Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Trump’s Own Mortgages Revealed to Be What He Calls Fraud

The president has done the exact same thing he’s claimed is “crooked” and “deceitful” when his political opponents do it, records show.

President Donald Trump’s crusade against political foes he claims have all coincidentally committed mortgage fraud may have just boomeranged and hit him square in the face.Records show Trump himself has done the very thing he has now routinely claimed constitutes “fraud” when it’s done by his critics, according to a new ProPublica investigation. Years before his rise to the White House, the president signed two mortgages weeks apart, declaring each as his principal residence, and then renting out both, according to a report.

It’s the same move he branded as “deceitful and potentially criminal” when it was done by a political opponent he has since targeted.

Records show Trump, 79, signed a mortgage on a “Bermuda style” Palm Beach house in December 1993 and, seven weeks later, a second on a neighboring seven-bedroom property—attesting that both would be his principal residence.

The outlet found contemporary ads and spoke to the wife of his longtime real estate agent. She said the homes were marketed as rentals “from the beginning,” while there’s no evidence Trump lived in either, with legal papers from that period listing Trump Tower as his address.

Mortgage-law experts told ProPublica that claiming multiple principal-residence loans is not illegal on its own—but the conduct matches what Trump and his loyalists at the Justice Department have labeled as fraud. “He’s going to either need to fire himself or refer himself to the Department of Justice,” said Suffolk University’s Kathleen Engel.

A White House spokesperson told ProPublica, “President Trump’s two mortgages you are referencing are from the same lender. There was no defraudation. It is illogical to believe that the same lender would agree to defraud itself.” The spokesperson added that “this is yet another desperate attempt by the Left wing media to disparage President Trump with false allegations,” and said, “President Trump has never, or will ever, break the law.”

The White House did not answer questions from ProPublica about other records—such as loan applications—that might show what Trump told the lender or whether any exceptions were granted.

The investigation follows the administration’s crackdown led by Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, 37, who has said “two primary residences” should be referred for criminal investigation.

Pulte’s office helped drive a criminal referral against New York Attorney General Letitia James, 67, over her mortgage. That case was dismissed, and a grand jury last week refused to re-indict her.

Trump has also targeted Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, 61, declaring he would fire her over alleged “dual primary” loans. Cook denies wrongdoing and is fighting removal.

ProPublica previously found multiple Trump Cabinet officials also signed mortgages naming more than one “primary” home.

In Palm Beach, Trump’s two Woodbridge Road properties—bought with Merrill Lynch loans of $525,000 and $1.2 million—carried standard clauses requiring occupancy as a principal residence within 60 days for at least a year unless the lender agreed otherwise.

Rental listings show the larger home offered at $3,000 per day in 1997, while another advert touted “Mar-a-Lago privileges.” Bank of America, which now owns Merrill Lynch, declined to discuss the specifics.

Even if any violation occurred, the mid-1990s loans are long since paid, and the statute of limitations has run out, the outlet notes.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-own-mortgages-revealed-to-be-what-he-calls-fraud/?

ps:Of course he'd accuse certain people with fraud, he knows all about about fraud!!

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The Supreme Court seems likely to back Trump’s power to fire independent agency board members

The Supreme Court on Monday seemed likely to expand presidential control over independent federal agencies, signaling support for President Donald Trump’s firing of board members. The court’s conservative majority suggested it would overturn a unanimous 90-year-old decision that has limited when presidents can fire agencies’ board members, or leave it with only its shell intact. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Trump is proposing a $12B aid package for farmers hit hard by his trade war with China Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba resigning as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey Judge orders the release of an immigrant with ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt 12 FBI agents fired for kneeling during racial justice protest sue to get their jobs back Tracking the retirement announcements of members of Congress

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Paramount vs. Netflix, featuring Trump

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic via Getty Images President Trump is suddenly in the middle of an epic multibillion-dollar Hollywood drama — and leaving all sides guessing about the ending, Axios' Dan Primack and Sara Fischer write. Paramount unveiled today a $108 billion hostile takeover bid for all of Warner Bros. Discovery, just days after Netflix agreed to buy all of WBD's non-cable network assets for nearly $83 billion. ? Paramount is arguing its all-cash, $30-per-share offer is better for WBD shareholders, and would face fewer regulatory hurdles. ? Executives also tried to appeal to Hollywood brass — and Trump's America-first agenda — by promising at least 30 annual theatrical releases. ? David Ellison, Paramount chair and CEO, on a call with investors and reporters: "Movies are one of America's greatest exports. We want to lean into that legacy, not diminish it." ?? Paramount's financing partners include Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's private equity firm, plus Saudi Arabia's, Qatar's and Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth funds. Kushner's involvement, which Paramount didn't publicize, may persuade some WBD shareholders that Paramount is more likely than Netflix to get regulators' approval for a massive merger. ⏱️ But Trump's attack on Paramount this morning — over a 60 Minutes interview in which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) blasted the president — complicates matters. ? "My real problem with the show ... was that the new ownership of 60 Minutes, Paramount, would allow a show like this to air," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP, who just paid me millions of Dollars for FAKE REPORTING about your favorite President, ME!" Meanwhile: Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says the company is "super-confident" in finalizing its own offer, Axios' Kerry Flynn reports. ? Sarandos, at an industry conference today: "We have a deal done, and we are incredibly happy with the deal." What's next: Trump can't unilaterally block an acquisition he doesn't like. ? But he could certainly put up costly and time-consuming roadblocks, if he so chooses. Get the latest.

