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

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Trump Trade Goon Admits Tariffs Have Hit Manufacturing

The admission undercut Trump’s election pledge that his policies would create an instant blue collar boom.

One of President Donald Trump’s top trade officials acknowledged on Tuesday that manufacturing is down due to the president’s tariffs and argued it’s going to take some time for the U.S. to see intended results.

Peter Navarro, adviser to the president, appeared on CNBC Tuesday where he was asked about manufacturing taking a hit.

“Manufacturing jobs have actually come down since some of the tariffs were put in place,” said host Joe Kernen.

“Your position is that you don’t turn around an ocean liner, you know, overnight, right? It’ll happen, but it takes time? Is that how you would address that?”

“That’s exactly right,” Navarro responded.

Navarro’s admission came as Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal editorial board ran a piece questioning where the manufacturing jobs are.

Trump promised voters in 2024 that if they returned him to the White House, he would deliver a blue-collar jobs boom. But one year later, this is yet to become reality.

“The jobs market is so-so, but tariffs are hurting domestic companies that make things,” the WSJ editorial said.

It also noted that companies are not hiring that many workers and manufacturing jobs have been on the decline since April.

“One big statistical reason to suspect that tariffs are hurting jobs is the trend in manufacturing. Remember when tariffs were supposed to produce a U.S. manufacturing boom? It hasn’t happened,” it stated.

“If Mr. Trump wants a manufacturing revival, he’ll drop his border taxes, and let his other tax policies help hiring and investment.”

But Navarro argued on Tuesday that there is a sequence of events that need to happen.

“You can’t just plop a factory town and not have your supply chains,” Navarro argued. “In this transition, we’re going to depend on foreign imports for the factory, but eventually they come.”

He said when the factories went with offshoring, the supply chains followed, but they have to get them back.

“We can’t just assemble stuff here. That doesn’t work for national security reasons,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time.”

Despite the weakening job market and ongoing concerns about affordability, a silver lining emerged on Tuesday morning when new figures showed the U.S. economy grew at a robust pace through the end of September.

According to the Commerce Department’s latest data, economic growth rose at a 4.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter.

This was an acceleration from the previous quarter and highest growth rate in two years, reflecting solid consumer spending on services like healthcare and recreational vehicles.

On Truth Social, Trump branded himself a “genius” and said the success came down to “good government, and tariffs.”

“Consumer spending is STRONG, Net Exports are WAY UP, Imports and Trade Deficits are WAY DOWN, and there is NO INFLATION!” he said, even though the latest inflation figures showed a rate of 2.7 per cent in November.

“Because of my Tax Bill (THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL) and TARIFFS, INVESTMENT IS SETTING RECORDS. The Trump Economic Golden Age is FULL steam ahead — You haven’t seen anything yet!”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-trade-goon-admits-tariffs-have-hit-manufacturing/?

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Trump Bizarrely Touts ‘Clean, Beautiful Coal’ to Child at Christmas

Trump also bragged about his electoral successes while talking with kids on Christmas Eve.

President Donald Trump tried to make the case to an 8-year-old that getting coal this Christmas isn’t all bad.

As the president and first lady Melania Trump took calls from kids dialing the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker hotline, Trump bragged about his “clean, beautiful coal.”

When asked by Trump, 79, what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas, the 8-year-old caller responded, “Uh, not coal.”

“Not coal, no, you don’t want coal… you mean clean, beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry,” Trump laughed.

“No, coal is clean and beautiful. Please remember that at all costs,” he added. “But you don’t want clean, beautiful coal, right?”

When the child confirmed, “No,” Trump asked, “What would you like?”

She said she wanted Barbies, American Girl dolls, clothes, and candy.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been trolling Trump for his erratic online posting for months, mocked the Trump administration for promoting coal this Christmas. Trump frequently touts coal as his preferred energy source while railing against clean energy sources like wind farms. At Christmas, however, coal in one’s stocking is seen as a punishment by Santa for being naughty that year.

An 8-year-old girl later asked Trump if Santa would get mad if they did not leave out any cookies for him. Trump responded by calling Santa overweight.

“I think he won’t get mad, but I think he’ll be very disappointed,” Trump replied.

“Santa, he tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side,” he joked. “Do you know what cherubic means? A little on the heavy side. I think Santa would like some cookies.”

Trump also touted his electoral successes in the state of Oklahoma as he took a call from a child there.

“Santa loves you. Santa loves Oklahoma like I do. You know, Oklahoma was very good to me in the election. So I love Oklahoma. Don’t ever leave Oklahoma, OK?” he told the kid.

The child responded, “OK, I’ll try.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-touts-clean-beautiful-coal-to-kids-at-christmas/?

ps:No such thing as Clean Coal!!!!

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Trump Fires Off Unhinged Merry Christmas Message to ‘Scum’

The president didn’t forget to send out a hate-filled holiday greeting on Christmas Eve.

President Donald Trump isn’t feeling merry on Christmas Eve.

Trump, 79, issued a scathing screed against “Radical Left Scum” in a 101-word Truth Social post on Wednesday night.

“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” he began, before launching into a laundry list of issues he has repeatedly pinned on his Democratic predecessors.

“We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement.”

Trump proceeded to tout a stock market rally that saw the S&P 500 and the Dow post record closing highs on Wednesday, as well as 4.3 percent GDP growth reported on Tuesday. He also claimed there was “no inflation”—even as the Bureau of Labor Statistics logged a 2.7 percent inflation rate last week.

“Tariffs have given us Trillions of Dollars in Growth and Prosperity, and the strongest National Security we have ever had,” he went on. “We are respected again, perhaps like never before. God Bless America!!!”

Just 20 minutes before going on a rant, Trump posted five links to stories by the right-leaning outlet Just the News, including articles headlined “Democrats’ push for Epstein files boomeranged with Clinton featured prominently throughout” and “Ex-FBI agent says Bondi has ‘slam dunk’ conspiracy case against Obama’s feds for election meddling.”

Raging Truth Social posts during holidays are par for the course for Trump, who called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “ret---ed” on Thanksgiving, declared that he “cannot stand” Democrats on the eve of Independence Day, and took aim at “radical left lunatics” in a posting spree on Easter.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on backlash to the president’s latest post.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump and first lady Melania sat down to field calls from children calling the hotline for the North American Aerospace Defense Command Santa tracker.

When the president asked one caller what she wanted from Santa for Christmas, she responded: “Uh, not coal.”

“Not coal, no, you don’t want coal. You mean clean, beautiful coal?” Trump said with a chuckle. “I had to do that, I’m sorry. No, coal is clean and beautiful. Please remember that at all costs.”

Trump, who despises clean energy sources like wind farms, has long promoted coal. During Christmastime, however, getting coal in the stocking is perceived as punishment from Santa for being naughty.

“But you don’t want clean, beautiful coal, right?” he asked the caller, who said she wanted dolls, clothes, and candy.

That might be a problem for parents, who were told by Trump to make some sacrifices amid a cost-of-living crisis during a rally earlier this month.

