Woke 'Franklin the Turtle' publisher and Democrats lose their minds after Hegseth shares hilarious meme



Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared a meme on Sunday depicting the eponymous star of the children's book franchise "Franklin the Turtle" and the television adaptation "Franklin" dressed as an American soldier, perched on the side of a Bell UH-1 helicopter, and firing a rocket-propelled grenade at maritime drug-runners.

The AI-generated illustration, shared after lawmakers from both parties expressed concerns over American strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, was made to look like the cover of a book in the series, complete with a title — "A Classic Franklin Story: Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists."

'We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels ... or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists.'

The viral meme, which Hegseth captioned "for your Christmas wish list" and had over 25.6 million impressions on X on Wednesday, evidently enraged various liberal media personalities and Democrats as well as the Toronto-based publisher of the Franklin books.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) also complained about the meme, stating on the Senate floor, "He wants to be taken seriously, but yesterday he posted a ridiculous tweet of a cartoon turtle firing on alleged drug traffickers — a sick parody of a well-known children's book. This man is a national embarrassment."

Kids Can Press said in a statement, "Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity."

RELATED: Trump’s boat strikes may leave one Venezuelan drug-smuggling pirate haven in ruins

Photo by Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Image

"We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values," added the Canadian publisher.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded to the publisher's condemnation, stating, "We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels ... or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists."

Unfortunately for Kids Can Press and Democratic critics, their condemnations of the fictional turtle's enlistment in MAGA memes appear to have only helped fuel the desire by trolls to depict Franklin in other provocative fake titles including, "Franklin Guards the Woman's Locker Room," "Franklin Gets Falsely Accused of War Crimes," "Franklin Assists with 20 Million Deportations," "Franklin Explains What Fauci Deserves," and "Franklin Learns about George Floyd's Autopsy."

One fake book cover titled "Franklin Gets a New Job" features an image of the turtle, this time dressed up as a Department of Homeland Security agent, arresting the eponymous Latin American star of the animated children's show "Dora the Explorer."

Another fake cover titled "Franklin and Pete Hegseth Laugh at Communists" features an image of the war secretary and the turtle riding their bikes past four slovenly leftists.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) also got in on the fun.

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who was among the Democratic lawmakers who urged the military last month to "refuse" allegedly illegal orders from the Trump administration, called on Hegseth to resign on Tuesday in the wake of a report claiming that the war secretary ordered SEAL Team 6 to leave behind no survivors in a recent boat strike.

Luna responded with a fake Franklin cover titled "Franklin Shows His Classmates How to Identify a Spook." The fake cover features an image of the turtle directing his fellow woodland critters' attention to an apparent caricature of Slotkin on a chalkboard.

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JD Vance joined liberal Twitter knockoff Bluesky. Things went off the rails REALLY fast.



Vice President JD Vance is not exactly a shrinking violet. The Marine veteran who rose from relative poverty to become second in command of the world's greatest nation has a habit of seeking out fruitful confrontation.

At the Munich Security Conference in February, for instance, Vance told European officials to their faces that they were stepping toward tyranny and turning their backs on the values they once shared in common with the United States. Just weeks later, he bashed the U.K.'s censorship regime with leftist British Prime Minister Keir Starmer seated right next to him in the Oval Office.

While he has long participated in fiery exchanges with Democratic lawmakers and other antagonists, both in person and on Elon Musk's X, Vance evidently wanted to bring the conversation to leftists on their own turf.

The vice president created an account Wednesday on the liberal Twitter knockoff Bluesky. Things went off the rails pretty quickly.

Vance kicked off his Bluesky residency by writing, "Hello Bluesky, I've been told this app has become the place to go for common sense political discussion and analysis. So I'm thrilled to be here to engage with all of you."

'I might add that many of those scientists are receiving substantial resources from big pharma to push these medicines on kids.'

