Teen allegedly assaults man, strips him naked, douses his wounds in bleach, stuffs plunger in his mouth — but he isn't done



A Tennessee teen is accused of a series of bizarre crimes, including assaulting a man, stuffing a plunger in his mouth, and pouring bleach on him. But that allegedly was just for starters.

WCNC-TV reported that the Sevierville Police Department received a call around 8:45 a.m. Sunday regarding concerns about 19-year-old Charles Dakota Coffman. WATE-TV said the caller urged a welfare check out of concern that Coffman might have killed someone and kidnapped a little girl.

Court records say that Coffman confessed to dragging the victim into the bathroom, stripping him naked, and dousing his wounds with bleach.

Police forced entry into a residence and discovered a naked man in a bleach-soaked bathroom with a serious head injury, according to WCNC.

The victim was rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and other potentially serious injuries, according to court records WATE obtained.

According to WATE, neither the victim's Ford automobile nor the girl — a 3-year-old, according to WCNC — were at the home. A detective reportedly issued a "be on the lookout" police alert for the vehicle.

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Citing arrest warrants, WBIR-TV reported that police spotted the stolen Ford automobile and initiated a traffic stop. Coffman, the little girl, and a woman reportedly were in the vehicle.

Police arrested Coffman, and the child was transported to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital for an evaluation.

Coffman informed investigators that he received a call from his mother, who was in jail at the time, WBIR reported. Coffman claimed his mother instructed him to pick up the 3-year-old girl.

It turns out that Coffman's mother and the victim of the plunger attack are the legal guardians of the little girl, according to WBIR.

Coffman reportedly took an Uber ride to the house with the woman who was in the stolen car that police pulled over.

According to court records, Coffman told detectives he got into a physical fight with the victim, slammed him to the floor, punched him in the face several times, and shoved a plunger into his mouth.

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Court records said Coffman confessed to dragging the victim into the bathroom, stripping him naked, and dousing his wounds with bleach.

Coffman also admitted to taking the girl from the home and stealing the vehicle.

According to the arrest warrant WBIR obtained, Coffman's mother told investigators she hadn't recently spoken with her son — and added that she "did not and would not" permit her son to take custody of the 3-year-old girl or the victim's vehicle.

Coffman was charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, theft, and tampering with evidence, according to jail records.

Coffman remains detained at the Knox County Jail.

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Democrats' meltdown over SCOTUS child sex-change ruling reveals they learned nothing about 2024 blowout



A Marquette Law School poll published late last month revealed that 63% of Americans hold an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party. Polling by the Economist and YouGov indicated that the disapproval rating for the party as a whole was 58.3% as of May 25.

Democratic lawmakers evidenced their commitment to driving up these numbers and alienating the majority of normal Americans with their hysterical response to the U.S. Supreme Court's Wednesday 6-3 ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, which upheld Tennessee's ban on sex-change genital mutilations and sterilizing puberty blockers for minors.

Not only is Tennessee's Senate Bill 1 lawful, as confirmed by the high court, but such laws reflect the sensibilities of the vast majority of Americans.

A Washington Post-KFF poll found in 2023 that 57% of Americans say gender is biologically determined; 68% oppose the use of puberty blockers by children; and 58% oppose hormonal treatments for teens.

Polling conducted ahead of the 2024 election by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Los Angeles Times found that 54% of Americans favor laws to prevent minors from receiving sex-change drugs or surgeries.

A Center Square Voter's Choice Poll revealed last month that only 29% of voters think doctors should be allowed to prescribe puberty blockers to kids with parental consent. Forty-seven percent of respondents said puberty blockers should not be prescribed to minors under any circumstances.

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Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Democrats appear to be fully aware of the American public's majoritive revulsion over the mutilation and sterilization of confused children.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2024 election and just prior to stepping down as Texas Democratic Party chairman, Gilberto Hinojosa emphasized to Democrats that their messaging was not resonating with everyday Americans.

'Hate won.'

"You have a choice as a party," said Hinojosa. "You can support transgender rights up and down all the categories where the issue comes up, or you can understand that there's certain things that we just go too far on, that a big bulk of our population does not support."

An American Principles Project poll looking at the impact of campaign ads on various transvestite-related issues in the 2024 election found that 52% of voters who were made aware of failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris' support for sex changes for minors were more likely to vote for President Donald Trump.

