Tag Archives: President Donald Trump

Rolling Stone: Scott Bessent Compares Trump’s Qatari Jet Gift to the Statue of Liberty

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It’s not the same

No, Qatar‘s royal family gifting a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet known as a “flying palace” to the government that will reportedly then go to Donald Trump‘s presidential library is not the same as France giving the Statue of Liberty to the American people. But that is what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to claim on Sunday.

“Even if Qatar isn’t asking for anything in return now for the jet, I mean, that’s a bill that could come due,” Jake Tapper, host of CNN’s State of the Union said to Bessent. “Nobody… just gives a $400 million jet just to be nice.”

“Well, I don’t know, Jake,” Bessent said. “The French gave us the Statue of Liberty. The British gave us the Resolute Desk. I’m not sure they asked for anything in advance.”

Trump’s bozos are just too dense to get it!

Scott Bessent Compares Trump’s Qatari Jet Gift to the Statue of Liberty
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Qatar giving Donald Trump a jumbo jet is similar to France giving the U.S. the Statue of Liberty. It is not.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/bessent-trump-qatar-statue-of-liberty-1235342112

MSNBC: Trump took Bruce Springsteen’s bait [Opinion]

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This week’s mini-feud pits two predictable septuagenarians against each other. And the result is a personal gift to the Boss.

“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ’n’ roll in dangerous times,” he said in the minute-long speech, to raucous cheers.

“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” he continued before asking fans to “raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”

Later in the evening, Springsteen offered a withering takedown of what he’s seen happening in the U.S. under Trump.

“They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” Springsteen began, in remarks that were later posted on his website and YouTube channel. He continued:

They’re rolling back historic Civil Rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.

He also took aim at Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as the Democratic Party, arguing that they had all failed to protect Americans “from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”

Still, he said, “The America that I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So, we’ll survive this moment.”

And of course the vile King Donald just can’t resist the temptation to badmouth the Boss, and Biden, too. The final score:

Boss 1

Trump 0

Opinion | Trump took Bruce Springsteen’s bait
This week’s mini-feud pits two predictable septuagenarians against each other. And the result is a personal gift to the Boss.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-post-bruce-springsteen-taylor-swift-gift-rcna207397

MSNBC: Trump’s White House accidentally admitted the truth about its tax plan [Opinion]

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Earlier this week the White House published evidence that the president’s “big, beautiful bill” hikes taxes on the poor to cut taxes for the rich.

The subtitle say it all: “hikes taxes on the poor to cut taxes for the rich”!

Opinion | Trump’s White House accidentally admitted the truth about its tax plan
Earlier this week the White House published evidence that the president’s “big, beautiful bill” hikes taxes on the poor to cut taxes for the rich.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trumps-white-house-accidentally-admitted-truth-tax-plan-rcna207301

MSNBC: How Trump’s ‘bribe now, pain later’ budget scheme hit a surprise roadblock [Opinion]

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The conservative revolt over Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ threatens a major component of his bid to keep Congress in the GOP’s hands next year.

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas had major problems with the bill his fellow Republicans presented to the House Budget Committee on Friday. On paper, the legislative package for President Donald Trump’s agenda slashes more than a trillion dollars in federal spending over the next decade. But Roy and other hard-line conservatives on the panel were frustrated at the bill’s timeline for those cuts. Their “no” votes tanked the bill and sent House leadership scrambling for last-minute weekend negotiations to salvage what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill.”

Roy is right about the imbalance and trickery on display, as the current bill back-loads the savings while raising the federal deficit in the short term. The problem for him is that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the rest of the House leadership team aren’t the source of his concerns. Instead, the catalyst for his ire lies Roy is right about the imbalance and trickery on display, as the current bill back-loads the savings while raising the federal deficit in the short term. The problem for him is that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the rest of the House leadership team aren’t the source of his concerns. Instead, the catalyst for his ire lies down Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House.

