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Rebel GOP Senate candidate enters lion's den for Trump's State of the Union
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

FIRST ON FOX: The bruising Texas Republican Senate primary has made its way to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, where one GOP rebel will enter a lion’s den of lawmakers rooting against him.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to attend Trump’s address Tuesday night as a guest of Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. Inside the room, he will be face-to-face with one of his opponents, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Senate Republican leadership, who have sided with the longtime incumbent in the bloody, three-way primary battle.
Paxton told Fox News Digital in an interview from Nehls’ office that Tuesday was about Trump touting his accomplishments, not his battle for the GOP nomination in Texas.
CORNYN WARNS PAXTON WOULD BE 'KISS OF DEATH' FOR GOP AS BLOODY PRIMARY RACE RAMPS UP
"If I see these guys, I'm going to be friendly. I've no axe to grind with [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune or any of the other leadership — they're doing their jobs," Paxton said. "My axe to grind is with the guy that I'm running against, and his representation of the last 24 years has fallen way short. And Texans deserve better. And that's the campaign, that's not the State of the Union."
Early voting has already begun in the Lone Star State, where Paxton is hoping to unseat Cornyn, who is vying for his fifth term in the upper chamber. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is also in the mix but won’t be attending Trump’s State of the Union address.
While Paxton was adamant that the address wasn’t about his campaign, the tense race was hard to avoid. He and Cornyn are both vying for Trump’s endorsement.
‘TARIFFS SUCK’: SOME REPUBLICANS PRIVATELY CELEBRATE AS SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP POLICY
When asked why he invited Paxton, Nehls told Fox News Digital, "Because he's going to be the next senator out of the great state of Texas."
"John Cornyn, he’s gotta go," Nehls said. "John, you know you've been up here for 24 years. If you can't get your agenda done in 24, you're not going to get it done in 30, right?"
Matt Mackowiak, a senior campaign advisor for Cornyn, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the lawmaker was "delighted that the president of the Border Patrol Union will be his guest tonight."
REP. RANDY FINE TO BRING 4-LEGGED GUEST SADIE TO TRUMP'S STATE OF THE UNION AMID BACKLASH OVER X POST
"While Senator Cornyn has voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time, Ken Paxton was lying to taxpayers, lying to his staff and lying to his wife, all the while increasing his net worth by millions of dollars while in public office," Mackowiak said. "He would devastate the GOP …

US, France move to steady ties after Paris restricts ambassador's access
The headline tells the story.

U.S. and French officials signaled Tuesday they are working to steady relations after a diplomatic flare-up that led France to restrict U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner’s access to senior government officials.
The U.S. Embassy in France told Fox News Digital that the two sides remain in contact following the dispute, which was triggered by U.S. government social media posts about the killing of a French activist earlier this month.
"Ambassador Kushner and Foreign Minister Barrot, who have met regularly during the Ambassador’s tenure, spoke today in a frank and amicable call, reaffirming their shared commitment to working together, along with all other Ministers and French officials, on the many issues that impact the United States and France, particularly as the two countries celebrate 250 years of rich diplomatic relations," the statement said.
The outreach suggests both governments are seeking to contain the fallout from a clash that briefly raised questions about diplomatic protocol and political sensitivities between two of NATO’s closest allies.
FOREIGN AMBASSADOR TO LEAVE US POST AFTER TRUMP CRITICISM
France had moved to limit Kushner’s access to top officials after he did not attend a summons at the French Foreign Ministry over remarks posted by official U.S. government accounts following the death of 23-year-old activist Quentin Deranque, who was killed during clashes between far-left and far-right groups in Lyon earlier this month.
The Associated Press reported that Deranque, described as a far-right activist and a fervent nationalist, was beaten during the confrontation and later died of brain injuries sustained in the attack.
In a Feb. 19 post on X, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism wrote that reports — corroborated by France’s interior minister — that Deranque was killed by left-wing militants "should concern us all," adding: "Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety." The U.S. Embassy in France later shared the statement on its official account.
TRUMP KEEPS MACRON UNDER SPOTLIGHT AS GREENLAND TALKS GRIND FORWARD FROM DAVOS
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot characterized the remarks as an unwelcome intrusion into France’s domestic political debate and said Kushner’s failure to appear at the Quai d’Orsay "will naturally affect his ability to carry out his mission in our country." He described the no-show as a "surprise," saying ambassadors are expected to respect "the most basic practices of diplomacy" when summoned.
"We have no …

We stand on guard for thee
This affects the entire country.

(Bill Glahn) A confusing headline from the U.K. Daily Mail,

‘Scholar of the far right’ complains that move from US to Canada to flee Trump has backfired horribly.

