Kathleen Culliton

Donald Trump received a slap on the wrist Friday from the Wall Street Journal in the form of a snarky editorial video that lists multiple lessons they urge the president-elect to learn.

Ominous music pulses underneath a dire video editorial that warns Trump he needs to change his ways after initially selecting former Rep. Matt Gaetz as his attorney general nominee.

"Not all allegations against Republicans are partisan shams," the narrator tells Trump. "Take your lead from people who know, not MAGA Twitter insurgents."

As the camera zooms in on a grinning Sen. Mitch McConnell, the narrator explains to Trump that Republicans are well-versed in protecting their own from "nonsense."

The image cuts to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the narrator adds, "even their unpopular colleagues."

The Journal then issues a snide slam of Gaetz, who was forced to withdraw his name from the Cabinet contest as Republican senators balked at confirming a candidate accused of having sex with a minor at a drug-fueled party.

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"There was a reason few if any Republicans rushed to Mr. Gaetz's defense," the narrator said. "They know him."

This zinger leads to the Journal's final lesson for Trump, which appears above an image of a smiling Gaetz sitting next to Rep. Lauren Boebert as she sticks her tongue out.

"There's a bright line between a candidate who is aggressive, committed and professional," the narrator says, "and one who is unthinking, partisan and a liability."

The Journal praises Trump for choosing as Education Department head Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive accused of covering up child sex abuse, and Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

The Journal also reminds Trump of the two sides of their bright line.

"Gaetz was always clearly the latter," the narrator says. "Big on bravado, short on ideas."

Watch the video below or click here.

Interviews with Donald Trump's voters reveal a dark truth about the "mandate" his supporters say the president-elect has been granted, a new report reveals.

The truth, according to Atlantic staff writer Adam Serwer, is that the mandate doesn't exist — but may be acted upon anyway.

"Many people who voted for him believe he will do only the things they think are good (such as improve the economy) and none of the things they think are bad (such as act as a dictator)," Serwer wrote.

"This is the problem with a political movement rooted in deception and denial; your own supporters may not like it when you end up doing the things you actually want to do."

Serwer spoke with several Trump supporters who revealed alarming confidence that the president-elect will strictly follow their specific moral codes and dismiss his darker pledges as campaign rhetoric.

One Trump voter claimed there was no evidence the president-elect had ever made a racist claim.

"I found this extraordinary," wrote Serwer, "because the list of racist things that Trump has said and done this past year alone is long."

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That list includes lying about Haitians eating pets, questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' race, and claiming immigrants had "bad genes" that made them more likely to murder.

People who say they've heard the president-elect use the n-word include his nephew Fred Trump III, niece Mary Trump and "The Apprentice" producer Bill Pruitt.

In 2016, then-presidential candidate Trump suggested Vladimir Putin had called former President Barack Obama the n-word, then said of the Russian president, "I hope he likes me."

This was not the only misconception of Trump's views, Serwer reported.

"There were the day laborers who seemed to think that mass deportations would happen only to people they—as opposed to someone like the Trump adviser Stephen Miller—deemed criminals," he wrote. "There was the restaurant owner and former asylum seeker who told CNN that deporting law-abiding workers 'wouldn’t be fair,' and that Trump would not 'throw [them] away; they don’t kick out, they don’t deport people that are family-oriented.'"

During his first administration,Trump spearheaded a deportation program that separated families — the Washington Post reported in May of this year that 1,400 children remain separated.

Serwer said many voters he interviewed on the campaign trail didn't understand why Democrats compared Trump to Adolf Hitler — seemingly unaware his own former chief of staff had revealed the former president praised the Nazi dicator's generals and actions.

The Atlantic writer credited the right-wing media with Trump's ability to survive what might once have served as career-killing scandals — but warned his voters they might have some unsavory surprises ahead.

The worst would be discovering the true contents of character only after it is too late, Serwer argued.

"Some may change their minds once they realize Trump’s true intentions," he wrote, but added, "All of this may be moot if Trump successfully implements an authoritarian regime."

