It’s a four-letter word. It’s so powerful that our Founders had to weaken its authority from the original design, yet it remains rarely challenged. It’s the president’s most powerful leverage tool: the veto. If Trump wants to succeed in shrinking government where he failed in his first term, he must make this pen his constant companion — and let everyone in Congress know he’s ready to use it.While a president doesn’t pass legislation or craft the actual budget signed into law, he controls all must-pass legislation by wielding the veto. He can block any budget or program reauthorization bill that lacks spending cuts and structural reforms. Since Reagan left office, only seven presidential vetoes have been successfully overridden. It’s rare for a critical number of a president’s own party — especially if they hold the majority — to defy their leader. That’s where Trump’s leverage lies and why the veto pen matters more than any Cabinet position.Trump can simply make it clear that any reauthorization or appropriation bill lacking sufficient spending cuts and reforms will be vetoed.Trump’s veto pen saw little action during his first administration, contributing to runaway spending. In fact, he used his veto pen less frequently than any president in the past 100 years. None of his 10 vetoes came in his first two years, when Republicans controlled Congress. This points to the problem and offers a framework for a more effective term.The history behind the vetoIf we had asked the framers of the Constitution, they would likely have admitted that their master plan might unravel for various reasons. However, they probably didn’t foresee the presidential veto pen becoming a weak tool for achieving Madison’s goal of “ambition ... made to counteract ambition,” meant to balance Congress' strong power.Before proposing the veto override balance, the Founders worried that giving the president an absolute veto could shift too much power to the executive branch. During the June 4, 1787, debate, James Wilson and Alexander Hamilton proposed a veto power, but Benjamin Franklin argued that governors with veto power often used it for extortion. “No good law whatever could be passed without a private bargain with him,” Franklin complained. Roger Sherman also warned against “enabling any one man to stop the will of the whole,” doubting that “any one man could be found so far above all the rest in wisdom.”The Convention debated the need for a veto override at length. Initially, framers passed a motion to set the override threshold at three-fourths of both houses of Congress. However, after Roger Sherman, Charles Pinckney, Hugh Williamson, and Elbridge Gerry raised concerns that this high threshold could grant too much power to the president and a small number of allies, the delegates agreed on a two-thirds threshold. They also rejected Madison’s proposal for a “council of revision,” which would have placed the veto in the hands of a joint council of the president and Supreme Court justices, choosing instead to vest this power solely in the president.The Founders clearly saw the presidential veto as a potent tool, and many feared its abuse. They never anticipated that a president might be reluctant to use it.Trump’s mandate — and leverageLet’s be honest: Getting Trump’s priorities through the legislative process will be tedious without leveraging must-pass bills against a veto threat. Republicans will hold a slim three-seat majority in the House, built largely on liberal Republicans from California and New York.Transformational policies, such as reducing legal immigration, downsizing government programs, overturning the vaccine liability shield, and ending birthright citizenship, would struggle to pass the House. Each targeted program has a constituency of Republicans likely to join Democrats in opposing cuts.And that’s before facing the Senate, which is filled with RINOs who make House Republicans look like the Founding Fathers. Even on issues that unite Republicans, they’ll fall far short of the 60 votes needed to break a Democratic filibuster.This is where “must-pass” bills come in. There will be a budget bill in the spring to complete this year’s appropriations and another next fall for fiscal year 2025. A debt ceiling bill will likely come up in late spring. The annual budget reconciliation bill, which can bypass the filibuster for budgetary items, offers a major opportunity. Additionally, an array of reauthorization bills will expire during Trump’s term.Trump can simply make it clear that any reauthorization or appropriation bill lacking sufficient spending cuts and reforms will be vetoed. That leverage should be wielded and communicated early in the process. During the June 4, 1787, debate over the president’s check on Congress, James Wilson predicted the veto’s power would ensure it was “seldom” used, not because of its weakness but because Congress would avoid passing laws members knew the president would veto.Benjamin Franklin disdained the veto power, seeing it as a form of extortion. Nevertheless, that’s the power a president holds. If Trump wields the veto pen, the success or failure of his two terms may hinge on this four-letter word that the Founders, with much trepidation, vested in one man.

The U.S. military has faced declining standards and an overemphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion under the Biden-Harris administration. A 2022 “Woke Warfighters” report, compiled by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), highlighted some of the most egregious examples of how woke ideology has infiltrated and co-opted the military.The Biden administration’s 2022 National Security Strategy listed “promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion” as a top priority for the U.S. military, placing it above other traditional objectives. Recruitment videos now focus on diversity over service. One particularly controversial animated ad featured a young woman raised by lesbian parents who joins the Army — a sharp departure from the “Be All You Can Be” messaging of the past.While partisans focus on discrediting a decorated war veteran and strong advocate for service members, the military faces recruitment, retention, and morale crises.Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley testified before Congress that he wanted to understand “white rage.” A 2021 diversity and inclusion strategic plan for the Special Forces stated that “SOCOM will implement a ‘Joint Special Operations University Diversity and Inclusion Curriculum’ to emphasize what makes ‘diversity in [Special Operations Forces] an operational imperative.’”The 18-page report, which received surprisingly little media coverage upon its release, details numerous examples of how such ideology has permeated the military. Pete Hegseth has emerged as a vocal opponent of this approach, vowing to end the Pentagon’s DEI insanity. Naturally, he has become a target of mainstream media outlets and influential Democrats.Hegseth, a decorated war veteran with years of military service and advocacy for service members, transitioned to media as a popular Fox News host. Despite his credentials, critics dismiss him as merely a “TV host,” relying on audiences not to investigate his distinguished background. Agenda-driven partisans have resurrected unfounded and discredited sexual assault accusations that were resolved years ago. His enemies mischaracterize his tattoos, which reflect his deep Christian faith, as white nationalist symbols.Hegseth has been vocal for years in opposing the DEI push in the military, arguing that it undermines military effectiveness, weakens the armed forces, and jeopardizes American safety. His stance, along with his comments about combat roles being unsuitable for women, has made him a prime target of the identitarian feminist left. As we approach the post-inauguration confirmation hearings, the smear campaign against Hegseth will undoubtedly escalate.While partisans focus on discrediting a decorated war veteran and strong advocate for service members, the military faces recruitment, retention, and morale crises. As a decorated Iraq War veteran with a significant social media following, I receive frequent messages from active-duty soldiers. They express frustration with the Biden-Harris administration’s military policies, citing lowered standards that produce weaker troops, DEI initiatives that harm unit cohesion, and a hesitancy among pro-America young men — traditionally the military’s strongest recruits — to enlist.Hegseth plans to reverse these trends. Partisan Democrat smear campaigns must step aside to allow him to restore the strength and greatness of America’s military.

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With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth already in our rearview mirror, fans can now set their sights on the third and concluding game in the series. This game still has no official title or release date. However, there is some good news, as the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 has been finalized.

Monday Morning Minute

The race for California's 45th Congressional District is incredibly tight, and allegations of possible fraud are being raised by Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators as Democrat Derek Tran took a 36-vote lead over incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel.

Onetime friends turned bitter critics, "Morning Joe" co-anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said Monday morning they have paid President-elect Donald Trump a visit to get him to bend to the left under the guise of reaching across the aisle.

President-elect Donald Trump, who has already rebuked the activism of politicized pollsters, called for an investigation into the Des Moines Register's Ann Selzer for election meddling and "fraud."