Tag Archives: Vice President JD Vance

New Republic: Transcript: Trump’s Threats to Defy Courts Suddenly Get More Dangerous

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As Trump’s intent to override the courts gets more obvious, a legal commentator who closely observes MAGA lawlessness explains why the Trump-MAGA strategy here is darker than you thought.

This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent.

President Donald Trump is very unhappy with how things went at the Supreme Court when it comes to his effort to end birthright citizenship. He uncorked two angry epic tirades about the High Court, essentially putting it on notice that it had better rule his way on this and other matters coming before it or else. This may look like typical Trumpian bullying and threats, but we think there’s a game going on here that people are missing. It’s that Trump is, in a very real sense, playing chicken with the Supreme Court. He’s trying to bluff the justices into constraining themselves from putting limits on Trump’s power. We’re going to explore how this really works today with one of our favorite legal commentators, Matthew Seligman, a fellow at Stanford Law School.

Best to click on the link and read the dialogue:

Transcript: Trump’s Threats to Defy Courts Suddenly Get More Dangerous
As Trump’s intent to override the courts gets more obvious, a legal commentator who closely observes MAGA lawlessness explains why the Trump-MAGA strategy here is darker than you thought.

https://newrepublic.com/article/195392/transcript-trump-threats-defy-courts-suddenly-get-dangerous

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

Talking Points Memo: Trump DOJ Admits It Used Bogus Info In Key Deportation Case

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In an important federal case in Massachusetts over whether deportees can be sent to third countries rather than their countries of origin, the Trump administration admitted Friday to a grievous error and managed to compound it in the process.

It’s a bit complicated so let me boil it down to its essentials:

  • Background: A gay Guatemalan national who had a U.S. immigration judge order barring his removal to his home country because he feared continued persecution was instead deported to Mexico in February by the Trump administration, partly on the grounds that he had told ICE that he didn’t fear being sent to Mexico. That was odd because the man, identified only by the initials O.C.G., had previously testified that he had been targeted and raped in Mexico, his lawyers say.
  • Thursday: The Trump DOJ abruptly cancelled the scheduled deposition of an ICE official “whom Defendants previously identified as giving Plaintiff O.C.G. notice of deportation to Mexico and recording his response of lack of fear,” O.C.G.’s lawyers later told the court.
  • Friday: The Trump DOJ filed a “Notice of Errata” admitting that during the judge’s ordered discovery in the case it had been unable to “identify any officer who asked O.C.G. whether he had a fear of return to Mexico.” A key factual element of the Trump administration’s case had evaporated. But it got worse …
  • Sunday: Lawyers for the deportee – who is now in hiding in Guatemala because he fears persecution as a gay man – filed an emergency motion pointing out, among other things, that the government’s filing about its own error revealed the deportees name and other information, further jeopardizing his safety despite a court order anonymizing his identifying information.

Still with me? In the course of admitting its error, the Trump administration outed the gay man who it had wrongfully deported in the first place.

This is what happens when you staff up with a bunch of sycophantic suck-ups and bimbos instead of competent personnel!

Trump DOJ Admits It Used Bogus Info In Key Deportation Case
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This…

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/trump-doj-admits-it-used-bogus-info-in-key-deportation-case

Salon: “I feel like I’ve lost my country”: Americans who oppose Trump are now looking for the exits

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As President Donald Trump ushers in his so-called “Golden Age” for the nation, some Americans are jumping ship. Yale University history professor Marci Shore is relieved to be one of them. 

She and her husband, historian Timothy Snyder, had long been on the fence about leaving the United States, Shore told Salon, with professorships at the University of Toronto available to them for at least two years should they have wished to take them. Trump’s reelection in November and the proverbial smoke before the fire in the immediate aftermath made it clear to her that now was the time to pull the trigger. 

“I felt like this country had everything right in front of them, and people chose this — a lot of people chose this, and that was heartbreaking,” she said. “And I also felt like, ‘I don’t want to come back to this.’ I don’t want to, and maybe I’m not devoted enough. Maybe I’m not enough of a patriot. But I felt like, ‘I don’t want this. I don’t want this for my kids. I don’t want this environment.'”

Shore is a part of a small but burgeoning group of Americans who have lost faith in their country since Trump’s reclaimed the presidency — who have lost hope that a good future is still possible there …

?url=httpswww.salon.com20250518i-feel-like-ive-lost-my-country-americans-oppose-are-now-looking-for-the-exits

https://www.salon.com/2025/05/18/i-feel-like-ive-lost-my-country-americans-oppose-are-now-looking-for-the-exits

Also here:

“I feel like I’ve lost my country”: Americans who oppose Trump are now looking for the exits
Professional relocation consultants say they’re fielding more calls from Americans trying to leave the country

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/i-feel-like-i-ve-lost-my-country-americans-who-oppose-trump-are-now-looking-for-the-exits/ar-AA1EZvhK

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

Knewz: The One Reason ‘Pentagon Princess’ Pete Hegseth Still Has a Job

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According to The Nation, Hegseth still has a job because of one man – President Trump.

The site explained how Hegseth wasn’t picked for the role of Defense Secretary due to any skills or experience, but because he shares a similar outlook as Trump on the military.