The decision to stay sentencing in president-elect Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial has spurred cries of justice denied on the left — and cheers of celebration on the MAGA right.

New York Justice Juan Merchan on Friday postponed indefinitely a sentencing hearing initially scheduled for Nov. 26 — and in doing so triggered an uproar over Trump's ability to circumvent the usual course of the law.

"Just another example of Trump and his goons skirting the rules to avoid punishment," replied the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. "No one should be above the law.... This is bulls---."

Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg successfully argued to a New York City jury that Trump had broken the law as he worked to cover up a story he feared would derail his first successful presidential campaign.

It was one of four criminal cases Trump faced in the interim between his two presidential terms, and the only one that came to trial.

Trump pleaded not guilty in each, and it is predicted he'll kill the two federal cases against him — on charges he interfered with the 2020 presidential election and violated the Espionage Act by hoarding classified documents in his ballroom, bathroom and shower — upon resuming office.

"Never again say that no man is above the law," wrote the Editorial Board newsletter editor and U.S. News contributor John Stoehr. "It's a lie now."

But Steven Cheung, Trump's campaign spokesperson, struck a more jubilant tone in a comment sent to the Guardian correspondent Hugo Lowell.

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"In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned," wrote Cheung. "All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again."

Whether or not Merchan will heed Trump's attorneys demands to dismiss the case remains to be seen, according to MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin.

That did not stop Trump's eldest son from claiming the case was definitively dead.

"YUGE win in Manhattan DA case," Donald Trump Jr. wrote. "Sentencing cancelled, the judge also apparently asked to file papers to dismiss case. Another one bites the dust!!!"

Valentina Gomez, the failed MAGA candidate who notoriously burned books with a flame thrower, struck a threatening tone when she celebrated the ruling.

"The hammer of Justice is coming," she wrote. "That judge should be in jail."

There is no evidence Merchan committed any wrongdoing.

Amee Vanderpool, an attorney and author of the political newsletter SHERO, argued Merchan's decision to consider a dismissal motion was less than ideal.

"As a legal professional," Vanderpool wrote, "I can honestly say this is a nightmare scenario."

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday he will not rejoin Congress next year, reports show.

The Florida Republican told far right pundit Charlie Kirk that he would not seek to reclaim the seat he abandoned to pursue a failed bid to become President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general, CNN reported.

“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch," Gaetz told Kirk. "I do not intend to join the 119th Congress."

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Gaetz resigned from the House earlier this month when Trump named him to lead the Justice department — a nomination that failed in the face of a looming House Ethics committee probe into accusation he had sex with a minor at an illicit drug-fueled party.

Gaetz, who withdrew his name from the Cabinet contest on Thursday, reportedly resigned two days before a committee vote on whether it would release the report.

“There are a number of fantastic Floridians who’ve stepped up to run for my seat," Gaetz reportedly said. "And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation."

Gaetz, who took office in 2016, said Friday eight years was all he needed.

“I’m going to be fighting for President Trump," he said. "I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”

There's a loser eating lunch in the cafeteria bathroom of Trumpworld and his name is Sen. J.D. Vance, a new political analysis contends.

President-elect Donald Trump's running mate has swiftly become an outcast as Trump draws billionaires, political scions and his namesake into his transition team clique, MSNBC anchor Michael Steele wrote Friday.

"America is witnessing what happens when a private citizen amasses power solely based on their proximity to the president of the United States," wrote Steele.

"As for Trump’s actual incoming vice president, he just can’t find himself a seat at the cool kids’ table."

Steele argues this is literally true — and makes the case he's been elbowed out by X CEO Elon Musk.

"Last weekend, Trump shared a picture of his inner circle on his private plane enjoying McDonald’s," Steele wrote. "Trump was surrounded by Musk; his son Don Jr.; House Speaker Mike Johnson; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Not pictured: Vance."

Musk has gotten all the cool jobs, Steele argues. By which he means, the "dumb" jobs.