APP president Terry Schilling concluded, "There should be no question now that Democrats' gender insanity is a massive political vulnerability for them that Republicans should continue to exploit."

Schilling then urged Republicans "not to forget the main lesson from the election and to keep the pressure on Democrats for as long as they continue to defend their extreme agenda."

Despite the unpopularity of gender ideology, the collapse of its core narratives, and the growing list of victims now speaking out about their mutilation, Democrats are leaning into their support for gender ideology, particularly for child sex-change mutilations.

"Hate won," complained Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), one of the Democrats who begged the Supreme Court in an amicus brief last year to strike the Tennessee law. "The far-right justices of the Supreme Court endorsed hate and discrimination by delivering a win for Republicans who have relentlessly and cruelly attacked transgender Americans for years."

'The fight isn't over.'

Other Democrats followed a similar script.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), whose approval rating according to a recent Harvard-Harris poll was 26%, said in response to the high court's ruling in Skrmetti, "Republicans' cruel crusade against trans kids is all an attempt to divert attention from ripping healthcare away from millions of Americans. We'll keep fighting and we'll keep marching on."

"Today the Supreme Court chose to cast transgender children in the shadows, deciding they are not entitled to the protections of the Equal Protection Clause," wrote Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.). "By upholding Tennessee's ban on medical care for transgender children the Court has legitimized discriminatory treatment of children."

Booker suggested further that the protection of children in over 24 states from irreversible sex-change procedures is not only a "violation of the constitutional protections every child is entitled to" but puts kids "in danger."

Rep. Sarah McBride (Del.), the cross-dressing Democrat formerly known as Tim McBride, claimed that the ruling in Skrmetti "undermines doctors in delivering care to some of the most vulnerable patients in our country."

"As the proud grandma of a young trans man, I know that gender-affirming care can help trans youth live openly and authentically," wrote Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). "The fight isn't over."

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Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of the Democratic lawmakers who has received a fortune in donations from the pharmaceutical industry, stated, "Trans kids suffer when they don't get medically-necessary care. This is a brazen political decision by the Supreme Court."

Contrary to Warren's suggestion, so-called "gender-affirming care" does not ameliorate confused kids' suffering. Rather, it makes matters a whole lot worse.

'Protecting children from making permanent, life-altering decisions about their bodies should be a bipartisan issue.'

Britain's National Health Service in 2020 appointed Dr. Hilary Cass, a British medical doctor who previously served as president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, to lead an independent investigation into the efficacy of sex-change procedures on minors.

Blaze News previously reported that Cass' 388-page multi-year report revealed that:

  • the "systematic review showed no clear evidence that social transition in childhood has any positive or negative mental health outcomes, and relatively weak evidence for any effect in adolescence";
  • puberty blockers compromise bone density and have no apparent impact on "gender dysphoria or body satisfaction";
  • there is "insufficient and/or inconsistent evidence about the effects of puberty suppression on gender dysphoria, mental and psychosocial health, cognitive development, cardio-metabolic risk, and fertility";
  • there is "a lack of high-quality research assessing the outcomes of hormones for masculinisation or feminisation in adolescents with gender dysphoria or incongruence and few studies that undertake long-term follow-up"; and
  • so-called gender-affirming care is "an area of remarkably weak evidence."

Prior to the release of the Cass Review, a peer-reviewed study in the esteemed quarterly journal BMJ Mental Health revealed that "medical gender reassignment does not have an impact on suicide risk."

Journalist Mia Hughes revealed in a report published last year by Michael Shellenberger's think tank, Environmental Progress, that prominent members of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health — the organization that literally wrote the book on "transgender" care — have themselves raised issues with the drugs and procedures that Markey, Schumer, Booker, McBride, Schakowsky, Warren, and other Democrats are desperate to protect.

— (@)

WPATH members quoted in Hughes' report discussed the inability of minors to comprehend the long-term consequences of sex-change procedures, the debilitating side effects of such procedures, and problems with obtaining informed consent.

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Luis Soto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Alleigh Marre, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, said in a statement obtained by Blaze News, "Sadly, many on the left have been captured by radical gender activists and appear determined to allow children to be the subject of irreversible and experimental gender interventions."

"Protecting children from making permanent, life-altering decisions about their bodies should be a bipartisan issue," continued Marre. "This ruling establishes important precedent in states seeking to end or regulate gender practices for minors, which have unfortunately become increasingly easy to obtain."

