to show whether he has the practical management chops to excel.

WTPuck's avatar

An embarrassment of riches is a nice problem to have, for a change.

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Rubio truly has matured well but I recall Miss Lindsay also being a member and it regresses too often to forget the gang.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

John McCain & Jeff Flake (the name fits) were also on that gang. I don't know how in the hell Rubio was talked into joining that motley crew considering that Chuckie Cheese, Turban Durbin, & Gold Bar Menendez were also members.

steph_gray's avatar

Well there was also Devin Nunes.

Not everyone on there has swallowed the corruption bait.

Doggie Dad's avatar

Sorry, JD. Rubio 2028. He will win in a Reagan-like landslide. He has knowledge, wit, poise and intelligence. No one on today's left has anything to offer but ignorance, division, anger and fear.

Steve Boggs's avatar

JD’s got two more years to show us his chops. He’s been doing a great job so far of not upstaging his boss.

In Don’s metaphorology- Trump’s the mgr, Rubio’s the shortstop and Vance is in centerfield.

Jake's avatar

Bessent is on second, turning double plays.

Steve Boggs's avatar

I see what you did there- kind of a defensive switch-hitter

Brian LeMay's avatar

Deep lineup ; hopefully 30 plus years worth .

TeaPartyGal's avatar

Plus, Rubio would be the "first Hispanic" President, cementing that demographic with the Republicans. This would also trump whatever "first" the Democrats try to put up, like Pete Buttigieg, the "first (openly) gay" President.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Any Republican "first" is ignored - only DEM's "first" matter in LIBTARD world.

Retirednottired's avatar

Openly gay, yes….

CactusMatt32's avatar

JD can wait his turn…

John Wiles's avatar

"Rubio appointed head of newly acquired Cuba Territorial State. Elections schedules. Captains of industry meet in Havana. Communist spy centers bulldozed. New baseball stadium plans revealed. Tourism shows 2,000% increase. Crowds in the street cheering. Liberation finally comes to Cuba!"

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

BH's avatar

It sure does. Trump’s latest teasers on TruthSocial allude to such things.

“Has anyone ever seen a Happy Communist?”

I love it.

Vince Gallo's avatar

The Mafia can’t wait. lol 😂😂🐣👍

John Wiles's avatar

Vince, better the Italians than the Chinese.

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Love to watch these CARPing politicians undergo a PDJT cabinet members fillet and release as the pols seek sound bites. The only people dumber than these dems are the [ mind numbed robots h/t Rush, } re-electing them. I enjoy watching Bessent taking no prisoners with a facial expression asking , seriously? . Happy post today Don and a tutorial on statesmanship imho.

Sam Prentice's avatar

I have been very impressed with Rubio, but I am also very impressed with Bessent. His command of the facts and ability to offer immediate rebuttal to any nonsense presented by a Dem is amazing. Most of Trump's cabinet are visionaries just like Trump, and they are all following his lead and style which is fantastic.

CactusMatt32's avatar

Calendar just rolled over PDJT47s 500th day in office.

Makes me mindful of time….

Geo W courageous in my lifetime….glad our daughter can witness the power of USA and divine providence through imperfect humans…

Vince Gallo's avatar

Man to man. 😂😂

Vince Gallo's avatar

Pocahontas was so humiliated by Bessent smoke signals were coming off her head after he straightened her out.

CactusMatt32's avatar

They’re gonna sit down & work it over a beeeer….

steph_gray's avatar

All year she’s reverted 💯% to her other nickname (perhaps better known here in blueMA):

Liawatha.