Tag Archives: White House

Raw Story: Aides left ‘helpless’ as they tried to stop ‘incoherent’ Trump rant to Putin: biographer

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Donald Trump displayed a breathtaking lack of understanding about the Cold War during his recent summit with Vladimir Putin — and left his own advisors “basically helpless” as he waved away their attempts to interject.

That’s according to the president’s biographer, who spoke to the Daily Beast on Wednesday.

On the podcast “Inside Trump’s Head,” Michael Wolff said that Trump’s version of Cold War history was so mangled that “it would appear that the U.S. and USSR are on the same side.”

Friday’s chaotic meeting in Alaska began with Trump launching into what Wolff described as “a combination of flattery” mixed with “things that he’s just pulled out of somewhere…observations, it’s both inconsequential and incoherent.”

When Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff attempted to redirect the conversation with an actual agenda, Trump simply “talked over them,” leaving the meeting rudderless after 20 minutes with “nothing clear about what anyone is doing there except that Putin is totally impassive.”

Putin eventually delivered what Wolff characterized as a “history lesson,” explaining “why [Russia] should conquer Ukraine.” Not to be outdone, Trump launched into his own historical dissertation on the Cold War that bore little resemblance to reality, Wolff said.

He said that Trump’s version of the long-running international crisis with the Soviets “didn’t seem much like a war at all.”

Trump aides’ attempts to stop him proved futile. “They sit there occasionally trying to interject, but you can’t really interject because Trump just talks all the time,” Wolff said.

He added that this worked “to Putin’s advantage” since Trump showed no interest in crucial details about territory or trade-offs.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissed Wolff with the comment he usually gives the Beast, calling Wolff “a lying sack of s–t” with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Aides left ‘helpless’ as they tried to stop ‘incoherent’ Trump rant to Putin: biographer

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-putin-2673905305

Daily Beast: Vance, Hegseth and Miller Branded ‘Nazis’ in Botched PR Stunt

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Protesters heckled Trump’s top officials as they visited historic Union Station.

Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of StaffStephen Miller were met with a hostile welcome at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station on Wednesday.

Their visit came as the National Guard had been camped out around the iconic station as part of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital.

Bystanders looked on as the trio was met with hecklers in the station’s marble lobby as they came confidently strolling through with their entourage.

“You’re an embarrassment to Ohio,” one woman could be heard shouting as Vance kept a smile plastered on his face.

“F***ing nazi,” another man wearing a backpack shouted while taking video on his phone as the group marched through.

“Get the f*** out of my city,” shouted a third man.

Others could be heard chanting “free DC” as video showed the group casually walking into Union Station’s Shake Shack restaurant.

Other protesters shouted about the war in Gaza and to “free Palestine.”

In another video taken of their entrance, a man could be heard shouting at Vance, “Oh look, it’s couch f—er. You going to f— a couch, buddy?” in a reference to the joke that plagued the vice president on the campaign trail.

Upon entering the restaurant, Vance mingled with some service members, many of whom said they were from South Carolina. He took a few pictures while thanking them for their service and joked that the visit was “a hell of a lot more fun” than what he did most days.

“We ought to be able to enjoy great American cities. That’s what we’re trying to do in the Trump administration,” Vance told reporters from inside the Shake Shack as protesters could still be heard in the background.

As they spoke, a box of burgers sat in front of them, and National Guard members surrounded them. Chants of “Free DC” could still be heard in the background.

“We’re committed to this mission just like the one at the southern border and in Los Angeles,” Hegseth said. “Our law enforcement officers deserve to be able to do their jobs safely.”

The defense secretary gestured to the box of cheeseburgers in front of him and declared he “always liked a good cheeseburger” when he was in uniform, so he was hopeful he could deliver a few of them.

The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it was deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital to combat crime. Multiple Republican-led states, including West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee, have all rushed to send additional troops to D.C.

However, critics have observed that the service members have largely been stationed along the National Mall and at Union Station, two largely low-crime destinations visited by millions of tourists every year.

In an unhinged rant, Miller then said they were going to “add thousands more resources to this city to get the criminals and the gang members out of here.”