“You can give up certain products,” he said. “You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don’t need 37 dolls.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-fires-off-unhinged-merry-christmas-message-to-scum/?

ps:The only radical left person is trump himself!!!!!

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Musk’s DOGE Chainsaw Massacre Ended With Higher Spending

DOGE reportedly double-counted its cuts, exaggerated them, or took credit for contracts that had been axed under President Biden.

Federal spending went up under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which was created to cut costs.

A new report in The New York Times found that federal spending actually rose under DOGE. In fiscal year 2025, the federal government spent $7.01 trillion, while in fiscal year 2024, it spent $6.95 trillion, according to Treasury data.

FY25 began Oct. 1, 2024, and ended on Sept. 30 of this year, meaning Trump was president for the majority of the period during which spending increased. Musk began his DOGE project in January under an executive order Trump signed on his Inauguration Day.

While DOGE claimed it “made more than 29,000 cuts to the federal government—slashing billion-dollar contracts, canceling thousands of grants and pushing out civil servants,” the Times found that most of what DOGE said it cut was incorrect.

DOGE had published a list of canceled contracts and grants, but the largest 13 were incorrect.

The top two contracts were with the Department of Defense, which Musk claimed had been “terminated” and had saved taxpayers $7.9 billion. In reality, the Defense Department still has those contracts, according to the outlet.

The Times also found that only 12 of DOGE’s top 40 largest claims were accurate. DOGE also made several inaccurate claims about what it cut, and double-counted some cuts, including contracts cut during the Biden administration, and exaggerated its cuts.

Additionally, four of the contracts that DOGE said it had cut had been reinstated by courts, the outlet reported.

Musk had originally claimed his DOGE project would save the U.S. $2 trillion, but later cut that figure to $1 trillion. Towards the end of DOGE’s time in the Trump White House, Musk claimed DOGE cut $150 billion in federal spending, but did not provide details.

The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.

DOGE and Musk came out swinging in the early days of Trump’s second presidency, literally and figuratively.

The project, however, faced legal setbacks, and Musk was widely unpopular with Americans. Musk and President Trump had a very public falling out in June, just after Musk left the White House.

In addition to Musk’s reportedly bogus claims about government contracts, DOGE was responsible for cutting thousands of federal workers and targeting congressionally appropriated funds.

Courts later ruled, however, that federal employees at multiple agencies had to be rehired because they had been improperly fired. It was the federal government that wound up paying the bill to rehire them, since it had put them on paid leave when they were let go. Federal employees also collected back pay for periods when they were not working.

The federal workforce, firings, rehirings, paid leave, and productivity losses were estimated to have cost more than $135 billion in the last fiscal year, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on the federal workforce.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/musks-doge-chainsaw-massacre-ended-with-higher-spending/?

ps:Nothing new here! Anyone that didn't believe this was the biggest hoax should be ashamed of themselves!!!!!

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Top Republicans Give First Year Under Trump 2.0 a Failing Grade

“We dropped the ball miserably by not doing something on healthcare all year long.”

Republican lawmakers have admitted they got practically nothing done this year as President Donald Trump’s agenda stripped away their legislative output and dominated their work.

Just 38 bills were passed into law by Congress this year, the lowest legislative output for a first-year presidency in decades, The Washington Post reports.

The numbers are less than half the number of bills Congress passed during Trump’s first year in office in 2017, when 78 bills were passed. Under Joe Biden, 68 bills were passed in the first year of his presidency, while Obama’s administration signed off on 119 new laws in 2009.

“I guess we got the big, beautiful bill done,” GOP Rep. David Joyce told the Post. “Other than that, I really can’t point to much that we got accomplished.”

The reason for the slowdown, according to insiders, is Trump’s over-reliance on executive orders to advance his agenda, bypassing Congress and its razor-thin Republican majority wherever possible, as he has spent much of the year shifting power from the legislative branch to the executive.

“He has signed every executive order he could possibly think of on this,” said Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who noted that Trump signed more executive orders this year than in the whole of his first term.

“And there just comes a point at which it’s like, Congress sooner or later has to legislate. I mean, you can sign EOs, but he needs somebody to codify those,” he added.

In the Senate, around 60 percent of votes this year have been devoted to confirming Trump’s various nominees rather than approving legislation.

But not every member of Congress has been opposed to the president’s naked power grab. “We did what we said we would do. You know, the ’24 election was about securing the border, cutting taxes,” MAGA Rep. Jim Jordan said.

“Remember that great line he had in the joint address, when he said people said you needed a new law to secure the border. Turns out all you needed was a new president.”

The overwhelming feeling on The Hill, however, is that 2025 has been a flop for the Republican-controlled Congress, which is widely predicted to shed even more seats following next year’s midterm elections.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to shut down the government for a record-breaking 43 days in October and November has also been seen as a significant factor in the House’s failure to pass any meaningful legislation.

Johnson, however, defended the strategy, telling reporters, “It takes some time to implement new policies and root out the bad things, and that’s what’s happening.”

The Republicans’ strategy—or lack thereof—is also seen as a significant factor in Congress’s slowdown this year.

“We dropped the ball miserably by not doing something on healthcare all year long, knowing that the subsidy issue was going to be here at the end of the year,” Joyce added. “We didn’t do a damn thing about it.”

His words were echoed by Hawley, who added: “We need to lower the cost of healthcare, as quickly as possible, on every front… premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses. There’s a lot to do.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/top-republicans-give-first-year-under-trump-20-a-failing-grade/?

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• ?? Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura was declared the winner of Honduras' presidential election, ending weeks of delays and fraud allegations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio quickly congratulated him on the "clear electoral victory." Read more.

US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said the United States launched a “powerful and deadly” strike against forces of the Islamic State group in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to rein in the targeting of Christians.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-islamic-state-nigeria-43478823f0562cafc527fad1448a0542?

ps:weren't they defeated in his first term and never to be seen again??

U.S. hits Nigeria to defend Christians

Newspaper stall in Lagos, Nigeria, today. Photo: Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters The U.S. military "launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS" in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day following the targeting of Christians in the West African country, President Trump announced. The airstrike involved more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles fired off a Navy ship. (N.Y. Times) Get the latest.

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? Breaking: Zelensky, Bibi coming to Mar-a-Lago

?? Bulletin: President Trump is expected to host Ukrainian President Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to discuss his peace plan, Ukrainian officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: The meeting is a sign of significant progress in the negotiations over Trump's peace plan. Trump said several weeks ago that he'll meet Zelensky only when the parties are close to a deal.

The next day, Monday, Trump will meet at Mar-a-Lago with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Barak has learned.

• Trump plans several big announcements on Gaza in early January, but the next steps hinge on the meeting. White House officials think Netanyahu is slow-walking the peace process, and fear he'll resume the war with Hamas.

Netanyahu hopes to bring the president over to his more hawkish point of view despite butting heads with Trump's team, a senior Israeli official said.