Accompanying his initial post was a screenshot of the Supreme Court's majority decision in United States v. Skrmetti, in which the court upheld Tennessee's ban on sex-change genital mutilations and sterilizing puberty blockers for minors — clearly a touchy subject for the Bluesky crowd.

RELATED: Sacrificing body parts and informed consent to the sex-change regime

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Vance highlighted a portion of the decision in which Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, "There are several problems with appealing and deferring to the authority of the expert class. First, so-called experts have no license to countermand the 'wisdom, fairness, or logic of legislative choices.'"

Roberts noted further in the excerpt, "Contrary to the representations of the United States and the private plaintiffs, there is no medical consensus on how best to treat gender dysphoria in children. Third, notwithstanding the alleged experts' view that young children can provide informed consent to irreversible sex-transition treatments, whether such consent is possible is a question of medical ethics that States must decide for themselves."

Vance added in a follow-up message, "To that end, I found Justice Thomas's concurrence on medical care for transgender youth quite illuminating. He argues that many of our so-called 'experts' have used bad arguments and substandard science to push experimental therapies on our youth."

"I might add that many of those scientists are receiving substantial resources from big pharma to push these medicines on kids," continued Vance. "What do you think?"

— (@)

Regardless of whether Vance's intention was to troll the netizens of Bluesky, the result was the same.

Apoplectic leftists immediately piled into the comments various smears and accusations. Many threatened to report Vance in hopes of getting him banned for some perceived offense or another.

The attacks were, however, interrupted roughly 12 minutes after Vance's first post when the platform suspended him, according to Axios reporter Marc Caputo.

Leftists looking to vent were confronted with a message that read, "Not found. Account has been suspended."

RELATED: Runaway judges, rogue rulings — and JD Vance is having none of it

Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Despite the appearance that Vance's account may have been suspended because of his politics or perhaps because he shared a court ruling that struck at the heart of the sex-change regime, Bluesky claimed in a statement obtained by Forbes, "Vice President Vance's account was briefly flagged by our automated systems that try to detect impersonation attempts, which have targeted public figures like him in the past."

"The account was quickly restored and verified so people can easily confirm its authenticity," continued the statement. "We welcome the Vice President to join the conversation on Bluesky."

As of Thursday morning, Vance's initial posts were buried in negative comments, although he had netted over 7,500 followers. According to the user tracker Clearsky, he had been blocked by over 81,000 users at the time of publication.

Blaze News reached out to the vice president's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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Biden seems to keep trolling Harris, demonstrating that she's an empty vessel



Kamala Harris is doing her best to appear large and in charge in the final weeks before the election. President Joe Biden no longer appears interested in helping her maintain the illusion.

Harris recently made a stink about her inability to work with authorities in Florida on hurricane relief efforts. Within hours, Biden announced that he was in touch with Gov. Ron DeSantis and ready to succeed where his former running mate had failed.

While Biden's team maintains that the president wants Harris to succeed, this turn of events amounts to yet another signal that Harris' boss is at the very least subconsciously working to sabotage her.

Telephone tag

The Biden-Harris administration's response to Hurricane Helene has largely been a catastrophe. Apparently keen for a clean slate and a second chance, Harris set her sights on Florida, where Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.

A White House official told CNN that Harris has been unsuccessfully attempting to get in touch with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss storm preparation and recovery.

'It's not about you, Kamala.'

On Monday, Harris suggested that DeSantis was engaged in politics as opposed to crisis management.

"Moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they're going to put politics aside and put the people first," said Harris, evidently enraged by her alleged ghosting.

"People are in desperate need of support right now, and playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations — these are the height of emergency situations — is just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish, and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is putting the people first," added Harris.

DeSantis, who has been in contact with Federal Emergency Management Director Deanne Criswell, said in an interview Monday that while Harris has been griping about missed calls, he has been hard at work "helping people prepare for Hurricane Helene, helping effectuate rescues of people after Hurricane Helene, helping people pick up the pieces of their lives after Helene, and then have to also turn around and prepare for major impacts and maybe even more impacts from Hurricane Milton."

