Top O' the Briefing
Happy Friday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Uzüuqyn never failed to wow with his International Meatball Rolodex and IKEA Dream soirées.
OK, I know I haven't done the Mailbag of Magnificence for a few weeks. After deciding to move it to Mondays, I keep forgetting to get to it when I get back to work on Sunday nights. I'll get to it again, I promise. Keep writing!
When I think back on President Donald Trump's first term — which seems like it happened 20 years ago — I remember it often felt as if he was getting as much pushback from Republicans as he was from Democrats. The GOP was a dysfunctional mess that lacked any real identity. I still cringe when remembering the spectacle of establishment Republicans and consultants openly talking about trying to sabotage Trump's nomination at the Republican National Convention. The Never Trumpers had some cockamamie ideas about getting some bald freak from Utah on the ballot.
Once Trump was in office, the administration was a leaky ship full of people who weren't brimming with loyalty.
Contrast that with the Trump 47 administration. I've frequently marveled at the fact that everyone is on the same page. Loyalty abounds, and everyone is laser-focused on making the president's agenda a reality. More importantly, the Republican Party is a fairly well-oiled machine. Not perfect, but nothing like the impotent mess it was in 2017.
I've written a lot about President Trump transforming the personality of the GOP and making it a party that not only wants to fight, but keeps making sure that it is ready to. The idea that there is something noble in gentlemanly capitulation is no longer a thing. The Democrats definitely have not adjusted to the new Republican 2025 zeitgeist. On this side, many are still waiting for the other shoe to fall. A couple of times this week, I've mentioned that that feeling is going away. The Trump transformation of the Republican Party is sticking.
We got a great example of that this week, which Matt wrote about:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has a reputation for being rather restrained and soft-spoken, but on Wednesday, he unleashed a blistering floor speech, lashing out at the Democrats and their shutdown shenanigans. Thune was visibly and audibly frustrated as he laid bare what many Republicans feel as the Schumer Shutdown drags into its fifth week.
The normally cool-tempered Thune was visibly and audibly furious as he stared down Senate Democrats across the aisle. His voice rose as he accused them of deliberately prolonging the shutdown for political gain while pretending to care about the Americans who are now suffering the consequences.
The post has video of the whole thing, and Thune really was on fire like I've never seen him. Matt goes on to quote someone who worked for Thune for three years and never heard him raise his voice.
Honestly, Thune has surprised me. He was Mitch McConnell's right-hand man, which is why he got the job. McConnell had gotten squirrely again, and I worried that we would get more of that once his closest confidante took over for him. We've been spared McConnell 2.0, though, and we can obviously thank Trump for that.
I often wonder if the GOP could have gotten to this point with Trump without suffering through the Biden years. Sure, I would have preferred not to deal with any of that, but I do think it helped some of the squishier Republicans in Congress get on board with Trump for his second go-round.
John Thune's handling of the shutdown has been fantastic. Chuck Schumer has been back on his heels the whole time, and now even some of the Democrats' most reliable voices in the mainstream media are placing the blame for it dragging out squarely on the Democrats. Maybe now that Thune has taken the Senate Dems to the woodshed, we'll see some dissension in the ranks over there.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Contributions to the Mailbag of Magnificence can be sent to [email protected]
Click the button below to get the Morning Briefing emailed to you every weekday. Have your coffee with me, people. It's free and it supports conservative media!
Everything Isn't Awful
Sliding in for a kiss.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/VsdKsnoHA6
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) October 30, 2025
PJ Media
Me. GOP Keeps Winning the Lottery: Mayor Pete Is Now Driving the Dems' 2028 Clown Car
Red States Gear up to Dismantle the Democrats’ Racist Districts
Cancel Academia. Woke Colleges Deny TPUSA Chapter Requests
Rubio Derangement Syndrome Hits the Latin American Socialist Drama Club
Government Priorities: DEI for Owls
Virginia County Released Illegal With 19 Criminal Charges
Thune Explodes at Democrats on Senate Floor
Bombshell Texts Reveal L.A. Fire Brass Knew Fire That Burned Down Palisades Wasn't Out
She nasty. Jasmine Crockett Accidentally Proved Republicans Are Right on the Shutdown
Amazon Outage a Preview of Cyber Apocalypse
Jennifer Welch Is Proof the New X Platform Algorithm Is Messing with Conservatives
Why Aren’t We Doing More of This to Zohran Mamdani?
