Trump's Ukraine U-Turn & Biden’s Autopen Admissions | 7.15.25

Summary

Morning Wire Summary: Trump's Ukraine U-Turn & Biden’s Auto-Pen Admissions | July 15, 2025

Released: July 15, 2025

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1. Trump’s Strategic Shift on Ukraine and Russia

Timestamp: 00:04 - 05:05

In today’s episode, Georgia Howe kicks off the discussion by highlighting a significant development in U.S. foreign policy: President Donald Trump is intensifying pressure on Russia. This comes through the imposition of additional tariffs and the arming of Ukraine with advanced military weaponry, signaling a robust stance against Russian aggression. Howe notes, “Trump amps up the pressure on Russia, imposing additional tariffs and arming Ukraine with military weapons” [00:04].

Donald Trump echoes this aggressive approach: “We’re very, very unhappy with him, and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days” [00:13]. This marks a notable departure from Trump’s initial isolationist policies regarding Ukraine.

Cabot Phillips, Daily Wire senior editor, provides context on this strategic pivot. He explains that Trump initially sought to halt the “endless flow of American treasure to Ukraine,” freezing new weapons and financial aid upon taking office with the aim of pushing for peace negotiations. However, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stalled peace talks and continued military actions, Trump has shifted tactics to ensure Ukraine remains well-armed. “Trump is taking a very different approach, essentially telling Putin if he will not end the war, he'll ensure Ukraine is armed to the teeth” [02:00].

The new deal involves a massive sale of weapons to NATO, including Patriot missiles, artillery shells, and air defense systems, slated to be dispatched to Kyiv imminently. These weapons potentially include long-range offensive missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory. Trump articulates his vision for peace, stating: “I think this is a chance at getting peace. Europe has a lot of spirit for this war. They really think it's a very, very important thing to do” [03:33].

Unlike the Biden administration, which provided billions in weapons and cash without stringent conditions, Trump’s deal ensures that the U.S. receives compensation for its support. Matt Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, emphasizes shifting the defense burden to European taxpayers: “We move the burden off the American taxpayer for European defense and onto European taxpayers, where it should be” [04:05]. Tim Pierce further adds, “By the European population” [04:16], underscoring the commitment to European responsibility in defense matters.

In addition to military support, Trump is deploying economic threats against Russia and its trading partners. He has issued a 50-day deadline for Russia to agree to peace, threatening “severe tariffs” on any country conducting business with Moscow. This strategic move predominantly targets major economies like China and India, which are heavily reliant on Russian oil [04:36 - 05:05].

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2. The Epstein Case and DOJ Leadership Changes

Timestamp: 05:05 - 06:08

Georgia Howe transitions to domestic issues, focusing on the ongoing Epstein case and recent changes within the Department of Justice (DOJ). She highlights a significant shakeup at the DOJ, where FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reportedly threatened to resign unless Attorney General Pam Bondi was replaced. However, the situation appears to be stabilizing, with Trump publicly supporting both Bongino and Bondi, describing Bondi as “a good guy who is in good shape” [05:12].

Mayor Margaret Olihan, Daily Wire White House reporter, reveals that Vice President JD Vance has been instrumental in mediating tensions between the FBI and DOJ leadership. This internal stabilization has led to a slight cooling of conservative media outrage regarding Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain if the broader GOP base will ease its criticism [05:12 - 06:08].

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3. Political Landscape: Trump’s Strengths and Potential Challenges

Timestamp: 07:20 - 11:43

Despite a series of political victories, Trump and the GOP face potential headwinds as discussed by Jon Bickley and Brent Buchanan, President of Signal Polling. One pressing concern is Elon Musk’s threat to form an alternative political party. Buchanan assesses the viability of Musk’s proposition, noting Musk’s declining favorability: “Elon Musk... was upside down by eight points... now upside down by 25 points” [07:56]. This unfavorable perception suggests that Musk’s America Party is unlikely to gain substantial traction, thereby minimizing its potential impact on the GOP [07:40 - 08:39].

