The Great American Road Trip dropped Wednesday as America barrels toward its 250th birthday. The timing isn’t accidental.

While educators push divisive ideology over American history and society makes no effort to hide its hostility to families, the Duffy family is doing something radical: celebrating the country with their kids in tow.

The series highlights landmarks from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, Boston, Fort Worth, and beyond — but the Duffys don’t just visit. They immerse themselves in the experiences.

President Trump sent the family off from the White House before their first stop: Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — who oversees national parks — met the family at the Liberty Bell. He walked them through the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia before the Revolutionary War was won, emphasizing the courage of the signers who risked treason for independence.

No DEI caveats. No scholarly debates. Just the declaration that our founders were brave and we owe our way of life to them.

Years of cultural Marxism have seeped into governments and schools, diminishing the achievements of the founders. Anti-American propaganda now litters museums and national parks, essentially telling citizens to be ashamed of their home.

The Trump administration has launched efforts to rip out the rot, but damage from years of indoctrination lingers.

That’s what makes this series refreshing. It returns to the basics and cuts through ideological noise.

The series doesn’t explicitly mention the cultural battles over anti-American messaging in museums. It simply emphasizes the historical locations themselves — and that focus counters radicalism by inspiring Americans to see America for themselves.

Executive Director Tori Barnes told The Federalist the nonprofit behind the series selected destinations “from all corners of the country to offer a snapshot of America’s remarkable diversity.”

She added: “Loving and celebrating America should be a nonpartisan pursuit.”

The series relies on everyday Americans to tell the story of America. When the family travels to Texas, Sec. Duffy visits employees at CRH — the leading asphalt and concrete provider in America.

“You don’t have many of our interstates unless you have plants like this to make sure those roads stay operational … and keeps you and your family safe,” Duffy said.

Later, after learning ranch life from a cowboy, Duffy said he has “the utmost respect for the cowboys and ranchers that do this work every single day.”

They “make America great.”

The episodes also spotlight local restaurants and businesses the family visits along the way.

Like every reality-style show, The Great American Road Trip has its moments of silly family drama and goofy interview dialogue. But amid the “controlled chaos,” the love this family has for each other gives the series its meaning.

Birth rates are dangerously low. Families continue to be torn apart by radical ideologies and policies that don’t value life or traditional structures.

Saving America starts in the family. Road trips are a uniquely American way to spend time with family and develop these bonds.

The series shows siblings who laugh with each other, parents who know the personalities of the little ones entrusted to them, a family praying together before bed, eating together, teasing one another.

Even if some interactions are scripted, its emphasis on experiencing America as a family may be its most inspiring aspect.

With high gas prices and affordability issues, taking a long road trip may not be possible for some families. But there are ways to scale it down or create meaningful learning experiences close to home.

“A road trip is still the most affordable get away for families — especially large ones,” Barnes told The Federalist. “The Great American Road Trip is a campaign to inspire families to fall in love with America,” which can include “rediscovering your own state, or even your hometown, too.”

The series website links to dozens of stops throughout the U.S. that could be worked into a road trip. There are also plenty of pro-American resources families can use to explore America without even leaving the house.

Oldest daughter Evita Duffy-Alfonso admits the family lacks musical coordination — but that didn’t stop them from learning a Texas line dance and enjoying farm life on camera.

That’s the point. Real America. Real families. Real patriotism.

The dispute centers on a section of the National Mall that has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over maintenance and security of the nation’s most iconic public spaces. The National Park Service, which oversees the Mall, has long struggled to balance public access for major events with the preservation of historic grounds that see millions of visitors each year.

Trump shared a photo on Truth Social showing brown, patchy turf across the sprawling lawn where he hosted crowds last month for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

“Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly.”