He argued they were going to ignore the “stupid white hippies” protesting, who he claimed should go home and “take a nap because they’re all over 90 years old,” despite the hecklers at Union Station appearing to be all different ages.

“It’s kind of bizarre that we have a bunch of old, primarily white people, who are out there protesting the policies that keep people safe when they never felt danger in their entire lives,” Vance angrily added.

Recapping his field trip on Fox News later that night, the vice president deflected on host Laura Ingraham’s description of the appearance as “eventful,” claiming instead he had heard from “a couple of friends” who said the area now “feels safer.”

“Living with lawlessness and disorder,” he added, “is fundamentally a question of political will.”

“If you’ve got the political will to enforce the law, you can make even cities like D.C. safe again, and that’s what we are demonstrating. And I hope that the American people take an important lesson from this because, obviously, D.C. is a federal city. New York, L.A., these places are not,” he said.

“I hope the American people just recognize that you don’t have to live with lawlessness. You don’t have to live with third-world murder rates. If you just take control of these cities, you can make them save places to live again.”

Vance, Hegseth and Miller Branded ‘Nazis’ in Botched PR Stunt
Protesters heckled Trump’s top officials as they visited historic Union Station.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/vance-hegseth-and-miller-branded-nazis-in-botched-pr-stunt

Mirror US: CNN halts for breaking news alert and it’s not good for Donald Trump

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Breaking news interrupted CNN’s regular programming to update viewers on Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the pressure Trump is under

Following a historic gathering at the White House, where President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with seven European leaders in an unprecedented show of solidarity, Trump suffered a significant setback.

CNN broke into regular broadcasting with urgent news, revealing that the US President is under enormous pressure as major hurdles emerge in his bid to bring the Ukraine war to an end. Reporter Kimberly Dozier observed, “The fact that he feels he’s got to check in with Putin right away and… we get news that Putin is saying, ‘By the way, no NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine. That is unacceptable,’ still feels like Trump needs Putin’s approval.”

This development followed reports that Trump had stepped out of discussions with European leaders to place a call to the Russian president. This came just days after a lip reader revealed the chilling 3-word promise (“I’ll help you.”) that Trump whispered into Putin’s ear at their Alaska summit.

The demonstration of backing for Zelenskyy included French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, reports the Express.

After the phone conversation, the Kremlin dismissed speculation about a potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, even as Trump continued pushing for the two leaders to hold a summit aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict. The US leader confessed that the conflict was “a tough one” to resolve, stating, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal.”

On Monday, Putin expressed to Trump that he was “open” to direct talks with Ukraine. However, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov diluted this already vague commitment the following day, suggesting that a meeting would need to be prepared “gradually… starting with the expert level and thereafter going through all the required steps.”

Meanwhile, Dmitry Polyanskiy, a Russian deputy representative to the UN, told the BBC that “Nobody [had] rejected” the chance for direct talks, but it shouldn’t just be a “but it shouldn’t be a meeting for the sake of a meeting.”

Kimberly, speaking on CNN, added, “It’s got to be very disturbing to Zelensky sitting there, but of course Zelensky was a good actor he’s playing it cool, he’s not biting on any of the questions he got.

“Hopefully, what’s going to happen is they’re going to go into this meeting with European officials and the Europeans are saying ‘We need to put these troops on the ground inside Ukraine and it’s not Vladimir Putin’s business.”

On Wednesday, representatives from 30 different countries will gather at the Pentagon for meetings aimed at finalizing what each nation is willing to commit to Ukraine’s national security.

This includes Tony Radakin, the chief of the defense staff and leader of the British armed forces. He is anticipated to inform his American counterparts that the UK is ready to deploy troops to defend Ukraine’s skies and seas, but not to the frontline with Russia.

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a virtual call to brief over 30 other world leaders on the discussions that took place at the White House on Monday.

Following this, Downing Street announced: “The prime minister outlined that coalition of the willing planning teams would meet with their US counterparts in the coming days to further strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees and prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended.”

It comes after an expert warned Trump is displaying “classic signs” of a horror disease that “will get worse..”

