Forget about “national security concerns” and all their bellyaching over Trump’s “erratic behavior.” That’s not why they revoked Trump’s intelligence briefings in 2021. Not only were the Democrats lying, but the opposite was true — and I’ll prove it to you.
Exactly four years and two days ago, President Biden discontinued the bipartisan practice of allowing ex-presidents to receive national security briefings, taking the unprecedented step of blacklisting Trump. In an interview with CBS News, Biden explained his (ahem) thought process: “I just think that there is no need for [Trump] to have the — the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the face he might slip and say something?”
Forgive my skepticism, but this is the Democratic Party: they’ve never met a legal theory for impeaching, suing, criminalizing, or incarcerating Trump (and/or MAGA) that they didn’t like! If they thought there was even a tiny chance that Trump would violate national security law, they would’ve instructed the FBI to pose as foreign nationals ASAP and recorded the conversations.
Instead, Biden’s concerns were more PR than national security: revoking Trump’s access was just another way to “other” the Democrats’ once and future political opponent. They wanted to rebrand Trump as an enemy of the republic, and revoking his access helped further the narrative.
Simply put, it was virtue-signaling via executive order.
And here we are, four years and two days later: ex-President Biden, who wasn’t charged for illegally retaining classified documents by his own Justice Department because he was an “elderly man with a poor memory” — even though his conduct “present[ed] serious risks to national security” — just had his own security access shuttered by President Trump.
"There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 7, 2025
Therefore, we are immediately revoking @JoeBiden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings." –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/9xRfU4bVKd
Naturally, the Democrats cried foul: “Trump’s behavior embodies a dangerous precedent of using state power to attack political adversaries, thereby eroding the fundamental norms that underpin democratic governance. His actions against former officials, including John Bolton and Gen. Mark Milley, serve to illustrate an alarming pattern of retribution against those who challenge him,” cried an anti-Trump website that bills itself as “a resource for journalists.”
Wah!
Of course, to everyone else, this was simply Trump being Trump. As we all know, he’s the most vicious counterpuncher in political history:
What could be more on-brand than Trump fighting back?
According to the opinion polls, it seems to be working. Trump is currently one of the five most popular leaders anywhere in the world — topping Macron of France and (Gov.) Trudeau of Canada by roughly 30 points!
Turns out, most Americans prefer fighters to pacifists — and action to passivity.
Especially from men.
“I joined the Young Republicans,” quipped Goldie Hawn in 1972. “Another mistake. There’s no such thing as a young Republican.”
Can’t make that joke anymore: Statistically, young Americans are now more likely to be conservative than liberal.
Which is why it generated so much news this week when 24-year-old David Hogg was elected vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee. As a survivor of the 2018 Parkland High School shootings, he was primarily known for his anti-gun activism before branching into more-generalized, ad hoc leftism. He’s skillful at media self-promotion, but hasn’t been anywhere close to effective at galvanizing public sentiment. (Which is, y’know, the primary job of a political advocate.)
He’s also not the answer to the Democratic Party’s masculinity problem. If anything, he’s another dose of extra-strength estrogen.
Consider the contrast: Trump demonstrated strength and masculinity by standing strong and refusing to back down. Not an inch! Even when bullets were tearing through his flesh, he wiped away the rivulets of blood, cleared his eyes, and raised his fist unrepentant to the heavens. “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Meanwhile, here’s David Hogg:
Like me? I’m never planning on having kids. I would much rather own a Porsche and have a Portuguese water dog and golden doodle. Long term it’s cheaper, better for The environment and will never tell you that it hates you or ask you to pay for college.
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) September 19, 2022
Yeah. Good luck with that.
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