Congress
Trump calls the plays at the Army-Navy game
The sidelines at Saturday’s Army-Navy match-up might just be more compelling than the game.
Donald Trump is back. The president-elect will partake in the nation’s storied rivalry between West Point and Annapolis, saluting U.S. troops as he enters the White House again. But Saturday’s game will focus just as much on political intrigue as football and tradition — and for Trump, it won’t be the first time.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Defense secretary and a former Army major, will attend. But so will Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer who will join Trump at the game following reports DeSantis was, at least briefly, under consideration toreplace Hegseth.
It’s a true Army-Navy match-up.
This will mark Trump’s fifth appearance at the game, having previously attended as president-elect in 2016 and as president in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Trump and DeSantis, who battled each other in a fierce GOP primary rivalry, have since reconciled. The Florida governor supported Trump during the general election.
Now Trump is reportedly urging DeSantis to appoint his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat if the Florida senator is confirmed as secretary of State. Their appearance together Saturday will fuel questions about the alliance and whether the role of the Defense secretary is part of the bargain.
Trump first blended military camaraderie with political strategy under the bright lights in 2016. He spent the first half of the game in the box of David Urban, a West Point graduate and Republican adviser, and the second half with retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, a graduate of Annapolis.
Urban, a Pennsylvania power broker dubbed part of the “West Point Mafia,” played a pivotal role in securing nominations for figures such as Mark Esper for Defense secretary, Mike Pompeo for secretary of State and Kenneth Braithwaite for Navy secretary. Esper and another major defense official spotted in Trump’s box that year, Gen. Mark Milley, have since had high-profile breaks with him.
Trump has a history of making news at the match. He used a tweet in 2018 to announce that Milley, who was then the Army chief of staff, would replace Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Joseph Dunford — who still had nearly 10 months left in his term.
Then-Navy Secretary Richard Spencer also told Trump at the game that he should get fired if he couldn’t fix problems building the USS Gerald Ford. He was later fired.
And the following year in the locker room, Trump announced a controversial policy change that allowed military academy athletes with professional potential to play pro sports after graduation and defer their active-duty service.
It’s a reminder that in Trump’s game, just like in football, today’s teammate might be tomorrow’s opponent.
Congress
Senate GOP ready to move on elections bill
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso told reporters Monday the chamber will vote Tuesday to take up a House-passed elections bill known as the SAVE America Act.
The Wyoming Republican, whose job it is to help round up support, said he is “doing everything I can to make sure we get on this bill tomorrow.”
Republicans will need a simple majority to begin debate on the partisan legislation; they can lose three members and still let Vice President JD Vance break a tie.
So far, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has said he’s a “no,” while Republicans are also watching GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Congress
Jesse Jackson’s family withdraws posthumous endorsement in Illinois Senate primary
The family of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson walked back a posthumous endorsement of Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s Senate campaign on Monday, after the family said Jackson’s endorsements for Tuesday’s primaries were not completed before his death.
On Saturday, Stratton’s campaign touted an endorsement from Jackson, who died last month, and his son Yusef. The announcement came after Stratton saw Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Jackson family’s organziation, passing out sample ballots — which were also obtained by Blue Light News — that recommended Stratton.
“[Jackson’s] example has been a north star for me, and I’m deeply honored to have received his trust, support, and endorsement before his passing,” Stratton said in a statement on Saturday.
But on Monday, Yusef Jackson, who is the organization’s COO, said the draft sample ballot was “released without authorization” and that the Jackson family and Rainbow PUSH Coalition are not making political endorsements this cycle.
His father “began the process of reviewing candidates and identifying those he intended to support in the upcoming primary election,” Yusef Jackson said in the statement. “However, given his passing just over a month ago, the process was never fully completed. Out of respect for my father, we decided not to publicly release his intended selections given the process had not been finalized.”
The Stratton campaign said on Monday that officials with Rainbow PUSH Coalition said she had been endorsed by Jackson.
“Juliana spoke on Saturday at Rainbow PUSH for a Women’s History Month event and officials told her she received the endorsements. Organizers shared the sample election ballot that was already being distributed and encouraged her to share the news,” the Stratton campaign said in a statement.
The endorsement mix-up draws further scrutiny on the split among Black Democrats in Illinois between Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who are both seeking to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Some Democrats in the state have expressed concern that Stratton and Kelly could split the vote in Tuesday’s primary, creating a path for Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) to win the nomination.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) told Blue Light News prior to the family’s statement that his father “never got in on Black-on-Black fights.”
Jonathan Jackson added that the races the late Jesse Jackson “was excited about” were himself and former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s comeback bid.
“He wouldn’t do that. He was always pushing the community forward,” Jackson said. “This smells of desperation.”
Congress
Johnson on Trump’s Hormuz plan
Speaker Mike Johnson said he supports President Donald Trump’s effort to build a global coalition ensure safe passage of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz — even if Trump “didn’t anticipate it” being necessary before launching airstrikes against Iran.
Speaking to reporters after attending a Washington event with Trump, Johnson said the president told him that “he anticipated the strait of Hormuz would be closed.”
“I don’t know that he didn’t anticipate it in the front end, but now it’s necessitated,” Johnson said. He added that the coalition is “a reasonable thing” for other countries to assist with and “it would be helpful.”
Asked about how much a potential supplemental package to fund the military action would cost, Johnson said, “We don’t know yet.” Estimates for the cost of the war have exceeding $1 billion per day.
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