CNN halts for breaking news alert and it’s not good for Donald Trump
Breaking news interrupted CNN’s regular programming to update viewers on Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the pressure Trump is under

https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/tv/cnn-breaking-news-donald-trump-1341186

Daily Beast: Trump Loses the Plot After MSNBC Mocks Cankle Cover-Up

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“The Last Word” host Lawrence O’Donnell noted how the president and the White House are shielding the president’s swollen ankles.

Donald Trump has lashed out at MSNBC after the network suggested the 79-year-old president is taking steps to hide his cankles from public view.

In a typical all-caps rant on Truth Social, Trump attacked the liberal network as “fake news” while referencing its upcoming name change to MS NOW, or My Source News Opinion World, as part of a rebrand during its split from NBCUniversal.

“MSNBC IS DOING SO POORLY IN THE RATINGS THAT THEY ARE LOOKING TO CHANGE THEIR NAME IN ORDER TO GET AWAY FROM THE STENCH OF THEIR FAKE NEWS PRODUCT,” Trump stormed.

“SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH THEIR WEAK AND INEFFECTIVE OWNER, ‘CONCAST,’ HEADED BY DOPEY BRIAN ROBERTS, HOPELESSLY AND AIMLESSLY FLAILING IN THE WIND IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISASSOCIATE ITSELF FROM THE GARBAGE THAT THEY CREATED! MSNBC IS A FAILURE BY ANY NAME!!!”

Trump, no stranger to attacking media outlets he doesn’t like, went after MSNBC after one of its star anchors, Lawrence O’Donnell, mocked him for shielding his swollen ankles, a symptom of the medical condition chronic venous insufficiency.

During a monologue on The Last Word, O’Donnell noted that Trump took the almost unheard-of step of sitting behind the Resolute Desk during a meeting with European leaders in the Oval Office on Monday, rather than the usual spot in front of the fireplace.

O’Donnell said Trump made the move to ensure that “no one was going to compare his ankles to a French president’s ankles or a German chancellor’s or a British prime minister’s.”

Trump wasn’t so lucky when he met Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, with the two were seated in chairs out in the open.

O’Donnell said Trump made the move to ensure that “no one was going to compare his ankles to a French president’s ankles or a German chancellor’s or a British prime minister’s.”

Trump wasn’t so lucky when he met Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, with the two were seated in chairs out in the open.

O’Donnell also suggested Trump’s love of fast food may have accelerated the health problems of the president, who has also frequently been spotted with makeup patches covering a bruise on the back of his hand.

“That’s one of the ways a lifetime of McDonald’s junk food catches up with you,” O’Donnell said. “One of the places those Big Macs are going to show up is in the ankles hanging over the edge of your shoes.”

Trump Goes Off Deep End After MSNBC Mocks Cankle Cover-Up
“The Last Word” host Lawrence O’Donnell noted how the president and the White House are shielding the president’s swollen ankles.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-loses-the-plot-after-msnbc-mocks-cankle-cover-up

MSNBC: Maddow Blog | As Trump militarizes the nation’s capital, his ‘proof’ of success falls apart

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The president claims to have evidence that his deployments in Washington, D.C., are working. A closer look suggests his proof is entirely made up.

The week after Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to the streets of Washington, D.C., and placed local police officers under federal control, the president has expressed delight over the effects of his controversial power-grab. In fact, the Republican has already convinced himself that the militarization of the nation’s capital has been a great success.

“I’ve made Washington, D.C., just an incredible place in literally four days,” he boasted during his latest Fox News appearance. The comments came the day after the president wrote on his social media platform, “People are flocking to D.C. again,” pointing to a trend he appears to have made up.

Trump has even presented proof — or at least, something he perceives as proof — of his triumph. During an Oval Office event on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Republican told reporters, “The restaurants [in D.C.] the last two days were busier than they’ve been in a long time.” A day later, he repeated the claim on Fox News.

“Did you see what’s happening with the restaurants?” he asked rhetorically. “They’re bursting.”

It’s worth emphasizing that some might see room for a debate about the tradeoffs. Perhaps, some might argue, it’s worth tolerating authoritarian tactics and the militarization of the nation’s capital if it creates conditions for a more robust local economy.