The president had a large stage built on the same lawn for the July 4th event. Crowds gathered to hear from Trump and watch fireworks celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

Large-scale events on the National Mall have historically presented challenges for groundskeepers. The combination of heavy foot traffic, temporary structures, and the logistical demands of hosting tens of thousands of people on delicate turf often requires extensive restoration work in the days and weeks following major gatherings. Past Independence Day celebrations, presidential inaugurations, and protest rallies have all left their mark on the Mall’s landscape, typically requiring reseeding and months of recovery time.

Photos from the celebration show a massive bandstand and seating areas covering nearly the entire lawn Trump now says was damaged by vandals. Images from subsequent days showed workers removing the structures, revealing brown and damaged grass underneath.

The visual evidence has become central to competing narratives about what caused the damage. Heavy equipment, staging platforms, and prolonged coverage of grass—which prevents sunlight and moisture from reaching the turf—are known factors in lawn deterioration during major events. However, the administration maintains that deliberate destruction by vandals is the primary culprit.

The photographs show event infrastructure occupied much of the affected lawn, but do not by themselves establish what caused all of the grass damage.

Trump continued his Truth Social post with a direct challenge to critics: “Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!”

The reference to the Reflecting Pool relates to separate damage discovered in recent weeks. The iconic body of water, which stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial, has been at the center of a controversy involving both construction issues and alleged vandalism.

Earlier this month, Trump criticized U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro after her office moved to dismiss a vandalism case. Newly disclosed evidence showed widespread liner damage stemming from a flawed installation and the rush to complete the project ahead of Independence Day events.

The distinction between construction defects and intentional damage has proven difficult to parse, with engineering assessments pointing to multiple contributing factors. The timeline pressure to complete work before the semiquincentennial celebration may have complicated proper installation procedures, according to contractors familiar with the project.

On Friday, authorities arrested Melissa Farris in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial after the words “Clean hands dirty $” were found painted on the monument and bubbles filled a fountain. Pirro is bringing felony charges in that case.

Charging documents do not mention the grassy area Trump referenced in his new social media post. Authorities said Farris was previously arrested for camping on federal property a few blocks from the World War II Memorial, but not the spot Trump cited.

The Farris arrest represents one of several recent incidents involving vandalism on federal property in the capital. Law enforcement officials have noted an uptick in such cases, though they have not publicly connected all incidents to a coordinated effort.

On Aug. 1, Trump posted a different photo of the same area that appears to show the numbers “86 47” — which federal officials argue is a threat against Trump. The numbers are not visible in the photo Trump shared on Sunday.

Trump cited that earlier image as evidence against Pirro’s conclusion about the Reflecting Pool.

“There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” he wrote.

The president’s statement acknowledges the possibility of multiple factors while insisting that intentional destruction played the dominant role. This framing allows for construction and event-related issues while maintaining that criminal activity caused the most significant harm.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum condemned a disturbing pattern of vandalism targeting the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Burgum detailed restoration efforts, the deployment of security and the arrest of seven individuals involved, stressing that such acts are an attack on the country and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The restoration work is expected to continue for several more weeks as crews work to repair both the grass and other damaged elements of the memorial landscape. The cost of repairs has not yet been publicly disclosed.

Guinness World Records confirmed this week that the Freedom 250 celebration on July 4 launched 840,537 fireworks over Washington, D.C. — shattering the previous global record and marking America’s 250th birthday with an unforgettable spectacle. The official certification brings independent verification to what had been anticipated for months as an unprecedented pyrotechnic achievement, cementing the semiquincentennial celebration’s place in the record books.

“The largest firework display consists of 840,537 fireworks, and was achieved by Freedom 250 and Pyrotecnico Inc (both USA) at an event organized by Event Strategies Inc in Washington D.C., USA, on 4 July 2026,” Guinness wrote on its official website.

The show lasted 40 minutes and lit up the National Mall, the Potomac River, and miles beyond — visible from neighborhoods across the capital. The extended duration of the display represented a significant departure from typical Independence Day fireworks shows, which generally run between 15 and 25 minutes even in major cities. The geographic scope of the illumination stretched far beyond the immediate vicinity of the monuments, with residents in suburban Maryland and Virginia reporting clear views of the pyrotechnic spectacle.