"The Tesla founder will oversee a wholly made-up 'Department of Government Efficiency' alongside Vivek Ramaswamy," Steele wrote. "How dumb is that? They are creating an agency to get rid of other agencies."

And while Musk is flying around in Trump's private plane and having cushy jobs created to help him wield enormous federal power, Vance has been delegated the dirty work, Steele argued.

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"Vance was given the thankless task of convincing Senate Republicans to confirm Trump’s menagerie of misfit MAGA sycophants to the Cabinet," Steele wrote. "While Musk is sitting in on phone calls with Trump, Vance wasted his time trying to convince his fellow Republican senators to back Matt Gaetz, just a day before Gaetz withdrew his nomination for attorney general. That must be the worst assignment for a vice president since President Joe Biden charged Vice President Kamala Harris with solving the root causes of global migration."

Steele warned Americans to keep an eye on Musk and his potential to buy his way into the federal government and extend the reach of the executive branch beyond the founding fathers' intention.

Vance, on the other hand, no one need worry about, Steel concluded.

"Trump put Musk in a driver’s seat," Steele wrote. "Vance is just along for the ride — if only he could get in the car."

A key Trump adviser and former caddie is considering running for Congress to replace the MAGA loyalist President-elect Donald Trump wants to represent the U.S. abroad.

Dan Scavino Jr. on Friday floated the idea of chasing the New York seat that will be left vacant should the Senate confirm Rep. Elise Stefanik as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

"I wonder if heads would explode," he wrote in a Truth Social post, "if I moved just a little bit north [laughter emoji] and ran in the Special Election for Elise Stefanik’s seat in #NY21, being she’s going to the United Nations."

Scavino, Trump's former social media director and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, began his career as Trump's caddie at the Briar Hall Country Club in New York’s Hudson Valley, reports show.

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He then became general manager of Trump National Golf Club, traveled the world with his boss, and was featured on a golf-themed episode of “The Apprentice," according to a CNN bio from 2016.

The report notes Scavino's entry into politics was marked by scandal almost from the onset.

"Scavino was thrust into controversy over the Fourth of July weekend when Trump’s Twitter account posted an image of Hillary Clinton that featured a six-pointed star, a pile of cash and the words 'most corrupt candidate ever,'" CNN reported.

"The image had originally appeared on an anti-Semitic, white supremacist message board."

Scavino served as a senior advisor to Trump's 2024 campaign.

Stefanik represents New York's 21st congressional district which covers a large swath of the state's northern territory.

She is one of many conservative lawmakers who transitioned from expressing abject disdain for Trump to absolute support during his 2024 reelection campaign.

Despite rumors she appeared on Trump's vice presidential shortlist, and insults levied at the international organization, the president-elect earlier this month opted to tap Stefanik for the U.N. ambassadorship.

"Stefanik has repeatedly attacked the United Nations over accusations that the world body is antisemitic," Politico reported at the time, "Last month she called for a 'complete reassessment of U.S. funding of the United Nations' in response to efforts by the Palestinian Authority to expel Israel from the United Nations as war rages in the Middle East."

President-elect Donald Trump needs to change the tone of his love letters, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly said this week.

Kim belittled and rebuffed Trump — who once boasted "'We fell in love, okay? No, really, he wrote me beautiful letters" — and the prospect of reviving nuclear diplomacy with the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

“We have already explored every possible avenue in negotiating with the U.S.,” said Kim, according to North Korea's state media. According to the Journal, Kim vented about the U.S.’s “unchanging aggressive and hostile policy” toward North Korea.

Kim reportedly flaunted North Korea’s nuclear capabilities in a direct message to the Trump administration not to mount a pressure campaign against him, Hong Min, a senior researcher at Korea Institute for National Unification, told the Journal.

“North Korea is requesting a change in attitude," Hong said, "in order to make dialogue possible again."

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North Korea’s nuclear program represents a major foreign policy challenge to Trump because Kim has both expanded his arsenal and deepened ties with Russia, the Journal reported.