? Zoom in: The White House wants to unveil a Palestinian technocratic government and International Stabilization Force for Gaza as soon as possible, and potentially even convene the Trump-led Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos later in January, White House officials say.

• But Netanyahu expressed skepticism about ideas by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for phase two of the deal, especially on the demilitarization of Gaza, during a recent meeting with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in Jerusalem, according to a source.

? Friction point: Trump's top team has grown increasingly frustrated as Netanyahu has taken steps to undermine the fragile ceasefire and stall the peace process.

• "It's JD, Marco, Jared, Steve, Susie. He has lost them. The only one he has left is the president, who still likes him. But even he wants to see the Gaza deal moving faster than it is right now," a White House official told Axios.

Trump-Zelenskyy talks will address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend.

https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-trump-peace-talks-refinery-donbas-demilitarized-9e37a9612d73cab7d3e74060aac46a36?

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Trump Plots Desperate Mar-a-Lago Summits to Save Flailing Peace Deals

Two wartime leaders will touch down in Florida for holiday talks as Trump’s envoys feud with one foreign head of state over a war-torn enclave’s future.

President Donald Trump is turning Mar-a-Lago into a holiday summit venue as he hosts two wartime leaders for back-to-back talks over his fragile peace agenda.

Trump, 79, has spent his second term casting himself as a “peace president,” promising on the campaign trail that on “day one” he would end Russia’s war on Ukraine, flying to Tel Aviv in October to gloat about “Everlasting Peace” after his Gaza ceasefire, and bragging repeatedly that he has already solved eight conflicts around the globe.

With his push to end the world’s two biggest wars under severe strain, and FIFA having invented a new “Peace Prize” to make Trump feel better for having been snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. president will be hoping 2026 brings more success —and will end 2025 hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on consecutive days at his Palm Beach resort.

Zelensky, 47, is expected to meet Trump on Sunday to discuss the White House peace blueprint for ending the war with Russia, Ukrainian officials told Axios. Zelensky had been informed that Trump would meet him only once a deal was close, and Kyiv allies now see the invitation as a sign that negotiations have entered a critical phase.

The following day, on Monday, Netanyahu, 76, is due to follow Zelensky to Trump’s Florida home for talks on the U.S. president’s sprawling Gaza proposal, which includes a 20-point peace plan, a new Palestinian technocratic government, and an international stabilization force on the ground.

According to Axios, Trump’s team hopes to lock in Netanyahu’s support before potentially unveiling the “Board of Peace” and its high representative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.

The Middle East meeting highlights a widening split between Trump’s envoys and Netanyahu over what comes next. Special envoy Steve Witkoff, 68, and Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, 44, have spent weeks huddling with officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey on phase two of the deal.

It would envision Hamas handing over heavy weapons and Israel pull back its forces as a vetted Palestinian government assumes control in Gaza.

Netanyahu has pushed back, according to Axios. In a meeting with Sen. Lindsey Graham in Jerusalem, he is said to have voiced skepticism about Witkoff and Kushner’s demilitarization ideas, the structure of the technocratic cabinet, the makeup of the stabilization force, and the prominent roles proposed for Qatar and Turkey, the outlet reported.

One senior Israeli official told Axios the upcoming Trump meeting boils down to “a one-man audience” in which the prime minister will try to pull Trump away from his own negotiators.

Trump’s inner circle is already fracturing over how to handle Netanyahu. Vice President JD Vance, 41, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 54, have joined Kushner, Witkoff, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in fuming at Israeli moves that Washington sees as undermining the ceasefire, including targeted killings of Hamas commanders that also slaughtered civilians.

“It’s JD, Marco, Jared, Steve, Susie. He has lost them. The only one he has left is the president,” a White House official told Axios of Netanyahu. One Israeli official told the site: “The question is whether Trump will side with him or with his top advisers.”

The infighting comes on top of questions around Witkoff and Kushner’s roles. Trump has increasingly leaned on Kushner to backstop Witkoff, a longtime real estate pal with no prior government experience, amid concerns inside MAGA world that the envoy has struggled to close deals.

In one November incident that did little to alleviate concern about Witkoff, the envoy was caught on a leaked call coaching Vladimir Putin’s top aide on how to flatter Trump and outlining Ukrainian territorial concessions, triggering bipartisan outrage in Washington.

Kushner and Witkoff’s “Project Sunrise” redevelopment proposal for Gaza envisions a $112.1 billion high-tech city on the ruins of the enclave, with Washington providing close to $60 billion in grants and guarantees.

Critics say the scheme risks blurring the line between Trump’s peace machinery and Kushner’s private investment vehicle Affinity Partners, which has already raised billions from Gulf sovereign wealth funds.

Axios’ reporting suggests that commercial-heavy vision is now also beginning to clash with Netanyahu’s security-first demands. White House officials told the outlet they see “buyer’s remorse” in Jerusalem over the 20-point plan Netanyahu signed up to. They have also grumbled that Israeli commanders sometimes look “trigger-happy” in Gaza even as Washington begs them to avoid civilian casualties and protect the fragile ceasefire.

Conversely, Zelensky has started to sound more upbeat about the shape of the Trump-brokered deal, saying on the Telegram app, according to Reuters, that he had a “really good conversation” with Witkoff on Christmas Day.

He added that negotiators have now nailed down a 20-point framework he can live with, after junking an earlier 28-point draft that Ukraine and many NATO allies criticized as far too favorable to Moscow.

The new package lets Ukraine keep an 800,000-strong army, promises NATO-style security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe, dangles EU membership on a fixed timetable, and sketches an $800 billion reconstruction and development push, while putting the whole agreement under a Trump-chaired Peace Council that can snap back sanctions if Russia cheats.

The most radioactive issues—including control of the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk, ideas for a demilitarized and internationally monitored zone in the east, and rival U.S. and Ukrainian proposals over who runs the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant—are being parked for leader-level talks with Trump.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House, the Office of the President of Ukraine, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-plots-desperate-mar-a-lago-summits-to-save-flailing-peace-deals/?

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Trump Humiliated as He Scores Lowest Kennedy Center Ratings Ever

Trump had boasted that “just about everybody” in America requested he host the Kennedy Center Honors.

President Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center Honors hosting debut on Tuesday flopped badly.

Preliminary ratings data show CBS’s broadcast of the awards show attracted its smallest audience ever, according to Programming Insider.

The 48th Kennedy Center Honors averaged roughly 2.65 million viewers on Tuesday, a 35 percent decline from the 4.1 million who tuned in for the 2024 ceremony, the outlet reported.

Trump, the first president to host the awards, had boasted before the show that the center’s board and “just about everybody else in America” wanted him to serve as emcee for the evening.

He dubbed the event “THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER HONORS” after a board packed with Trump loyalists voted last week to add Trump’s name to the longstanding memorial to John F. Kennedy—a move which several members of the Kennedy family have railed against.

The former reality TV star even mused on Truth Social about abandoning the presidency for television, should audiences approve of his performance.

“Tell me what you think of my ‘Master of Ceremony’ abilities. If really good, would you like me to leave the presidency in order to make ‘hosting’ a full-time job?” he asked.