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?‍? $12B farm bailout

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios President Trump revealed today a $12 billion plan to bail out American farmers as his trade war and sagging prices have bludgeoned the U.S. agricultural sector, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports. ? The bailout includes $11 billion in a "bridge payment" to distressed farmers with row crops. ? Another $1 billion will be held back for specialty crop farmers as the government assesses their needs. Speaking alongside farmers at the White House, Trump said the money "will provide much-needed certainty to farmers as they get this year's harvest to market and look ahead to next year's crops." "This money would not be possible without tariffs," he added. ?? China has also committed to buying over $40 billion in American soybeans, Trump added. ? Beijing boycotted U.S. soybeans for several months this year in retaliation for U.S. tariffs, crushing a vital export market. Go deeper.

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Admitting to a Lie

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Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the FBI, took an awkward victory lap last week. The bureau notched a major success by announcing the long-awaited arrest of a suspect in the placing of pipe bombs, neither of which exploded, outside the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees on January 5, 2021.

Still, the arrest presented a complication for the Trump administration. The suspect, Brian Cole Jr., reportedly recently told investigators that he was a Donald Trump supporter who believed Trump’s bogus claims of fraud in the 2020 election. But various people in conservative media and politics have insisted for years that the pipe bombs were actually planned or placed by the government in order to make Trump look bad—which was why no one had been apprehended.

One of the most prominent backers of that claim was the podcaster and radio host Dan Bongino. Even the Fox News host Sean Hannity, one of the administration’s most sycophantic pundits, had to point this out during an interview on Thursday night, noting that before joining the FBI, Bongino had called the bombs an “inside job.” Bongino’s answer was astonishing.

“I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions, that’s clear, and one day I will be back in that space—but that’s not what I’m paid for now,” he said. “I’m paid to be your deputy director, and we base investigations on facts.”

Some liberal critics have been braying for years that the conservative press is full of hacks who will say anything in order to froth up their audience, regardless of truth. (Rage bait isn’t just the word of this year.) This criticism can feel shamelessly partisan and uncharitable. And yet, here Bongino is, blithely admitting that in his case, the critics are right: He was saying things he didn’t have evidence for and maybe didn’t even believe.

The problem here is not that Bongino is engaging in punditry. When properly done, pundits make arguments—like the one I am making here—based on facts and reasoning. Bongino, by his own account, was doing something else entirely: He was telling his audience that a claim (that the bombing was an inside job) was a fact, when it was not only not true but also not based on any real circumstantial evidence.

This isn’t the first time that Bongino’s prior pundit life has complicated his current role as No. 2 at the FBI. While working as a podcaster, Bongino frequently discussed Jeffrey Epstein and questioned the official narrative about his prosecution and death, which was ruled a suicide. Since joining the FBI, however, he has endorsed many of the Epstein claims he ridiculed.

Nor is this the first time that a major conservative figure has admitted that they’re just making stuff up. In a 2019 lawsuit, a woman who alleged a sexual relationship with Trump sued Fox News for defaming her by accusing her of extorting the president. Fox News’s lawyers argued—and convinced a judge—that the then-host Tucker Carlson couldn’t be held liable, because he was not “stating actual facts” and instead engaging in “exaggeration” and “non-literal commentary.” There are other words for this. Lying is one of them.

What Fox News said in court, moreover, was not what it broadcast on air. During his show, Carlson didn’t simply offer opinions—he insisted that they were not opinions. At one point, he prefaced a riff by telling viewers, “Remember the facts of the story. These are undisputed.” Really, they weren’t even facts.

The revolving door between conservative media and Republican administrations—especially the second Trump administration—might explain why the same behavior also pops up from spokespeople. During the first Trump administration, then–Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed that “countless” FBI agents had told the White House that they had lost faith in FBI Director James Comey prior to his firing. This was true only insofar as the agents literally could not be counted: Sanders admitted to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team that her statement was “not founded on anything.” In another instance, she dismissed a false claim that she’d made in the briefing room with a self-negating “I’m an honest person.” (She is now the governor of Arkansas.)

No party has a monopoly on lying, but the right has an unusual habit of happily admitting to spreading nonsense. In 2011, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, a Republican, said that abortion accounted for “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does.” Putting a faux-precise number on a false claim is a classic technique for trying to make the claim seem more legitimate, but that kind of statement also attracts scrutiny; Politifact has the real number closer to 12 percent. Kyl’s office explained away his remark by saying that it was “not intended to be a factual statement,” which is perhaps true in a deeper sense than intended: He had no interest in reality or in conveying it accurately to the public.