Trump boasted at the Republican National Convention in July that Kim probably missed him, but Hwang Ji-hwan, a professor of international relations at the University of Seoul, told the Journal he had doubts.

“Trump may think love letters are enough," he said, "but for the past five years Kim has shown he’s determined not to lose face again."

Trump’s preference for Secretary of State Sen. Marco Rubio has compared North Korea to a “criminal syndicate" and Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, called North Korea's ties to China and Russia an “unholy alliance," the Journal reported.

"During his speech on Thursday, Kim accused the U.S. of sowing chaos around the world through 'unscrupulous tactics' that aim to retain America’s sphere of interest globally," the Journal wrote.

Kim was reportedly quoted as saying, “We are currently witnessing the most chaotic and violent world since World War II."

The Republican Senate burst President-elect Donald Trump's bubble this week — and left the nation splattered in chaos, a new political analysis contends.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from the Trump Cabinet contest proved to the president-elect and the nation that the Republican Party is not his to control absolutely, according to Axios writer Zachary Basu.

"Trump has enjoyed — and exploited — an aura of invincibility that few Republicans have been willing to challenge publicly," wrote Basu. "On Thursday, the bubble finally popped."

But Trump's decision to select among the most despised among his MAGA loyalists — and bog down his party with a House Ethics probe into statutory rape and illicit drug use allegations — shows the future president has another tool in his arsenal, Basu argued.

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"The explanation is head-spinning but simple," wrote Basu. "Trump has achieved historic political success by following his instincts — and his instincts tend to favor maximum chaos."

Basu argued "MAGA mayhem" has already begun to dominate the nation even though Trump has yet to claim his position in the White House.

On Thursday alone, three major scandals rocked Trump's transition, Basu noted: Gaetz announced his withdrawal, police released a report on sex abuse accusations Pete Hegseth faced in 2017, and a CNN report revealed Robert F. Kennedy once compared Trump to Adolf Hitler.

"The Trump who won 312 electoral votes a few weeks ago is the same Trump who exhausted many Americans with non-stop political drama from 2017 to 2021," wrote Basu.

"As Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) advised reporters after feigning shock at Gaetz's withdrawal Thursday: 'You better pace yourself because it's not even Thanksgiving.'"

CNN anchor Jake Tapper expressed rare frustration Thursday as he shouted and openly laughed at a conservative commentator on live television.

Tapper took pundit Shermichael Singleton to task over his attempts to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Republicans' response that he would cost too much political capital.

"It's not about, 'Oh my God these are the most horrific charges I've heard, you know, about an attorney general nominee ever in the history of this republic!'" Tapper snapped. "Statutory rape, drugs?"

This came hours after Gaetz withdrew his name to put an end to the "distraction" caused by a House Ethics committee probe into allegations he engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor at a drug-fueled party and concerns he was unfit to lead the Justice Department.

Tapper appeared infuriated that Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told the press Thursday it was not the disturbing claims that made him hesitant to confirm Gaetz, but "the math" showing there wasn't a viable path to succeed.

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"Where is the sense," Tapper said, "that this is about more than just whether he can get confirmed?"

Singleton struck a soothing tone as he argued that "the math" was proof of Republicans' concerns about the troubling nature of the allegations surrounding Gaetz.

And Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha chimed in to note Republicans were already distancing themselves from an administration shaking the confidence of American voters.

"It's easy for us to sit back and say, 'Look at all of this crazy and look at crazy and crazy,' but this is their own party coming at them in the Senate," said Rocha. "[Voters] are sitting back saying, 'We just voted for change and what we're getting is a clown circus, so I think that's really the big deal here."

When Singleton leaped in to defend Trump's position and dismiss the Gaetz scandal, he faced repeated interjections and outright laughter from Tapper.

When Singleton asked rhetorically if Trump wanted "to be distracted by this within the first 100 days," Tapper shouted, "Apparently!" and started to laugh.

Tapper later cut in to argue Trump only had himself to blame for the "distraction."

