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THIRD PARTY ANIMAL
Will Tucker Carlson run for president? The right-wing firebrand is hinting that he just might, as Donald Trump privately considers his own heir.
You’ve likely heard politicians from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) use the term “Epstein Class” to describe President Donald Trump’s circle. It’s an effective tool to describe the administration’s dedication to protecting elites and the “far broader, deeper rot of corruption,” a political strategist who helped popularize the term told me earlier this year [ [link removed] ]. The slogan appeals to Americans of both parties, and has been adopted by politicians who seem thirsty for higher office.
That’s why my ears perked up while listening to Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who morphed into a conspiracy-pedaling populist living in a log cabin in Maine, giving a 90 minute monologue [ [link removed] ] released on his channel last night.
“It has been obvious for a while now that our system is not working as intended because the people in charge of it seem to be looking out mostly — not exclusively, but mostly — for their own interests,” Carlson preached. “After a while, you call it the Epstein Class.”
The monologue is the talk of the town [ [link removed] ] in MAGAworld. Carlson outlined his 10-point manifesto [ [link removed] ] for “whatever comes next.” He tweeted [ [link removed] ] that the “change is coming” and advertised the video as a playbook for “what America should be.” Many of his fans hope it’s a soft-launch for the Oval Office bid in 2028, in the wake of a suggestive huddle with a group [ [link removed] ] of former Trump allies at his cabin over the weekend. Carlson’s MAGAworld haters, meanwhile, are freaking out [ [link removed] ].
To be clear, Carlson is a master at getting attention and fomenting outrage. He very well might be ragebaiting his enemies, and merely trying to position himself as a powerplayer in the next election. But Carlson does appear interested in doing the job himself, setting the stage for a major clash with President Donald Trump’s anointed successor.
Carlson’s presidential flirtation comes after Trump dropped a clue that he’s made up his mind about who he’s backing.
Trump seems to be all in on Vice President JD Vance for president. “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump told donors in the Oval Office last month, according to the [ [link removed] ]Washington [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]Post [ [link removed] ].
Several people close to Trump told the Post, however, that he still hasn’t made up his mind between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Sure, Trump changes his opinion as often as you flip a light switch. But those comments don’t sound undecided!!
A Vance vs. Carlson match-up would be MAGA’s equivalent of a WWE SmackDown championship. Carlson played a major role [ [link removed] ] in convincing Trump to pick Vance as veep. The two men have been close allies for years, sharing a similar anti-interventionist worldview — until, y’know, Vance sold his soul and backed Trump’s global rampage. Carlon’s son, Buckley, even worked in Vance’s press shop until recently [ [link removed] ].
A clash would expose deep rifts in the GOP, and force Trump’s allies to choose sides between two very powerful (and relatively young) politicians who could be around for decades.
Neither man has launched an official presidential bid yet. Regardless, the White House seems to view Carlson as a legitimate threat, describing the group [ [link removed] ] at his weekend gathering as an “embarrassing collection of mostly whiny turncoats who dramatically overestimate their influence and relevance.”
Trump is the “unequivocal leader” of the Republican Party, the White House said. But does that matter, if Carlson isn’t a Republican anymore?
WHAT ELSE? 👀
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that he has [ [link removed] ] been discharged from the hospital after nearly eight weeks. He’ll maintain an “intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period,” McConnell said in a statement. Unlimited paid leave? Work from home? The Senate has some great benefits, huh?
Iranian officials have warned Gulf countries [ [link removed] ] that they must convince Trump to stop the war and negotiate peace — or else Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants, Reuters reports. This war seems totally under control!
Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. has [ [link removed] ] “massive amounts” of munitions, after reports that the Army’s stockpile of long-range precision missiles is concerning low. “The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” the president posted on social media shortly after midnight. Trump’s rant followed news that he recently demanded an explanation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on why “he had apparently been misled on extreme munitions shortages,” the Washington Post [ [link removed] ]reports [ [link removed] ]. No one in the White House seems to grasp why it’s ridiculous to deny a report like this and also claim the details were leaked.
A Senate committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci [ [link removed] ] in contempt of Congress, after he pleaded the Fifth more than 100 times during a highly politicized hearing over his tenure as Covid czar. Don’t expect this issue to go away: Another GOP-led committee obtained a copy [ [link removed] ] of Fauci’s government phone from the Covid days.
ICE arrests hit a record high 51,000 in July, [ [link removed] ] ABC News reports. Trump’s immigration push isn’t only domestic: Customs and Border Patrol is hiring private investigators to track down immigrants in their home countries and make them pay fines for failing to leave the U.S. after being ordered to do so, according to Wired [ [link removed] ]. A law professor described the initiative as a “significant escalation in tactics.”
DOGE made major errors while calculating [ [link removed] ] how much money its cost-cutting operation saved the federal government, according to a new watchdog report. One example: DOGE claimed to have saved about $27 billion from canceled contracts… which weren’t actually canceled, the report found. Remember when Elon Musk said DOGE would save at least $2 trillion?
Artificial intelligence can create viruses that aren’t found in nature, [ [link removed] ] according to new research. I dropped this story in the Crooked Slack, and here are a few responses from my colleagues: “My anxiety did not need to know this.” “Oh come on.” “Not now, AI viruses!” “Oh good great thanks, just what everybody wanted.”
LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️
Chris Rabb, a DSA-backed House candidate [ [link removed] ] in Pennsylvania, trolled Fox News’ Sean Hannity on his own show last night. “Chris Rabb, appreciate you for coming,” Hannity says. Rabb responds: “My pleasure, thank you Scott.” Immediately, Hannity corrects him.“My name is Sean. Not Scott,” he said Rabb further taunted the host today, tweeting: “It was lovely coming on Scott Hannity’s little show.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a cooking show, [ [link removed] ] and it totally sucks. It’s essentially “an extended political ad,” Bloomberg writes. What’s more, the actual cooking is downright bad. “Seeing the pair’s elaborate mise en place left me wondering how long that part took, who among the viewers has nutritional yeast and avocado mayo on hand, and just who would be washing out all those briefly used ingredient bowls,” the article continues. “And while I like salmon cakes as a reliable pantry meal, I can tell you that even when they are shaped into kitty-cat and Mickey Mouse heads, some children, at least, are still likely to reject them.”
Scientists in the U.S. and the U.K. are developing vaccines [ [link removed] ] that aim to stop colon cancer before it turns into a tumor. While RFK Jr. is busy flipping salmon cakes, it’s nice to hear that real professionals are still making progress on vaccines!
A pair of players from the Iranian women’s soccer team [ [link removed] ] were granted Australian citizenship, after claiming asylum five months ago.
A Minnesota nursing home held its first happy hour, [ [link removed] ] after one of its residents successfully advocated for a bill that legalized imbibing in the building. “It was very rewarding,” said Anita LeBrun, 82, who testified in front of lawmakers earlier this year. “And to think that we started way back in February, it just gave me a good feeling that I had done my best.” She chose pinot grigio to celebrate.
A music festival in British Columbia is offering sites [ [link removed] ] where festivalgoers can test their drugs for free to make sure that they aren’t laced with dangerous substances. “Harm reduction isn’t about approving of drug use,” one of the festival’s organizers said. “It’s about making sure people can get help when they need it.”
A small organ in Germany has been playing [ [link removed] ] the same song for the past 25 years — and is scheduled to keep doing so until 2640. So, why am I writing about this now? On Wednesday, the organ completed a rare chord change from seven to eight notes. It was a big deal for the folks who are passionate about this project, and, I assume, the people who are slowly headbanging to the music.
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