"My focus has not been on dealing with Kamala Harris," continued the governor. "I didn't know she tried to contact me, but I'd also say, it's not about you, Kamala."

DeSantis stressed that whereas Trump and Biden have refrained from politicizing storms in past years, Kamala Harris has apparently chosen now as the first time to call — "to parachute in and inject herself when she's never shown any interest in the past."

A call worth taking

Amid the kerfuffle, Biden announced that DeSantis had taken his call — a signal that notwithstanding his decrepitude, Biden was still running the show.

'He's def voting for Trump.'

"Tonight, I spoke with Florida Governor DeSantis and Tampa Mayor [Jane] Castor for firsthand reports on Hurricane Helene recovery and preparations for Hurricane Milton," Biden wrote on X. "My Administration is ready to support both leaders and the people of Florida with any further resources they may need."

Whereas in the past, Biden has emphatically used the term "Biden-Harris administration," there were no traces of the vice president in the president's messaging.

Biden added, "I also spoke with National Weather Service Director Ken Graham regarding the expected impacts of Hurricane Milton for the state of Florida. I urge all those in the storm's path to evacuate now while it is safe to do so."

Christina Pushaw, an aide to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), noted Tuesday, "Governor DeSantis & President Biden spoke last night. There is a chain of command when it comes to disaster response, which Florida is very familiar with. VP Harris is not part of that chain of command; the President is. If Harris doesn't understand that, she isn't prepared."

Pushaw also retweeted the following message: "For all of your losers saying @GovRonDeSantis was playing politics, he spoke to the ACTUAL POTUS. Have a seat."

Trolling

Keen observers concluded on the basis of the timing and phrasing of the post that Biden, who just weeks ago donned a red Trump 2024 hat, is "just trolling Kamala at this point."

Charles Cooke, senior editor at the National Review, noted, "Harris under the bus."

One user quipped, "He's def voting for Trump."

DeSantis' call with Biden amounts to another messaging defeat for the Harris campaign, which is desperate for Harris to take starring roles before the election.

Harris aides recently suggested to CNN that they want Biden out of the picture so that Harris won't be seen running as an extension of the president. When, for instance, Biden went to North Carolina last week to survey the damage, Harris' allies felt she was robbed of an opportunity to make her presence known in a state she stands a good chance of losing.

Harris was also looking forward to taking center stage when Biden jets off to Germany; however, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre revealed Tuesday afternoon that Biden will instead be hanging around "in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton."

Biden has also been torpedoing Harris' effort to distance herself from the current administration's failures.

During Harris' debate with Trump, she apparently enjoyed a boost when she said, "Clearly, I am not Joe Biden."

Biden kindly responded last week by emphasizing, "She was a major player in everything we've done."

"She's been, and her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we're doing," added Biden.

Despite the appearance that Biden is setting trip wires for the woman who unceremoniously replaced him, one of the president's senior advisers claimed, "The president is all in to help get the vice president elected."

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INFURIATING: Did you know 'trolled' journalists are now receiving YOUR tax dollars? Here's why.



If you were already unhappy with the way that the government spends your tax dollars, then we’ve got some bad news.

The Biden administration has approved a $5.7 million grant to establish a “trauma-informed” care program for “trolled” journalists who have experienced online harassment.

This grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation, will support George Washington University’s Expert Voices Together program.

The grant will “address links between two significant problems impacting trust in contemporary communication systems including the broad and rapid spread of misinformation and abuse and harassment directed at members of expert communities.”

“I don’t know how much Taylor Lorenz had to do behind the scenes to make this possible for her,” Gonzales says, recalling Lorenz’s claim that after doxxing Libs of TikTok, she became a target of right-wing harassment.

In a very teary interview on MSNBC following the doxxing, Lorenz told America in between bouts of blubbering that she received death threats and even contemplated suicide.

Stu Burguiere doesn’t feel so bad for her.