Meanwhile, “down Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House”:

That hesitance from the White House can be chalked up in part to next year’s midterm elections. Politico’s Rachel Bade recently reported that Trump is already “hyper-engaged in the fight to keep the GOP’s majorities in Congress” …

It’s those pesky mid-terms that are spooking them!

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘bribe now, pain later’ budget scheme hit a surprise roadblock
The conservative revolt over Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ threatens a major component of his bid to keep Congress in the GOP’s hands next year.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-congress-budget-tax-cuts-chip-roy-rcna207299

NBC News: Mike Pence criticizes Trump on tariffs and key foreign policy issues as he watches from afar

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In a “Meet the Press” interview, Trump’s former vice president was careful to balance praise of Trump with specific disapproval in certain areas.

On tariffs:

Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized President Donald Trump’s approach to tariffs, as well as several foreign policy initiatives, in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” airing Sunday.

“The initial reciprocal tariffs that he unveiled would be the largest peacetime tax hike on the American people in the history of this country,” Pence told moderator Kristen Welker, referring to the sweeping tariffs Trump imposed on the United States’ largest trading partners in early April.

Days later, the president paused most of the tariffs, a move that Pence on Friday said he was “glad” to see.

On the 747-800 from Qatar:

Pence also spoke about Trump’s approach to foreign policy in this term. He told Welker it’s “a bad idea” for the president to accept a plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family, amid reports that Trump plans to do so, and was critical of Trump’s speech in Saudi Arabia.

The former vice president also questioned the Trump administration’s approach to Iran, as top U.S. officials seek to reach a deal with Iran over the nation’s possession of uranium and nuclear technology.

Pence said he is worried about reports that Iran is seeking to maintain a civilian nuclear program, telling Welker the U.S. “should make it clear in negotiations with Iran that their current nuclear program must be either dismantled or destroyed.”

On Jan. 6:

Pence said Trump was wrong to issue a blanket pardon of people who faced charges for participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

“I will always believe by God’s grace I did my duty that day to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and see to the peaceful transfer of power,” Pence said, later drawing a distinction between some Jan. 6 defendants who “just walked through an open door, meant no harm, did no harm,” and those charged with more serious crimes.

“But individuals who broke into the Capitol, who assaulted police officers, I said that day and I believe to this moment should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Pence said.

Mike Pence criticizes Trump on tariffs and key foreign policy issues as he watches from afar
In a “Meet the Press” interview, Trump’s former vice president was careful to balance praise of Trump with specific disapproval in certain areas.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/mike-pence-criticizes-trump-tariffs-key-foreign-policy-issues-watches-rcna206755

Daily Beast: Pam Bondi Toys With Axing DOJ’s Public Corruption Unit

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The Justice Department is considering scrapping a key safeguard that prevents politically motivated prosecutions of Congress members.

Attorney General Pam Bondi is reportedly considering doing away with a critical Justice Department safeguard designed to prevent politically motivated prosecutions of elected officials, according to multiple officials familiar with a proposal circulated last week.

The change would remove the requirement of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section (PIN), a Watergate-era department responsible for reviewing and approving prosecutions of public officials and signing off on federal prosecutors’ indictments of lawmakers. Instead, Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys would have the power to bring corruption charges without centralized oversight.

PIN also handles voting-related matters. In the case of a contested election, they would determine how the DOJ would intervene.

The damage has mostly been done already as the office effectively has been gutted:

Since Trump took office, PIN has already been hollowed out, as have other DOJ offices. The 30 prosecutors working in the office at the end of the Biden administration have been cut to fewer than five. Several have resigned, been reassigned, or were fired after clashing with Bondi and other Trump appointees.

Pam Bondi Toys With Axing DOJ’s Public Corruption Unit
The Justice Department is considering scrapping a key safeguard that prevents politically motivated prosecutions of Congress members.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/pam-bondi-toys-with-axing-dojs-public-corruption-unit

Washington Post: Trump orders the government to stop enforcing rules he doesn’t like

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Critics say the administration is breaking the law and sidestepping the rulemaking process that presidents of both parties have routinely followed.