CBS aired the pre-recorded ceremony without indulging Trump’s rebrand and trimmed his opening remarks from roughly 12 minutes to about two minutes.

The network cut out some of his freewheeling asides—including his crack at the laughing crowd as “horrible people.”

“If there is one thread that connects all of these amazing artists together, it is the word ‘persistence,’” Trump said. “I know so many of you, and you are persistent. Many of you are miserable, horrible people. But you are persistent, you never give up. Sometimes I wish you’d give up, but you don’t.”

Ratings for Kennedy Center Honors broadcasts have been on the decline, with 2024’s 4.1 million viewers already a record low, according to Vulture’s Josef Adalian, who noted that 5.2 million viewers tuned in in 2022.

Adalian said Tuesday’s broadcast performed even more poorly among “demos”—advertisers’ most valued age group—coming in at roughly half of 2024’s ratings. He called the numbers a “massacre.”

The 2025 awards show, which was held on Dec. 7, celebrated songwriter George Strait, actors Michael Crawford and Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, and the rock band KISS.

The honorees were picked by the Kennedy Center board, which Trump hijacked in February when he fired its existing members and installed himself as chair.

The 2024 Kennedy Center Honors, which took place under President Joe Biden, honored The Godfather filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the rock band the Grateful Dead, singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, and the Apollo, a New York City arts institution.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-humiliated-as-he-scores-lowest-kennedy-center-honors-ratings-ever/?

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Kennedy Center Holiday Concert Canceled After Host Pulls Out Over Trump Name Change

The Christmas Eve concert has been a holiday tradition for more than 20 years.

A Christmas Eve jazz concert was scrapped after President Donald Trump added his name to the Kennedy Center.

Chuck Redd, a jazz drummer and vibraphonist who has hosted the concert for nearly a decade, said Friday that he would call off the performance after the White House announced that the iconic venue would be rebranded as the Trump–Kennedy Center.

“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told the Associated Press in an email. The venue name change was approved on Dec. 18 by a board of MAGA loyalists appointed by Trump, 79, after he became chair of the board in February.

Since the name change—which now appears on the building’s façade reading The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts—an ex officio trustee, Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, 75, filed a lawsuit arguing that the change is void because only Congress can amend the center’s name by statute.

The canceled jazz concert has been a holiday tradition for more than 20 years.

Redd’s decision comes after folk singer Kristy Lee canceled her performance at the center, which had been scheduled for Jan. 14.

“When American history starts getting treated like something you can ban, erase, rename, or rebrand for somebody else’s ego, I can’t stand on that stage and sleep right at night,” Lee wrote in a statement on Facebook about her decision.

Other artists who have canceled shows at the center following the name change include Issa Rae and Peter Wolf, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s planned production of Hamilton.

The Kennedy Center was established through bipartisan legislation to create a National Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., which was signed into law in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy launched a $30 million fundraising campaign for the center’s construction.

The center was named after President Kennedy following his assassination, through an Act of Congress signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

The Daily Beast has contacted the Kennedy Center for comment regarding the cancellation of the jazz concert, but did not receive an immediate response.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/musician-cancels-kennedy-center-holiday-concert-after-trump-name-change/?

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Triggered Trump Takes Another Run at Distancing Himself From Epstein

“Enjoy what may be your very last Merry Christmas!” the president told the “losers” he predicts will go down when he finally releases the Epstein files.

President Donald Trump was on the defensive again on Christmas night regarding his ties to late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump, 79, began a bizarre Truth Social post on Thursday with one long, rambling sentence about the “sleazebags” who loved Epstein—himself not included, even though Epstein once said he was Trump’s “closest friend.”

“Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his Island, attended his parties, and thought he was the greatest guy on earth, only to ‘drop him like a dog’ when things got too HOT, falsely claimed they had nothing to do with him, didn’t know him, said he was a disgusting person, and then blame, of course, President Donald J. Trump, who was actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so,” Trump wrote.

Trump, who was captured on video at a Mar-a-Lago party with Epstein in 1992, did have great things to say about the future sex offender 10 years later, despite what his post suggests.

“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” he told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Trump and Epstein reportedly had a falling out around the mid-2000s. In July, Trump claimed this was because Epstein “stole people that worked for me.”

“I said: ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again, and I threw him out of the place—persona non grata. I threw him out, and that was it. I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth.”

Over the years, Trump has given other reasons for his rift with Epstein, including simply that he was “a real creep.”

In his post on Thursday, Trump suggested that Democrats are the ones who should be concerned regarding the Epstein files that the Department of Justice still hasn’t released, even though the legal deadline was last Friday.

“When their names get brought out in the ongoing Radical Left Witch Hunt (plus one lowlife ‘Republican,’ Massie!), and it is revealed that they are Democrats all, there will be a lot of explaining to do, much like there was when it was made public that the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax was a fictitious story—a total Scam—and had nothing to do with ‘TRUMP,’” he wrote, singling out The New York Times.

“Now the same losers are at it again, only this time so many of their friends, mostly innocent, will be badly hurt and reputationally tarnished. But sadly, that’s the way it is in the World of Corrupt Democrat Politics!!!” he concluded. “Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas!”

For his part, Massie soon responded on X that Trump wasn’t making sense.

“Merry Christmas to you too Mr. President,” Massie wrote. “So… I’ve teamed up with radical left democrats to expose… Democrats. This 4D chess is fun!”

More than “a million” documents related to Epstein could still be released, the DOJ said Thursday, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche adding that the process could take weeks, despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandating that all unclassified files related to Epstein be made publicly available in a searchable format by Dec. 19.The DOJ has already been slammed by many of Epstein’s victims for “abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation” regarding files that it has released thus far.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/triggered-trump-takes-another-run-at-distancing-himself-from-epstein/?

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Trump Posts Nearly 150 Times in Unhinged Christmas Day Spree

The president amplified conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and called for a member of Congress to be deported.

President Donald Trump gifted the world nearly 150 Truth Social posts (and counting) on Christmas Day, where he complained about the 2020 election, the media, Democrats, Somali immigrants, and other favorite targets.In the early hours of Thursday, Christmas Day, the president shared a flurry of posts, many of which amplified baseless claims made by his allies and fans. It’s unclear if Trump, 79, published the posts himself or if he was in bed after attending a holiday dinner at Mar-a-Lago with his wife and father-in-law, then wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone—including “Radical Left Scum.” The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.

The president’s posts were filled with many breathless claims, including a video of longtime Trump pal Rudy Giuliani baselessly stating that 315,000 votes had been added to Joe Biden’s tally in Fulton County, Georgia.

Giuliani was not only indicted in that state over his election-thwarting efforts, but was separately found guilty of defaming two poll workers he accused of fraud. He ultimately settled a $148 million defamation judgment for an undisclosed amount, on the condition that he stop defaming them. But Trump on Thursday supported calls for the 66-year-old grandmother and her 41-year-old daughter to “pay back” the former New York City mayor.