“I mean, here’s the thing; this is a crazy thing that people don’t understand,” Stu comments. “You don’t have to go on Twitter.”

“A lot of things are said on Twitter — terrible things — all the time. And you don’t ever have to know they occur,” he adds.

Stu notes that people go to war and see much, much worse things, but says Lorenz's reaction is a sign of the times.

“She’s like a composite of the downfall of our society, ... a person who would cry and be so disturbed, contemplates suicide over a couple of tweets.”


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DeSantis launching billboards in Chicago offering 'unappreciated' cops a $5,000 signing bonus for relocating to Florida to help keep the peace



Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is launching a billboard campaign in Chicago, offering "unappreciated" police officers a $5,000 signing bonus to come to Florida to do what leftists in Illinois appear keen to otherwise prevent them from doing properly at home.

Chicago is a city terrorized by criminals. There have been 1,495 criminal sexual assaults, 7,039 robberies, 20,651 motor vehicle thefts, and 435 murders reported in the city so far this year. Two of those slain in the city were police officers, Aréanah M. Preston and Andres M. Vasquez Lasso.

The very people capable of restoring law and order in the no-cash-bail state have seemingly been discouraged from doing so at every turn.

Chicago was, after all, one of the Democrat-run cities that embraced anti-police rhetoric and reduced police funding amidst the 2020 BLM riots.

Its new leftist mayor, Brandon Johnson, a former teachers' union organizer and advocate for "redirecting money away from policing and militarizing police forces," does not appear to be making things better, having called for social workers and EMTs to respond to various 911 calls.

The chilling effect has been unmistakable.

In the face of dwindling support from the city, increased scrutiny, and the fear of reprisals, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that arrests dropped to their lowest in decades last year.

With the understanding both that Florida could always use more men and women in blue and that Democratic policies in Illinois allow "dangerous criminals back into communities," DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida would be launching billboards in the greater Chicago area inviting law enforcement officers to the Sunshine State.

Those "unappreciated" officers who are interested and who relocate will receive a $5,000 signing bonus through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program.

According to the Florida Department of Commerce website, over 292 law enforcement officers have already taken the Sunshine State up on the offer to relocate from Illinois, California, New York, and Pennsylvania since 2022.

"Florida strongly supports law enforcement and has consistently enacted commonsense criminal justice policies to keep our communities safe," said DeSantis. "We stand behind our citizen officers, and we give them the tools to succeed professionally and personally. Other states deputize non-citizens, enact policies that favor criminals over victims, and work to overtly or covertly defund the police, but not in Florida. I look forward to welcoming the Illinois men and women in blue to the law-and-order state."

In the announcement, the governor's office contrasted Illinois' apparent priority to allow illegal aliens to become police officers and eliminate cash bail with the benefits on offer to law enforcement officers in Florida, including student loan forgiveness programs, home loan programs, and retirement benefits.

WQRF-TV reported that the billboards erected in the Chicago area read, "Citizenship Matters. Law Enforcement Matters. Make the Smart Move to Florida."

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Tucker Carlson trolls liberal reporter with prospect of 'earth-shaking scoop,' then bursts his bubble: 'I can never control myself'



A liberal reporter figured he had private-messaged his way into securing what he later termed an "earth-shaking scoop." Tucker Carlson, the subject of the potential exclusive, was happy to indulge the reporter's fantasy, but only for a moment.

Mattathias Schwartz, a New York-based senior correspondent at Insider, reached out to the former Fox News host Tuesday night, asking, "Are you going to run for president?"

Carlson, who has previously been prompted to run and asked about running, responded, "Yes. Announcing Friday in New Hampshire."

Given Carlson's popularity and the unpopularity of some of the major candidates now fielded, this news could have been seismic.

"Can I call you?" Schwartz eagerly replied. "I would like to be the first with this."

When Carlson did not answer, Schwartz continued excitedly: "But I can't stand it up with one text."

"Let me know. A voice call would be helpful," Schwartz added.