But before that debate happens, it’s important to grapple with the fact that Trump’s boast is ridiculously untrue. The Washington Post reported:

Since President Donald Trump announced his takeover of the D.C. police force last week, restaurant reservations have dropped in the city by as much as 31 percent year over year for a single day, according to restaurant booking data. Business owners are concerned that the continued surge in law enforcement could impact their revenue during a vital period of the summer.

The Post spoke to Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, co-owner of El Secreto de Rosita, which is about a mile and a half north of the White House, and across the street from a police station where he said federal troops have often assembled.

“Reservations are low, low, low” compared to last year,” Fraga-Rosenfeld said, adding, “The city is dead. … People are scared.”

WUSA, the local CBS affiliate, ran a related report, noting data that showed “reservations at restaurants in the district dropped by more than 30% just two days after Trump announced he would take emergency control of police.” WTOP, a local radio station, highlighted similar statistical evidence.

So why did the president claim the opposite? It likely has something to do with the fact that he routinely struggles to the tell the difference between what’s real and what he thinks ought to be real.

But, some might say, maybe it’s all worth it if the streets of D.C. really are significantly safer. Sure, the president is engaging in authoritarian tactics, and sure, local businesses are struggling, but if crime rates have shown a sharp improvement, maybe it’s worth paying the cost?

That’s a tough argument to take seriously for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that recent crime data for D.C. found only marginal differences from before and after the federal takeover.

So let’s take stock. Despite the fact that Trump has peddled some absurd claims, we’re left with a legally dubious deployment that (a) is hurting the local community’s economy; (b) isn’t making much of a difference on crime rates; and (c) is wildly unpopular with local residents.

This isn’t a triumph; it’s the latest in a series of fiascos.

As Trump militarizes the nation’s capital, his ‘proof’ of success falls apart
The president claims to have evidence that his deployments in Washington, D.C., are working. A closer look suggests his proof is entirely made up.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-militarizes-nations-capital-proof-success-falls-apart-rcna226025

Atlanta Black Star News: ‘Read it Right Now’: Donald Trump’s Bizarre Reply When Asked to Read a Letter Aloud Leaves Viewers In Stitches

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Among the many rumors about President Donald Trump since his first term, one in particular seems to resurface even throughout his current and second term in office.

Critics are convinced the 79-year-old is illiterate, while others suspect he simply doesn’t read any executive order he signs because he “refuses to wear glasses.”

But there’s one historical White House moment that many point to as proof that “Trump can’t read.” During his February meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office, Starmer presented Trump with a letter from King Charles, which contained an invitation for an “unprecedented second state visit,” which was the first time this had been done.

“Trump can’t read and two, I never thought I’d say: Good job, King Charles,” said a woman in a video circulating on Instagram. “The way that he handles it just proves that he cannot read.”

‘His IQ Is Really Up There!’: Trump’s ‘Obvious’ Nickname for Melania Has Internet Laughing After Pete Davidson’s ‘He Can’t Read’ Claim

The short clip shows Trump being presented with the letter as he asked, “Am I supposed to read it right now?” prompting laughs from others in the room.

He then looks down at the letter for an extended period of time before he says, “Oh, that’s wow. Well, that is really nice.”

Trump continued, “Let’s make sure his signature is on that. Otherwise, it’s not quite as meaningful. That’s quite a signature, isn’t it? Beautiful man, wonderful man.”

He then turned the letter to others in the room to show them King Charles’ large signature on the bottom, before asking Starmer, “Perhaps you’d like to say what that very important paragraph is?”

Social media users as well as educators flooded the comments section of the Instagram post, claiming Trump reads at a “fourth grade level,” hence “why his academic record is sealed.”

One person said, “He looked at the paper and thought ‘yup those are words alright.’”

A few individuals made jokes about him needing Hooked on Phonics, which is a widely used education program designed to teach children how to read.

Another said, “Yeah, even Pete Davidson has a story when Trump was on ‘SNL’ he couldn’t really read the cue cards.”

One year after Trump’s guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” comedian and actor Pete Davidson exposed the president’s mental acuity.

“He doesn’t really know how to read, and he loves to improv,” Davidson stated during a 2016 interview on Opie Radio.

He explained Trump’s difficulty, noting that he even changed a few lines to include words that he “would’ve said” during an “SNL” table read about a Disney skit.