Turning to Trump’s own standing, Buchanan challenges the mainstream media narrative suggesting a decline in Trump’s popularity. Based on Signal Polling data, Trump remains “upside down by five” in favorability, a stable position that Buchanan interprets as indicative of Trump’s resilience: “He is Teflon Don” [08:49 - 09:37].

The discussion then shifts to ICE raids and immigration, highlighting how these actions solidify Trump’s “law and order” messaging. Buchanan argues that such measures resonate strongly with voters concerned about cultural decay and the rule of law, further consolidating Trump’s support: “These ICE raids are actually something that is dividing the electorate further, but it's dividing it to Donald Trump's advantage” [09:43 - 10:39].

Looking ahead, Buchanan emphasizes the importance of effective communication of Republican achievements. He advises prioritizing clear, voter-centric messages to maintain and build upon their current successes: “It's how well do they communicate the key issues... Republicans... have to make it real to the voter” [10:52 - 11:43].

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4. Biden’s Auto-Pen Controversy and Executive Actions

Timestamp: 11:48 - 15:43

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to President Joe Biden’s use of the “auto pen” for executive actions during his final days in office. Georgia Howe introduces Tim Pierce, Daily Wire reporter, to dissect the controversy surrounding Biden’s unprecedented pardons and commutations. Pierce explains that while Biden claims full control over the auto pen, allowing his staff to expedite orders based on pre-approved criteria, numerous high-profile cases have raised questions about the legitimacy and oversight of these actions. For instance, Biden personally approved the pardon of General Mark Milley and blanket pardons for his family members, aiming to protect them from political prosecution [12:23 - 13:34].

Critics, including Republican Senator Eric Schmidt of Missouri, allege potential legal violations such as fraud, forgery, and misuse of government property, as reported by CNN and documented by the House Oversight Committee [14:33]. Donald Trump vehemently condemns Biden’s actions, declaring: “I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing” and labeling the auto pen use as “maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50 to 100 years” [14:58].

Biden’s defense centers on the necessity and efficiency of the auto pen for handling a large volume of executive actions. However, the lack of direct oversight and inclusion of individuals convicted of serious crimes, such as Adrian Peeler—a man convicted of conspiracy to murder—has intensified scrutiny. Pierce notes that while Biden acknowledges lobbying efforts for certain pardons, he does not adequately address the vetting failures that allowed heinous criminals to receive clemency [13:45 - 15:43].

The controversy surrounding the auto pen extends beyond pardons, encompassing various executive orders signed without clear presidential approval, indicating a broader issue within Biden’s administration regarding checks and balances [15:30].

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Conclusion

In this episode of Morning Wire, John Bickley and Georgia Howe provide an in-depth analysis of pressing national and international issues. From Trump’s strategic maneuvers in the Ukraine-Russia conflict to the intrigues of Biden’s executive actions, the discussion offers listeners a comprehensive overview of the current political climate. Notably, the episode underscores the resilience of Trump’s political standing amidst emerging challenges and highlights the intensifying scrutiny over Biden’s executive authority. As the political landscape continues to evolve, Morning Wire remains committed to delivering the facts and insights necessary for informed discourse.

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Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump: “We’re very, very unhappy with him, and we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days” [00:13].

• Donald Trump: “I think this is a chance at getting peace. Europe has a lot of spirit for this war. They really think it's a very, very important thing to do” [03:33].

• Matt Whitaker: “We move the burden off the American taxpayer for European defense and onto European taxpayers, where it should be” [04:05].

• Donald Trump: “I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing” [00:47, 14:58].

• Senator Eric Schmidt: Highlighting potential legal violations related to Biden’s auto pen usage [14:33].

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Stay Informed:

For those interested in the latest developments in politics, culture, education, and more, subscribe to Morning Wire with John Bickley and Georgia Howe. Wake up informed with the facts you need to know.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

Trump amps up the pressure on Russia, imposing additional tariffs and arming Ukraine with military weapons. If Putin doesn't agree to a deal.