Rather than leave Schwartz hanging, Carlson texted, "Totally kidding. Sorry."

Schwartz admitted in turn, "You got me."

"I can never control myself," wrote Carlson.

Carlson noted that extra to not being a prospective presidential candidate, he's "fundamentally a dick. My apologies."

\u201cSome late-night texts with @TuckerCarlson, wherein he says he is indeed running for president, then says he is just kidding about that, then says he is "fundamentally a dick." Story here... https://t.co/OukLuulbGQ\u201d
— Mattathias Schwartz (@Mattathias Schwartz) 1683748389

The liberal reporter later claimed on Twitter, "Just based on the transcript above, I think that his hope was that we would go with it and hit print based on the one text. But I don't know that."

While from the texts alone it's unclear whether Schwartz took the joke well, his subsequent write-up indicates he likely didn't.

Schwartz smeared Carlson as a "white nationalist," an "incendiary monologist," and an "asshole" in his article about the exchange for Insider, which reads as though it were cannibalized from a hit piece originally intended to have a giant election-related scoop at its center.

The liberal reporter accused Carlson of incubating "the Trump movement's conspiracy theories and insatiable sense of outrage" and focusing "the embittered and racialized nationalism that propelled Donald Trump into the White House."

After indicating that 34% of Tucker Carlson's audience is nonwhite and highlighting the former Fox News host's criticisms of U.S. support for Ukraine and illegal immigration, Schwartz defended his earlier suspicion that Carlson might run for higher officer.

"Speculation about a possible GOP primary run has followed Carlson for years. One poll found that 59 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Carlson, higher than Fox News," he wrote.

Politico took part in such speculation in late April, detailing the "keys to a hypothetical Tucker Carlson 2024 campaign."

Dave Kochel, a veteran Iowa Republican strategist, told the liberal outlet, "He had three and a half million viewers. … Obviously, his show was a bigger cultural phenomenon than just that. He’s well known to 20 million people, probably, but all of them are political watchers. I guess anything is possible. And we live in the stupidest timeline ever. I just don’t see it happening."

Dave Carney, a New Hampshire GOP strategist, told Politico, "I don’t think he would have any fear of going right after Trump and inheriting some of that support and peeling it off. Every vote he gets will be out of Trump’s hide and really impact the race dramatically."

Ed Kilgore of New York magazine recently suggested that it "would be foolish to rule out Carlson as presidential timber," but suggested that 2024 isn't his time.

Back in 2021, Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, told the National Interest, "Carlson has been keen to focus on the supposed failings and absurdities of Democratic elites, and that puts him in as good a position as any to inherit his supporters — those for whom Trump, as an individual candidate and office-holder, carried some extra appeal beyond the standard Republican brand."

Leonie Huddy, a political science professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, agreed, saying, "Carlson is a real contender for the Republican nomination."

Newsweek recently reported that the British betting firm Betfair was offering odds of 80-1 on Carlson winning the 2024 presidential election outright, 50-1 odds on him becoming the GOP candidate, and 6-1 odds on Trump naming Carlson his vice president.

Jokes and speculation aside, Carlson recently provided an insight into why he might not run while giving a keynote address at a fundraiser for adults with disabilities in Oxford, Alabama.

Carlson said, "I’m a sincere lover of the country and I want it to get better. ... How do you, all of us, in our small, incremental ways, make it better?"

An audience member shouted out in reply, "Run for president!"

The audience cheered.

Carlson suggested, "I think if you run for president, they will assassinate your character."

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Leftists fuming after Republican councilman identifies as an Indian woman to 'shatter that glass ceiling'



An Indiana Republican has enraged leftists and LGBT activists in his community by exposing the arbitrary and absurdist nature of social constructivism, having announced he is now an Indian woman.

Shattering the glass ceiling

Ryan Webb, formerly a councilman, now apparently a councilwoman in Muncie, Delaware County, announced on April 12 that after much consideration, he had "decided to come out" as his "true authentic self."

