No Deal

Today’s Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and President Zelensky should have been a cordial affair and a great photo op for the embattled president of Ukraine. It was the exact opposite.

Zelensky’s body language, tone of voice, frequent facial expressions, and interruptions were totally inappropriate, and J.D. Vance called him out.

Zelensky was here to sign a deal that would create United States interests in Ukraine, thereby deterring Putin from further aggression. But Zelensky continued to make demands, and he told Trump, “We will never accept just [a] ceasefire.”

When Vance suggested that the path to peace was through diplomacy, Zelensky proceeded to lecture him and Trump about the war. Vance told Zelensky he was being disrespectful by coming into the Oval Office and trying to “litigate this in front of the American media.” Vance added, “You should be thanking the president.”

But Zelensky kept at it, and Vance shot back:

“Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”

Zelensky was still combative, even with President Trump, who warned, “You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country.”

As Zelensky continued arguing, Vance asked, “Have you said ‘Thank you’ once this entire meeting?”

The media are making a big deal about Vance asking Zelensky to say “Thank you,” presumably because they think it puts the vice president in a bad light. I think most Americans are on J.D.’s side.

There are so many things here we should be taking care of. Instead, we’re trillions of dollars in debt and subsidizing yet another no-win foreign war.

I’m glad Vance called Zelensky out. Apparently, he’s willing to let this war go on forever and destroy his country.

As Zelensky continued arguing, President Trump reminded him that a deal with the United States would “empower you to be a tough guy,” putting Ukraine “in a much better position.” Trump warned, “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out, and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

Numerous reports say that President Trump kicked Zelensky out of the White House and canceled a scheduled lunch and joint press conference. The mineral deal was not signed. Trump said, “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Reaction

Conservatives were quick to applaud President Trump’s strength and America First commitment after the confrontation with Zelensky.

Sen. Jim Banks (IN) posted, “Thank you, President Trump, for standing up for America!”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) said, “Unfortunately, America was disrespected, and the deal is off. I have never been more proud of President Trump and Vice President Vance for standing up for America First.”

Rep. Brandon Gill (TX) wrote, “America First in action. Thank you, Donald Trump and JD Vance, for prioritizing our people first and for promoting peace!”

Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ) said, “Thank you, Mr. President and Vice President. The days of the USA getting pushed around are clearly over.”

Defending Religious Liberty

Vice President J. D. Vance spoke to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast this morning. He told the audience that the Trump/Vance administration will always defend religious liberty here in America and around the world.

Vance began by contrasting the actions of the Biden administration and the Trump administration on domestic issues. He said:

“I feel very confident in saying that between protecting the rights of pro-life protesters, between ensuring that we have an opportunity to protect the rights of the unborn in the first place, and, importantly, protecting the religious liberty of all people . . . I think that we can say that President Trump . . . has been an incredibly good president for Catholics in the United States of America.

“The last administration liked to throw people in jail for silently praying outside of [abortion] clinics. We know they like to harass pro-life fathers of seven, very often Catholic fathers, for participating in the pro-life movement. And we know that the last administration wanted to protect taxpayer-funded of abortion right up to the moment of birth.

“On every single one of those issues in thirty short days, Donald J. Trump has gone in the exact opposite direction. . .”

Iowa Insurrection

Iowa legislators voted yesterday to remove the myth of “gender identity” from state law and to reaffirm the biological reality that sex means “male” or “female” from birth. It’s just common sense.

President Trump encouraged Iowa’s elected representatives to do the right thing. In a social media post, Trump wrote:

“Iowa, a beautiful State that I have won BIG every time, has a Bill to remove Radical Gender Ideology from their Laws. Iowa should follow the lead of my Executive Order, saying there are only two genders, and pass this Bill – AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. Thank you, Iowa!”

But as debate on the legislation got underway, a mob of transgender activists and biology deniers stormed the Iowa Capitol in yet another “transurrection.”

This radical movement, based on the insane denial of reality, is inherently violent and becoming more so virtually every day.

And let’s not forget the obvious.

If some state legislature was stormed by MAGA activists upset over legislation allowing men in women’s sports or removing parental rights in education, it would be national news. The narrative would be, “This is the hate that Donald Trump has unleashed. He set the example on Capitol Hill, and now it’s spreading across the country.”

But this event, driven largely by the over-the-top rhetoric of left-wing extremists and politicians against anyone who opposes transgender ideology, is just an Iowa story. No one is connecting the dots. The leftist media has no interest in covering this “insurrection” because it’s one of theirs.

This is another reminder that even though we won the election, the battle rages on, and the ultimate victor is still unclear.

Restoring Normalcy

When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived at the Pentagon, he wasted no time in restoring the high standards necessary to improve military readiness. Part of that effort includes addressing the issue of transgender ideology in the military, as required by President Trump’s executive order.

Initially, Hegseth stopped the enrollment of new recruits with gender dysphoria and paused all medical procedures related to gender dysphoria.

Now, the Pentagon is taking it to the next level. A new policy has just been released, which states:

“The medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have . . . gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service. . . Service members who have . . . gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service.”

The issue here isn’t “discrimination.” There is no right to join the military. And the military does, in fact, discriminate for a host of reasons, mainly to ensure the fitness and deployability of soldiers.

A study conducted by the Obama administration found this was a serious concern because “transition” soldiers would be undeployable for at least 238 days or 65% of the year. The Biden administration allowed transgender soldiers to skip deployments for 300 days or 82% of the year.

But like so many other issues, this one regarding the authority of the commander-in-chief will be decided by the courts.

The Trump Effect

When Donald Trump took office, he immediately took action to secure our borders. A major component of his efforts was getting more cooperation from Mexico to stem the tide of illegal immigration and drug trafficking on their side of the border.

Trump’s actions got results.

Mexico began by deploying 10,000 troops to its northern border with the United States. Now, Mexican officials just turned over more than two dozen cartel members wanted for prosecution in the United States.

Several are high-profile targets, including one drug lord wanted for the murder of a DEA agent, a thug wanted for the murder of a North Carolina deputy sheriff, and at least two top cartel leaders.

Other Headlines

• President Trump will sign an executive order today making English our official language.

• The Trump Education Department is expanding its civil rights investigations into university and high school programs that allow men to cheat in women’s sports.

• The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Tennessee’s law protecting children from sexually explicit performances, including drag shows.

• Governors Ron DeSantis (FL) and Glenn Youngkin (VA) have authorized state law enforcement agencies to fully cooperate with federal immigration officials.

• Radical race-baiting leftist Joy Reid is off the air.

• Research suggests that more young Americans are embracing Christianity.