Trump followed that up by reposting a baseless claim by a user called WallStreetApes about the 2020 election in Michigan being “rigged,” then boosting a conspiracy theory from comedian Roseanne Barr that the COVID pandemic was a Democratic plot to push mail-in ballots to hurt Trump’s reelection chances.

The president also shared a video of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller ranting about Somali immigrants.

“When you see the state of Somalia, that’s what they want for America,” Miller, 40, says in the clip. “Because it’s easier to rule over an empire of ashes than it is for the Democratic Party to rule over a functioning, Western, high-trust society with a strong middle class… That’s their model for America: to make the whole country into a version of Somalia.”

Trump then continued his attacks on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who was born in Somalia.

Along with a video of former Fox News host Megyn Kelly calling Omar’s citizenship into question, Trump demanded: “Throw her out of the U.S., Now!”

The president also argued that the economic picture is not as bad as some polls have suggested. He shared a Fox News interview in which Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick bizarrely claimed that, because of the 4.3 percent growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter of the year, “all” Americans are going to make “4.3 percent more money.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-posts-nearly-200-times-in-unhinged-christmas-day-spree/?

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Zelensky "ready" for peace vote

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to agree on a framework for ending Ukraine's war with Russia when he meets with President Trump on Sunday, he told Axios' Barak Ravid in a phone interview. ⏸️ Zelensky also revealed that he's willing to bring that plan up for a vote if Russia agrees to at least a 60-day ceasefire. While Zelensky emphasized that great progress has been made, Trump's plan still demands painful territorial concessions from Ukraine. ?? Zelensky is still hoping to improve those terms, saying he will need to seek the Ukrainian people's approval if they can't get to a "strong" position on territory. ?? The U.S. side sees it as a major step forward that Zelensky is willing to hold a referendum and may accept territorial concessions. But Zelensky told Axios that such a vote would have major political, logistical and security complications. ?️ That's why he thinks a 60-day ceasefire "is the minimum." ?? A senior U.S. official tells Axios that the Russians understand the need for a ceasefire during any referendum, but want a shorter timetable. Zelensky also said it's not yet clear to him whether Russia will agree to Trump's plan. What's next: Zelensky said the goal of his meeting with Trump is to set a framework for ending the war — including the schedule. "I think now we are at the next level, and that's why we need to negotiate with presidents." Go deeper.

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• ?️ The Trump administration will lay out its construction plan for the new White House ballroom at a commission meeting next month. Go deeper.

US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians

President Donald Trump said the United States launched a “powerful and deadly” strike against forces of the Islamic State group in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to rein in the targeting of Christians. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Nigerian villagers are rattled by US airstrikes that made their homes shake and the sky glow red Trump-Zelenskyy talks will address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says ICE agents shoot at a moving vehicle on Christmas Eve, injuring 2 Judge blocks Trump effort to strip security clearance from attorney who represented whistleblowers Tina Peters asks Colorado appeals court to recognize Trump’s pardon, release her from prison Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

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Trump’s deportation plans threaten 400,000 direct care jobs

Older adults and people with disabilities could lose vital in-home support

https://www.epi.org/blog/trumps-deportation-plans-threaten-400000-direct-care-jobs-older-adults-and-people-with-disabilities-could-lose-vital-in-home-support/?

U.S. Military Killed Boat Strike Survivors for Not Surrendering Correctly

Two men clung to what remained of their capsized boat. One moment, they had been cutting through the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea at a rapid clip. The next, their vessel exploded and was engulfed in fire and shrouded in smoke. The men were shipwrecked, helpless or clearly in distress, six witnesses who saw video of the attack say. The survivors pulled themselves onto the overturned hull as an American aircraft filmed them from above. The men waved their arms.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/23/boat-strikes-venezuela-hegseth-bradley-legal/?

Bari Weiss Is Doing Exactly What She Was Installed at CBS to Do

The media world is disgusted and indignant at CBS News’s new editor-in-chef Bari Weiss’s decision not to air a “60 Minutes” segment critical of the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador. (In a now-deleted promo clip for the segment, the reporter said the migrants endured “four months of hell,” with one man saying, when asked if he thought he was going to die, “We thought we were already the living dead.”) According to a statement from CBS correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, the report had been internally reviewed and cleared by broadcaster’s legal and standards departments. It had also been heavily promoted on “60 Minutes”’ social media. But three hours before it was set to air, Weiss pulled the segment, citing the need for “additional reporting” and on-camera interviews with White House officials –– who had reportedly refused to comment for weeks.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/22/bari-weiss-cbs-60-minutes/?

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Epstein’s Brother’s Wild Trump FBI Tip Revealed

Mark Epstein claimed that his brother was killed in his jail cell because he was about to “name names.”

The brother of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein claimed to the FBI that Epstein was killed in his jail cell because he was about to “name names” and alleged that President Donald Trump “authorized” the murder.

A new batch of Epstein files released by the Justice Department on Tuesday included an online FBI tip Mark Epstein filed in 2023.

“Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in his jail cell. I have reason to believe he was killed because he was about to name names,” Mark wrote. “I believe Presient [sic] Trump authorized is [sic] murder.”

Mark, 71, wrote that the alleged murder took place on Aug. 9, 2019—the day before Epstein, 66, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson ruled Epstein’s death a suicide by hanging. Trump—then in his first term—has never been implicated or charged in any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s death.

But Mark Epstein has long claimed that his well-connected elder brother was killed.

“Everybody who sees all the information, no one believes it was a suicide. So in that case, then it was a murder,” Mark Epstein told the Daily Beast on Tuesday. “And if it was a murder, who would have the ability to orchestrate this and have it covered up?”“Who would they be protecting, and who would have the ability or the authority to orchestrate this in a federal jail?” Mark asked.

“In the last six years, people have thrown all kinds of names at me—the Clintons, Leon Black, Mossad—all these different potential murderers. But who, out of them, would have the ability to have the DOJ cover this up?”

Mark, a real estate developer, declined to comment directly on his FBI tip, which he submitted while Joe Biden was in office, but noted that the FBI never contacted him about it.

“I don’t want anyone to think I’m just a brother who doesn’t want to believe his brother committed suicide,” Mark told the Daily Beast. “I fully believed it until the autopsy was done.”

Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy was conducted by Dr. Kristin Roman, a New York City medical examiner, and was observed by Dr. Michael Baden, a renowned pathologist hired by Mark. At first, Roman listed the manner of death as “pending.” Days later, Sampson said she had reviewed additional evidence and changed the ruling to suicide, according to CBS News.

Baden then disputed the official finding, saying that injuries found on Epstein’s body, including a broken bone in his neck, were “extremely unusual in suicidal hangings” and more consistent with “homicidal strangulation.”

A series of security lapses at the jail where Epstein was held have also added fuel to claims that the disgraced financier was murdered.

The batch of files released on Tuesday came with a warning from the DOJ that some documents “contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.”

“To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already,” the DOJ wrote on X.

Mark submitted his FBI tip on Feb. 23, 2023—after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election. The Daily Beast has sought comment from the DOJ.