"It is with great relief that I announce to everyone that I identify as a woman and not just any woman but as a woman of color as well. I guess this would make me gay/lesbian as well, since I am attracted to women," Webb, a father of six, wrote in a Facebook post.

"Whew, that felt good to finally get that out there and start living life as my true self. I’m excited to bring some diversity to the county council. Until today we didn’t have any females of color or LGBTQIAPC+++ on the council. I’m glad that now we do!" he continued, adding, "To avoid confusion, everyone can continue to address me as Ryan or as Councilman Webb. I will also retain my my preferred pronouns of He/Him, however, this will in no way diminish my true identity as a woman of color. I’m excited to be a vocal partner of the LGBTQIAPC+++ movement."

Webb noted that his stunning transition was not only exciting but historic: "I am more than likely the very first lesbian woman of color in the history of Delaware County to ever serve on the Delaware county council. I am honored to be the one to shatter that glass ceiling."

Webb recently told Dale Jackson of WVNN that no one from the liberal media or Democratic establishment has yet contacted him to celebrate or discuss his achievement. He also indicated he has yet to receive an endorsement deal from a major brand.

Shattering leftist illogic

Charlize Jamieson, a 67-year-old transvestite in the council district, decried Webb's announcement, accusing the Republican of transphobia and bigotry, reported the Muncie Star Press.

Jamieson castigated Webb online, writing, "Was this really necessary? It's unbecoming of an elected official ... or a decent human being for that matter."

Webb asked Jamieson to extend the same compassion he had been given when coming out as a transvestite, writing, "When you decided to become a woman did people tell you it was unbecoming? Sorry pal but you don't get to be the decipher of who is acceptable and who isn't. I was hoping that you and I could be friends now that we're both ladies that used to be men. I'll give you some more time."

In a subsequent post, Jamieson appeared to provide criteria by which the authenticity of a transition claim ought to be judged: "Start dressing the part full time. Start hormone replacement treatment. Make a decision on surgery. Get your legal documents changed to reflect your gender. THEN, let's talk."

In the days following Webb's life-changing announcement, he and his family were reportedly targeted with death threats.

The councilman told WISH-TV, "Our family has been receiving violent threats throughout the day from intolerant liberals who refuse to accept my decision to live my life however I choose. I don’t really see how an interview will improve the situation."

Webb accused a leftist group called Indiana Progressives of organizing "a hate and harassment campaign against me and my family by publishing my address and encouraging people to unlawfully congregate at my home."

Indiana Progressives widely circulated Webb's announcement, writing, "County council member Ryan Webb mocks the LGBTQ community on Facebook. What a piece of s***! F*** you, Ryan Webb!

In response to the immediate backlash, Webb stressed that his "American Indian heritage is not of for debate. .... I hope that in the future those asking for tolerance and understanding are willing to give it in return and not just to those who they feel is worthy of it. Nobody has the authority to validate or invalidate any individual who chooses to identify a certain way."

Leftists seek to drive trans Indian out of office

The Muncie Star Press reported that the Delaware County Council convened on April 25 to take up, among other things, community members' demands for Webb's resignation.

Jamieson spoke out, once again denouncing Webb and misgendering him. He said that Webb's "words not only embarrass himself, but you, the county council."

A community member named J.M. DeAngelo said, "He may mind his manners here in this room, but his behavior online absolutely casts shame on this entire council."

The Burris Laboratory School chapter of the anti-Second Amendment group Students Demand Action called for Webb's resignation, suggesting that people like the councilman made life more difficult for people trying to figure out their identity.

A member of the group, Chelsea McDonnel, said, "With his facetious claim that he identifies as a woman of color ... he has made a mockery of his constituents, as well as his elected position and this council."

After various activists called for Webb to be removed from office, the councilman was finally given an opportunity to respond.

