Henry J. Gomez

An early 2028 fight erupts as the White House stews over Sen. Ted Cruz President Donald Trump's aides and allies are irritated with Cruz and accusing him of running a counteragenda designed to challenge Vice President JD Vance for the GOP nomination.

Long-simmering tensions between President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz are boiling over, with White House allies convinced that the Texas Republican is aiming to boost his 2028 presidential prospects at the expense of Vice President JD Vance.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Affordability worries and GOP infighting hover over the early race to succeed Trump As 2028 talk heats up, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others are navigating the aftermath of Republican losses in last week’s elections.

“Punching down at JD Vance is kind of fun,” a Pennsylvania Democratic operative said, referring to Gov. Josh Shapiro's attack. “And Trump’s not out there to protect him, because I don’t know that Trump’s sold on him being the heir apparent yet.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Affordability worries and GOP infighting hover over the early race to succeed Trump As 2028 talk heats up, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others are navigating the aftermath of Republican losses in last week’s elections.

President Donald Trump has 38 months left in office and — as his occasional pining about an unconstitutional third term attests — is loath to be a lame duck anytime soon.

But the quacking from others has begun.

w/ @allansmith.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Affordability worries and GOP infighting hover over the early race to succeed Trump As 2028 talk heats up, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others are navigating the aftermath of Republican losses in last week’s elections.

NEW: Affordability + infighting mark the early race to succeed Trump & define the right

“I think urgency in the WH is just starting to set in,” Steve Bannon told me of the challenges facing the GOP. “Less so sure it’s fully set in”

w/
@henryjgomez.bsky.social

www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Hive mind: Why a Michigan Senate candidate keeps talking about beekeeping on the campaign trail Mallory McMorrow's pitch for a more diversified economy is running up against tradition in auto-focused Michigan.

Some, uh, buzz in #MISen: www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Rep. Ro Khanna thinks the Epstein files could help Democrats 'fight Trump effectively' In a speech to Democratic mayors Friday, Khanna focused narrowly on Epstein — and on Vice President JD Vance's relative silence on an issue other MAGA figures have emphasized.

Why Ro Khanna is leading with Epstein. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

Amid Epstein fallout, the Trump administration turns to MAGA's other greatest hits The president posted a fake AI video of Obama being arrested as Attorney General Pam Bondi released a report on the 2016 FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

Clinton emails, Russiagate: Amid Epstein fallout, the Trump administration turns to MAGA's other greatest hits

www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru... by @ryanjreilly.com @henryjgomez.bsky.social

In Michigan, two Democrats are generating 2028 buzz Sen. Elissa Slotkin has stepped onto the national stage with a "war plan" against Trump — taking a more confrontational approach than Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has.

It’s not just Gov. Gretchen Whitmer generating 2028 buzz in Michigan.

My report from Lansing, where last week Sen. Elissa Slotkin pushed her “alternative vision” for a party struggling with its identity.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Lou Bega Knows Why You’re Still Dancing to “Mambo No. 5” The German-born singer wondered for a time whether his 1999 novelty hit was a blessing or a curse—but the crowds still ask for it, and he’s happy to deliver.

www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/0...

Rep. Ro Khanna wonders who might lead Democrats in 2028 — while making a case for himself At Yale University this week, Khanna weighed in on Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris as potential party leaders.

Ro Khanna, asked if Kamala Harris should run again in 2028: “I think there’s a fair amount of support in California to be governor, and I’d be surprised if she didn't clear the Democratic field if she ran for governor.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

Rep. Ro Khanna compares Vance to Stalin as he stakes out space in Democrats' 2028 field In a speech at Yale Law School, Khanna and Vance's alma mater, Khanna said the vice president's affiliation with the institution is a "stain on the degree of every Yale graduate."

Rep. Ro Khanna compares Vance to Stalin as he stakes out space in Democrats' 2028 field. www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...

A 'disaster': Gretchen Whitmer's talk on tariffs and meeting with Trump anger fellow Democrats The Michigan governor tried to play nice with Trump. Instead, there’s a sense in the party that she got played when the president used her as a bipartisan Oval Office prop.

Gretchen Whitmer became governor after promising to “fix the damn roads” in Michigan.

Whether she goes any further depends on how well she can navigate some of the early bumps surfacing as she positions herself for a possible White House bid. www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...

A 'disaster': Gretchen Whitmer's talk on tariffs and meeting with Trump anger fellow Democrats The Michigan governor tried to play nice with Trump. Instead, there’s a sense in the party that she got played when the president used her as a bipartisan Oval Office prop.

Lots of Dem frustration over Whitmer's appearance with Trump.

“Just a f---ing disaster,” said a Dem operative. “It feels like it removes some of the momentum she had as a politically savvy swing-state Dem.”

www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele... by @allansmith.bsky.social @henryjgomez.bsky.social

TikTok deal scuttled because of Trump's tariffs on China The president had initially given China’s ByteDance until Saturday to sell or divest its U.S. TikTok business. The company now has 75 additional days.