When reached for comment, the White House referred the Daily Beast to an X post from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“There has been lots of sensationalism and even outright lies these past few days about the ‘Epstein Files,’” Blanche wrote on Tuesday evening. “But let’s separate fact from fiction. Document production is just that. We produce documents, and sometimes this can result in releasing fake or false documents because they simply are in our possession, because the law requires this.”

Blanche’s post came after the latest drop of Epstein files included an allegation of rape against Trump, as well as a purported letter from Epstein to a fellow child sex offender claiming the president shared their love of “young, nubile girls.” The DOJ later released a statement that the FBI had concluded Epstein’s alleged jailhouse letter was a “fake.”

The FBI declined to comment when reached by the Daily Beast.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-brothers-wild-donald-trump-fbi-tip-revealed/?

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Joe Rogan Agrees Trump Is ‘Losing It’: ‘How Is This Real?’

Rogan said there’s “nothing nuttier” than the plaques Trump put under the former president’s photos.

Podcaster Joe Rogan has come to terms with the fact that the man he endorsed for president in 2024 is not all there one year later.

When Rogan’s guest Tom Segura declared that Donald Trump was “losing it” on The Joe Rogan Experience on Tuesday, Rogan agreed, adding, “I think everybody does when you get to a certain age.” Segura brought up several examples, including Trump’s renaming of the Kennedy Center in his own honor.

“That’s nutty,” Rogan said, but “there’s nothing nuttier than the plaques underneath the president’s names” in the White House, he declared. Rogan said he thought to himself after reading them, “How is this real?” Trump added new plaques to his White House “Presidential Walk of Fame” last week, demeaning many former presidents with tacky insults.

“Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History,” reads one, while another calls Barack Obama “one of the most divisive political figures in American History.”

Rogan wondered aloud on Tuesday, “How are you allowed to do that?” The podcast host suggested that Trump should get himself a “right-hand man,” someone who could say “Sir, I understand the motive…” and then talk him out of his craziest ideas.

In addition to age, Rogan said, “The stress of going through what that guy went through, where they were trying to jail him when they were going after him with the Russia thing, the Russia hoax, and all that s--t. Like they were trying everything they could to destroy him, just that alone’s gotta break your brain,” he said. “And then they took a shot at him,” he added, referring to the July attempt on Trump’s life.

Elsewhere in the conversation, as Rogan complained of redacted information from the DOJ’s Epstein file dumps, he demanded accountability from Epstein’s co-conspirators while keeping Trump’s name out of the entire discussion.

“They’re doing it so slowly,” Rogan complained about Trump’s Department of Justice. “Like you guys have had this stuff for a year. Doesn’t it seem like you could just throw all that into AI at this stage of the game? And just redact the names of the victims, and let’s go.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/joe-rogan-agrees-trump-is-losing-it-how-is-this-real/?

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Trump, 79, Delivers Deranged Threat to TV Networks in Yuletide Meltdown

The president spent the first few minutes of Christmas Eve saying a popular TV host should be “put to sleep, NOW.”

President Donald Trump has entered into the Christmas spirit of peace on Earth and goodwill to all by threatening to terminate the TV networks that don’t praise him.

Trump, 79, embarked on a fiery festive rant on Truth Social in the very early hours of Wednesday morning, Christmas Eve, that ended with the president prematurely wishing his followers a “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!” 24 hours early.

The fuming president launched one of his frequent tirades against American TV networks, claiming they were against him. This week, however, CBS seemed to pander to the president’s whims by spiking a story about the Trump administration deporting Venezuelan migrants to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador just three hours before it was due to air on Sunday’s 60 Minutes.

“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated?” Trump posted on Tuesday. He then answered his own question: “I say, YES!”

Trump has seemingly been emboldened to threaten networks after his hand-picked FCC chief, Brendan Carr, got involved in taking Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air for a week in September, after he made a joke about the MAGA reaction to the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

While the FCC cannot cancel broadcasting licenses for major TV networks such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, it can control their local affiliate stations, which is how Carr attempted to cancel Trump foe Kimmel, resulting in only a brief suspension.

It wasn’t just news networks that bothered Trump on Christmas Eve.

Fresh from promoting his own pre-recorded appearance “hosting” the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS on Tuesday night, the president was triggered by his regular comedy arch-enemy, Stephen Colbert.

Though Colbert’s program is currently in reruns for the holidays, Trump still found time to fire off a bizarre demand for CBS to euthanize the 61-year-old’s late-night show before his contract ends in May.

“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success,” Trump wrote.

Claiming Colbert was “left out to dry” after a termination by CBS that Trump celebrated, the president repeated his trusty insult about failing ratings.

“Stephen is running on hatred and fumes,” he said unironically. “A dead man walking! CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!”

Trump’s outburst could have also been prompted by headlines this week about Colbert being marked for a potential presidential bid in 2028.

It has been a busy week for Trump and CBS. CBS News’ new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was reportedly the person behind the decision to pull the 60 Minutes segment.

Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter behind the spiked story on the CECOT prison, said in a leaked memo, “If the standard for airing a story becomes ‘the government must agree to be interviewed,’ then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.”

The president, who turns 80 next year, then pondered to his 11 million followers, “Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!”

Trump has teased the threat of stripping TV licenses several times this year, citing unfair coverage.

In the days after Kimmel’s show was suspended, he claimed that “97 percent” of the networks are against him.

“When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that’s all they do—if you go back, I guess they haven’t had a conservative one in years, or something—when you go back and take a look, all they do is hit Trump. They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-delivers-deranged-threat-to-tv-networks-in-yuletide-meltdown/?

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Trump Goon Invents Own Math to Paint Rosy Economic Outlook

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick got creative with numbers during a Tuesday Fox News appearance.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick offered a baffling take on the current state of the economy and its impact on household incomes during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News.

Speaking to former Trump top aide Kellyanne Conway on Hannity, Lutnick insinuated that the 4.3 percent GDP growth seen in the U.S. economy during Q3 corresponds directly to a 4.3 percent increase in people’s incomes.

“What that means is that Americans overall—the all of us—are going to earn 4.3 percent more money,” Lutnick claimed. “We’re making a raise. It’s a simple way to do it. We’ve got more jobs, lower energy costs, and lower interest rates coming.”

“This is the golden age coming,“ he continued. “4.3 percent this quarter means Americans, on average, are making more money, more money in their pocketbooks. That makes for a great Christmas.”

While an increase in GDP can mean a healthier economy, including more opportunities for employment and higher salaries, the number has no direct bearing on an individual’s bank account.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, that 4.3 percent economic bump for the year’s third quarter—the results of which were delayed due to the government shutdown—was largely the result of increased household spending. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate ticked up slightly more than expected to 4.6 percent in November, the highest since September 2021.

Despite some signs of economic growth, recent polling indicates that almost half of all Americans are heading into 2026 with a negative economic outlook, with 47 percent feeling that current economic conditions are poor.