"You don't get to question me. You do not get to require proof from me. You were part of the movement that helped establish these rules and set the bar, OK?" said Webb. "You don't get to come later when someone else joins the club that you don't want in. ... You don't get to question how I identify."

\u201cIndiana councilma'am Ryan Webb flips the script and identifies as a 'lesbian woman of color' and the left predictably flip out \ud83d\udc40\u201d
— Kyle Becker (@Kyle Becker) 1682943659

Webb later accused his leftist critics of "perpetuating hate, intolerance and bigotry" toward him, noting that the backlash was "just another example of the intolerant Left and their ideology of contradictions."

The councilman has no intention of leaving the council, noting that capitulating now would "be an enormous disservice to the thousands of voters who chose me to be their representative."

\u201cRyan Webb, a white councilman in Indiana, now identifies as a woman of color\n\nThe best part? The media being forced to take him seriously:\u201d
— End Wokeness (@End Wokeness) 1682852851

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Becoming a ‘Professional Troll’ | @PrimeTimeAlexStein
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Becoming a ‘Professional Troll’ | @PrimeTimeAlexStein

Video: Former VP Mike Pence expertly trolls left-wing Georgetown students protesting his speech — and non-woke students love it



Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered a gut-punch dose of truth to left-wing Georgetown University students protesting his speech on the Washington, D.C., campus Wednesday night — and non-woke students in the crowd loved every word.

What happened?

Video from Young America’s Foundation — the conservative group that hosted Pence's speech — shows dozens of students walking out of the room while Pence speaks and other students in the venue's balcony unfurling a banner reading "reproductive rights are human rights," Fox News reported.

Pence had the perfect response to the walkout: "Seems to me that having served many years in Washington, leaders in this nation’s capital have never been more out of touch, more intent on imposing their agenda — or walking out on people that might have a different point of view."

The crowd that remained in the venue clapped and cheered upon hearing that final zinger:

Better still, the walkout was a double win. YAF told Fox News the departing left-wing crowd made room for students who actually wanted to listen to Pence.

"Campus leftists thought they could successfully derail Vice President Mike Pence’s YAF-sponsored lecture by walking out and displaying signs promoting the left’s radical agenda," YAF spokesperson Nick Baker told the cable network. "Within minutes, they were proven wrong. YAF easily filled the room to capacity with students legitimately interested in hearing Vice President Pence’s pro-freedom message."

Fox News said a Pence representative didn't immediately respond to the cable network's request for comment. Pence did, however, give a shout-out to attendees in a Wednesday-night tweet:

\u201cThank you @yaf and @GUPolitics! It was great to be at Georgetown tonight with so many great young Americans! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u201d
— Mike Pence (@Mike Pence) 1666232465

"Thank you @yaf and @GUPolitics!" he wrote. "It was great to be at Georgetown tonight with so many great young Americans!"

Anything else?

In his speech, Pence emphasized tolerance and called for the restoration of civil discourse, Fox News said.

"I really do believe you can say to somebody they’ve got bad ideas without saying they’re a bad person," Pence told the audience, according to the cable network. "I hold the view and have for many years that democracy depends on heavy doses of civility."

Pence — who many believe is considering a 2024 presidential run — was cagey when asked during a post-speech interview whether he'd support Donald Trump as president again in 2024, Fox News reported.

"Well, there might be somebody else I prefer more," he said with a smirk, according to the cable network.

"All my focus has been on the midterm elections, and it’ll stay that way for the next 20 days. But after that, we’ll be thinking about the future," Pence added, Fox News said. "Ours and the nation's. And I'll keep you posted. OK?"

Report: Malaysian ‘Troll Army’ Targeted Israelis During Conflict With Hamas

A series of cyberattacks aimed at shutting down pro-Israel social media accounts and spamming Israelis with abusive messages during the military conflict with Hamas was coordinated by a Malaysian "troll army," according to researchers who have been tracking the network's activities.

The post Report: Malaysian ‘Troll Army’ Targeted Israelis During Conflict With Hamas appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.