President-elect Donald Trump made his support for Pete Hegseth absolutely clear this morning. On his Truth Social media platform, Trump wrote:

“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe… He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”

President Trump is right.

A new poll found that Republican voters support Hegseth’s nomination by a whopping 68% to 15%. Any senators still on the fence had better think twice about siding with 15% and against 68% of their base. One incumbent Republican senator is already facing a primary challenge for 2026!

I was with some pastors Thursday, and one of them happens to be a spiritual adviser to Pete Hegseth. Without any hesitation, this pastor said that Pete has been transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I’ll remind you of what he wrote in the Wall Street Journal this week:

“Tragically, many veterans never find the purpose for their next chapter and succumb to the bottle, depression or, worst of all, suicide. I understand what they are facing — because I’ve lived it. But by the grace of God, I took another path. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has renewed and restored my life. I am saved by His grace.”

The things being said about him are in his past and should not bother Christians today. More importantly, we should ignore anything that is anonymous.

This is the left’s playbook. They throw out anonymous smears, scare anonymous senators, who then say they won’t vote for the nominee, and the nomination gets torpedoed before the first confirmation hearing.

Just to make sure that everyone understands, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance posted this:

“Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth. And we’re doing so because Pete Hegseth will fight for our troops. For too long, the Pentagon has been led by people who lose wars. Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars. We’ve got his back.”

Thankfully, Donald Trump didn’t fall for the left’s smear tactics. He stood with Brett Kavanaugh in the middle of that firestorm. And he’s standing with Pete Hegseth now. If only all GOP senators had Trump’s courage and spine!

Ready For Pardonpolooza?

Friday’s Washington Post has a front-page, above the fold article titled, “Trump Critics May See Pardons – Cheney, Schiff, Fauci Considered.”

The article confirms what we told you Thursday. It’s not just a rumor. It’s being encouraged by Democrats in Congress and it is actually under consideration by Joe Biden.

I remember when the Democrat Party wanted the entire Cheney family in jail for war crimes! Apparently, opposing Donald Trump covers all sins.

I can see why Cheney and Schiff might need pardons. Cheney hid evidence about January 6th and tampered with witnesses. Schiff went on every talk show he could and lied for months about Trump colluding with Russia. “The evidence is everywhere. It’s in plain sight,” he claimed.

But how would Biden’s “preemptive pardons” protect our democracy? Why should Cheney or Schiff receive a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card when they haven’t been charged with anything? What are Democrats so afraid of?

They claim they only want to protect these “public servants” from Trump’s “retribution.” That’s absurd.

Think about this: Someone tries to break into your house but is thwarted by a security system. So, he runs off and gets away scot-free. Do you think he’s going to change his behavior? Of course not. He’ll commit more crimes.

But if the thief runs off and is arrested by police an hour later, the arrest is not “retribution.” It’s accountability. It’s justice. Both of which are sorely lacking in Washington, D.C.

Remember Pearl Harbor

Eighty-two years ago Friday, Americans woke up to the shocking news of a surprise attack on our Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As storm clouds gathered in Europe and Asia, Americans in the 1930s wanted to avoid the problems beyond our borders. But the attack on Pearl Harbor gave us no choice. It brought the war home to us.

In every city and town, men like my father, Stanley “Spike” Bauer, ran to enlistment centers. It would be months before we won a battle in the South Pacific, where my father fought as part of the First Marine Corps Division. But we ultimately prevailed, defeating the Japanese warlords and Hitler’s Germany.

Could we win a war like that against our major adversaries today? Could we defeat communist China or the Islamic Republic of Iran? While our military is certainly much more powerful, our nation is much weaker in many ways.

Yes, America had problems when World War II began. We had greater poverty, and we had a lot of progress to make on civil rights.

But Americans believed we were an exceptional nation, a blessed nation. The country then overwhelmingly believed in the God of the Bible. There was a consensus on reliable standards of right and wrong.

Today, we’re divided over our flag and our national anthem. Our children are indoctrinated to believe that our country is evil, founded on genocide and slavery.

As a result, many of our youth don’t see America as a special country worth defending. Many don’t love America, and some even side with Hamas and Osama Bin Laden!

It’s no surprise at all that the military is struggling to meet recruiting goals.

But every generation is called upon to sacrifice for the preservation of freedom. On December 6, 1941, few Americans appreciated the dangers they were facing. On September 10, 2001, few Americans had any idea what horror was about to be unleashed. I fear we are facing a similar situation now.

Surely our enemies are watching and realize just how divided we are. In fact, it is increasingly difficult to tell the difference between foreign propaganda and the talking points of the neo-Marxist left! (Here, here, and here.)

Millions of brave American soldiers who have passed away are watching to see whether we can muster the courage to defend this great country, just as they did more than 80 years ago.

Good News

• The University of Georgia, which oversees more than two dozen public institutions, adopted measures to dump divisive DEI policies, require the teaching of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and provide First Amendment free speech training during student orientations.

• A Missouri judge upheld the state’s law protecting children from mutilating transgender medical experiments.

• North Carolina enacted legislation expanding its school choice program and requiring sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. The measures passed after state legislators overrode liberal Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto.

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation protecting the privacy and safety in public schools by requiring students to use bathrooms that match their biological sex.

• Walmart joins the list of major American companies dumping divisive DEI policies. It is also taking steps to ensure that its Marketplace vendors are not promoting LGBTQ-themed products to children and is revising its “Pride grant” policies to ensure children are not exposed to LGBTQ events.