Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Jack Hunter
Thanks to Trump's war, Dems successfully co-opt 'America First'
In 2024, President Donald Trump won his second term and Republicans took control of the Senate by campaigning on “America First.” Two years later, some Democrats are trying to steal that thunder. “Everywhere I go, I get somebody who comes up and says, ‘Look, I voted for Trump two, three times, and I’m voting for you,” said Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on NBC’s Meet the Press on Oct. 11. “And I ask why,” he continued.
Unlike Sheeran, Zach Bryan read the room and wore the right shirt
Just three weeks after American hip-hop artist Macklemore was kicked off megastar Ed Sheeran’s tour over the rapper’s “Free Palestine” messaging, it looks increasingly obvious that Sheeran overestimated the power of pro-Israel cancel culture and underestimated the American fanbase. Last week, country superstar Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” t-shirt during his concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. His band wore similar attire.
These desperate Republicans are jumping Trump's Iran war ship
“The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly.” These were the unexpected words spoken Monday by former congressman and current Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who The Nation’s Jeet Heer has described as “not just an ardent supporter of this particular war but, more generally, a mega-hawk who has pushed for war with Iran for more than 20 years.” Why the sudden change?
Lindsey Graham's sister wins. The War Party wins. We lose, again.
Darline Graham won the Republican primary Tuesday and will likely win a full-term to fill her late brother Lindsey Graham’s U.S. Senate seat in the ruby red state of South Carolina in the upcoming November election. According to the latest tallies Tuesday night, Graham, who was appointed to her brother’s seat after his death in July, beat her opponent Rep. Ralph Norman, 53% to 46%.
Let them eat burritos: Out of touch influencers risk all for Trump war
As the 2026 midterm elections near, polls show American voters' top priority is the economy, including concerns that the unpopular U.S. war in Iran appears to be driving up prices at home. Might these voter concerns give Republican hawks pause? Apparently not. If we can't handle four dollar oil for a period of months in order to disarm Iran of a nuclear weapon then we are not a superpower anymore,” former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen told Fox News last week.
Let them eat burritos: Out of touch influencers risk all for Trump war
As the 2026 midterm elections near, polls show American voters’ top priority is the economy, including concerns that the unpopular U.S. war in Iran appears to be driving up prices at home. Might these voter concerns give Republican hawks pause? Apparently not. "If we can't handle four dollar oil for a period of months in order to disarm Iran of a nuclear weapon then we are not a superpower anymore,” former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen told Fox News last week.
Party elites so blind they can't see GOP rank & file turning against war
Last week, only four House Republicans voted with 210 Democrats to pass a war powers resolution to end the U.S. war with Iran. That means 208 House Republicans voted to continue the war. Hours later, the Republican-led Senate killed the measure, with only one GOP senator voting with the Democrats to end the war, de facto joining four other Republicans who were either absent or missed the vote.
Before Lindsey there was Fritz, an anti-Iraq war, Israel skeptic Original
Funeral services for Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly on July 11 at the age of 71, will take place on Tuesday in Washington and Wednesday in his home state of South Carolina. Graham was known as an astute conservative politician, a military hawk, and an ardent defender of Israel, which made him a polarizing figure in today’s political climate.
Tucker Carlson's left-right, third party dream
As the establishments of both major parties remain firmly wedded to Washington’s foreign policy consensus, particularly on U.S.-Israel relations, hard ideological factions on the right and left now seem willing to work together to present new challenges to that unanimity. Exhibit A: In late June, Tucker Carlson announced he was done with the Republican party.
Team Trump squares up to rip Red and Blue critics of Iran peace deal
The Trump administration has spent the last several days blasting away at bipartisan critics in Congress and from the usually friendly rightwing media sphere after the president signed a deal last week with Iran to stop the fighting and move toward more comprehensive negotiations. Things appear poised to get a lot worse as the pressure builds in Washington.
Look who’s losing it over Trump’s Iran deal
When Trump launched a war against Iran in late February, his MAGA movement suddenly became nearly indistinguishable from the neoconservative foreign policy Trump once abhorred. For nearly four months, Washington hawks like Senator Lindsey Graham and radio jock Mark Levin were riding high.
In the steel cage: Understanding that UFC is Trump's happy place
There’s a lot of America happening this weekend. For good or ill. Sunday June 14 is Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of the Stars and Stripes 249 years ago. It is also the birthday of the current president of the United States who was born 80 years ago. Both will culminate in the UFC Freedom 250 event on the same day — a sort of kick off to America’s 250th birthday celebration in Washington.