"These allegations about Matt Gaetz aren't new," he said. When Singleton tried to claim they were, Tapper laughed again.

"They didn't — they aren't — they didn't explode last week," he said. "We've known about these charges for literally for years."

Watch the video below or click here.

The most dangerous aspect lurking within President-elect Donald Trump's chosen Cabinet isn't what is garnering the most attention — and most people are unaware of it, an Atlantic columnist opined Thursday.

Staff writer Jonathan Chait argued Thursday the most alarming part of Fox News pundit Pete Hegseth's nomination to serve as Defense secretary is not the sex abuse accusation made against him, or the lack of experience, or his history of defending war criminals.

It's what's in his books — which Chait spent the last week reading.

"The man who emerges from the page appears to have sunk deeply into conspiracy theories that are bizarre even by contemporary Republican standards but that have attracted strangely little attention," Chait wrote.

"He considers himself to be at war with basically everybody to Trump’s left, and it is by no means clear that he means war metaphorically."

Chait details an alarming beliefs revealed in three "florid, explicit, and often terrifying" books written in the past four years; "American Crusade" (2020), "Battle for the American Mind" (2022), and "The War on Warriors" (2024).

Hegseth's "odd" and "extremist" views, as expressed in his books, are that public education is a communist plot, vaccines are poison, and socialists were responsible for the Holocaust, Chait wrote.

"He may be no less nutty than any of Trump’s more controversial nominees," wrote Chait. "He is almost certainly far more dangerous than any of them."

Chait then arrives at the plans Hegseth has for liberals.

"The War on Warriors" urges readers to treat the American left like wartime enemies, Chait reported, noting "American Crusade" details how Hegseth feels they should be handled.

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"American Crusade calls for the 'categorical defeat of the Left,' with the goal of 'utter annihilation,' without which 'America cannot, and will not, survive,'" wrote Chait. "

"Are the Crusades just a metaphor? Sort of, but not really: 'Our American Crusade is not about literal swords, and our fight is not with guns. Yet.' (Emphasis—gulp—his)."

Chait concludes with a note of explanation and a dark warning to protesters of Trump's next administration.

"The main question I was looking to answer when I started reading Hegseth’s collected works was whether he would follow a Trump command to shoot peaceful protesters," Chait wrote. "After having read them, I don’t think he would even wait for the order."

Matt Gaetz triggered a massive MAGA meltdown on Thursday when he announced he'd withdrawn his name from President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet contest.

Gaetz's decision not to let accusations he had sex with a minor serve as a "distraction" from Trump's ascent into the White House spurred outrage and disgust — at Democrats.

"Super disappointed Matt Gaetz was forced by the elites to drop out," wrote influencer Matt Wallace. "They probably threatened his life because most of them have done crimes so graphic I can’t even describe them here. They can’t have someone like Matt investigating them."

"The Establishment isn't afraid of Trump's nominations being unqualified," added Don Wick in the form of a meme. "The Establishment is afraid of being dismantled by them."

Some of Trump's critics have indeed raised concerns he would dismantle checks and balances to seize power akin to the authoritarian leaders he praises.

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"We didn't win in a landslide to allow a handful of elitist Senators get in our way," urged commentator Joseph Pino. "Full steam ahead."

Gaetz decided to step down as outrage mounted that Trump had chosen as the leader of the Justice Department a man facing allegations he sexually assaulted a minor, paid for sex, used illicit drugs, accepted bribes and misused campaign funds.

While former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) proclaimed, "Bond villain #1 is out," MAGA conservatives struck a much less gleeful tone.

Valentina Gomez — the failed MAGA candidate who made headlines telling Black people to leave America on Juneteenth, burning books with a flame thrower and urging people not to be "weak and gay," urged Gaetz to try for the Florida Senate seat left vacant by Marco Rubio.

"Come hell or high water, I have your back Matt," she wrote. "Florida needs a man built for the battle in the Senate. That person is you."

Friends and allies expressed a sense of loss.