"Democratic leaders would do well to recognize that the Skrmetti decision is not a judgment against any group, but a vital affirmation of common sense, parental rights, and biological reality," Kelsey Reinhardt, president of CatholicVote, told Blaze News. "These are principles that the American people have consistently supported."

The Republican National Committee noted on X, "Democrats want taxpayers to fund sex changes for MINORS! SICK!"

Attorney General Pam Bondi applauded the SCOTUS decision, encouraging "other states to follow Tennessee’s lead and enact similar legislation to protect our kids." Tennessee is one of the 25 Republican states that have laws on the books protecting children from sex-change procedures.

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God’s justice doesn’t sleep — and the Supreme Court just proved it



In a landmark 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on so-called gender-affirming care for minors. Wednesday’s ruling in United States v. Skrmetti affirms the state’s authority to protect children from irreversible medical interventions, declaring that such laws do not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1 prohibits medical providers from prescribing puberty blockers, administering cross-sex hormones, or performing surgeries on minors for the purpose of treating gender dysphoria. With this ruling, the court established a powerful precedent, strengthening similar laws in more than two dozen states and shielding them from federal interference.

The Supreme Court now affirms what parents, pastors, and pediatricians have known for years: Children deserve protection — not ideological exploitation.

This is more than a legal or political victory. It’s a profoundly spiritual one.

Judgment in Pride Month

The timing of the court’s decision — handed down in the middle of Pride Month — is impossible to ignore. For years, the month of June has been co-opted to celebrate sexual perversion and radical gender ideology. Parades, corporate campaigns, and cultural rituals now elevate confusion and self-expression above truth and morality.

But God’s timing often intersects with the idols of a wayward culture.

Just as He once shattered the authority of Egypt’s gods through plagues and humiliated the pagan deities of Canaan through Israel’s victories, He now confronts the false gods of modern America. The gods of Pride Month have names: self-worship, mutilation, and moral relativism.

This ruling, like Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization before it, arrived in a season when the world celebrates rebellion. But God never abdicates. He acts — often decisively.

The right to protect children

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing in concurrence, emphasized the state’s legitimate interest in protecting children from unproven and dangerous procedures. “States could reasonably conclude,” he wrote, “that the level of young children's cognitive and emotional development inhibits their ability to consent to sex-transition treatments.”

Thomas reminded the nation that legislatures — not courts — are charged with protecting the vulnerable. The Constitution allows states to say no to radical experiments on children. That’s common sense. That’s moral responsibility.

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Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for The Daily Wire

The court’s ruling also reinforces policies advanced by the Trump administration, which has taken steps to push back against transgender mandates. The court now affirms what parents, pastors, and pediatricians have known for years: Children deserve protection — not ideological exploitation.

‘The least of these’

At its core, this decision defends “the least of these" (Matthew 25:40). In Matthew 10:42, Jesus declares, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones ... truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Advocates of transgender medicine call their approach “compassionate.” But compassion doesn’t mutilate. It doesn’t sterilize. It doesn’t tell children they were born in the wrong body.

Real compassion tells children the truth: They are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knit them together in their mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13-14). He doesn’t make mistakes.

The lie that “God got your body wrong” devastates young minds. Puberty blockers, double mastectomies, and genital surgeries don’t bring peace. They usher in trauma, regret, and permanent damage.

By upholding these bans, the Supreme Court gives children the gift of time — time to grow, to mature, and to embrace their God-given identities without the pressure of irreversible decisions.

Tear down the idols

Now comes the charge to the church. This moment demands courage.

American culture has erected new high places. Gender ideology sits at the top. It demands worship, conformity, and silence. But like King Josiah, who tore down the altars of Baal, or Gideon, who smashed the Asherah poles, Christians must act.

Now is not the time for retreat. Now is not the time for timidity. The culture may roar, but the God of heaven still rules.

The Supreme Court’s ruling reminds believers that God still moves. He has not abandoned America. He still defends the innocent. He still topples idols.

Faithfulness bears fruit

Galatians 6:9 tells us not to grow weary in doing good. This ruling is the harvest of those who prayed, labored, and stood firm when the world called them hateful. Their perseverance bore fruit — in law, in policy, and in culture.

Let this be a turning point.

Let this be the moment when the nation remembers who created it. Let this be the moment when the church reclaims its voice. Let this be the moment when truth reasserts itself — and children are protected from those who would harm them in the name of progress.

America is not forsaken. God is still at work, and His purposes will prevail.