I gather from the story itself that our gal is not “far-right” herself, but merely studies the subject, academically. Based on the story, I would guess that her personal politics fall somewhere on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Fleeing Trump’s dystopian America, she decamped to the north with the intent of resettling in Vancouver, B.C.

Then the problems began, The Daily Mail reports,

Nope Brigade is an academic researcher who studies conservative and right-wing ideologies, and recently ‘fled’ from the current Trump administration to Vancouver – one of the world’s priciest cities.

I looked her up, and assuming this is really her, she asserts,

I study the far right as a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology with a focus on Christian nationalism. My main areas of focus are rural social movements, militias, and how religion intersects with politics. I also love telling people about important sociological concepts. Overall, my goal is to inform, liberate and inspire activism.

Our refugee found the situation less than welcoming north of the border,

For those who don’t know, the housing crisis here is way worse than the US. I lived in LA for six years and I have not faced rent as bad as here.

It would get worse,

Especially when you are shut out of the healthcare system and can’t access any of the resources that Canadians have access to.

And that’s understandable, I’m not a citizen of the country, but it is making the financial situation dire.

The Daily Mail notes,

Most visitor visas allow stays of up to six months, and work permits are only granted to those with a temporary resident permit valid for six months or longer, according to the Government of Canada.

The real story that the Daily Mail appears to be missing here is that they’ve discovered a western country that dares to enforce its immigration laws.

Ironically, in America, every immigrant (legal or otherwise) has full access to our healthcare system, often at no cost.

As for Ms. Brigade, as a Ph.D. candidate, she should have some familiarity with how to work the Google machine and should have discovered these facts before trekking north.

But I wish Ms. Brigade the best of luck in all of her future endeavors.

Walz permanently appoints state commissioner who oversaw fraud as audit uncovers scope of autism billing schemes
We're watching the same failure loop.

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) has permanently appointed Shireen Gandhi, the official who was in charge of financial operations at the Minnesota Department of Human Services at the time that large-scale fraud schemes targeted the state’s social services programs, as commissioner of the agency.

Gandhi’s permanent appointment comes as the department grapples with a third-party audit that exposed its failure to stop scammers from bilking state behavioral health programming out of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding.

‘Failure rewarded’

Before this week, Gandhi was serving as the temporary DHS commissioner, a stand-in for Jodi Harpstead, who resigned in February 2025 amid public scrutiny surrounding the agency’s oversight practices.

Walz, in his announcement on Monday, praised Gandhi, saying she “understands that protecting public programs and delivering high-quality care go hand in hand.”

“Over the past year, she has demonstrated steady, decisive leadership at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, strengthening program integrity, rooting out fraud, and ensuring taxpayer dollars reach the Minnesotans who rely on these services,” Walz said. “Shireen brings the experience and accountability needed to safeguard vital services while building a system Minnesotans can trust.”

In an accompanying press statement, Gandhi promised that, as commissioner, she will make Minnesota “a national model for program integrity.”

Gandhi, however, in a September 2025 interview, acknowledged that her team did not understand the complexity of the fraud scams that stole massive sums of Medicaid funds from the DHS’s housing assistance program.

“The claims coming into us looked legitimate on the face,” she said.

Records obtained by KARE 11, a local Minnesota news outlet, show that officials at the DHS actively ignored repeated warnings of fraud from concerned citizens, and even from government employees, that were submitted directly to the department.

In one case, the DHS received a tip that a sham service provider was approaching homeless people on the streets and offering cash so that they could falsely claim them as clients on the benefits form. No action was taken to address that report.

“Clients have stated that they are promised housing by this provider and are told that they will receive $50 if they get the PSN completed and generate referrals for the provider,” Hennepin County Social Services Manager Susannah King told the DHS in an April 2024 email.

Minnesota Staff …

Gavin Newsom: A Pro-Crime Governor
This affects the entire country.

(John Hinderaker) This is shocking:

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) … just happily pardoned an attempted murderer.

Wow. Because he was wrongfully convicted? No: because he is an illegal alien, and thus is entitled to special privileges:

Cambodian Somboon Phaymany did have a green card at one time, but he lost it after being convicted of attempted murder. Newsom’s pardon was an attempt to prevent the deportation of the foreign criminal from the United States, based on information in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press release.

NEW: DHS is slamming California Gov. Newsom after they say he pardoned a Cambodian illegal alien w/ a deportation order who was convicted of attempted murder & assault w/ a firearm, which will shield him from deportation. DHS says the pardon removes his qualifying convictions for…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 23, 2026

So law enforcement wanted to deport the attempted murderer, but Newsom pardoned the attempted murder so that he would be able to remain in California. This is what Newsom apparently considers to be constituent service!