Big surprise: Bolton gets Petraeus treatment after copping to charges
John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information as part of a plea deal with the Justice Department, which charged him in October 2025 with 18 counts of mishandling sensitive information.
Can 'America only' Massie survive today’s AIPAC mobbing?
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told a reporter outside the Capitol on Friday, “I’m walking to an airplane to rejoin the most expensive congressional race in U.S. history.” The self-described “America only” congressman said his primary has “turned into a referendum on whether Israel gets to buy seats in Congress.
Trump: When the only friends you have left are Bushies and neocons
In May 2025, President Donald Trump declared that the neoconservative era was over. This was of course not new rhetoric. He didn’t always live up to it, but Trump always made sure that bashing neocons and the Bush era and their endless wars were a staple in his long list of political excoriations. After all, Trump began his meteoric rise during the 2016 Republican debates when he said to Florida Gov.
Putting boots on the ground could kill Trump’s presidency
A new poll released Wednesday found that, although 63% of Republicans support airstrikes against Iranian military targets, only 20% are in favor of deploying U.S. troops. That’s only about 2 in 10 Republicans in favor of boots on the ground. Again, these are Republicans — including MAGA. Among all Americans, according to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 62% percent oppose deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Iran.
Republicans stepping up skepticism over $200B war request
The Pentagon is asking Congress for another $200 billion for the war on Iran, which is almost a quarter of the annual U.S. defense budget. Democrats are largely, and predictably, against it. But what about Republicans? While many say they support the president’s war (and they certainly do not want to allow a vote on it), Republicans in varying degrees embraced the mantle of fiscal conservatism.
‘Un-American’ critics of war represent the majority of Americans
“Absolutely disgusting and evil.” This is how Tucker Carlson reportedly described the Trump administration’s decision to strike Iran. Carlson would add, "This is going to shuffle the deck in a profound way." Carlson was talking about Donald Trump’s original “MAGA” or “America First” movement, of which he has been a prominent voice and also a personal friend of the president, even visiting the White House last week.
Gen Z doesn't have the same hang-ups about Iran as older Americans
As tensions build in the Middle East and the U.S. and Iran continue nuclear talks, a new poll published Thursday revealed that younger Americans are less worried about Iran than their elders by a significant margin.
Are MAGA restrainers pulling their punches this time on Iran?
The Trump administration appears to be moving closer to a U.S. war with Iran, and there are plenty on the right, including inside MAGA, rallying against it. Unfortunately, they seem much more drowned out this time around. Marjorie Taylor Greene certainly does her bit. “Americans do not want to go to war with Iran!!!” the former Republican congresswoman shared on X Wednesday.
The death of 'America First'
In 2019, John Bolton described how he defined “America First." "The idea that actually protecting America was the highest priority,” he said. A fair, though vague, point by one of the most hawkish men in Washington at the time. Bolton continued, “In 2008, John McCain, the Republican nominee, had as his slogan ‘Country First.’ Now who in this room wants to guess what country he was talking about?” The United States obviously. But what was Bolton really trying to say?
Is MAGA allowing Trump to ‘make regime change great again’?
“We must abandon the failed policy of nation building and regime change that Hillary Clinton pushed in Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Syria,” then-candidate Donald Trump said in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in 2016. This wasn’t the first time he eschewed the foreign policies of his predecessors: “We’re not looking for regime change,” he said of Iran and North Korea during a press conference in 2019.
4 ways Team Trump reminded us of Bush-Cheney in 2025
Earlier this month, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie mocked the idea of a potential U.S. regime change war with Venezuela, ostensibly over drug trafficking. "Do we truly believe that Nicholas Maduro will be replaced by a modern-day George Washington? How did that work out? In Cuba, Libya, Iraq, or Syria?" "Previous presidents told us to go to war over WMDs, weapons of mass destruction, that did not exist,” he added, taking a direct dig at President George W. Bush.
1,000 US pastors travel to train as 'ambassadors' for Israel
More than 1,000 U.S. Christian pastors and influencers traveled to Israel this month becoming “the largest group of American Christian leaders to visit Israel since its founding.” At the height of the Christmas season — one of the two most important celebrations for Christians of the year, the birth of Christ, the other being Easter which marks his death — these pastors were on mission paid for by the Israeli government “to provide training and prepare participants to serve as unofficial...