The right’s worst factual offenders are forced to make these kinds of admissions all the time, which one might think would undermine their credibility among their audiences. But thanks to our siloed media environment, these statements are usually made in places—federal court, mainstream media, left-of-center outlets—where Tucker Carlson and Dan Bongino fans don’t tread. What is unusual about Bongino’s admission last week is that he made it on Fox News, where right-wing viewers could hear it. Then again, he didn’t seem too worried, given that he told Hannity he’d be back in his old role someday. When that day comes, everyone should know how seriously to take whatever he says.

Related:

• What does Dan Bongino believe?
• Trump’s followers are living in a dark fantasy, Adam Serwer argues. (From 2024)

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? Trump's self-inflicted trade wounds

Data: FactSet. Chart: Axios Visuals The White House is taking some of its biggest steps yet to address the economic pain caused by its own tariffs, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes. Why it matters: A move yesterday to heal the financial damage to farm country — an important hub of Trump supporters — is the latest attempt to address the tariff fallout that has contributed to Americans' souring economic sentiment. President Trump announced a $12 billion plan to bail out American farmers after China paused purchases of U.S. soybeans earlier this year. (China is slowly resuming them.) Last month, the White House announced it would roll back tariffs on a slew of grocery items. ?? The intrigue: Even with Trump's tariffs in place, China said it had reached an unprecedented milestone — a trade surplus topping $1 trillion so far this year (charted above).

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? Trump's self-inflicted trade wounds

Data: FactSet. Chart: Axios Visuals The White House is taking some of its biggest steps yet to address the economic pain caused by its own tariffs, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes. Why it matters: A move yesterday to heal the financial damage to farm country — an important hub of Trump supporters — is the latest attempt to address the tariff fallout that has contributed to Americans' souring economic sentiment. President Trump announced a $12 billion plan to bail out American farmers after China paused purchases of U.S. soybeans earlier this year. (China is slowly resuming them.) Last month, the White House announced it would roll back tariffs on a slew of grocery items. ?? The intrigue: Even with Trump's tariffs in place, China said it had reached an unprecedented milestone — a trade surplus topping $1 trillion so far this year (charted above).

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? U.S. pushes Zelensky for swift yes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faces growing U.S. pressure to accept major territorial losses and other concessions in President Trump's peace plan, two Ukrainian officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: After weeks of intense diplomacy, the Ukrainians still think aspects of the U.S. plan favor Moscow and that U.S. officials are pushing Zelensky much harder than they're pushing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A U.S. official denied that, stressing the U.S. also pressed Putin to soften his demands.

• A Ukrainian official said the U.S. offer had worsened from Kyiv's perspective after Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's five-hour Kremlin meeting with Putin last week.

Keep reading.

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Boat strikes

Lawmakers from both parties would support the Trump administration releasing video of the US military's controversial "double-tap" strike on an alleged drug boat. Top congressional Republicans and Democrats say they want to review the unedited footage of the deadly follow-up strike in September that killed two survivors after nine others died in the initial attack. President Trump now says he'll let Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decide whether to release the footage, marking a shift from his stance last week. Hegseth is under mounting pressure, as Congress is preparing to vote on restricting his travel budget unless he releases the video.

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Trump, 79, Freaks Out About ‘Dark and Sinister’ Forces in Late-Night Meltdown

The president was up late fretting over his Supreme Court case.

Donald Trump’s pleas to the Supreme Court to uphold his sweeping tariffs on imports from around the world are getting increasingly desperate.

For weeks, the president has issued panicked late-night calls urging the court to rule in favor of the tariffs, which have emerged as both Trump’s signature economic policy and as his favorite cudgel for influencing foreign rivals’ domestic policies.

Now, with a decision expected to come down at any time, he’s warning that only “dark and sinister forces” would want to put an end to the tariffs.

“Because of Tariffs, easily and quickly applied, our National Security has been greatly enhanced, and we have become the financially strongest Country, by far, anywhere in the World. Only dark and sinister forces would want to see that end!!!” he wrote on Truth Social at 2:45 a.m. Washington time.

The post was clearly directed at the Supreme Court, because not even 10 minutes earlier the president had written in a separate missive, “The biggest threat in history to United States National Security would be a negative decision on Tariffs by the U.S. Supreme Court. We would be financially defenseless.”

The justices heard oral arguments last month in a case challenging the president’s authority to unilaterally impose the tariffs. The duties are a type of import tax paid by U.S. companies, which must eat the costs or pass them along to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Although the Constitution give Congress the power of taxation, the administration has argued the tariffs are valid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after Trump declared a national economic emergency in April.

But during oral arguments, two key conservative justices sounded skeptical about the government’s position, leading to late-night rumination and intensive social media lobbying on the part of the president.

Trump often describes the tariffs in existential terms, arguing on Truth Social that striking down the taxes would amount to “serving hostile foreign interests,” unleashing an “insurmountable National Security Event.” and reducing the U.S. to “almost Third World status.”