“On July 4th, America came together to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday with the largest fireworks display in history — over 850,000 fireworks lighting up the National Mall and the Potomac River, and miles around in a 40-minute spectacular.”

Despite weather delays that forced temporary evacuations from the National Mall, hundreds of thousands of patriots stayed to witness history. Trump estimated the crowd at 350,000 before the storms hit, with roughly 150,000 remaining for the midnight launch. The weather complications had threatened to derail the carefully choreographed event, but organizers adapted the timeline while maintaining the full scope of the planned display.

The president gave an abbreviated “Salute to America” speech beforehand, standing beside historic American flags as the nation prepared to celebrate its semiquincentennial. The semiquincentennial marks a milestone reached by relatively few nations in human history, making the 250th anniversary a particularly significant moment in the American story.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum explained in June that the scale required launching fireworks from multiple sites across the capital — not just the traditional spot near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The logistical planning involved months of coordination between federal agencies, local authorities, and private contractors to ensure simultaneous launches could be executed safely and effectively.

“This year, because of the size and scale of the thing, there are so many locations where the fireworks are going to be going off, including barges,” Burgum told the Washington Reporter.

The previous record holder was a megachurch’s 2016 New Year’s Eve show, which featured 810,904 fireworks — nearly 30,000 fewer than Trump’s Freedom 250 display. That earlier record had stood for a decade before being surpassed, and represented a dramatic increase over traditional large-scale fireworks displays. The Freedom 250 show’s margin of victory — nearly 30,000 additional fireworks — ensures the new record will likely stand for years to come.

Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez celebrated the achievement in a statement to Fox News Digital: “This historic display shattered the previous global benchmark and stands as a powerful symbol of unity, resilience, and pride as we begin our nation’s next 250 years.”

The White House didn’t hold back either.

“No other president in history could have accomplished the incredible feat that President Trump did at our Nation’s historic 250th birthday celebration, which included an incredible air show, a record-breaking fireworks display, and an inspiring speech delivered before hundreds of thousands of American patriots,” the White House said, according to the Washington Post.

Trump launched Freedom 250 as a public-private partnership earlier this year and serves as chair of the initiative — bringing together federal resources, private donors, and event organizers to produce the largest Independence Day celebration in American history. The public-private model allowed for an event of unprecedented scale while distributing costs and organizational responsibilities across multiple entities. Such partnerships have become increasingly common for major national celebrations, blending governmental oversight with private sector efficiency and fundraising capacity.

The Guinness confirmation puts the final stamp on what millions witnessed live and what the world watched unfold: America at 250 celebrated bigger, bolder, and louder than any nation ever has. The official record certification process typically involves extensive documentation, witness verification, and technical review, making this week’s announcement the culmination of months of evaluation by Guinness adjudicators.

Pirro, a former Fox News host and noted Trump ally, filed a motion Friday to drop the second-degree felony indictment against three-time Olympian David Hearn — but Trump fired back hours later, declaring “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro.”

The extraordinary public split pits the president against his handpicked appointee over the iconic pool’s condition.

“There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the vandalism included grass graffiti reading “86 47” — a phrase many Trump supporters interpret as a threat to assassinate the president. In service-industry slang, “86” means kicking out a customer. Trump is the 47th president.

Hearn, 67, was arrested in June by U.S. Park Police after officers spotted him inspecting the pool’s peeling lining. At a July 2 press conference announcing the indictment, Pirro declared Hearn “willfully destroyed property” and “ripped a piece of recently installed sealant.”

But in her Friday motion to dismiss, Pirro reversed course entirely.

She wrote that the pool’s extreme disrepair was not caused by vandalism — as the Department of the Interior (DOI) claimed — but was instead “the result of a botched installation” rushed to completion in time for the country’s 250th birthday on July 4.