Of course, Phaymany remains an illegal alien, but after Newsom’s pardon it may take years to get him out of the country. And we could have a Democratic president in the meantime, in which case he is here, probably forever.

The Democratic Party wants every single illegal alien who is now present in the U.S. to stay here forever. The obvious question is: why? On what possible theory is this a good thing for the American people?

Lionel Shriver: Wealth tax peril
The headline tells the story.

(Scott Johnson) Reading the February 26 issue of The Spectator World, I find Lionel Shriver’s column on California’s looming billionaire tax. I have taken up both Ms. Shriver and the billionaire tax on Power Line in recent days. We don’t want to miss this.

Online, the Spectator has headlined her column “No one is safe from a wealth tax.” (In the magazine it’s headlined “The creeping tentacles of a wealth tax.”) Here is the conclusion of her excellent column:

* * * * *

The biggest problem with wealth taxes isn’t logistical but philosophical. Implicitly, there is no ownership. As the state reserves the right to confiscate your assets up to 100 percent, effectively everything you fancy you “own” belongs to the state, and if you’re very, very good the state will let you borrow some stuff from its vast lending library. (Hmm, there’s a word for this system… I think it begins with C.) All that you regard as “yours” you’re merely renting. The wealth tax paradigm duplicates the lucrative business model now popular with tech. We no longer buy Microsoft Word. We rent it by the month.

Wealth tax advocates also play to the vague popular impression that accruing wealth beyond a certain threshold is immoral. Many average-income earners instinctively regard the very existence of billionaires as an injustice. Perhaps there should be a hard ceiling above which no one is allowed to amass more riches, and any excess must be seized and distributed to the less well off.

Except this is a misunderstanding of non-zero-sum economics. Most billionaires haven’t filched money from other people’s wallets and stuffed it in their study safes. A freakish byproduct of capitalism, they’ve generated value, usually by building businesses and hiring employees; adding to rather than extracting from the economy, they’ve baked a bigger pie. Eliminate the billionaire, and you don’t suddenly have a billion dollars to spend on schools and hospitals. The state and its citizenry are poorer. Like California, if it passes this proposition.

Still, for government, wealth taxes are eternally tempting: “All that money…can’t we just take it?” Picture Amahl and the Night Visitors, when Amahl’s mother talks herself into stealing the Magi’s gold: “For my child!… For my child!” So Spain has introduced a “solidarity tax” on any resident’s assets over €3 million ($3.54 million) – a modest net worth, these days. Three-quarters of Britons reckon that a UK wealth tax would be swell.

Think again. Besides chasing away even more of your tax base, you’d set an alarming precedent. Give the state free rein to expropriate what you now nominally own post-tax, and you imagine they’ll only use that new superpower on billionaires? Oh, my pretties. Your innocence is touching.

Rubio, Ratcliffe to deliver classified Iran briefing to Gang of Eight ahead of Trump's State of the Union
Is this competence or optics?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will brief top congressional leaders on rising tensions in Iran on Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s annual State of the Union address. 
Ratcliffe and Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security advisor, will brief the so-called Gang of Eight, congressional leadership as well as top lawmakers on the Intelligence committees, from the White House Tuesday at 3 p.m. 
The closed-door session comes as the administration weighs next steps in the escalating standoff with the Islamic Republic. Talks with Iran, where the U.S. is pushing for full denuclearization and a limit on its ballistic missile program, are scheduled to resume on Thursday. White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led talks last week with Iran that did not result in a tangible deal. 
The White House has made clear that diplomacy is Trump’s first priority, but the Middle East has seen the largest U.S. military buildup in decades: one carrier strike group under the USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region and another under the USS Gerald R. Ford is heading that way.
TOP IRAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SEEN IN OMAN DAYS AFTER INDIRECT NUCLEAR TALKS WITH US
Meanwhile, Iran is digging in. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X Tuesday: "Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people."
In a message directed at the American side, he added: "A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority."
The U.S. has insisted Iran cannot have any nuclear enrichment capacity, even for energy purposes.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS
Araghchi said last week that the two sides had come to a "general agreement on a number of guiding principles" and agreed to begin drafting text for a possible agreement, with plans to exchange drafts and schedule a third round of talks. 
Meanwhile, reports have swirled that Trump is considering a "limited" strike on Iran aimed at pressuring its leaders into acquiescing to a deal.
Rubio’s classified briefing comes at a pivotal moment — just hours before Trump steps to the podium for his State of the Union address. The timing suggests the administration wants congressional leaders fully briefed on Iran’s nuclear posture, U.S. intelligence assessments and potential next steps before the president publicly lays out his strategy to the nation.
By meeting with the "Gang of …

Erika Kirk to be Trump's guest at State of the Union
Is this competence or optics?

Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, will be President Donald Trump's guest at Tuesday night's State of the Union.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Kirk's attendance as "one of President Trump's special guests" in a post on X that included the Daily Wire article first reporting the announcement.
During his speech, the president will reportedly affirm that America is "one nation under God" and will call on Congress to "firmly reject political violence against our fellow citizens," the Daily Wire reported on Tuesday. The Daily Wire said the call comes after years of political violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Trump is no stranger to this wave of political violence, as he was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., in July 2024.
JUDGE DISMISSES DEFENSE PUSH TO REMOVE PROSECUTORS FROM CHARLIE KIRK MURDER CASE
Trump administration officials rallied around Erika Kirk after her husband's assassination in September during a debate event at Utah Valley University. Charlie Kirk's casket was flown from Utah to his home state of Arizona aboard Air Force Two and Vice President JD Vance escorted the casket as it was carried onto the plane. Later, second lady Usha Vance was seen holding Erika's hand as they departed Air Force Two.
Several members of the Trump administration, including the president and vice president, took part in a memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona on Sept. 21, 2025, just 11 days after the outspoken conservative icon was killed. During his address at the memorial service, Trump called Charlie Kirk a "martyr for American freedom."
HILLSDALE LAUNCHES ‘LEARN LIKE CHARLIE’ CAMPAIGN TO URGE AMERICANS TO STUDY THE BIBLE, CONSTITUTION
A little more than a month after his assassination, Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom on what would have been his 32nd birthday. Erika Kirk accepted the medal from Trump on behalf of her late husband. She said that in awarding Charlie with the nation's highest civilian honor, the president had given her late husband "the best birthday gift he could ever have."
"Charlie always admired your commitment to freedom, and that's something that both of you shared. So thank you," Erika Kirk said to Trump during the event. "Your support of our family and the work that Charlie devoted his life to will be something I cherish forever."
Erika Kirk also thanked the vice president and second lady, saying that their friendship had been an "unbelievable encouragement."
Charlie Kirk was 31 when he was killed and left behind his wife and …

Here are Trump’s State of the Union guests
Who's accountable for the results?

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will have several notable guests at the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

These guests are meant to highlight key issues that are important to the first couple and that Trump will likely discuss during his speech.

Trump is expected to address key issues, including the economy, illegal immigration, and the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt teased to reporters earlier on Tuesday.

Here are the guests who are attending as guests of Trump:

Erika Kirk

Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, will be in the chamber watching the address as a guest of the president, Leavitt confirmed. Trump is expected to denounce political violence after the Turning Point USA co-founder was assassinated last September while speaking at Utah Valley University.

Sage Blair

Sage Blair, a young woman whose mother sued a Virginia school district alleging it secretly facilitated her child’s gender transition, will attend the event as a guest of Trump, a White House official confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Her mother, Michele Blair, will also attend Tuesday night. The president is expected to call on states to ban sex transition operations for minors.

Sierra Burns

Sierra Burns, a 10-year-old Alpha School student, will attend the State of the Union as a guest of the first lady, the White House announced. Burns was a participant in the Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence Program.

Everest Nevraumont

Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old artificial intelligence advocate and student at the Alpha School in Austin, Texas, is attending the event as a guest of the first lady. “Sierra and Everest embody my ongoing mission to uplift America’s foster youth and expand opportunity for our next generation through education and technology,” said Melania Trump in a statement.

“I am proud to have them join me at this historic event. Sierra and Everest represent the young people across America whose personal experience, drive, and self-motivation reflect the goals of my BE BEST Fostering the Future initiatives,” she added.

US men’s hockey

The president extended an invitation to the U.S. men’s hockey team, which just won the Olympic gold medal against Canada on Sunday in a 2-1 victory, to the State of the Union address.

PROMISES TRUMP HAS KEPT, OR NOT KEPT, FROM HIS 2025 JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS SPEECH

It’s unclear how many members will be …

Trump needs to address the ‘buzz’ on Iran during State of the Union: Guy Benson
Ask who never gets charged.

Washington Examiner senior columnist Guy Benson said President Donald Trump has a “golden” opportunity to address a global issue facing the United States during his State of the Union speech.