Khanna & Massie prove bipartisan antiwar populism can exist
Republican President Donald Trump ran on an “America First” platform yet now seems on the verge of a U.S.-led regime change war in Venezuela. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (Ky.) has questions about this. During the government shutdown last month, Massie asked a practical, very America first question, “How is it that we have money for regime change in Venezuela but not money to pay air traffic controllers in our country?” It was a good point.
Left-right backlash against war with Venezuela is growing
President Donald Trump declared in his second inaugural address, “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.” But he may be trying to get into a war in Venezuela. A chorus of voices on both sides of the political aisle are urging him to stick to his better instincts.
Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign: 'I refuse to be a battered wife'
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia’s 14th district, who at one time was arguably the politician most associated with Donald Trump’s “MAGA” movement outside of the president himself, announced in a lengthy video Friday night that she would be retiring from Congress, with her last day being January 5.
Pearl clutching as MTG questions Epstein-Israel connection
The House plans to vote on releasing the Epstein files on Tuesday after a long and winding journey in which many have tried to prevent this from happening, with the Trump administration topping that list. This week the president reversed course and urged House Republicans to pass it and has vowed to sign if passed.
Rand Paul to Trump: Don't 'abandon' MAGA over Maduro regime change
Sen. Rand Paul said on Friday that “all hell could break loose” within Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition if the president involves the U.S. further in Ukraine, and added that his supporters who voted for him after 20 years of regime change wars would "feel abandoned" if he went to war and tried to topple Nicolas Maduro, too. President Trump has been getting criticism from some of his supporters for vowing to release the files of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and then reneging on that promise.
Patriot Act supporting senators are mad when they are the targets
When it was reported this week that former President Joe Biden’s FBI may have targeted the cellphones of eight Republican senators in the "Arctic Frost” investigation related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot, the Republicans that were supposedly surveilled were not happy about it. One was Sen.
Van Jones found out: Gaza dead baby jokes aren't funny
On Friday, Van Jones joked about kids dying in Gaza. “If you open your phone, and all you see is dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy,” Jones said on Bill Maher’s ‘Real Time’ HBO program. “That’s basically your whole feed,” Jones said. The audience laughed and applauded. The CNN host came off as dismissive of these deaths, calling it a “disinformation campaign” on behalf of Iran and Qatar.
Mike Johnson can't stop the GOP's internal split on Israel
House Speaker Mike Johnson took part in a private meeting with pro-Israel leaders from a variety of organizations on Capitol Hill last Wednesday during which he reportedly expressed concern about growing “isolationism” in the GOP.
Britain’s Example Vindicates Rand Paul’s Opposition to ‘Kids Online Safety Act’
Britain’s Example Vindicates Rand Paul’s Opposition to ‘Kids Online Safety Act’ By Jack Hunter | The Libertarian Institute | September 4, 2025 In July 2024, Rand Paul (R-KY) was one of only three senators who voted against the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), legislation that sought to protect children from harmful material online. The other two were Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Netanyahu's delusion: If you don’t support me you’re not 'MAGA'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview Wednesday that American conservatives who criticize his government are not “MAGA.” This would be news to some of the most prominent voices within that movement. Netanyahu told the conservative-populist news outlet Breitbart: “And let me say one more thing — you talked about the ‘woke right’? Some of these people call themselves MAGA [Make America Great Again].” “They’re not MAGA,” he insisted.
Criticizing Israel? This definition of antisemitism will take care of that.
In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) published what the organization called their “working definition” of antisemitism. According to its lead writer, “It was created primarily so that European data collectors (of antisemitic incidents) could know what to include and exclude.
How MTG became MAGA's moral compass on Gaza
This week, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene became the first in her party to call the Gaza crisis a “genocide.” “It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct. 7 in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,” the Georgia Congresswoman said on X Monday evening. That language is newsworthy. Her stance, even more so.
Even Mike Huckabee is fed up with Israel
Mike Huckabee is many things. A former Republican presidential candidate. The former governor of Arkansas. Father of the current governor of Arkansas. A Baptist minister. He is also the current U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Tucker escalates war with neocons over Iran
Tucker escalates war with neocons over Iran By Jack Hunter | Responsible Statecraft | June 6, 2025 Five months into President Donald Trump’s second term, spring is looking like winter for the neoconservatives. This might be best gauged right now looking at the back and forth war between conservative media giants, Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin.