Three Cheers for Ilhan Omar: American Patriot & Unapologetic Trump Supporter! (Seriously!)
Bobble On, Dawgs: Georgia-Florida Rivalry Immortalized in Wobbling Glory
It's been time... It's Time: Remove Government Control of Education
The New Puritans and the Death of Grace: America's New Witch Trials
Shut it. WATCH: Obama Demands ‘Regulatory
Townhall Mothership
Schlichter. Don’t Go Talking Smack About Our Girl Susan Collins
It Happened Again: Man Used Gym's Trans-Friendly Locker Room Policies to Secretly Film Women
Kamala Harris Reveals that Biden Never Wanted to Debate Trump in 2024
👏👏👏Six Charged in Federal Indictment for Blocking Immigration Agent in Chicago Suburb
Cornyn’s Senate Seat: Please Come and Take It
Cam&Co. NRA Announces Restructuring, Delivers Balanced Budget
Op-Ed Proves No Gun is Safe From Anti-Gunners
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is Under Investigation for Fraud
Jon Karl to Newsom: You Know Your Friends Think You Have An 'American Psycho' Vibe, Right?
ISU Teaching Assistant Arrested for Threatening to Kill President Trump
The 'Arctic Frost' Spying Scandal Gets So Much Worse, and It Leads Back to Infamous Judge Boasberg
Watch: Pres. Trump and the First Lady Have Fun, As Halloween 2025 Arrives at the White House
Hot Take: Usha Vance Is Going to Be Her Husband’s Biggest Political Problem in 2028
Kamala Harris Loses It Ranting About Trump's Ballroom and Starving Babies
VIP
VodkaPundit. Thursday Essay: What in the Actual Hell Is Wrong With the Democrats?
Building or Breaking Civilization: The Worldviews Behind America’s Architecture
Everyone Wants to Have Written: How Fame and Perfectionism Replaced the Joy of Doing Things Well
NEO Robots and Ads on Your Fridge: The Future is Here and It’s Kinda Creepy
John Adams on the Vital Importance of Families
Colorado’s Space Tantrum: Trump’s Command Move Puts Mission Over Politics
The 2025 War on Halloween, Pt. IV: ‘#ANTIFA Action’
Is the AI Bubble Real and How Bad Might It Get?
Democrats Invent Racism Faster Than They Can Find Real Examples of It
What Happened to the Anti-Trump Right?
Around the Interwebz
Everything We Know About ‘Only Murders In The Building’ Season 6 So Far
ChatGPT maker reportedly eyes $1 trillion IPO despite major quarterly losses
‘Fallen Angels’: The Lost Showtime Series That Hinted at the Future of Prestige TV
The Kruiser Kabana
Kabana Gallery
Private baths in Pompeii https://t.co/m1s4tFSPmr pic.twitter.com/Il0g74r0FK
— Fyodor Bronnikov (@artistbronnikov) October 30, 2025
Kabana Comedy/Tunes
Halloween Weekend Bonus
POTUS Press Today
|
|
|
|
Stand for the Truth This Independence Season
At a time when politicians are playing shutdown games and the media’s busy rewriting reality, you still have a voice—and a choice.
Join PJ Media VIP during our Schumer Shutdown Sale and claim your 74% discount with the code POTUS47. You’ll get full access to exclusive commentary, videos, and podcasts—content that champions freedom, reason, and the First Amendment.
It’s time to support independent media that fights back.
👉 Become a PJ Media VIP today — because truth doesn’t shut down.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member