Benson said polling data show the public wants to hear what the president has to say about his plans for the economy, advising Trump to use “the huge platform” he has Tuesday night to do so. He also advised against rebuking the Supreme Court justices attending the speech over their ruling on Trump’s tariffs, saying this would be “a waste of time.” 

“And then, you got to at least, I think, tell the American people sort of what you’re thinking and what the case is on Iran, without tipping your hand too much necessarily,” Benson said Tuesday on Fox News’s Fox & Friends.

“But there’s this buzz about a potential war, a lot of people are like, ‘Wait, what’s this about?’ Here is a huge opportunity, a golden one you might even say, to inform the public, ‘Alright, here’s what’s at stake.’”

The possibility of military strikes against Iran has caused some uncertainty over Tuesday’s State of the Union speech. The White House has repeatedly stated it prefers a diplomatic solution to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, though Trump’s continued deployments have reignited congressional debate over his war powers.

CAN IRAN’S PRETENDER PRINCE BE TRUSTED

Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York expressed uncertainty last week on whether Trump has explained to the public why military action against Iran is necessary. He added that, depending on the military action, there must be “a presidential justification” for taking it, and “we just haven’t had it” yet from the president.

Trump denied on Monday that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine has been considering a targeted strike on Iran that leads to a broader military conflict in the region. He also insisted he is the one who holds the authority to order such an attack, even though Congress is the sole body that can declare war against another nation.

House fails to pass ROTOR Act after Pentagon raises late objections
This is performative politics again.

The House on Tuesday failed to pass bipartisan aviation safety legislation designed to prevent military-commercial aircraft collisions like January 2025 crash near Washington, D.C., after the measure fell just short of the two-thirds majority required under fast-track rules.

The Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act failed on a 264-133 vote, leaving supporters a couple votes shy of the threshold needed to suspend the rules and send the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The Senate-passed legislation would require civilian and military aircraft operating in congested airspace to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology, which allows pilots to broadcast and track aircraft positions in real time. The National Transportation Safety Board has said the technology could have prevented the crash between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.

The bill would also narrow the definition of a “sensitive government mission,” a designation that currently allows military helicopters to operate without broadcasting their position in certain circumstances.

Despite broad bipartisan backing and emotional appeals from victims’ families, the legislation ran into late opposition from the Pentagon, which warned the Senate-passed version could create operational and budgetary challenges.

In a statement ahead of the vote, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department supported the intent of the legislation but argued the bill failed to include several updates discussed with lawmakers.

“As currently drafted, enactment would create significant unresolved budgetary burdens and operational security risks affecting national defense activities,” Parnell said, adding that the Pentagon remained ready to work with Congress to ensure safety goals were met while protecting military operations.

The War Department’s relatively brief statement did not detail specific points of disagreement with the ROTOR Act.

Supporters of the bill said the legislation already includes language requested by the Pentagon and safeguards for classified flights.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), one of the House sponsors, said lawmakers were surprised by the last-minute opposition after months of collaboration.

“We’re very disappointed,” Beyer said during a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday. “There was no reason for the helicopter that night not to have ADS-B out and on. They were just practicing.”

Beyer …

Trump to bring Erika Kirk as his State of the Union guest
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.

Erika Kirk, the widow of the late Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, will be one of President Donald Trump‘s State of the Union guests Tuesday night, the White House announced.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Kirk’s attendance on X Tuesday afternoon.

Trump is expected to call on Congress to “firmly reject political violence against our fellow citizens,” after the former TPUSA co-founder was assassinated in September while speaking at Utah Valley University.

Trump himself was nearly assassinated in July 2024 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He has since claimed that he thought God saved his life after the bullet grazed his ear. A second assassination attempt against Trump was stopped in September at his golf course in Florida.

PROMISES TRUMP HAS KEPT, OR NOT KEPT, FROM HIS 2025 JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS SPEECH

The president’s address will also directly mention the Kirk family, as he highlights the revival of faith following Charlie Kirk’s death and pushes for the nation to be united under God.

The Trump administration has rallied around the Kirk family after his killing shocked the nation.

The president attended Kirk’s funeral last fall, along with a wide swath of the administration, and awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in October on what would have been his 32nd birthday.

TPUSA was a key organization that helped Trump win a second term in the White House during the 2024 election by organizing efforts to boost voter turnout.

Charlie Kirk’s widow has since taken over TPUSA as its current CEO and has endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president long before the 2028 GOP presidential primaries begin. Vance and second lady Usha Vance were close friends of the Kirks and escorted Kirk’s casket back to Arizona following his death.

Vance also guest-hosted The Charlie Kirk Show in September as various Trump administration figures, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, paid tribute to Kirk.