Tucker Carlson 'platforming' Iranian president is an American tradition
Over the Independence Day holiday, Tucker Carlson announced that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Dan Crenshaw immediately attacked him. “Nothing screams July 4th like platforming the leader of a terror state that labels us ‘The Great Satan,” the hawkish Republican congressman shared on X. Fellow rightwing hawks and frequent Carlson critics, Senator Ted Cruz and radio host Mark Levin, piled on, admonishing Carlson for daring to do this.
Don't read the funeral rights for MAGA restraint yet
On the same night President Donald Trump ordered U.S. airstrikes against Iran, POLITICO reported, “MAGA largely falls in line on Trump’s Iran strikes.” The report cited “Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and critic of GOP war hawks,” who posted on X, “Iran gave President Trump no choice.” It noted that former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, a longtime Trump supporter, “said on X that the president’s strike didn’t necessarily portend a larger conflict.” Gaetz said.
MAGA to Trump: Supporting Israel attacks is a 'middle finger' to voters
The Republican president who vowed to “Make America Great Again” by ending “endless wars” now finds himself on the precipice of a potential new one. Israel’s airstrikes on Iran Thursday came after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful for a nuclear deal and made clear publicly that he did not want Israel to interfere by acting militarily. Israel defied Trump. Trump now says he knew about the strikes all along.
Is Mike Huckabee working to keep Netanyahu in power?
As the Trump administration continues to try to broker a nuclear deal with Iran, Israel’s president Benjamin Netanyahu has not been a willing partner in those efforts. The two spoke Monday evening, but Israel’s government has threatened strikes on Iran that could upend a deal. When Trump bypassed Israel on his Middle East trip last month, many saw it as a snub to Netanyahu. Trump appears eager for some sort of deal, whether Israel’s current government likes it or not.
Tucker escalates war with neocons over Iran
Five months into President Donald Trump’s second term, spring is looking like winter for the neoconservatives. This might be best gauged right now looking at the back and forth war between conservative media giants, Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin. When Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in an interview in May that, “the neocon element believes that war is the only way to solve things,” Levin took offense.
The great fade out: Neocon influencers rage as they diminish
Mark Levin appears to be having a meltdown. The veteran neoconservative talk host is repulsed by reports that President Donald Trump might be inching closer to an Iranian nuclear deal, reducing the likelihood of war. In addition to his rants on how this would hurt Israel, Levin has been howling to anyone who will listen that any deal with Iran needs approval from Congress (funny he doesn’t have the same attitude for waging war, only for making peace).
Republican Senators Want War, Republican Voters Don’t
Republican Senators Want War, Republican Voters Don’t By Jack Hunter | The Libertarian Institute | May 22, 2025 Last week over two-hundred Republicans, including every GOP senator except Rand Paul (R-KY), signed a letter urging President Donald Trump to insist that Iran give up all enrichment capabilities in any nuclear deal with that country. In other words, they don’t want a new Iran deal. But most Republicans do want a deal.
Rand Paul blasts away antisemitism speech bill
In President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, his administration has arrested and detained, without due process, visa holders and other non-citizens in the U.S. for speaking out against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. That’s not how the administration frames it, but that is the connective tissue in each of the cases.
Does Vance’s free speech defense in Munich not apply here?
At the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned Europe not to back away from one of the West’s most basic democratic values: free speech.
Harris' aversion to talks with dictators is more Bush than Obama
In her convention acceptance speech, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris slammed Donald Trump for his diplomatic efforts in his first term. “I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong-un, who are rooting for Trump,” Harris claimed. “Because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors.” “They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable — because he wants to be an autocrat,” she added. It was neoconservatism 101.
Neocons Are Melting Down Over J.D. Vance
Some of the reflexive militarism of Bush-Cheney era is fading and many Republicans are having a hard time with it. By Jack Hunter, Responsible Statecraft On Wednesday, an image that went viral on X noted that some of the most prominent Republicans were not taking part in the Republican National Convention. The names included former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Mike Pence, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former Rep.
Neocons are melting down over JD Vance
On Wednesday, an image that went viral on X noted that some of the most prominent Republicans were not taking part in the Republican National Convention. The names included former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Mike Pence, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former Rep. Liz Cheney (Wy.) and 2012 vice presidential nominee and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Jack
Contact Jack, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack