Tag Archives: Oval Office

Raw Story: Trump’s henchmen are driving him to Supreme Court clash that he doesn’t care about: expert

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President Donald Trump seems likely to stage a major showdown with the U.S. Supreme Court that a legal expert believes is an intentional effort to gather up authoritarian powers.

The president has been attacking judges who rule against him in legal challenges to his executive orders, and Stanford Law School’s Matthew Seligman told The New Republic’s Greg Sargent that Vice President JD [“Dunce”] Vance and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen [“Goebbels”] Miller were even more eager than Trump to break the courts.

“This implicates an important distinction between Trump as an optical authoritarian versus [“Dunce”] Vance and [“Goebbels”] Miller as substantive authoritarians,” Seligman said. “Trump wants the trappings of authoritarianism. He wants everybody to talk about how he’s the most powerful person, and he wants it to look like he’s in charge.”

“He wants the big parade,” …

But:

The vice president and Trump’s deputy chief of staff want to break the court’s opposition to Trump so the president carry out the “pure will of the people,” meaning the MAGA base, without bureaucratic obstacles, as Sargent put it.

“[“Goebbels”] Miller and [“Dunce”] Vance, I think, are much more committed to substantive authoritarianism,” Seligman agreed. “They actually want to exercise the power. They actually want to degrade the rule of law because they actually want to impose this particular vision — very dark vision — of America’s future on the country. 

Trump’s henchmen are driving him to Supreme Court clash that he doesn’t care about: expert

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-supreme-court-2672130148

CNN: Trump warns America’s businesses: Eat my tariffs, or pay the price

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President Donald Trump is sending a stern warning to Corporate America: He will use his bully pulpit to publicly shame companies that dare to raise prices because of tariffs.

Walmart:

After Walmart last week said it would have to jack up some prices because of high costs of the global trade war, Trump on Saturday responded forcefully in a Truth Social post, demanding Walmart reverse its decision.

“Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” Trump said. “Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS,” and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”

The rebuke was the White House’s third such public reprimand of a big American business that discussed the possibility of raising prices because of the steep cost of tariffs.

Amazon:

On April 29, after Amazon reportedly considered displaying an additional tariff charge next to the listed price on its Haul platform, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing held up a photo of Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos and called the move a “hostile and political act.” Trump, whom a senior official described as “pissed,” called Bezos to complain, saying the company’s founder “solved the problem very quickly.”

Amazon said that although it was considering displaying the tariff cost, the plan was ultimately not approved and “not going to happen.”

Mattel:

A week later, on May 6, Trump threatened a 100% tariff on Mattel after the Barbie and Hot Wheels maker said it would have to raise prices. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz said Trump’s tariffs won’t bring toy manufacturing to America, because toys couldn’t be manufactured in America and still be sold at affordable prices.

“We don’t see that happening,” Kreiz told CNBC after Mattel warned that tariffs will increase toy prices for American consumers.

Trump fired back from the Oval Office, threatening the company and its CEO.

“We’ll put a 100% tariff on his toys, and he won’t sell one toy in the United States, and that’s their biggest market,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t wanna have him as an executive too long.”

Trump = a narcissistic bully suffering a severe case of arrested development!

Trump warns big business: Eat my tariffs, or pay the price | CNN Business
President Trump used his bully pulpit to warn America’s businesses about raising prices due to tariffs.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/19/business/trump-tariffs-price-consumers

The Atlantic: The End of Rule of Law in America

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The 47th president seems to wish he were king—and he is willing to destroy what is precious about this country to get what he wants.

The president of the United States appears to have long ago forgotten that Americans fought the Revolutionary War not merely to secure their independence from the British monarchy but to establish a government of laws, not of men, so that they and future generations of Americans would never again be subject to the whims of a tyrannical king. As Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense in 1776, “For as in absolute governments the king is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.”

Donald Trump seems also not to understand John Adams’s fundamental observation about the new nation that came into the world that same year. Just last month, an interviewer from Time magazine asked the president in the Oval Office, “Mr. President, you were showing us the new paintings you have behind us. You put all these new portraits. One of them includes John Adams. John Adams said we’re a government ruled by laws, not by men. Do you agree with that?” To which the president replied: “John Adams said that? Where was the painting?”

When the interviewer pointed to the portrait, Trump asked: “We’re a government ruled by laws, not by men? Well, I think we’re a government ruled by law, but you know, somebody has to administer the law. So therefore men, certainly, men and women, certainly play a role in it. I wouldn’t agree with it 100 percent. We are a government where men are involved in the process of law, and ideally, you’re going to have honest men like me.”

Honest men like Trump? With 6 bankruptcies and 34 felony convictions for falsified business records!!!

The End of Rule of Law in America
The 47th president seems to wish he were king—and he is willing to destroy what is precious about this country to get what he wants.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/law-america-trump-constitution/682793

Associated Press: Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries

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For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer.

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” the Republican told reporters on Monday. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

Critics of the plan worry that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

…

But security is the primary concern when it comes to presidential travel. The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War. They are hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and include a range of security features, such as anti-missile countermeasures and an onboard operating room. They are also equipped with air-to-air refueling capabilities for contingencies, though it has never been utilized with a president on board.

A former U.S. official briefed on the Air Force One replacement project said that while it would be possible to add some features to the Qatari jet, there was no way to add the full suite of capabilities to the plane on a tight timetable.

Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries
For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer. But Trump’s plan threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-qatar-air-force-one-2ef13d87b71185bde547abe6840b098c

Bloomberg: Trump Has Been Stopped By Courts More Than 200 Times

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President Donald Trump’s expansive use of executive power faced at least 328 lawsuits as of May 1 — with judges halting his policies far more often than they allowed them.