Tariffs throw a wrench in Trump’s TikTok plan: www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

Inside Vance's unfiltered 'err on the side of openness' social media presence Vance and his advisers characterize his online persona as a worthy effort to foster authentic discussion and debate. His detractors view it as abrasive and performative.

"I have no problem with him being active on social media and engaging in conversation with critics," Rep. Ro Khanna said of VP JD Vance. "I’m not hoping here for Lincoln-Douglas. I wish he were using it to have an actual substantive exchange ..." www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...

Inside Vance's unfiltered 'err on the side of openness' social media presence Vance and his advisers characterize his online persona as a worthy effort to foster authentic discussion and debate. His detractors view it as abrasive and performative.

NEW: I talked with Vice President JD Vance about his active and aggressive social media presence — and how he wrestles with how much time he spends online. www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...

Vance discusses Elon Musk's 'mistakes' and 'incremental progress' on the economy in NBC News interview In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News, Vance also sidestepped 2028 questions — and discussed what it was like to get booed at the Kennedy Center.

NEW: In an interview on Air Force Two, Vance discussed Musk's "mistakes" while acknowledging "good people" working in federal government.

He also talked about his economic outlook, his role on foreign policy, the Kennedy Center boos and 2028 (kind of). www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...

MAGA world turns against Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett The Trump-appointed justice has shifted the court to the right, but she has angered some in MAGA world by voting against some Trump priorities.

Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted to overturn abortion rights, end affirmative action, expand gun rights and dismantle the administrative state.

That's not enough for MAGA world.

My story on the aggressive backlash against one of Trump's own appointees:
www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...

Democrats' silent protests of Trump speech overshadowed by one outburst While Rep. Al Green was escorted out after an outburst, his Democratic colleagues largely opted for quieter forms of opposition to Trump Tuesday night.

Democrats' silent protests of Trump speech overshadowed by one outburst - via @frankthorp.bsky.social and Scott Wong: www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

Ronald Reagan is 'rolling in his grave,' Sen. Elissa Slotkin says in Democratic response to Trump Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan also had harsh words for Elon Musk and warned that Trump's policies "could walk us right into a recession."

Slotkin, in her Democratic response to Trump, says Ronald Reagan is "rolling in his grave": www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

BREAKING: Andrew Cuomo announces his run for New York City mayor, jumping back into politics just four years after he resigned from his role as New York governor following multiple allegations of sexual assault.
nbcnews.to/3QDRSF8

"The point of this wasn’t efficiency. The point of this was to be cruel."

We talked to federal workers about the toll being fired has taken on their lives

www.nbcnews.com/specials/fed... w/ @rebeccashabad.bsky.social @allansmith.bsky.social @garretthaake.bsky.social @newsjul.bsky.social

What a win by the Cavs.

Vance leans hard into Trump's foreign policy — and sparks an extraordinary Oval Office skirmish Vance's comments marked the moment Zelenskyy's White House meeting took a tense turn. It's the latest example of his role in a confrontational foreign-policy tag team with Trump.

Vance didn't go into Friday's meeting w/Zelenskyy looking for a fight, those familiar say. But he felt compelled to interject because he believed Zelenskyy was acting disrespectful.

It's the latest example of his foreign policy tag team w/Trump.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

With RFK Jr. at his side, a measles outbreak could prove 'politically perilous' for Trump The health secretary has long pushed misinformation about vaccines and played down an outbreak in Texas that has led to the death of a child.

RFKJr/measles outbreak. What could go wrong? ‘Politically perilous’ for Trump

www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

DOGE for Ohio? Vivek Ramaswamy enters governor's race pushing cuts and merit pay Ramaswamy, 39, ran for president in 2024 before becoming a Trump surrogate and briefly working with Elon Musk on Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency team.

NEW: Vivek Ramaswamy, who will formally launch his campaign for Ohio governor Monday, outlines his agenda, including spending cuts, deregulation and a push for merit-based pay for teachers. www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...

I Walked Across Lake Erie — Alone "I felt like a penguin on a giant treadmill. The Canadian shoreline just did not seem to be getting any bigger."

One of those things I’d love to do but to be clear will never actually do. clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/a...

Elon Musk's first foray into high-level politics looked very different The billionaire tech mogul flashed pragmatism and a dose of humility when he addressed U.S. governors at a 2017 meeting, where he warned about the dangers of AI.

Elon Musk's worldview eight years ago — discussed in a little-remembered NGA talk — looked very different compared his worldview today, by @henryjgomez.bsky.social

www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog... via @nbcnews.com

Elon Musk's first foray into high-level politics looked very different The billionaire tech mogul flashed pragmatism and a dose of humility when he addressed U.S. governors at a 2017 meeting, where he warned about the dangers of AI.

A look back at a largely forgotten Elon Musk visit with a bipartisan group of governors in 2017, when Musk raised alarm about AI and sounded little like a man who eight years later would wield huge power over federal government.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...

Jim Tressel says he isn't thinking about running for Ohio governor — but he isn't ruling it out Tressel's appointment as lieutenant governor could scramble a 2026 governor's race set to include Vivek Ramaswamy. But it's unclear whether Tressel will go for it.

Gov. Tressel? www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...