Just like the president, Hegseth believes the military has been compromised by the left-wing.

In late April, Hegseth put an end to a military program he described as “another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative.”

He wrote on X: “This morning, I proudly ENDED the ‘Women, Peace & Security’ (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense. WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.

“WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it. DoD will hereby executive the minimum of WPS required by statute and fight to end the program for our next budget. GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!”

Following the signal scandal, Mike Waltz was effectively removed from his position as National Security Advisor (NSA) by President Trump – but Hegseth wasn’t stripped of his role.

While the world awaits more firings due to the scandal, Hegseth isn’t expected to be let go due to his friendship with the current president.

It’s all about cronies, not competence!

The One Reason ‘Pentagon Princess’ Pete Hegseth Still Has a Job
“Pentagon Princess” Pete Hegseth had a rough few weeks making major mistakes and now, the calls for him to be fired haven’t stopped.

https://knewz.com/the-one-reason-pentagon-princess-pete-hegseth-still-has-a-job

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: ‘Rigged System’: GOP Senators Thwart Nominee After Defying Trump

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President Donald Trump pulled his nomination of Ed Martin for U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. The White House was working to secure his nomination despite declining support from some Republican senators.

Instead, Trump plans for Martin to be an associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney. Martin will likely recommend pardons for defendants involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. In this photo gallery, we review the defiance from Republican senators.

Martin’s nomination ran into significant hurdles, including his failure to disclose nearly 200 media appearances. He claimed under oath that he could not recall controversial statements, raising concerns among GOP senators.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said, “Last Friday, we received responses from Mr. Martin to our questions, and it raised even more questions. Mr. Martin made a number of false statements and contradictory statements that are easily disproven by the material he himself disclosed in his Senate Judiciary Questionnaire. And it wasn’t just to my questions—it was to Chairman Grassley’s questions as well.”

So Trump pulls a nomination for a douchebag crony to be U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., but still plans to give him a job as an associate deputy attorney general despite several red flags regarding his honesty and ethics.

Yup, sounds like what King Donald would do!

‘Rigged System’: GOP Senators Thwart Nominee After Defying Trump
More for You

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rigged-system-gop-senators-thwart-nominee-after-defying-trump/ss-AA1EYyV6

MSNBC: The biggest takeaway from SCOTUS’ birthright citizenship hearing is not an obvious one

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The administration’s top lawyer is telling the court it doesn’t believe it has to comply with lower court orders in all circumstances.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over Donald Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship, but the biggest takeaway from those arguments has nothing to do with birthright citizenship at all. Instead, perhaps the most important moment of Thursday’s hearing came when the Trump administration’s top appellate lawyer (who was previously Trump’s personal Supreme Court advocate), Solicitor General D. John Sauer, revealed a troubling sign of creeping authoritarianism.

…

Here’s what that means in plain English: The Trump administration, through its top lawyer, is telling the Supreme Court that it doesn’t believe it has to comply with lower court orders in all circumstances. And contrary to Sauer’s assertion, that finds no support in long-standing DOJ policy, much less department norms.

It’s one thing to hear political actors — whether that’s the White House press secretary or even Vice President JD Vance — assert that the administration should not be bound by federal court orders it considers lawless. But it’s another thing entirely to hear the administration’s top appeals lawyer say as much in front of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Lisa Rubin: The biggest takeaway from SCOTUS’ birthright citizenship hearing is not an obvious one
The administration’s top lawyer is telling the court it doesn’t believe it has to comply with lower court orders in all circumstances.

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-authoritarianism-rcna207270

Irish Star: Donald Trump melts down in major tantrum as Ukraine war plan in tatters

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He went on to blame Ukraine, which Russia invaded over three years ago, sparking the war, for the situation.

“I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America. HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”

President Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine on his first day of his second term. He later clarified to TIME Magazine that he was speaking “figuratively,” though he emphasized his commitment to ending major global wars, from Russia-Ukraine to Israel-Hamas.

He’ll end the Ukraine war by giving Ukraine back to Russia.

He’ll end the Israel-Hamas war when the Palestinian is dead.

Right now Trump so busy sucking up to Qatar that the doesn’t know which end is up.

Donald Trump melts down in major tantrum as Ukraine war plan in tatters
U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Ukraine to join him at the negotiating table with Russia after setting a date later this week.

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-melts-down-major-35207736

National Security Journal: ‘Walls Closing in on Trump’: Trying to ‘Avoid Suffering Through Dozens of New Investigations’

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Politico reported over the weekend that the president is “already obsessed” about the midterm elections.

While he was less concerned about the midterms in the first half of his first term, Trump is now “already hyper-engaged in the fight to keep the GOP’s majorities in Congress.”

The story, citing “five Republicans… including several close Trump confidants,” said that Trump has hopes of hanging onto his majorities, especially to keep committee gavels and the attached subpoena power out of the hands of Democrats starting in 2027.

‘Walls Closing in on Trump’: Trying to ‘Avoid Suffering Through Dozens of New Investigations’
According to a new report, Trump is concerned about the possibility of further investigations in the next Congress.
‘Walls Closing in on Trump’: Trying to ‘Avoid Suffering Through Dozens of New Investigations’