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Matt Walsh's crusade pays off: SCOTUS protects Tennessee kids from gender mutilation



On Wednesday, the Supreme Court released its decision to uphold a Tennessee law banning gender-related medical interventions for minors.

The case, United States v. Skrmetti, was a 6-3 decision, with Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting. The decision is a historic breakthrough in the fight against transgender ideology. Similar to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision for abortion, the Supreme Court has sent the issue back to the states by clarifying that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit state-level restrictions on sex-change procedures and puberty blockers for minors.

Skrmetti called out the Biden DOJ for what it was really doing: 'Attacking a bipartisan law that protects children from irreversible harm.'

This case has been building since September 2022 when the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh blew the whistle on Vanderbilt University for practicing gender-modification surgeries on minors. Walsh helped bring the issue to the attention of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. The Tennessee legislature took action and passed legislation the following February to ban the drugs and surgeries used to transition minors. The bill passed the Tennessee House 77-16, with 13 Democrats voting against it. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) signed the bill into law on March 2, 2023.

The left did not let the issue go quietly. On April 20, 2023, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Tennessee, claiming the law discriminated against children on the basis of sex. Six days later, the Biden Department of Justice joined in the legal attack, claiming the Tennessee law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. DOJ Assistant Attorney Kristen Clarke decried the law, saying it denied children "access to necessary medical care."

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Vladimir Vladimirov/Getty Images

Skrmetti called out the Biden DOJ for what it was really doing: "Attacking a bipartisan law that protects children from irreversible harm."

Although District Judge Eli Richardson initially blocked the law, his decision was overturned that September by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the law finally went into effect.

Rather than admit defeat, the ACLU and Biden DOJ appealed the case, filing a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court. The following June, the court agreed to hear the case, and oral arguments took place on December 4, 2024. The Supreme Court typically takes around six months to decide complex cases, making this June 18 decision a fairly standard timeline.

'Congress has no excuses left. If they have any moral sense, they will ... end this evil industry once and for all.'

The decision has been met with triumphant approval from conservatives. In a statement to Blaze Media, Matt Walsh summarized his work on the issue: "Three years ago, we ripped the lid off Vanderbilt’s sickening pediatric clinic. That ignited Tennessee’s child mutilation ban. Today, the Supreme Court upheld this protection of children and we won."

At the heart of the legal issue was the question of whether the Tennessee law discriminated on the basis of sex. If so, it would be subject to heightened legal scrutiny under the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice Roberts, in the majority opinion, clarified that the law did not do so. Rather, the law "prohibits health care providers from administering puberty blockers or hormones to minors for certain medical uses, regardless of a minor’s sex."

Consequently, the law "is not subject to heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and satisfies rational basis review."

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Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

In a statement to Blaze Media, Dr. Brad Watson, a legal scholar at Hillsdale College’s Graduate School of Government, concurred with the majority opinion: "The Court was correct in refusing to apply heightened judicial scrutiny to a law prohibiting transgender treatment of minors. The majority recognizes that judges have no expertise in such matters and possess no constitutional warrant to second-guess legislative determinations so long as those determinations rest on a rational basis."

Similar to the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, this decision gives states the freedom to legislate on the issue. The question that remains for conservatives is whether they will be able to effectively follow up on this decision with meaningful legislation at the state or national level.

Matt Walsh is among those pushing for the GOP to take decisive action to cement this victory. In his statement to Blaze Media, he called on Congress to ban these surgeries at a national level: "Congress has no excuses left. If they have any moral sense, they will end these state-by-state fights with a federal ban and end this evil industry once and for all."

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Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Ban on Puberty Blockers for Minors

The Supreme Court on Wednesday morning upheld Tennessee's law banning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors who identify as transgender, ruling in a 6-3 decision that states have the authority to regulate such treatments.

The post Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Ban on Puberty Blockers for Minors appeared first on .

Supreme Court Deems Laws Prohibiting ‘Trans’ Surgeries For Minors As Constitutional

"The Court’s role is not 'to judge the wisdom, fairness, or logic' of SB1 ... but only to ensure that the law does not violate equal protection guarantees. It does not."

How Rep. Mark Green's abrupt resignation will affect House Republicans' slim majority



Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee abruptly announced Monday that he will be resigning from Congress, narrowing an already slim GOP majority.