Critics say the administration is breaking the law and sidestepping the rulemaking process that presidents of both parties have routinely followed.

At the Transportation Department, enforcement of pipeline safety rules has plunged to unprecedented lows since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Trump recently ordered Energy Department staff to stop enforcing water conservation standards for showerheads and other household appliances. And at one Labor Department division, his appointees have instructed employees to halt most work related to antidiscrimination laws.

Across the government, the Trump administration is trying a new tactic for gutting federal rules and policies that the president dislikes: simply stop enforcing them.

Note that most, if not all, of these rules are required to be created to fully implement acts of Congress. By not enforcing the regulatory side of legislation, he is in effect refusing to comply with the laws as passed by Congress and signed by Presidents.

Trump orders the government to stop enforcing rules he doesn’t like
Critics say the administration is breaking the law and sidestepping the rulemaking process that presidents of both parties have long followed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/05/18/trump-enforcement-halt-regulations-laws

Stock futures fall after Moody’s strips U.S. of its top credit rating

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Last of major ratings firms strips top rating more than 13 years after S&P was first to downgrade U.S. from triple-A

Just when the stock market had clawed back all the losses sparked by the panic over President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, investors face another round of debt-related angst as markets slid Sunday after Moody’s Ratings stripped the U.S. government of its last triple-A credit rating.

Strategists warned the move, announced after the market close on Friday, could spark some near-term selling in stocks and Treasurys.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell more than 250 points, or 0.6%, by Sunday evening. S&P 500 futures also dropped 0.6% while Nasdaq-100 futures sank 0.7%. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index, a gauge of the dollar’s value relative to major rivals like the euro, was down 0.4%.

?url=httpswww.marketwatch.comstoryinvestors-brace-for-reaction-after-moodys-strips-u-s-of-its-top-credit-rating-2bbe0b5d

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-brace-for-reaction-after-moodys-strips-u-s-of-its-top-credit-rating-2bbe0b5d

Western Journal: Ruling South African Party Furious After White Refugees Escape to US; Want ‘Accountability for Historic Privilege’

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The Episcopal Church rejected the Trump administration’s request for assistance, saying it would not help the 59 South African refugees that arrived in the U.S. on Monday.

The church’s presiding bishop, Sean Rowe, took it a step further and said the Episcopal Migration Ministries would be terminating its 40-year-old partnership with the U.S. government, according to a statement from the church published Monday.

“In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,” Rowe’s statement read.

“Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government,” Rowe said.

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order largely suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, a program the church participated in, to control the immigration crisis created by the Biden administration.

“Then, just over two weeks ago, the federal government informed Episcopal Migration Ministries that under the terms of our federal grant, we are expected to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa whom the U.S. government has classified as refugees,” Rowe said in his Monday statement.

Ruling South African Party Furious After White Refugees Escape to US; Want ‘Accountability for Historic Privilege’
After 40 years, in which it settled nearly 110,000 refugees, the Episcopal Church ended its refugee agreement with the federal government.
Ruling South African Party Furious After White Refugees Escape to US, Wanted to Impose ‘Accountability for Historic Privilege’

Newsweek: Donald Trump issues new warning message to Walmart

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President Donald Trump warned Walmart on Saturday against raising its prices, writing on Truth Social that he will “be watching.”

“Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, ‘EAT THE TARIFFS,’ and not charge valued customers ANYTHING,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

“I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”

It’s not surprising that Trump got this so wrong, give that he has bankrupted SIX businesses over the years.

A corporation has a fiduciary duty to maximize its profits for the benefit of its SHAREHOLDERS, not to cater to the whims of a corrupt self-serving narcissistic political apparatchik in Washington, D.C.

Donald Trump issues new warning message to Walmart
The president told the retail giant to “EAT THE TARIFFS!”

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-issues-new-warning-message-walmart-2073638