Lutnick, a billionaire who worked on Wall Street before joining President Donald Trump’s cabinet in February, is no stranger to impossible math.

On Dec. 18, Fox News anchor John Roberts confronted Lutnick about the Trump administration’s claim that it has lowered drug prices by as much as “600 percent,” which Roberts pointed out was “mathematically impossible.”

“If you cut something by 100 percent, the cost goes down to zero,” Roberts explained. “If you cut it by four, five, or six hundred percent, the drug companies are actually paying you to take their products.”

Lutnick’s response to being cornered made little sense. “What he’s saying is if a drug was $100 and you bring the drug down to $13, right? If you’re looking at it from $13, it’s down seven times,” he argued, ignoring how percentages are measured. In the same example, paying $13 versus $100 would mean an 87 percent price cut.

“$13 would have to go up 700 percent to get back to the old one. So it all depends on how you look at it,” Lutnick continued, digging himself further into a hole of mathematical confusion. “You could say it’s down 87 percent, or you could say it would have to go up 700 percent to be the same.”

He went on to claim that, exact numbers aside, “we all know” what the president is saying.

“We are hammering the price of drugs down. That’s what’s happening, and he’s announcing it all the time. He’s got more announcements even between now and the end of the year,” Lutnick told Roberts.

Lutnick previously faced criticism for dismissing Americans’ cost-of-living concerns after appearing on CNBC earlier this month and insisting that “nothing bad is happening,” even though 67 percent of Americans say they’re living paycheck-to-paycheck.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-goon-invents-own-math-to-paint-rosy-economic-outlook/?

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Epstein slow drip

President Trump speaks with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Marine One last week. Photo: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters The Trump administration estimates it has about one week to go — and as many as 700,000 more pages to review — before it finishes releasing all the Jeffrey Epstein files, Axios' Marc Caputo scoops. Two major documents — a draft 60-count federal indictment of Epstein that was inexplicably quashed, and an 82-page prosecution memo from 2007 — are expected to be released after broad bipartisan pressure. Why it matters: No other controversy has sandbagged President Trump's second term like the Epstein files, which triggered a rare revolt by congressional Republicans and continue generating endless coverage. Trump and the Justice Department have compounded their problems with clumsy messaging and puzzling redactions, while pledging transparency. Axios has learned the White House has begun managing the DOJ's account on X. The account is taking on a sharper tone with a more rapid-response campaign edge. A posting yesterday afternoon by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Via X ? Zoom in: Yesterday's release of about 30,000 new investigative records highlighted the administration's predicament in mass-disclosing information. Numerous documents mentioned Trump and Epstein. But the Justice Department determined an alleged 2019 jailhouse letter from Epstein to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar was "FAKE." The document was postdated after Epstein's death and was processed by a Virginia mail room that didn't handle letters from Epstein's New York jail. ? Behind the scenes: There's a palpable sense of exasperation and annoyance in the administration about all of the headlines about Trump and Epstein, and the inability to explain everything and just get the disclosure over with. "It's a combination of extreme frustration at everything: at what Congress did, at our response to it, and a concern that it won't go away," an official said. "There's also a little bit of indignation at the media — that this wasn't even a story for years and years. And now, not only is it a story, but the top of many news pages on a given day." ? What's next: So far, about 750,000 records have been reviewed and disclosed by a team of about 200, and about 700,000 more records remain to be examined, another official said. Many of those records are duplicates, so 700,000 more individual records won't be disclosed, another official said. But thousands more should be released. "This will end soon," another official said. "The conspiracy theories won't."

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Trump's Cabinet of main characters

Photo Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

Several members of President Trump's national security team have adopted unusually large public profiles — with frequent on-camera appearances, headline-grabbing social posts and even dramatic wardrobes, Axios' Dave Lawler, Colin Demarest and Brittany Gibson write. Why it matters: It's no secret that Trump prefers his appointees to appear straight out of central casting. But in national security roles, showmanship can become a liability. FBI Director Kash Patel has seized the spotlight far more than his predecessors — sometimes for the wrong reasons. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has cast herself as the star of a well-funded media campaign — often pictured in tactical gear. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also appears on camera regularly. "I know something about filling cable news segments," he said earlier this month at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. "You've got to do it." Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Axios it's no accident that Hegseth has become "the most public-facing" secretary ever. "Compared to the previous administration, our social media presence is direct, engaging and unmatched," she said. ? Zoom in: In two high-profile incidents — the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the shooting at Brown University — Patel rushed to social media to trumpet an arrest, only for it to later emerge the perpetrator remained at large. A recently retired FBI agent told Axios that Patel's tendency to appear before the cameras in FBI windbreakers prompted internal eye-rolls: "You're the director of the FBI. Wear a f***ing suit," they said. Patel has faced a string of unflattering headlines in recent days, including news that the FBI ordered armored BMWs to transport him. "Patel had pressed the FBI for this high-end vehicle for the purpose of being less conspicuous," MS NOW reports. "FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson confirmed that the FBI purchased BMW X5s for the director's use, saying the bureau planned to acquire updated vehicles and this choice was less expensive than others it considered." ? Behind the scenes: A source familiar with the planning for one recent FBI operation said it included an unusual topic: What if the boss shows up? Patel's office always sought advance notice for any newsworthy arrests, and agents wondered if he might appear at the scene. They were advised to keep their heads down and not engage. He didn't turn up. Noem has literally made herself the face of Trump's immigration policy — starring in a $200 million ad campaign on social media and the airwaves. Trump likes to see his officials on TV news. And they like to be seen.

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JD's 2028 plotting

Erika Kirk greets Vice President JD Vance during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Phoenix on Dec. 21. Photo: Jon Cherry/AP Vice President JD Vance plans to literally fly above MAGA's rising civil war — campaigning coast to coast in the midterms and sticking close to President Trump, while building support for an expected presidential run in 2028, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports. Why it matters: Vance has to get ready for a national campaign. But he can't look too eager, since President Trump isn't one to share the spotlight. ? Vance aides say he's focused on next November's midterms, not thinking about 2028. But talking with outside Vance allies and others familiar with his thinking, Axios stitched together the VP's five-pronged plan for making 2026 pay off later: Be a loyal VP. Vance's biggest priority is to show he's loyal to Trump above all else. Trump is the dominant figure in the Republican Party, and that won't change before 2028 kicks off. So for Vance to be the GOP nominee, he'll need Trump's strong backing. Republicans expect Vance to continue to vocally support Trump's policies, even ones that aren't always popular with some parts of the GOP. Stay out of MAGA's civil war. Vance has no intention of taking sides in the civil war among celebrity MAGA podcasters, who are fighting bitterly and publicly over antisemitism and America's role abroad. The feuds were a backdrop for Vance's appearance earlier this month at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest, where he condemned "endless, self-defeating purity tests," and said he "didn't bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to deplatform." One person familiar with Vance's thinking said he's working to be a "voice of unity against the left." Raise big money. Vance was named finance chair of the Republican National Committee, helping him meet top donors nationwide long before a 2028 campaign. The VP has deep connections among Silicon Valley billionaires, but still needs to cultivate more traditional GOP fundraisers and check-writers. Locking down big donors will also help Vance deprive potential GOP challengers — including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri — of the cash they'd need. Play big in '26. Vance is expected to spend much of next year campaigning for Republican midterm candidates. That'll help him earn chits, deepen his ties to local organizers and activists, and get new allies who could be helpful for what's next. He'll also hone his skills on the stump. Lean on an influencer army. Vance could soon face fire from would-be Republican challengers. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky edged into that territory last week on ABC's "This Week," refusing to back Vance as the party's next standard-bearer. He'll try to rely on conservative online personalities who've long been in his corner, including Donald Trump Jr. and Jack Posobiec. Many of those figures advocated for Trump to pick Vance. ? William Martin, communications director to the vice president, told us that Vance "has been very clear since taking office in January that his number one priority would be helping President Trump fulfill their campaign promises of secure borders, affordable prices and safety in our communities." "In the new year, Vice President Vance will continue delivering on those promises while campaigning aggressively with Republicans across the country to win the midterms."