[Donald Trump]

We'Re very, very unhappy with him, and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor Jon Bickley. It's Tuesday, July 15th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Jon Bickley]

While Trump continues to rack up political wins, he and the GOP could be facing headwinds in the midterms.

[Georgia Howe]

And Joe Biden lashes out at the Trump administration over their investigations into his use of the auto pen.

[Donald Trump]

I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it.

[Jon Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Matt Whitaker]

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[Jon Bickley]

President Trump announced a massive sale of weapons to Ukraine Monday while issuing new economic threats for any country doing business with Russia.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest. So Cabot Trump's initial stance towards Ukraine was somewhat isolationist, and now this big shift. So what changed?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, it's certainly a shift. Remember, President Trump campaigned on a promise to, quote, stop the endless flow of American treasure to Ukraine, meaning weapons and money. And upon taking office, he did just that. On Inauguration Day, he signed an executive order that froze all new weapons and money shipments to Ukraine for 90 days. Now, initially, Trump said he was confident that pause would send a message to Zelensky that he could not continue fighting on forever, showing Putin that the US Was acting in good faith to stop the conflict. And again, at the start, it seemed to be working with Putin, saying that he would begin sitting down for negotiations. But now that it's clear those were empty promises. As Moscow has stalled peace talks time and time again and continued their war, Trump is taking a very different approach, essentially telling Putin if he will not end the war, he'll ensure Ukraine is armed to the teeth.

[Georgia Howe]

So what exactly is in this new deal?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, Trump announced Monday that he would be selling tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, including Patriot missiles, artillery shells and air defense systems to NATO. And then NATO will then ship the weapons directly to Kyiv as soon as this week. Potentially, and it's worth noting, included in that arsenal will be long range offensive missiles that could strike deep within Russian territory. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who joined Trump at the White House Monday, the idea was actually first presented by Zelenskyy at the NATO summit two weeks ago. President Trump initially was unsure of the idea, but as Putin intensified his attacks on Ukraine, especially population centers, he saw giving Zelensky weapons as the best way to force Putin to come to the table. Here he is yesterday.

[Donald Trump]

I think this is a chance at getting peace. Europe has a lot of spirit for this war. They really think it's a very, very important thing to do or they wouldn't be doing. Look, they're agreeing to just, you know, they're paying for everything. We're not paying anymore.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now, White House officials are quick to note on Monday that unlike the Biden administration, which essentially gave billions of dollars in weapons and cash, no strings attached, this deal will ensure the U.S. is compensated for their support. Here's Matt Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to NATO, making that case.

[Matt Whitaker]

We move the burden off the American taxpayer for European defense and onto European taxpayers, where it should be. And the traditional defense of Europe is now going to, going to be borne.

[Tim Pierce]

By the European population.

[Cabot Phillips]

And for his part, Secretary General Ruta said it was completely reasonable for the US to expect Europe to pay for this support. You want Ukraine, what it needs to have to maintain to be able to defend itself against Russia, but you don't want Europeans to pay for it, which is totally logical.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, Trump is putting pressure on Russia not just with these weapons, but also with economic threats, too.

[Cabot Phillips]

Right. President Trump has long threatened additional tariffs and sanctions against Moscow if they don't end the war. And on Monday, he issued a deadline giving them 50 days to agree on peace or they would be facing, quote, severe tariffs. And those tariffs would not just target Russia, who the US does very little trade with anyway, but countries who trade with Russia. That's important because it would most notably impact China and India, who are heavily reliant on Russian oil.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, in other White House news, a lot of people are still hoping for some updates on the Epstein case. What's the latest? Bear yeah.

