Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, we dive into the growing series of fights that are roiling the Republican Party. Plus, Alexandra Marquez provides an update on Democrats’ efforts to make inroads with young male voters.
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— Adam Wollner
GOP divisions start to pile up
Last week, we noted how President Donald Trump’s ironclad grip on the Republican base was showing signs of strain. In the days since, some key divisions within the party have only been further exacerbated.
Epstein saga: After it became clear the House was on track to pass a measure this week that aims to force the Justice Department to release all its files pertaining to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s case, Trump reversed his position on the matter.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last night.
But even once the House votes on the discharge petition, likely tomorrow, it won’t bring an end to the issue. The measure will then move to the GOP-controlled Senate, which would also need to pass it before it goes to Trump’s desk. It remains an open question how Republican senators will handle it. (Trump could also order the DOJ to release the files on his own, rather than through a legislative effort.)
MTG fallout: The Epstein issue was one of several that led to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s break with Trump. Late Friday, Trump withdrew his endorsement of the Georgia Republican, once one of his most loyal allies in Congress.
The back-and-forth between the two continued throughout the weekend. On Sunday, Greene blasted Trump for his attacks against her, suggesting his rhetoric could be responsible for a recent pipe-bomb threat at her construction company as well as hoax pizza deliveries.
Greene warned that Trump and other conservatives calling her a “traitor” to the Republican Party “puts blood in the water and creates a feeding frenzy. And it could ultimately lead to a harmful or even deadly outcome.”
Trump downplayed Greene’s concerns, telling reporters: “I don’t think her life is in danger. I don’t think, frankly, I don’t think anybody cares about her.”
Indiana redistricting: Meanwhile, Trump has been railing against Indiana Republicans after the leader of the state Senate said his chamber would not convene to consider redrawing the state’s congressional map. One of the lawmakers Trump called out, state Sen. Greg Goode, was the victim of a swatting incident on Sunday, according to Goode and the local sheriff.
In a Truth Social post today, Trump said he would “strongly” endorse against Indiana state lawmakers who do not support redistricting. And Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said on X that he spoke to Trump over the phone to ensure him he remains committed to joining the mid-decade redistricting push.
Tucker Carlson: Trump also defended conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who has faced criticism from Republicans for interviewing Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist known for his antisemitic views.
Bottom line: Recent polls show that Trump remains extremely popular with Republicans, especially those who identify with the MAGA movement. But it’s notable that these intraparty divisions have continued to linger in a way that has rarely happened since Trump won a second term. The question now is how long they last, and whether they extend to new terrain.
Democrats dip into the ‘manosphere’ in search of the key to the young male vote
By Alexandra Marquez
Democrats were knocked back on their heels in 2024 by the party’s erosion of support among young men. They were gratified to see improvement with that group in key elections earlier this month.
In between, the Democratic Party has been on a mission to stop its erosion among young voters, launching research efforts, piloting different styles of communication and elevating new voices. And it has already come to one important conclusion, according to interviews in October with a range of people on the left working on the issue: The solution to Democrats’ struggle to appeal to young men won’t come from one national figure who will instantly, magically draw them in.
“If not Trump, then who? And the question for the Democratic Party that I think is one of the challenges we have right now is, we don’t have a great answer for that,” Amanda Litman, the founder and executive director of Run for Something, a group that recruits young Democratic candidates for down-ballot races, told NBC News.
“I don’t think Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have the answer to that,” she added, referring to the Senate and House minority leaders respectively.
But while Democrats may not have one leading figure they can rely on to recruit young male voters, one overarching belief is that they do have popular policies that — if communicated well and in the right spaces — could put the party on a path to victory with young voters.
“I don’t think that there is a lack of popularity with Democratic policies. It’s a lack of the ability to appropriately communicate those policies in a way that actually breaks through and resonates with these voters, right?” Danielle Butterfield, the executive director of Priorities USA, told NBC News. “We know that we are always going to be the party that has a more favorable, popular stance on health care and health care costs. The question is, do voters know that, and are we talking about it in places where they’re actually spending time?”
Read more →
🗞️ Today’s other top stories
- ⬅️ Heading out: David Richardson, the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, resigned after roughly six months at the helm. Read more →
- 🇻🇪 Rising tensions: Trump said he may hold talks with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, even as the U.S. intensified its military pressure with the latest strike on an alleged drug boat and the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier. Read more →
- ⚖️ In the courts: A federal judge in Virginia ordered prosecutors to turn over grand jury materials in the criminal case against James Comey after finding that the government’s handling of the case raises “genuine issues of misconduct” that could result in the dismissal of the charges against the former FBI director. Read more →
- 🗳️ 2026 watch: Chi Ossé, a member of the New York City Council, has filed paperwork to launch a primary challenge against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Read more →
- 🗳️ 2026 watch, cont.: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., endorsed Democrat Randy Villegas, a 31-year-old school board trustee and auto shop owner, in his race against vulnerable GOP Rep. David Valadao in California. Read more →
- 📺 ICYMI: Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., defended Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in an interview on “Meet the Press,” urging House Democrats to stick to their chamber rather than focus on the party’s Senate leadership. Read more →
- 📊 Grim milestone: More than 6 in 10 registered voters said they think “extreme political rhetoric” was an important contributor to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this year — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents, according to the latest NBC News poll. Read more →
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That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.
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