“Based upon the initial reports provided by the [DOI] and the [USPP], the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia presented the grand jury with evidence that damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by vandals, including the defendant in this case, David Hearn,” Pirro wrote in the filing.

The U.S. attorney said it wasn’t until after Hearn’s indictment that DOI provided additional documents showing the party responsible for the pool’s damage was Atlantic Industrial Coatings (AIC), the contractor handling its renovation.

Pirro concluded AIC went about the repairs in a “flawed” manner.

“Because these recently-produced materials significantly undermine the evidentiary basis for the indictment initially supplied by the DOI and [USPP], the USAO-DC respectfully moves to dismiss the indictment without prejudice,” her motion concludes.

Trump, however, pushed back on Truth Social hours later.

“I don’t know what she was thinking?” the president wrote. “To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other elements of the surrounding area.”

The numerical phrase was found graffitied on the Reflecting Pool in May and marking a section of the nearby National Mall’s grass the following month.

Trump and his DOI Secretary Doug Burgum have long maintained that alleged vandals were responsible for the pool’s new “American flag blue” paint job peeling in sheets. The pool has simultaneously turned green due to an immense algae bloom — a phenomenon which has caused pro-algae protestors to flock to its side.

Burgum’s DOI had doled out a $6.9 million no-bid contract to AIC in April, The New York Times reported. The contract was awarded without fielding competing offers — a process the federal government usually pursues in cases of emergency or extreme urgency.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told the outlet at the time that the pool’s remodeling was “being completed at ‘Trump speed'” to ensure it was ready for July 4.

Hearn, a Washington-area native and member of the U.S. canoe slalom team during the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics, has maintained his innocence following his arrest and indictment.

Shortly after his arrest by the USPP, the canoeist told The Washington Post in June he had been taking a long bicycle ride when he stopped at the pool to look at a sheet he claimed was “already peeling” from its bottom.

“I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece,” he told the outlet. “It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything. I didn’t vandalize anything. I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything.”

The White House referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to Trump’s Truth Social post when asked for comment. Neither Pirro’s office, the DOI, nor Hearn’s attorney immediately responded to requests for comment.

The basin sustained a massive 250-foot slash during what Trump described as deliberate vandalism by “deranged” attackers.

“The Reflecting Pool, so badly damaged by Deranged Vandals, has been emptied as the massive slash gets repaired,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We got it through the great July Fourth Weekend. What kind of animals would do such a thing?”

“We are looking for a Vandal Proof material, but such a thing should not have been necessary. The Scum in Court will hopefully be prosecuted to the MAX.”

Multiple arrests have been made in connection with the alleged vandalism. Trump said the attackers used “some form of knife or blade” to carve the 250-foot gash into the newly renovated surface and poured “corrosive and destructive chemicals into the pool.”

The Reflecting Pool restoration was part of Trump’s larger effort to refurbish Washington landmarks ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebration.

According to court documents, U.S. Park Police responded to a vandalism report at the Reflecting Pool on June 9. Investigators discovered caulk spread over foam sealant that had been cut with a sharp knife or razor, damage to the newly applied surface coating, and roughly 70 fence post caps thrown into the pool.

Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67, was indicted on a felony destruction of property charge following his arrest in connection to a June 19 incident at the landmark.

Hearn denied damaging the pool, claiming he stopped during a bike ride and touched a loose piece of the peeling blue coating “to satisfy my curiosity as a citizen.”

He has pleaded not guilty.

The project faced complications earlier this year when an algae bloom appeared and sections of the new blue coating began peeling from the bottom of the pool.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the administration’s vandalism claims after CNN questioned whether the damage was deliberate, telling the network “We can prove it.”

The pool has been drained again as the National Park Service works to repair the damage and complete the restoration ahead of the 250th anniversary.

The order applies to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, shrinking their combined footprint from 3 million acres down to just 300,000. Both monuments were created by Democratic presidents — Bill Clinton designated Grand Staircase in 1996, Barack Obama created Bears Ears in 2016 — locking down vast stretches of land containing coal and uranium deposits.

“They took the land from the people quite honestly. We’re giving it back.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox attended the White House signing and praised Trump’s action, arguing the original designations violated the intent of the Antiquities Act.

“We believe that under the Antiquities Act, it’s very clear that these monument designations are supposed to be the smallest area possible to protect the antiquities, and these multimillion-acre monuments that are bigger than the state of Delaware certainly do not fit that designation,” Cox said.

The move clears the way for fossil fuel extraction and mining on land that had been off-limits for decades. National monument protections ban drilling, mining, and construction across the designated landscape.

Local Native American groups have criticized the order, claiming both monument areas contain sacred sites including cliffside villages and petroglyphs tied to tribal history.

Davina Smith-Idjesa, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, said Bears Ears “is not simply a piece of federal public land.”

“This is a living cultural site that holds our histories, our ceremonies, our traditional foods and medicines and our ancestors’ footprints,” Smith-Idjesa said.

Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have pushed aggressively to open federal land for U.S. energy production, clearing the way for mining and oil drilling in Alaska as well.

The original monument designations locked up land containing large deposits of coal and uranium — resources Trump argues should be available for American energy independence.

Trump shared photos on Truth Social Sunday showing the iconic pool stretching toward the Washington Monument under blue skies, the water so clean that the monument’s reflection is sharp and vivid. The images show a dramatic turnaround from the murky, algae-choked water that plagued previous administrations.

“Advanced nanobubbler technology” killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening since 1922, according to Interior Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Greg Wischer.

“The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool — just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf.”

Wischer didn’t hold back in his memo to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Trump, crediting the nanobubbler tech with succeeding where past administrations failed.

The Trump administration took a direct shot at former President Barack Obama’s handling of the pool.

“Previous administrations — most notably under Obama — failed to maintain the Reflecting Pool, and after refilling the pool, the water would quickly become murky and thick with massive clumps of algae floating on the surface,” Wischer wrote.

The memo went further, mocking the media stakeout that had been waiting for the pool to fail: “As our National Park Service team noted, the Reflecting Pool is now so ‘blue’ that the Fake News Media, which has been staked out at the Reflecting Pool for weeks, has fled!”

The restored pool features an American Flag Blue coating on the bottom that’s now visible through the crystal-clear water. National Park Service crews are vacuuming up the dead algae in the final maintenance step, with the section closest to the Lincoln Memorial already complete.

But the victory tour came with a call for justice.

Trump also shared a “Wanted” poster on Truth Social calling for the arrest of vandals who damaged the pool.

“The U.S. Park Police is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individual in the notice below in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation related to the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote.

The 6.75 million-gallon pool has been targeted by Trump critics and leftist activists in recent weeks, with vandals cutting multiple gashes totaling 350 feet in the pool’s liner.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the vandalism is repairable and may not require a full draining of the pool.

“The Reflecting Pool has been a big success. And we’ve got 340 million people in this country that are celebrating 250. We did have a few vandals, but all that’s going to be repairable, and that’ll all be fixed in the coming weeks as we go forward.”

Burgum explained that the cutting happened on the edge of the pool, which slopes from the sides, so crews may be able to partially drain it and complete repairs quickly.

“We weren’t expecting that we were going to have a small group of people that wanted to try to destroy effectively what is part of the Lincoln Memorial,” Burgum told ABC.

He pointed out that while cameras cover the Lincoln statue and memorial, the Reflecting Pool had gone decades without vandalism — until Trump critics targeted it during the lead-up to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.

The crystal-clear pool now stands as a centerpiece for the Fourth of July festivities and America’s semiquincentennial celebration, with Trump crediting his administration’s technological approach and the National Park Service cleanup crews for the dramatic turnaround.