[Cabot Phillips]

Over the weekend, a shakeup at the DOJ seemed almost inevitable with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reportedly threatening to resign if Attorney General Pam Bondi was not replaced. But things do seem to be settling down a little bit on that front. First, President Trump offered support for both Bongino and Bondi, saying the latter was a, quote, good guy who is in good shape. And one interesting note, Daily Wire White House reporter Mayor Margaret Olihan was told by sources in the administration that VP JD Vance has been playing the role of peacemaker, trying to smooth things over between the FBI, FBI and DOJ leadership. And some of the conservative media outrage against Trump's handling of the Epstein case is sort of dying down a little bit in the last 24 hours. CNN reports that the president called a few MAGA loyalist commentators directly urging them to tone down their criticism. So that could be playing a role in that coverage. But it remains to be seen if the GOP base themselves will relent in their criticism.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, in about five years we're going to get some books on this hopefully and find out what really happened. CAB thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[Georgia Howe]

While President Trump and Republicans have enjoyed a series of major political wins, they also face some major potential headwinds, including the Epstein controversy, Elon Musk's threat to fund alternative candidates, and negative media coverage of ICE raids.

[Jon Bickley]

Joining us to discuss is Signal Polling President Brent Buchanan. Brent, thanks for coming on.

[Brent Buchanan]

Yeah, my pleasure. Good to be here.

[Jon Bickley]

So let's start with Musk and his threat to launch a new party. Many people are dismissing this because of the failure of such efforts in the past. But what have you seen in terms of the viability of this kind of idea? Could this actually hurt the GOP on some level?

[Brent Buchanan]

Well, I don't think that America is ever going to be anything but a two party country. You know, if we were to ask a poll question and say, would you vote for Elon Musk's America Party? It's going to have a way higher number to it than in reality because we can go look at history and see how independent candidates turn out. More interesting to look at is what is Musk's image? And I was just pulling this up before we started talking. And we have Elon Musk, he was upside down by eight points, meaning eight points more unfavorable than favorable at the beginning of May, and we now have him upside down by 25 points. So if your standard bearer has had that massive degradation of an image among voters, you know, what kind of starting point is that for starting a party Now?

[Jon Bickley]

What about Trump? How is he faring in polling so far? We have a major controversy brewing with this Epstein case. Do we see any downturn for him or is he holding steady?

[Brent Buchanan]

You know, you would think based on the mainstream media that Donald Trump's image has been tanking. And there are some polls that say that, but I wouldn't even use them for toilet paper. But when we look at our data and we've been tracking him every single week since the inauguration, he is at upside down by 5 in our polling data for the last several months. Every single week, no change at all, no change in who's with him or who's against him. And so the narrative that speaks anything to the contrary is just wrong. And so he really is Teflon Don. And we can't expect a public official to have a right side up image anyways where they're more favorable than unfavorable, like you don't get to the top without having some folks against you. And so Donald Trump being upside down by five is actually not a bad thing.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah.

[Jon Bickley]

And for him in particular, it's good. Better than his entire first term.

[Donald Trump]

Correct.

[Brent Buchanan]

Way better.

[Jon Bickley]

Now the ICE raids and Trump's battle with blue states like California are dominating headlines. Is this to Trump's advantage or disadvantage?

[Brent Buchanan]

It's to his advantage because you always want to lean in. It's like jiu jitsu. You want to lean into an issue that you have your back on. And so voters really trust him on immigration more than any other issue, more than economic issues. It's one of the key points that when we did our post election deep dive research that we found that many of the non white, non educated college voters who had moved over to Donald Trump, when you asked them open ended, what caused it, it was issues of cultural decay. And they used immigration as an example of cultural decay. Not that it was the immigration issue in and of itself, but they stand for the rule of law and they believe you should come here legally. And so these ICE raids are actually something that is dividing the electorate further, but it's dividing it to Donald Trump's advantage.

[Jon Bickley]

So really, the law and order messaging winning out in that case. Overall, if you're looking at potential pitfalls for Trump and Republicans generally in the coming months and maybe years, what are the key issues to keep an eye on?