Even by those high rhetorical standards, the “dark and sinister forces” warning represents a newly apocalyptic turn.

Despite the president’s claims that import taxes are the only thing holding the country together, the duties are so unpopular that some Republicans are secretly hoping the Supreme Court will rein them in, Semafor reported in October.

With inflation holding steady and Christmas presents set to cost more this year thanks to the tariffs, voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the duties, CNN’s numbers guru Harry Enten revealed earlier this month.

Over the past 11 months, favorability on tariffs has swung from +4 to -24, with 62 percent of Americans now opposing the duties. “When the No. 1 issue in the country right now is inflation, is affordability, and folks believe that a signature policy of yours increases prices?” Enten said. “That is no good.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-79-freaks-out-about-dark-and-sinister-forces-in-late-night-meltdown/?

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Donald Trump and Jared Kushner’s Cynical Plot to Turn CNN Full MAGA Exposed

The CEO of Paramount reportedly offered to make changes to President Donald Trump’s least favorite news network.

President Donald Trump wants to see changes at his least favorite news network, and a Hollywood megadeal could make those wishes come true, according to a new report.

Trump, 79, has told people in his circle that he wants to see new ownership and changes to programming at CNN, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

David Ellison, the son of billionaire Trump ally and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, told administration officials that he would make big changes to CNN if Paramount’s hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery succeeds, according to the Journal.

Paramount launched a $108 billion hostile takeover bid—backed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—after it lost out to Netflix in a bidding war for Warner, which owns Hollywood studios, CNN, HBO, HGTV, and a vast movie and TV catalog.

After news broke that Netflix’s mammoth bid to take over Warner would be accepted, Larry Ellison, 81, called his friend Trump to warn that the transaction would hurt competition, insiders told the Journal.

Trump appeared to echo those concerns at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night. Asked about the potential Netflix merger, he said it would create a “big market share” and that—he warned ominously—“could be a problem.”

He did not disclose that his son-in-law had a financial stake in his friend Larry Ellison’s rival bid.

The Daily Beast has reached out to Paramount, Oracle, and the White House for comment.

The younger Ellison, 42, told CNBC on Monday that Paramount wants to finish what it started.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the relationship that I have with the president, and I also believe he believes in competition,” he said. “And when you fundamentally look at the marketplace, allowing the number one streaming service to combine with the number three streaming service is anti-competitive.”

David Ellison said that adding CNN to Paramount’s portfolio would supercharge the entertainment titan’s growth.

“We want to build a scaled, new service that is basically, fundamentally in the trust business, that is in the truth business, and that speaks to the 70 percent of Americans that are in the middle, and we believe that by doing so, that is for us, kind of doing well while doing good,” he said.

“Do you think the president embraces the idea of you being the owner of CNN, given his criticism, obviously, for that network in the past?” Squawk on the Street host David Faber asked.

“We’ve had great conversations with the president about this, but I don’t want to speak for him in any way, shape, or form,” Ellison responded.

Trump has raged against CNN and its criticisms of his administration since returning to office in January. Just days ago, the president took aim at host Kaitlan Collins for criticizing his new-look ballroom, and its rising costs.

“Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” he wrote in a typo-riddled Truth Social post on Saturday morning.

“FAKE NEWS CNN, and the guy who runs the whole corrupt operation that owns it, is one of the worst in the business,” he raged.

“Their ratings are so low that they’re not even counted or relevant anymore. MAGA!!!”

He attacked another female CNN journalist Natasha Bertrand in June after breaking the news of an intelligence leak surrounding the Iran strikes, calling for her to be “thrown out like a dog”.

He called the outlet “sick” that same month after a CNN report claimed he was considering an investment in an Iranian civilian non-enrichment nuclear program.

Speaking on CNN’s The Story Is With Elex Michaelson, the outlet’s media correspondent, Brian Stelter, discussed the potential changes coming for CNN.

“The main play by all these big companies is for the entertainment assets; they want the movie studio, they want the HBO streaming service, but one of the knock-on effects here is about ownership of CNN going forward, and we know President Trump is interested in that.”

When quizzed on how much influence Trump has in deciding the deal, Stelter said “he has a role” but “is not the ultimate decider.”

“While Trump can make this process more painful for whatever company is involved, he does not get an absolute veto.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-secret-plot-to-make-cnn-maga-is-revealed/?

ps:So now he wants to control TV stations and anything else/body that doesn't bow to him?????

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Trump approves sale of more advanced Nvidia AI chips to China President Donald Trump said Monday that he would allow Nvidia to sell an advanced type of computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Read more.