A phalanx of black SUVs arrived at the home of a final contender on President Donald Trump’s vice presidential shortlist, stoking speculation that he has nabbed the role just hours before the former president is set to appear at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Two days after his brush with death, President Trump may be directing the Secret Service to the home of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). The Daily Mail reported that “three black trucks with US government plates” arrived outside the Ohio Republican’s home on Sunday evening. A local Democratic bigwig posted on X that he saw a “bunch of official, secret service-looking vehicles” and “two cop cars parked outside JD Vance’s house this afternoon.”

“He’s been told he’s VP already for sure,” wrote user Mark Niehaus.

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Bunch of official, secret service-looking vehicles + two cop cars parked outside JD Vance’s house this afternoon

He’s been told he’s VP already for sure

— Mark Niehaus (@Mark_Niehaus) July 14, 2024

The Mail’s report about Sen. Vance potentially winning the veepstakes conflicted with a second report by NBC News where a source claims that the arrival of increased protection has nothing to do with the Trump campaign.

“A source familiar says it’s NOT Secret Service, not related to veepstakes and that the presence is strictly precautionary after yesterday,” wrote senior political reporter Henry Gomez, adding that Governor Mike DeWine claimed he directed extra security to the Vance home following the attempted assassination of President Trump.

A spox for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tells me this is state law enforcement that he approved Saturday at 6:40 pm.

A source familiar says it’s NOT Secret Service, not related to veepstakes and that the presence is strictly precautionary after yesterday. https://t.co/CEIEO7OkNp

— Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) July 14, 2024

That said, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, the two remaining members of the reported shortlist, have not been reported to have received any recent special protection. Gov. DeWine, a Republican, may very well have directed more security personnel to Sen. Vance’s home at the direction of higher-ups in the party.

Ohio State Highway Patrol and officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) staged Vance’s home but would not say the reason for their visit. “For safety reasons, the patrol does not discuss specific details related to security operations,” OSHP said in a statement to NBC affiliate WLWT.

Vance has been a prolific presence on the campaign trail for Trump, defending him throughout his various criminal trials and appearing in Manhattan as he sat through his conviction on 34 counts of corporate subterfuge related to a hush money payment. Following the attempted shooting of Trump by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks on Saturday, he went public with accusations that allies of President Joe Biden fanned the flames of hate, stoking unwell individuals like Crooks to reach for a gun to stop Trump from returning to the White House.

Vance, 39, would be among the youngest contenders for the second most powerful job in the world. He is surpassed by just one: John C. Breckinridge, a lawyer, politician, and soldier who became vice president in 1857 at the age of 36. Although insiders close to Trump say he is not particularly fond of Vance or any of the three men who may become his top deputy, the calculation may have changed on Saturday as Trump is known for soliciting intense loyalty from those around him. Sen. Vance has played into that desire: in February, he uncovered an anti-Trump “kill switch” establishing a multi-year commitment to provide continued funding to Ukraine, a component specifically buried in a funding bill to block President Trump’s America First brand on the world stage.

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Former President Donald Trump, more reinvigorated than ever before following his brush with death on Saturday, confirmed that he will be announcing his vice presidential running mate on Monday.

Speaking with Fox News host Bret Baier, the former president confirmed that he will be telling the world who he is entrusting to be his most loyal ally in the White House should he win in November. The conversation was confirmed by Fox News congressional correspondent and 2024 politics reporter Aishah Hasnie on X.

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TRUMP tells @BretBaier he is making his VP announcement TODAY

— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) July 15, 2024

The pending announcement comes less than 24 hours after possible Secret Service vehicles were spotted at the home of Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), one of three Republicans rumored to remain on the president’s VP shortlist. The arrival of increased protection for Vance was chalked up to routine security enhancements by Governor Mike DeWine following the attempted assassination of Trump on Saturday, though DeWine, a Republican, could be following orders from higher-ups in the GOP to put a ring around Vance before he joins Trump in Milwaukee. The former president must present his VP pick before delegates when he is formally nominated on Thursday.

Others rumored to be in the veepstakes are Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, both former presidential rivals of Trump who have become vociferous defenders of him on the campaign trail. Burgum in particular has drawn the praise of former First Lady Melania Trump who has urged her husband to pick the cheerful midwesterner for his ability to raise bountiful sums and provide optimism to the ticket without outshining her husband. Axios previously reported that President Trump remains unenthused about any of the three individuals and skeptical about their ability to bring any significant asset to the ticket that he cannot bring himself.

All signs are pointing to a Trump landslide in November, and the beneficiary of his veepstakes will immediately become an anointed figure within the Republican Party. Insiders have reported the 45th president is intensely focused on picking a figure who will remain loyal through thick and thin and hasn’t forgotten the betrayal he felt by former Vice President Mike Pence after he refused to honor Trump’s request to delay certification of the 2020 election. Perhaps sensing the stakes, Vance has leaned into a robust defense of Trump, accusing Democrats of trying to implement a “kill switch” on the second Trump administration and laying blame at the feet of liberal media figures for stoking the anger against Trump which he said led to the attempted assassination. In a fit of consternation, MSNBC on Monday pulled its flagship “Morning Joe” program from the air in favor of live coverage, a tacit acknowledgment that the network was unsure what its host or guests may say during the volatile days after Trump narrowly survived the shooting.

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One contestant in President Trump’s final round of the veepstakes is getting a major push from former First Lady Melania Trump.

Puck News reported that Melania in recent days has been speaking warmly about North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a former primary rival of Trump’s who has gone out of his way to stump for him across multiple swing states. Sources say the former first lady believes in Burgum, 67, because of her close relationship with his wife Kathryn, who previously worked with Melania on a White House initiative. She is up against Donald Trump, Jr., who is pushing aggressively for Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).

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“If it’s Melania over Don Jr., she wins,” a source told the outlet before pausing to note that her credibility took a major hit after she urged Trump to endorse Mehmet Oz over David McCormick in Pennsylvania’s 2022 U.S. Senate race. “That was a major f***-up on her part. It cost her,” the former Trump aide said.

Supporters of Gov. Burgum cite his bonhomie, low-key demeanor as an asset to the truculent president, bringing gravitas to the ticket without outshining him. The North Dakota Republican is also fabulously wealthy, having funded his own presidential bid with $20 million in personal donations while carrying a Rolodex of high-net-worth conservatives in the business world who have largely been leery about backing President Trump.

Sources told Puck News that President Trump, for his part, doesn’t much care for any of the remaining VP contenders who are widely rumored to include Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as well. He is reportedly “irked” at the idea his selection will somehow help him win in November. “He doesn’t much give a f*** about it. He doesn’t love any of these people; he doesn’t know these people,” said a person close to the former president. “With Burgum, he likes his look, but they haven’t actually spent a lot of time together; one-on-one, just maybe five, eight times. He doesn’t spend time with J.D. He doesn’t give a f*** about Mike Pence,” they added, referring to his former vice president’s continued condemnations of his campaign.

According to this article, Melania is pushing for Burgum, Don Jr wants Vance and Kellyanne Conway is batting for Rubio.

Worth noting that Trump doesn’t know Burgum or Vance that well but has a good relationship with Rubio. pic.twitter.com/KuhCeBBOSE

— Say No to Joe (@BobbyBlueCollar) July 12, 2024

Earlier this week, the Republican National Committee adopted a national platform that excluded the prioritization of banning abortion, a change largely believed to be at the request of President Trump. He has confided his worry about selecting Gov. Burgum after he signed a near-total abortion ban in North Dakota, according to CNN. Asked about Burgum as a potential pick, Trump told Fox News Radio, “It’s a little bit of an issue. It’s a pretty strong ban. You know, I think Doug is great. But it is a strong, he’s taken a very strong stance, or the state has, I don’t know if it’s Doug, but the state has, so it’s an issue.”

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