"As a friend It kills me to hear this," said Rumble pundit Kevin Smith. "As an American, we as a nation will miss out on your leadership at the DOJ."

"What the swamp has done to you is truly sickening," wrote George, a conservative influencer watchdog group Snopes linked to the spread of election misinformation.

"Gaetz would’ve been an amazing AG," wrote conservative influencer Paul A. Szypula. "He’s 100% MAGA."

"WTF?!" wrote Kylie Jane Kremer, Executive Director for the Woman for America First. "We want YOU, Matt Gaetz to lead the DOJ! We gave DJT a mandate and he chose you!"

Matt Gaetz's announcement Thursday that he would withdraw his name from the Cabinet contest spurred near-immediate praise from President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump did not mention the unfolding scandal around a House Ethics committee probe into charges Gaetz had sex with a minor at a drug-fueled party.

"I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect."

Gaetz himself used this near exact wording to explain his decision to withdraw, blaming the "unfair" attention the allegations had received.

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"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz wrote on X.

"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General."

Trump expressed optimism about Gaetz's future — which remains unclear after he resigned from his position as House representative for Florida's first congressional district.

Gaetz's resignation came two days before the House Ethics committee was slated to vote on the release of its report, Punchbowl News first reported.

The Florida Republican denies allegations that he was seen at a 2017 party having sex with a minor, paid for sex, used illicit drugs, accepted bribes and misused campaign funds.

"Matt has a wonderful future," Trump wrote Thursday. "And I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!"

CNN viewers learned how to say "useful idiot" in Russian Thursday as a Republican tried to defend a controversial Cabinet pick by the president-elect — and a Democratic strategist slapped back.

Trump's decision to pick former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to lead the nation's intelligence agencies had conservative adviser Brad Todd scrambling to characterize concerns raised by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as overblown.

"That's good for ratings to be controversial," Todd argued. "I suspect that's what's going on."

Haley Wednesday on her Sirius XM radio show said she found Gabbard's expressed support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to be "disgusting" considering he is accused of deploying chemical warfare against his own citizens, among them children who died horrific deaths.

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"She said she was skeptical that he was behind the chemical weapons attacks," Haley told listeners. "Now this to me is disgusting."

Haley accused Gabbard of parroting Russian propaganda, as have insiders within the intelligence community who say they are "reeling" at the prospect of her gaining access to the nation's most secret security programs.

Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky on Thursday told Todd she understood the concerns and hit hard at the notion that Haley had been chasing ratings.

"If she wanted ratings she'd go full MAGA like Tucker Carlson and other people who used to have, you know, some sort of independent mind," Roginsky said. "Tulsi Gabbard has been a bigger concern to me than this other clown car of a nominating contest."

Roginsky argued this distinction was made only more alarming by the other members of Trump's desired Cabinet.

"She's competing with people like Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, so I don't say that lightly," Roginsky said. "But Tulsi Gabbard effectively parrots pro-Russian talking points." Gaetz withdrew his nomination shortly after she spoke.

UPDATE: Matt Gaetz withdraws as Trump's nominee for attorney general

Roginsky then told viewers she was a fluent Russian speaker who watched the nation's television and had heard Gabbard repeat its government's talking points.

"I'm not saying that she's a Russian asset, I'm saying that she's what the Russians would call a polezny durak, which is a useful idiot," Roginsky said.

"That's exactly what she is, because all she does is completely parrot every single thing that Vladimir Putin has said about the United States."

Watch the video below or click here.

Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services once compared the president-elect to Adolf Hitler and praised criticism of his followers as "belligerent idiots," "outright Nazis," and "bootlickers," according to a new report.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made these comments on his radio show "Ring of Fire" in 2016, according to audio revealed by CNN Thursday morning.

"Kennedy applauded descriptions of Trump’s base as 'belligerent idiots' and suggestions that some were 'outright Nazis' and 'spineless fellow travelers,'" CNN reported.

"Kennedy also likened Trump to historical demagogues like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, accusing Trump of exploiting societal insecurities and xenophobia to amass power."