What to know: There have been concerns about allowing advanced chips to be sold to China as it could help the country better compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities, but there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.   Nvidia said in a statement that it applauded Trump’s decision, saying the choice would support domestic manufacturing and that by allowing the Commerce Department to vet commercial customers, it would “strike a thoughtful balance” on economic and national security priorities.   But a group of Democratic senators objected to the chip sales. “Access to these chips would give China’s military transformational technology to make its weapons more lethal, carry out more effective cyberattacks against American businesses and critical infrastructure, and strengthen their economic and manufacturing sector,” their statement said.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Chinese premier cites damage from US tariffs, as China’s surplus surpasses $1 trillion   ICEBlock app maker sues Trump administration over its pressure on Apple to remove app   ICE arrests of Afghans are on the rise in the wake of National Guard attack, immigration lawyers say   Trump says survivors of scrutinized US strike were trying to right boat before 2nd missile was fired   Trump’s attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community cast a spotlight on fraud cases   Judge wants whistleblower to testify in contempt probe of Trump official over planes to El Salvador   Florida governor declares Muslim civil rights group a terrorist organization   Supreme Court weighs Republican appeal to end limits on party spending in federal elections   Former Trump aides allege judicial misconduct in Wisconsin fake elector case   Supreme Court declines to hear Texas book ban appeal in case watched by free speech groups   Trump says he's fixing affordability problems. He'll test out that message at a rally   Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett announces US Senate bid in Texas, tells Trump ‘I’m coming for you’   Federal judge throws out Trump order blocking development of wind energy   WATCH: AP photojournalist discusses being in the Cabinet room as Trump announced farmer aid package

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Trump’s ceasefire plan for the Israel-Hamas war faces pitfalls as it moves into a new phase With the remains of one hostage still in Gaza, the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas is nearly complete, after a two-month process plagued by delays and finger-pointing. Now, the key players are to move to a far more complicated second phase that could reshape the Middle East. Read more.

What to know: President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule of Gaza. If successful, it would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision, normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence. However, if the deal stalls, Gaza could be trapped in an unstable limbo for years to come.   Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar and a key mediator, said over the weekend that the ceasefire is at a critical point, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to travel to the White House this month to discuss the next steps.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ AP’s top Middle East photos from 2025: Conflict, courage, and moments of wonder

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Wave of Tax Cuts Has Left Many States Vulnerable to Trump SNAP and Medicaid Crisis

This fall, Americans got to see what it’s like to go without a safety net for the hungry. With the U.S. government shut down for multiple weeks and President Donald Trump refusing to fund SNAP, the federal food stamp program, a panic set in among the more than 40 million people who rely on it. Families skipped meals, and babies went unfed. Food banks ran out of food, and some people turned to dumpster diving.

https://www.propublica.org/article/food-stamps-crisis-snap-big-beautiful-bill-state-tax-cuts?

Trump: Nvidia Can Sell H200 AI Chips to China, But US Will Get a 25% Cut

The US government has approved the sale of Nvidia's H200 AI graphics chip systems to China, with certain stipulations.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/trump-nvidia-can-sell-h200-ai-chips-to-china-us-will-get-25-percent-cut?

ps:Just imagine that, now it's OK to sell chips to China! But heck if we can make money than who cares if China gets there hands on chips that will let them pass us by!!

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Trump, 79, Demands Aging Right-Wing SCOTUS Justices Stay in Their Jobs

The president says he wants Samuel Alito, 75, and Clarence Thomas, 77, in their posts.

President Donald Trump has apparently defied reported calls from within his own party to consider reshuffling the nation’s highest court ahead of a vicious battle for control of the legislature next year.

In a sit-down with Politico released Tuesday, the president was asked if either of the Supreme Court’s aging conservative justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, should consider retiring before the 2026 midterm elections.

“I hope they stay because I think they’re fantastic. Both of those men are fantastic,” Trump told the outlet.

His comments come amid reports that senior figures in the MAGA movement have expressed alarm at the prospect of losing the overwhelming conservative majority in the nation’s highest court if either Alito, 75, or Thomas, 77, or both, decide to retire after next year’s midterms.

A July analysis piece in the Independent suggested there’s been growing concern among Republican ranks that their party may be headed for its very own “Ginsburg moment”—referring to the death of liberal-leaning SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during Trump’s first term, which allowed the president to appoint conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Those concerns will likely intensify as opinion polls show the GOP bleeding popular support under Trump’s second stint in the White House, with analysts forecasting a potential 2026 midterm bloodbath for Republicans in both House and Senate races if things continue along their present political trajectory.

The GOP holds 53 seats in the Senate, representing a razor-thin margin against Democratic and independent senators, given the 51-vote threshold for any majority ruling, and meaning a loss of just two seats would create significant, potentially unsurpassable obstacles to replacing either Alito or Thomas should they retire after next year’s polls.

Politico noted that “large swathes” of the MAGA leader’s agenda have been brought before the nation’s highest court.

Coupled with the widely criticized use of the court’s “shadow docket,” a process that allows justices to make decisions at speed without undergoing full briefings or oral arguments, the present six-three conservative majority has thus far proven a boon to the president’s second term.

Even as he insists he has no plans to shore up a Republican advantage ahead of next year’s elections, Trump has shown signs of concern over what might happen in the event the GOP loses the Senate post-midterms.

Only last Friday, he ranted in a blistering Truth Social tirade in which he claimed the Democrats would seek the “OBLITERATION” of SCOTUS should they secure an overall victory in the upcoming races.

“The Radical Left Democrats are looking at 21 Justices, with immediate ascension,” Trump wrote, citing zero evidence to that effect.

“This would be terrible for our Country. Fear not, however, Republicans will not let it, or any of their other catastrophic policies, happen,” the president continued. “Our Country is now in very good hands.”

The president used his Politico interview to repeat the same, unfounded claims. “The Democrats want to pack the court,” he told the outlet. “They want to have 21 justices. That would be a terrible thing for this country, the future of the Republican Party.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/president-donald-trump-79-demands-aging-right-wing-scotus-justices-stay-in-their-jobs/?

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Trump's self-grade? "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus"

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Getty Images President Trump's self-assessment on the economy: "A-plus ... A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus." ? That's what he told Politico's Dasha Burns in a wide-ranging interview that also covered U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, Russia's war with Ukraine and more. "The word 'affordability' — I inherited a mess," Trump said. ? "Prices were at an all-time high when I came in. Prices are coming down substantially," he said. ? The Consumer Price Index, and a core measure that strips out food and energy costs, both rose 3% for the year ending in September — the latest data available, due to a reporting lapse during the government shutdown. ? During remarks at a campaign-style event in Pennsylvania this evening, Trump will road-test his claims that he's tackling affordability woes. ? When asked about the "double-tap" strike by U.S. forces on alleged drug smugglers aboard a boat in the Caribbean, Trump said: "Well, it looked like they were trying to turn back over the boat, but I don't get involved in that." "The admiral that did that was — is a highly respected — as you know, a highly respected man." Watch the interview ... Read the transcript.

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Winter weather woes

The National Weather Service is trying to hire back hundreds of people laid off or otherwise cut by the Trump administration. Offices are coping with vacancies that could affect forecasts and public safety as a cold and snowy winter looms. ps:Ain't that just amazing? Screw up so many peoples lives!! What a waste of tax payer money and than claim that you're doing a good job, no a great job!!!!!

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A Lack of Energy

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The president of the United States can expect to face tough questions, but one that ABC’s Rachel Scott asked Monday wasn’t among them. In fact, it was nothing more than a recitation of his own words. “You said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2 off the coast of Venezuela,” Scott began. President Donald Trump immediately snapped at Scott: “I didn’t say that. You said that. I didn’t say that. This is ABC fake news.”

In fact, as Scott reminded him, that’s exactly what he said. “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release. No problem,” he said on December 3 in the Oval Office. After Scott pointed that out, Trump shrugged it off, as though he’d simply forgotten. Perhaps this was willful obfuscation. But moments of apparent forgetfulness—whether one calls them senior moments, wandering attention, or spacing out—have been happening a lot recently.

In late October, Trump said he received an MRI. For valid reasons, this has raised questions: MRIs aren’t a routine part of annual physicals, and the president’s most recent physical was way back in April; his doctors’ public disclosures about his medical exams have often been vague but full of puffery; he’s been seen with bruises, makeup, and bandages on his hands, which the White House has attributed to frequent hand shaking and his use of aspirin. Voter concerns about the health and vigor of his predecessor, Joe Biden, were one reason that Biden was forced into a late withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.

Rather than quiet these concerns with transparency, however, the Trump administration played coy for weeks. When Trump was asked about the MRI on November 14, he insisted both that he didn’t know what it was about and that it had a great result: “I have no idea what they analyzed,” he told reporters. “But whatever they analyzed, they analyzed it well, and they said that I had as good a result as they’ve ever seen.” When pressed more recently, he continued to brag that he had “aced” a test designed to assess baseline cognitive function, as though it was an IQ test—a boast that raises more questions than it answers. When the president’s physician eventually released a letter about the procedure, which referred to his October scan only as “advanced imaging,” it was similarly heavy on superlatives and light on detail. (That’s a contrast with the practice prior to Trump’s first term, when administrations publicly shared more medical information. When George W. Bush went through MRI machines during his presidency, for instance, the White House explained that they were intended to understand the reasons for a sore shoulder in one case and assess possible damage to his knees in another.)

Trump has always seemed more interested in the pomp of his office than in doing the actual work, but he’s begun expressing lack of interest more physically in this term. Last week, Trump appeared to doze off repeatedly during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. To be fair, these are boring events: I am also not interested in sitting through several hours’ worth of secretaries and aides delivering obsequious praise, but they’re doing it for his benefit. If he wants more efficient meetings, he has the power to make it so. During one moment, Secretary of State Marco Rubio prattled on about how only Trump could achieve a cease-fire in Gaza. Trump himself slumped slowly forward with his eyes closed, then sat up before his eyelids fluttered again. The president did rouse himself at the end of the meeting, finding the energy for a racist rant about Somalis.

This is not the first instance of Trump appearing to nap during public meetings, as The Washington Post reported last month. When he repeatedly snoozed during his Manhattan trial, last spring, it was a curiosity—especially for someone who had previously seemed so high-energy. But as I wrote at the time, it was also a warning: Was a man who couldn’t stay awake for his own felony trial, during the middle of the day, prepared for the rigors of the presidency? We now have some sense of the answer (and we might also wonder whether he’s even worse at staying awake during meetings that aren’t public).

As my colleague Jonathan Lemire reported recently, Trump has also pulled back on his once-impressive schedule of campaign-style rallies. His daily schedule of events has become narrower. He’s becoming isolated and cloistered; his late-night social-media sprees are not new, but they’ve become a larger part of his public communication. As with Biden, this withdrawal has led Trump to make political arguments that, as David Axelrod writes, are disconnected from reality.

The stranglehold that the elderly have on American politics makes assessing Trump’s struggles without referring to his age impossible. That’s especially true after the Biden debacle. Trump invited the comparison by referring to Biden as “Sleepy Joe,” an epithet he might regret if he continues to drift off in Oval Office meetings. Trump is 79, making him the oldest American president at the time of inauguration. Although polling in 2024 showed that large majorities of Americans believed that Biden was too old to be president, significant numbers believed that Trump was too. In February of last year, for example, an ABC News / Ipsos poll found that six in 10 Americans felt that both men were too superannuated to serve.

What was most troubling about Biden, however, was not his age per se, but its symptoms: the stiffness, the apparent fatigue, and especially the meandering answers he delivered during his debate with Trump in June 2024. The same is true of Trump now. If another president were in his 50s or 60s and seemed unable to remember the details of such an important story as the boat strikes, didn’t know why he’d had a lengthy medical examination, and appeared to routinely doze off during high-profile meetings, the public would have understandable questions about his capacity to do the job. Trump has never displayed the temperament to serve as president, and now he is showing signs that he’s lost the physical stamina too.

Related:

• The bubble-wrapped president
• The Democrats must confront their gerontocracy.

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Trump's new cold war with Europe

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios; Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration is engaged in open hostilities with the European Union, turning long-simmering feuds over free speech, Ukraine and mass migration into official U.S. policy, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: The EU's $140 million fine against Elon Musk's X platform lit the fuse on a conflict the Trump administration was already primed for — and which it formalized in a new National Security Strategy that casts Europe as a geopolitical villain. "They're destroying their countries," Trump told Politico, slamming European nations as "decaying" and "weak." The newest flashpoint comes as the U.S. and its European allies are also sharply divided over Ukraine and the future of European security. ? Zoom in: The EU penalized X on Friday after regulators found the platform misled users, obscured key advertising information and blocked researchers from accessing public data. A furious Musk accused the EU of stifling free speech through "bureaucratic tyranny" — rallying far-right leaders and millions of followers behind the hashtag #AbolishTheEU. Senior U.S. officials piled on, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling the fine "an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people." Vice President Vance, the administration's most outspoken euroskeptic, called the fine "garbage" and the product of X's refusal to accept EU "censorship." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) urged Trump to impose sanctions on the EU "until this travesty is reversed" — an extraordinary escalation typically reserved for U.S. adversaries. ?️ The big picture: The fight over X stems from the worldview formalized in Trump's National Security Strategy, which accuses the EU of "regulatory suffocation" and "subversion of democratic processes." At the heart of the allegations is mass migration: The White House argues that European elites have unleashed demographic change through open borders. Musk and Vance — who previewed many of these arguments in a blistering speech at the Munich Security Conference — have championed far-right parties in Europe, including Germany's AfD. Such interference in domestic politics is now codified in Trump's National Security Strategy, which calls for "cultivating resistance" within EU member states as a remedy to Europe's "civilizational erasure." "It is a declaration of political war on the EU. [Trump] wants a white Europe divided into nations, subordinate to his demands and voting preferences," said former EU top diplomat Josep Borrell. ? Between the lines: Trump's strategy also calls into question whether some EU allies can remain reliable NATO members due to demographic change — and declares an end to "the perception" of NATO as a "perpetually expanding alliance." Russia has welcomed the transatlantic rift. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters Sunday that "the adjustments we are seeing ... are largely consistent with our vision."

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⚡ Trump brings legal immigration to a halt

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

In just the last few weeks, the Trump administration has threatened to expand the travel ban list, paused all asylum decisions and signaled it will reopen Biden-era immigration cases. Why it matters: Any of these changes would strain the system. Doing them all at once could overwhelm it, Axios' Brittany Gibson writes. Policy changes announced after the National Guard shooting near the White House last month are expected to grow the backlog at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the office that handles legal migration. Green cards and asylum claims will be re-reviewed, slowing processing for everyone, not just the targeted nationalities. Overall, USCIS faces 11 million pending cases across all forms of immigration status, from asylum and green cards to work visas and family-based applications. ? Zoom in: The impact has been immediate for people from the 19 countries on the travel ban list, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Venezuela and Iran. The travel ban, when unveiled this summer, shut down travel for those passport holders to the U.S. But now that list is being used against immigrants already here applying for visas, work authorization or permanent legal status. Some saw interviews with USCIS officers canceled. Others have been pulled out of citizenship ceremonies. Keep reading.

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? Small biz loses confidence

Data: The MetLife and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index. Chart: Axios Visuals Small-business owners were excited for Trump 2.0. Now, tariffs and inflation are causing headaches and eroding optimism, Axios' Emily Peck writes from new MetLife and the Chamber of Commerce data out this morning. Why it matters: Main Street's pain drags down the entire economy. ? By the numbers: 45% of small-business owners cited inflation as their biggest challenge in the Chamber's survey, conducted in October during the government shutdown. They're raising prices just to keep up: 58% said they expect to raise prices this holiday season, but 52% also expect lower revenue. The other side: That's better than in 2022, when inflation peaked. 69% expected to raise prices, and 61% expected less revenue.

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? Trump's rally return

President Trump arrives at Mount Airy Casino Resort last night in Mount Pocono, Pa. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP In Pennsylvania last night at the first stop of a planned economic tour, President Trump repeatedly called the term "affordability" a "hoax" and blamed Democrats for high prices. "I have no higher priority than making America affordable again. They caused the high prices and we're bringing them down," Trump told a crowd at a casino resort in the Poconos. ?️ Trump said White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told him he needs to hit the campaign trail again to engage MAGA voters for next year's midterms. "I haven't made a speech in a little while. You know, when you win, you say, 'I can now rest.' ... The chief of staff — and she is fantastic — said: 'We have to start campaigning, sir.'" Go deeper.

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2 Democrats, 2 strategies: Texas Senate race shows party split on Trump-focus in midterm elections Democratic candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico have launched their Texas Senate campaigns with contrasting strategies. While Crockett takes direct aim at President Donald Trump, using his insults to energize her campaign, Talarico emphasizes economic divides rather than political ones. This split highlights a broader divide among Democrats over how much to center Trump in their campaigns. Read more.

What to know: During her first stump speech on Monday, Crockett addressed the president directly: “You better get to work because I’m coming for you.” Her primary opponent, Talarico, has said that Americans are tired of “politics as a blood sport.”   For nearly a decade, Democrats have used attacks on Trump to draw attention and fuel fundraising. Governors who are considered potential 2028 presidential contenders, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Illinois’ JB Pritzker, saw their profiles rise as they positioned themselves as staunch opponents of the president.   But some democrats warn that while Trump motivates his critics to vote, it isn’t enough for Democrats to rely solely on anti-Trump fervor.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Democrat wins Miami mayor’s race for the first time in nearly 30 years   Georgia Democrat Eric Gisler claims upset state House win in historically Republican district   Trump’s speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants from ‘filthy’ countries   Trump once denied using this slur about Haiti and African nations. Now he boasts about it   Federal agents use pepper spray on crowd in Somali neighborhood of Minneapolis amid Trump crackdown   Illinois law protects immigrants from arrest near courthouses, hospitals or colleges   Opponents of Trump-backed redistricting in Missouri submit a petition to force a public vote   Mexico will send more water to US but not immediately, President Sheinbaum says   Wisconsin judge refuses to step aside as requested by former Trump attorney   Justice Department challenges court order limiting access to evidence in Comey investigation   Florida Muslim group vows lawsuit against DeSantis over ‘foreign terrorist’ label   Southeast Asia embraces offshore wind power, as Trump bashes renewable energy   Soccer peace prize for Trump triggers complaints about FIFA president to ethics investigators

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Trump Candidate Blows 30-Year GOP Stranglehold on Major City

The victory is a boost for Democrats going into next year’s midterms.

Miami has elected its first Democratic mayor in 30 years, giving the party a boost ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Democrat candidate Eileen Higgins defeated Republican Emilio Gonzalez, who had been personally endorsed by President Donald Trump, gaining nearly 60 percent of the vote.

Higgins, 61, will also become the first woman to lead the city of Miami. During her campaign, she criticized ICE raids that have impacted the city’s large Hispanic community.

“Tonight, the people of Miami made history,” said Higgins, a former county commissioner.

“We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,” Higgins told the Associated Press following her victory speech. “The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.”

Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, Nikki Fried, was thrilled with the result, noting in a statement, “I am thrilled for Eileen and cannot think of a better person to shatter Miami’s glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to lead the city in its 129-year history.”Prior to her election, Higgins had said she had never been prouder to be a Democrat.“We’re living in the state of Florida, where we have people that are building cages for our residents rather than affordable housing for them.”

Higgins’ victory reverses a shift to the right in South Florida in recent elections. The Democrats also enjoyed victories in Virginia and New Jersey last month.

The Democrat made affordability a key issue in the campaign, promoting the construction of more affordable housing. Gonzalez supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to eliminate property taxes for primary residences.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-backed-emilio-gonzalez-blows-30-year-gop-hold-on-miami/?

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Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles

The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ordered Wednesday in an emphatic ruling.

https://apnews.com/article/california-national-guard-trump-los-angeles-a8a201d234d655a7e65fb4c3dd320116?