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Kennedy Center criticizes musician who canceled performance after Trump name added to building

The president of the Kennedy Center fiercely criticized musician Chuck Redd's decision to cancel a Christmas Eve performance at the venue days after the White House announced that President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the facility. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building   ⚡ Trump: Ukraine deal "closer than ever" President Trump said after his meeting yesterday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine and Russia are "closer than ever" to a peace deal, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: While Zelensky emphasized that significant progress has been made, Trump's plan demands painful territorial concessions from Ukraine. Trump said Russian territorial demands in the Donbas region, which borders Russia, remain the thorniest issue. Zelensky insists that any territorial concessions must be approved in a referendum. ? Behind the scenes: Two hours before meeting with Zelensky, Trump spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and discussed the U.S. peace plan. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Putin thinks the temporary ceasefire Ukraine proposed for holding a referendum on the peace plan "will only prolong the conflict." ? What's next: Zelensky and Trump said more negotiations will take place next month between the U.S., Ukraine and European countries to finalize the details. Trump said he has offered to travel to Kyiv to speak to Ukraine's parliament if it would help get a deal done. Keep reading.

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US pledges $2B for UN humanitarian aid as Trump slashes funding The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to slash U.S. foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities. Read more.

What to know: The money is a small fraction of what the U.S. has contributed in the past but reflects what the administration believes is a generous amount that will maintain the United States’ status as the world’s largest humanitarian donor. The pledge creates an umbrella fund from which money will be doled out to individual agencies and priorities, a key part of U.S. demands for drastic changes across the world body.   The $2 billion is only a sliver of traditional U.S. humanitarian funding for U.N.-backed programs, which has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years, according to U.N. data. Critics say the Western aid cutbacks have been shortsighted, driven millions toward hunger, displacement or disease, and harmed U.S. soft power around the world.

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MAGA Begs Trump to Make Bungling Bondi His First Scalp

Anger towards the attorney general has been simmering for months, but is now reaching fever pitch.

President Donald Trump is facing growing pressure from his base to fire Attorney General Pam Bondi or face a growing MAGA backlash ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Ten months after appointing Bondi as the nation’s top justice official, the president is closing out the year with conservative influencers and supporters accusing her of failing to deliver justice on everything from the Epstein files and the so-called “Russia-gate” saga, to the January 6 committee members and Trump’s “deep state” enemies.

Anger against Bondi has been simmering for months, but reached a fever pitch in the past week amid MAGA panic that the the statute of limitations to prosecute January 6 House select committee members could expire in a matter of days.

Five years after the violent attack at the U.S Capitol, Trump’s supporters want the Justice Department to make good on his campaign comments: that “everybody on that committee” - which included former GOP Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - should “go to jail.”

“After nearly a year as Attorney General (sworn in early 2025), Bondi has failed epically to deliver on MAGA’s key issue: accountability,” wrote MAGA-backed lawyer Tom Renz.

“She has delivered zero high-profile prosecutions—no major indictments, no perp walks—and statutes of limitations are ticking down on cases like J6 committee crimes (some expiring Jan. 6, 2026). We post and share to urge Trump to fire Bondi and hire someone capable of fulfilling campaign promises.”

In response to the ongoing backlash, Trump loyalist Harmeet Dhillon, who works as an assistant attorney general, took to social media on Sunday night to defend her boss in a wild NSFW posting spree where she described unnamed influencers as “hoes.”

She also explained that January “NOT a deadline” for DOJ to bring prosecutions.

“If you think you are ‘keeping the pressure on’ or ‘winning’ by spreading bulls--t attacks on @realdonaldtrump’s hand-picked cabinet, you are NOT,” she wrote. “You are earning money to spread misinformation. You are hoes. Learn an honest profession!”

After numerous rants, she later posted a photo of a hat she had been knitting, lamenting that she was an hour behind on her stitches “thanks to influencer ret--ds.”

Asked if Bondi still had the president’s support, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast: “President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi, who is doing a great job implementing the President’s agenda.”

But Bondi’s online critics nonetheless doubled down on Monday morning, with many calling for Trump to fire her, while others pushed back on Dhillon’s defense.

“With all due respect Harmeet, this is a completely tone deaf statement,” wrote Michael Flynn Jr, the son of Trump’s former national security adviser.

MAGA supporter Steve Ferguson added that the DOJ’s track record so far had been “abysmal,” citing its botched prosecutions of former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James as recent examples.

“Much, much more is required and time is short. The upcoming midterms look ‘dicey’,” he warned.

Trump influencer David Freeman, who goes by the online persona “Gunther Eagleman, wrote: “Attention @AGPamBondi, Americans are TIRED of waiting for accountability,” to which another user responded: “President Donald J Trump: either light a fire under your DOJ or you will go down in flames and America with you.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to Bondi and the Department of Justice for comment.

Bondi was a former personal attorney for Trump, who he picked to be his Attorney General after his first choice, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, was plagued by a sex scandal involving an underage girl.

MAGA’s anger towards her erupted months ago, after she organized a supposed “scoop” for social media influencers, who were called to the White House and presented with binders of Epstein-related documents.

But as it turned out, those binders contained hundreds of pages that mostly had been public for years.

“I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,” Trump’s chief-of-staff Susie Wiles said in a jaw-dropping interview published by Vanity Fair this month.

Four months later, in a bid to kill the Epstein saga, the Justice Department released a memo saying there was no client list and that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”

This enraged the base even more, prompting Trump to put out a Truth Social message asking: “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!”

“We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”

The Epstein firestorm has nonetheless continued to haunt the administration, with the DOJ now under fire over how it has handled releasing millions of documents it holds.

Trump, meanwhile, has become increasingly frustrated about the issue.

“DOJ is being forced to spend all of its time on this Democrat inspired Hoax. When do they say NO MORE, and work on Election Fraud etc,” he wrote over the weekend.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-begs-trump-to-make-bungling-bondi-his-first-scalp/?