[Brent Buchanan]

Well, it's not really the key issues as much as how well do they communicate the key issues, because Donald Trump did an incredibly good job in the campaign of executing the messaging behind the core issues, even bringing up and really closing with this, no men and women sports and no transgendered surgeries paid for by taxpayers. And that's one of the challenges that I think Republicans and even Trump to an extent have right now is they have so many wins in front of them. Which ones do you prioritize? You've got to make it real to the voter. Okay, we did this. The Democrats are saying we're killing people, taking them off of Medicaid, but, you know, we did. We made people who could get a job or could work, at least try to show that they're working in order to get this benefit. We didn't take anything away from somebody. And it's those examples of what Republicans, not necessarily don't have to step on a landmine. It's don't lay a landmine for yourself.

[Jon Bickley]

Yeah, Always good advice. Brent, thanks so much for joining us.

[Brent Buchanan]

All right, thanks, John.

[Jon Bickley]

Joe Biden broke his Silence over the weekend about the unprecedented use of the president's pardon power in his final days in office. It's been widely speculated that White House staffers utilize the auto pin without clear presidential approval.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss. So Tim Biden famously commuted the sentences of thousands of inmates in his final days using the auto pen. Trump has since argued that those pardons may have been illegitimate if the president was not in sound mind or even necessarily present when the auto pen was used. What is Biden now saying about it?

[Tim Pierce]

Yeah, the former president spoke at length to the New York Times and he said that he was in control behind it all. What he means by that, according to the Times, is that for the vast majority of those pardons and commutations, he gave his staffers orders to compile a list of prisoners and convicts who met certain criteria. So, for instance, all people convicted of low level drug offenses. And then Biden appeared to be pretty hands off after he gave the order. We know from the Times that staff updated the list as they received more information, but not never ran the updated list past the president again. Instead, staff used the auto pin system to sign these mass pardons and commutations just based off the president's prior approval of the criteria. Now, the president said the auto pin was the only efficient way to sign all these orders. He told the Times, quote, the auto pin is, you know, is legal. And he added, quote, the point is that, you know, we're talking about a whole lot of people. The president approved a few names personally, such as the unprecedented preemptive pardon of General Mark Milley, as well as the blanket preemptive pardons of his family members. Those he said were necessary to keep them safe from political prosecution from Trump, even though they had yet to be charged with any crimes.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, Republicans, though, have pointed out that some of these commutations were people who'd committed very serious heinous crimes. These weren't necessarily low level drug offenses. Did Biden address that?

[Tim Pierce]

No, but he did say that he was lobbied by various people to extend favors to this or that person. But then we also know that he never saw the final list on those mass commut. But clearly there were some vetting issues, even according to some Democrats. For instance, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said that, quote, someone dropped the ball on the clemency of Adrian Peeler. He was convicted in 1999 of conspiracy to murder a mother and her 8 year old son. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on state charges and 35 years in prison on federal drug charges that stem from the same case, except that he was one of 2,500 people granted clemency by Biden on January 17th.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, no doubt Biden came out and did this interview in order to throw water on the various investigations into this issue. Do you think that he was effective at that?

[Tim Pierce]

That doesn't seem likely. GOP Senator Eric Schmidt of Missouri has already posted on X5 possible laws that may have been broken. According to the Times report. Those include fraud, forgery and misuse of government property. The House Oversight Committee put up a post that said the Times report quietly confirms Biden aides use the auto pin to issue executive actions without a clear sign he even approved them. And then President Trump doesn't appear impressed with Biden's reasons, either.

[Donald Trump]

Look, the auto pen, I think, is maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50 to 100 years. This is a tremendous scandal. And I know the people on the other side of the see that desk, that Resolute desk? Unfortunately, he used it before me. But the people on the other side of the Resolute desk, I know them, Lisa, the whole group, and they're no good. They're sick people. And I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing.

[Tim Pierce]

So don't expect this scandal to die down anytime soon. We should note that the auto pen controversy itself is much bigger than these pardons and commutations. There are orders on numerous subjects from Biden's White House that were signed by auto pen as well.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, we will continue to report on what the investigations find. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Pierce]

Good to be on.

[Jon Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, like and subscribe, we'll be back this evening with more news. You need to know.