Green said he will be ending his 40-year-long career in public service to pursue a role in the private sector, which he says "was too exciting to pass up." His resignation will take place after he votes on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which barely made it through the House in May and is currently making its way through the Senate.

Once Green officially resigns, Republicans will hold 219 seats and Democrats will hold 212 seats.

Although Green is not the first Republican member to leave this Congress, his resignation has raised some eyebrows.

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Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress," Green said in a statement Monday. "Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package."

Although Green is not the first Republican member to leave Congress since the 2024 election, his resignation has raised some eyebrows.

Former Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz of Florida both left Congress after President Donald Trump nominated them for attorney general and national security adviser. Gaetz's nomination was eventually withdrawn, and he was replaced with Republican Rep. Jimmy Patronis. Waltz went on to serve in the administration and was later replaced by Republican Rep. Randy Fine.

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was also set to serve in the administration as ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik was midway through her Senate confirmation before her nomination was also pulled due to the narrow House majority.

While Stefanik's nomination was withdrawn due to the slim majority, Green's resignation went unopposed.

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A key difference between the two is that Green's seat is in a safe Republican district. Although Stefanik comfortably won re-election, the blue state of New York would have been responsible for holding a special election for her seat.

Stefanik was also set to leave before the reconciliation vote, which barely made it through the House in May with a 215-214 vote. Because of the thin margin, Green said he will remain in Congress until the landmark legislation is sent back from the Senate and passes the House for a second time.

House Republican leadership staff confirmed to Blaze News that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was made aware of Green's imminent resignation before his announcement on Monday, allowing for a smooth transition.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee now must set the date for a special election. Tennessee law requires the governor to order a special election within 10 days of Green's resignation and to schedule a primary election within 55 to 60 days from the resignation and a subsequent general election within 100 to 107 days.

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Trump keeps endorsing the establishment he vowed to fight



Donald Trump’s endorsement of Karrin Taylor Robson in December marked one of the most baffling moves of his political career. Still riding the momentum of his victory, Trump pre-emptively backed a known RINO for Arizona governor — nearly 19 months ahead of the 2026 primary. The endorsement fit a troubling pattern: early-cycle support for anti-Trump Republicans who hadn’t lifted a finger for the movement, while stronger MAGA candidates waited in the wings.

If Trump wants to deliver on his campaign promises, he needs to reassert deterrence against weak-kneed incumbents and withhold endorsements in open races until candidates prove themselves.

At some point, conservatives must face the hard truth: The swamp isn’t being drained. It’s getting refilled — with Trump’s help.

Arizona illustrates why MAGA must push back hard on Trump’s errant picks. Robson, a classic McCain Republican, publicly criticized Trump as recently as 2022. She ran directly against MAGA favorite Kari Lake in the 2022 gubernatorial primary. Maybe she could merit a reluctant nod in a general election, but nearly two years before the primary? With far better options available?

And indeed, better options emerged. Months later, Rep. Andy Biggs — one of the most conservative voices in Congress and a staunch Trump ally — entered the race. The Arizona drama had a partially satisfying resolution when Trump issued a dual endorsement. But dig deeper, and the story turns sour.

Top Trump political aides reportedly worked for Robson’s campaign, raising serious questions for the MAGA base. Their loyalty seemed to shift only after Robson refused to tout Trump’s endorsement in her campaign ads.

Which brings us to the million-dollar question: Why would Trump endorse candidates so subversive that they feel embarrassed to even mention his support?

The Robson episode is an outlier in one way: Most establishment Republicans eagerly shout Trump’s endorsement from the rooftops. Yet the deeper issue remains. Without MAGA intervention, Trump keeps handing out endorsements to RINOs or to early candidates tied to his political network — often at the expense of better, more loyal alternatives.

A pattern of bad picks

Some defenders claim Trump backs incumbents to push his agenda. That theory falls apart when so many of those same RINOs openly sabotage it.

Take Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.). Both received Trump’s endorsement while actively working against his legislative priorities — pushing green energy subsidies and obsessing over tax breaks for their donor class. These aren’t minor policy differences. These are full-spectrum RINO betrayals.

Trump wouldn’t dare endorse Chip Roy (R-Texas) for dissenting from the right, so why give cover to Republicans who consistently undermine his mandate from the left?

And don’t chalk this up to political necessity in purple districts. Trump routinely gives away the farm in safe red states, too.

Here's a list of Trump’s Senate endorsements this cycle, straight from Ballotpedia — and it’s not comforting.

You’d struggle to find a single conservative in this bunch. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Jim Risch of Idaho all represent the globalist mindset that Trump’s base has spent years fighting. So why did Trump hand them early endorsements — before they even faced a challenge? What exactly is he getting in return?

Well, we know what his loyalty bought last cycle.

After Trump endorsed Mississippi’s other swamp creature, Roger Wicker, against a MAGA primary challenger in 2024, Wicker walked into the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee — and now he’s stalling cuts to USAID. That roadblock has helped keep the DOGE rescissions package from reaching the president’s desk.

Wicker isn’t the only one. Several of Trump’s endorsees have publicly criticized his tariff agenda. Whether or not you agree with those tariffs, the pattern is telling. Trump only seems to call out Republicans who dissent from the right. Meanwhile, the ones who oppose him from the left collect endorsements that wipe out any hope of a MAGA primary.

Ten years into the MAGA movement, grassroots candidates still can’t gain traction — and Trump’s endorsements are a big part of the problem.

Instead of amplifying insurgent conservatives, Trump often plays air support for entrenched incumbents. He clears the field early, blasting apart any challenge before it forms. That’s how we ended up stuck with senators like Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) — both from red states — who routinely block Trump’s nominees and undermine his priorities.

Trump endorsed both Tillis and Cassidy during the 2020 cycle, even as grassroots conservatives geared up to take them on. In fact, almost every red-state RINO in the Senate has received a Trump primary endorsement — some of them twice in just 10 years. That list includes Moore Capito, Graham, Hyde-Smith, and Wicker.

Saving red-state RINOs

What’s worse than endorsing RINOs for Congress in red states? Endorsing RINOs for governor and state legislature.

Yes, Washington is broken. Even in the best years, Republicans struggle to muster anything more than a narrow RINO majority. But the real opportunity lies elsewhere. More than 20 states already lean Republican enough to build permanent conservative power — if we nominate actual conservatives who know how to use it.

The 2026 election cycle will feature governorships in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming, to name just a few. These races offer a chance to reset the Republican Party — state by state — with DeSantis-caliber fighters.

Instead, we’re slipping backward.

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Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Trump has already endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds for Florida governor — nearly two years before the election. In most red states, Donalds would look like an upgrade. But Florida isn’t most red states. Florida is the citadel of conservatism. It deserves a contested primary, not a coronation. Donalds hasn’t led the way DeSantis has — either nationally or in-state — so why clear the field this early? Why not at least wait and see whether DeSantis backs a candidate?

And don’t forget about the state legislatures.

Freedom Caucuses have made real gains in turning GOP supermajorities into something that matters. But in Texas, House Speaker Dustin Burrows cut a deal with Democrats to grab power — then torched the entire session. Conservative voters are eager to remove Burrows and the cronies who enabled him.

We’ll never drain the swamp this way

This is where Trump should be getting involved — endorsing against the establishment, not propping it up.

Instead, he’s doing the opposite.

Trump recently pledged to back Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and his entire entourage of RINO loyalists — just because they passed a watered-down school choice bill that also funneled another $10 billion into the state’s broken public-school bureaucracy.

The same pattern holds in Florida.

The House speaker there, Daniel Perez, has consistently blocked Governor Ron DeSantis’ agenda, including efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement — policies that are now a national model. Despite this, Perez cozied up to Byron Donalds. Donalds returned the favor, but refused to take sides in the Perez versus DeSantis clashes. He also ducked the fights against Amendments 3 and 4. So what exactly qualifies Donalds to become Trump’s handpicked candidate in the most important red state in America?

This new paradigm — where candidates secure Trump endorsements just by parroting his name — has allowed RINO governors and legislators to push corporatist policies while staying firmly in Trump’s good graces. They wrap themselves in the MAGA brand without lifting a finger to advance its agenda.

That’s not the movement we were promised.

At some point, conservatives must face the hard truth: The swamp isn’t being drained. It’s getting refilled — with Trump’s help. We can’t keep celebrating Trump’s total control of the GOP while hand-waving away the RINOs, as if they’re some separate, unaccountable force. Trump has the power to shape the party. He could use it to clean house.

Instead, he keeps using it to protect the establishment from grassroots primaries.

At the very least, he should withhold endorsements until candidates prove they can deliver on the campaign’s promises. Don’t hand out golden Trump cards before they’ve earned them.

Mr. President, please don’t be such a cheap date.