Courts entered more than 200 orders stopping the administration’s actions in 128 cases, with judges sometimes ruling at multiple stages of the legal fights. Judges had allowed contested policies to go ahead in 43 cases, and hadn’t ruled yet in more than 140 others. Most cases are in the early stages, and new ones are being filed daily.

https://archive.is/zZ9zU#selection-1251.0-1258.0

Daily Mail: Gretchen Whitmer turns on Trump after Democratic Michigan Governor shocked supporters

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Gretchen Whitmer’s newfound friendship with Donald Trump appears to be short lived, as the Michigan Democrat governor slammed the president a day after appearing with him at an event.

The 2028 presidential hopeful was humiliated by Trump in a made-for-TV moment in her home state. 

While speaking to Michigan National Guardsmen on Tuesday, the president spotted Whitmer in the crowd and then called her up for a spur-of-the-moment address.

Both that and a bizarre moment where she covered her face with folders and looked embarrassed during a trip to see President Trump have drawn ridicule from liberals.

Speaking to left-leaning Pod Save America Wednesday, she appeared to have finally rediscovered her dislike for Trump when former Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau asked if the U.S. was in a constitutional crisis. 

‘We are, I think that no one is above the law. The thought that we’ve got an administration that is just blatantly violating court orders should, I think, scare everybody. This is a very serious moment,’ she said. 

Gretchen Whitmer turns on Trump after Democratic Michigan Governor shocked supporters
Gretchen Whitmer’s newfound friendship with Donald Trump appears to be short lived, as the Michigan Democrat governor slammed the president a day after appearing with him.

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/gretchen-whitmer-turns-on-trump-after-democratic-michigan-governor-shocked-supporters/ar-AA1E1pJv

Barron’s: Global Shipping Is Grinding to a Standstill. It’s a Matter of Time Until Americans Feel It.

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There aren’t shortages of goods in U.S. stores yet, but if the deterioration in global shipping is any indication, they are on the way. That could complicate the White House’s pleas for Americans to be patient as trade officials rush to strike dozens of deals.

Cargo has dropped, or is expected to, at major ports including those of Los Angeles; Long Beach, Calif.; and New York-New Jersey, primarily on shipments from China, which exports more than any other country to the U.S.

U.S. import booking volumes have dropped 35% since late March, according to the shipping data company Vizion, including a 26% drop between the week ended April 21 and the following week. Shipments from China dropped nearly 43% in the last full week of April, the sharpest decline of the year. During April, several weeks saw China import bookings down by more than half, Vizion said.

The potential impact on companies and consumers is broad. Imports of Chinese electronics, plastics, vehicles, steel, and textiles have all fallen by more than half.

Perhaps just as concerning for some farmers and 

Global Shipping Is Grinding to a Standstill. It’s a Matter of Time Until Americans Feel It.
There aren’t shortages of goods in U.S. stores yet, but if the deterioration in global shipping is any indication, they are on the way.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/ar-AA1EhmJR

Mediaite: Trump Was Reportedly Pissed at Ousted Mike Waltz Even Before ‘SignalGate’ Fiasco – Over Private Meetings

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One of those moves, per the Post’s sources, was private discussions between Waltz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Donald Trump’s decision to oust National Security Adviser Mike Waltz this week came after months of growing tension, according to a report published Saturday by The Washington Post.

While Waltz’s inadvertent addition of a journalist to a Signal group chat discussing military plans reportedly triggered the final decision, two sources told the Post that Trump had been frustrated with Waltz over foreign policy for months.

It’s a dog eat dog world!

Trump Was Reportedly Pissed at Ousted Mike Waltz Even Before ‘SignalGate’ Fiasco – Over Private Meetings

Irish Star: Trump’s tacky gold-plated Oval Office compared to heinous dictator’s palace

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President Donald Trump’s remodeling of the Oval Office, which includes a vast amount of gold fixtures covering everything from portraits to curtain rods to even the ceiling, is being compared to a notorious Middle Eastern dictator who was famously a big fan of gold.

Users on X responded to a picture of the Oval Office saying the decor looked like it was “courtesy of the Sadam Hussein home collection.”

…

One user posted comparison photos of Trump’s various properties over the years next to photos of Hussein’s palace writing “There is indeed a strange and remarkable similarity between the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump and the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein when it comes to luxurious interior designs.”

Trump has long been compared to many dictators around the world, in more ways than just his choice of decor. He famously said during his campaign for president that if elected he’d be a “dictator on day one.”

Trump’s tacky gold-plated Oval Office compared to heinous dictator’s palace
Trump has long been a fan of gold as indicated by his gaudy Trump Tower New York City apartment that has gold everything from head to toe

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-tacky-gold-plated-oval-office-compared-to-heinous-dictator-s-palace/ar-AA1E5kbT

Robert Reich: Ineptitude, incompetence, stupidity, and chaos

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Trump is fundamentally incapable of governing. That’s the theme that unites everything.

Some Democrats fear they’re playing into Trump’s hands by fighting his mass deportations rather than focusing on his failures on bread-and-butter issues like the cost of living.

But it’s not either-or. The theme that unites Trump’s inept handling of deportations, his trampling on human and civil rights, his rejection of the rule of law, his dictatorial centralization of power, and his utterly inept handling of the economy is the ineptness itself.

In his first term, not only did his advisers and Cabinet officials put guardrails around his crazier tendencies, but they also provided his first administration a degree of stability and focus. Now, it’s mayhem.

Ineptitude, incompetence, stupidity, and chaos
Trump is fundamentally incapable of governing. That’s the theme that unites everything.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/ineptitude-incompetence-stupidity