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Kennedy told CNN in a statement that he is now proud at the prospect of serving in Trump's administration and regrets comparing his new boss to the perpetrator of a mass genocide.

“Like many Americans, I allowed myself to believe the mainstream media’s distorted, dystopian portrait of President Trump," Kennedy said. "I no longer hold this belief and now regret having made those statements."

People who have compared Trump to Hitler include Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, his former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney.

CNN reported Kennedy's criticism began to soften only after the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, and admitted bear cub crime scene-stager, was shunned by the Democratic Party during the 2024 primary.

But in 2016, Kennedy compared Trump to segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace and praised journalist Matt Taibbi’s critique of his base, reading a passage he said was “beautifully” written, according to the report.

"The way that you build a truly vicious nationalist movement is to wed a relatively small core of belligerent idiots to a much larger group of opportunists and spineless fellow travelers whose primary function is to turn a blind eye to things,” Taibbi wrote in the quotation read by Kennedy.

“‘We may not have that many outright Nazis in America, but we have plenty of cowards and bootlickers, and once those fleshy dominoes start tumbling into the Trump camp, the game is up."

Then Kennedy added his own views.

“And, you know, he’s not like Hitler,” Kennedy said. “Hitler had like a plan, you know, Hitler was interested in policy,” Kennedy went on. “I don’t think Trump has any of that. He’s like non compos mentis. He’ll get in there and who knows what will happen.”

News that a California woman told police she was trapped in a hotel room and sexually assaulted by a President-elect Donald Trump Cabinet pick has stunned a shellshocked nation.

The police report revealed by CNN Thursday morning details disturbing allegations brought against Fox News host and Trump's choice for Defense secretary Pete Hegseth, among them that the woman remembered repeatedly saying "No."

"The Hegseth police records are really bad and disturbing," said Bulwark managing editor Sam Stein. "If the inclination is to say—ah well, it's a he-said-she-said scenario—then it's not clear what type of contemporaneous accounts and evidence will ever convince you that your guy did something wrong."

Hegseth's attorneys have admitted he paid the woman in a settlement but deny the allegations raised in the 22-page report, which appears to have been instigated by a nurse who sent police an alert about the woman's case, CNN reported.

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It also includes reports of Hegseth's behavior toward staff at the hotel where the woman said she was attacked, noted conservative commentator Tim Miller.

"Perfect MAGA scene," wrote Miller. "The twice divorced Sec. Def nominee shouting down a woman by the pool at 130 am and then berating hotel staff about having fReeDom oF sPEEch when they tell him to chill out."

The Fox News anchor is just one of multiple Trump nominees with allegations linked to sexual abuse in their background.

Trump's chosen attorney general Matt Gaetz has been accused of having sex with a minor, his chosen Education secretary Linda McMahon has been accused of covering up child sex abuse within World Wrestling Entertainment, his chosen health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been accused of sexually abusing his children's babysitter and ally Elon Musk has been accused of exposing himself to a flight attendant.

The president-elect was found liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a New York City department store in the 1990s and ordered to pay her $5 million.

In 2016, leaked video revealed Trump bragging that his celebrity status allowed him to grab women's genitals without consent.

These points were not lost upon political spectators Thursday.

"Um … the president-elect has bragged about being able to grab women by the genitals and last year was found by a jury to have jammed his fingers up a woman’s vagina against her will," wrote Huffington Post White House correspondent S.V. Dáte. "Doesn’t this make Hegseth even more of a star in Trump’s America?"

"Another one," said former President George W. Bush's White House ethics attorney Richard W. Painter. "Sanctimonious Senate Democrats who threw [Al Franken] under the bus over far less will probably now watch every one of these cabinet members get confirmed by Republicans."

"Between Gaetz, Gabbard, RFK, Dr. Oz, the WWE lady….it’s a lot," replied CNN's Ann Navarro-Cárdenas. "We owe it to the millions of men and women who serve in our military, to pay attention to this."