Lara Trump is praising California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton in his Republican campaign to lead one of the country’s bluest states, saying the GOP shouldn’t give up on California.
“He wants desperately to fix things in this state,” Ms. Trump, former chair of the Republican National Committee, said this week of Mr. Hilton on her “The Right View” podcast.
Mr. Hilton aims to bring back to California people who left because of high taxes and costly regulations, said Ms. Trump, who is married to President Trump’s son Eric.
Born and raised in Great Britain, Mr. Hilton is an ex-Fox News host and former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron. He is running against Democrat Xavier Becerra, former health and human services secretary under President Joseph R. Biden.
“The No. 1 state where we raised the most money in all three elections — 2016, 2020 and 2024 — was California and the most Trump merchandise sold to the state of California,” Ms. Trump said. “There are a ton of people there that get it.”
She said California voters are awake now and Mr. Hilton is reminding people that the last Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was also an immigrant with an accent.
Tulsi Gabbard, Pam Bondi catch up over breakfast
Tulsi Gabbard, who just left her post as Director of National Intelligence, was spotted this week having breakfast with Pam Bondi, who left her job as Mr. Trump’s attorney general earlier this year.
“Seen, Heard & Whispered’s” source said the two were at Maman in Arlington on Tuesday.
Our source wasn’t able to figure out what they were talking about, but as two powerful women who used to serve in Mr. Trump’s orbit, there is no shortage of possibilities.
Ms. Gabbard departed from her post, citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Ms. Bondi was pushed out of her job at the Justice Department in April, amid questions over her handling of the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ms. Bondi then announced she was battling throat cancer.
Senator feared fight between Trump, Sen. Bill Cassidy
A confrontation between Mr. Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday had one GOP senator worried the two men would come to blows.
Mr. Trump met with Senate Republicans to implore them to back his election integrity legislation, the Save America Act. He abruptly declared he won’t sign bipartisan housing legislation unless Congress sends him the election bill.
The president told Mr. Cassidy he didn’t care if the senator voted against him on any matters other than impeachment — apparently a reference to Mr. Cassidy’s vote to convict Mr. Trump on articles of impeachment stemming from the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
During lunch, Mr. Cassidy, who recently lost a primary and will vacate his seat at the end of this year, stood and pointed his finger at the president. The exchange became heated amid Senate debate over Mr. Trump’s war powers with regard to Iran.
One senator feared the two men were about to fight, “Seen, Heard & Whispered” has learned.
“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks; it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on,’” Mr. Cassidy told reporters after the blowup. “I can’t tell you that’s verbatim, because obviously I was speaking.”
“I lost my temper. That’s not appropriate. It’s the Irish in me,” he added. “But I matched his tone and his volume, and it went back and forth.”
Mr. Cassidy’s opposition to the president has grown in recent weeks since he lost the Republican primary in Louisiana: The incumbent finished third behind Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming, who will go to a runoff election to determine the GOP’s nominee. This week, Mr. Cassidy helped the Senate approve a resolution reeling in Mr. Trump’s war powers.
GOP senators have told Mr. Trump there’s little chance of passing his Save America bill in the Senate, where Democrats have more than enough seats to filibuster. The president has pushed for Republicans to nuke the filibuster, doing away with the supermajority requirement to pass most legislation.
Washington Times’ ’Threat Status’ draws hundreds to U.S. Navy Memorial
The Washington Times hosted more than 300 people on Wednesday at a forum where military experts spoke about maritime power in the Indo-Pacific as competition with China intensifies.
The IndoPac 2026 forum explored shipbuilding, technology, AI and other innovations to bolster national security.
Current and retired officials from the Navy, the Senate and the Trump administration shared their takes on the increasing use of technology in the military.
White House Budget Director Russell Vought; Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations; GOP Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Deb Fischer of Nebraska; GOP Rep. Pat Harrigan of North Carolina; and leaders from think tanks spoke to more than 300 attendees packed into the U.S. Navy Memorial auditorium.
Backstage, some speakers chatted about ongoing wars — particularly Russia versus Ukraine. One former military official mentioned traveling in May to Ukraine, where he witnessed 3,500 bodies of Russian soldiers piled up and noted the smell.
The war, which started in February 2022, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. According to the Council on Foreign Relations Global Conflict Tracker, roughly half a million Russian soldiers died and tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were killed.
The former military official also said there’s “no quarter” in the Russia-Ukraine war, meaning those who surrender are shown no mercy.
Mr. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week at the Group of Seven summit, and reports surfaced soon after that Mr. Zelenskyy believes he has Mr. Trump’s support to act more boldly against Russia.
Correction: A previous version of this column incorrectly described C.J. Pearson’s involvement with the RNC. He is a former youth co-chair.
• Seen, Heard & Whispered is a weekly column taking you inside the conversations happening in Washington’s power corridors, the moves being made and the whispers that explain what’s really going on in the nation’s capital. Email tips to whispered@washingtontimes.com. Click here to receive this in your inbox every Friday morning.
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