According to Davidson, the “Apprentice” boss should have just said, “OK, let’s get out of here. Turkey legs?” referring to food.

But instead, Trump fumbled, reading it as, “OK, let’s get out of here, turkey legs” — accidentally calling his daughter “turkey legs.”

“He doesn’t get it. He thinks everyone’s laughing with him, but we’re all laughing at him. It was, like, crazy.”

Another one of Trump’s former co-workers seemingly confirmed Davidson’s claim.

Claudia Jordan, who appeared on seasons 2 and 6 of “The Apprentice” reality competition series with Trump, recalled his struggles.

“When we used to work together he would never/ could never text. I think there’s some truth to this!” she wrote in the comment section of the Instagram post.

Trump’s intelligence was brought into question more recently during a speech in Iowa just before the July Fourth holiday.

While celebrating Congress passing his controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Republican politician revealed his nickname for his wife, Melania Trump.

“I call her ‘First Lady,’ isn’t it terrible?” he explained. “I’m saying, ‘Good night, First Lady, my darling,’ because it reminds me that I’m president, that’s why.”

“Oh yeah, his IQ is really up there!” responded one person on Facebook.

Despite being married to Trump for 20 years, Melania has always spoke highly of her husband’s intelligence.

“He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s a great communicator. He’s a great negotiator. He’s telling the truth,” Melania said at an April 2016 campaign rally in Milwaukee.

However, truth is not a word often associated with Trump.

‘Read it Right Now’: Donald Trump’s Bizarre Reply When Asked to Read a Letter Aloud Leaves Viewers In Stitches
“Watch as Donald Trump’s shocking response to reading a letter aloud sparks laughter and speculation. Is there more to the story? 🤔 #Dona…
‘Read it Right Now’: Donald Trump’s Bizarre Reply When Asked to Read a Letter Aloud Leaves Viewers In Stitches

Independent: War-torn Ukraine’s Zelensky reacts as Trump calls DC ‘the most unsafe place anywhere’

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The president of war-torn Ukraine looked shocked when Donald Trump described Washington DC as “the most unsafe place anywhere” during a meeting at the White House.

Volodymyr Zelensky was in the Oval Office for talks about bringing an end to Russia’s brutal invasion of his country which has seen civilians bombed on a near-daily basis.

During questions from the press, President Trump began discussing his federal takeover of the capital which he described as “the most unsafe place anywhere” before his unprecedented deployment of the National Guard.

Zelensky looked surprised and shocked by Trump’s words as the Commander-in-Chief began telling a story about a friend whose golfer son now felt “safe” to go out for dinner.

Trump went on to claim restaurants are now booming thanks to his actions. Statistics show restaurants have suffered as much as a 30% drop since troops were deployed.

Zelensky reacts as Trump calls DC ‘the most unsafe place anywhere’
The president of war-torn Ukraine looked shocked when Donald Trump described Washington DC as “the most unsafe place anywhere” during a meeting at the White House. Volodymyr Zelensky was in the Oval Office for talks about bringing an end to Russia’s brutal invasion of his country which has seen civilians bombed on a near-daily basis. During questions from the press, President Trump began discussing his federal takeover of the capital which he described as “the most unsafe place anywhere” before his unprecedented deployment of the National Guard. Zelensky looked surprised and shocked by Trump’s words as the Commander-in-Chief began telling a story about a friend whose golfer son now felt “safe” to go out for dinner. Trump went on to claim restaurants are now booming thanks to his actions. Statistics show restaurants have suffered as much as a 30% drop since troops were deployed.

https://www.the-independent.com/tv/news/zelensky-trump-ukraine-washington-dc-unsafe-video-b2810466.html

New York Post: White House mocks ‘unserious’ NJ Dem Rep. LaMonica McIver after she claims ‘Liberation Day’ is ‘racist’ and code for ‘white power’

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The White House slammed New Jersey Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver on Monday after she argued that President Trump’s “Liberation Day” mantra is code for “white power.” 

McIver — who was hit with federal charges in June accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center — leveled the accusation as she railed against Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, DC, which she fears “will start a civil war” if he tries it in other Democrat-run cities. 

“I think there’s an ultimate agenda of this administration to do these types of things,” the congresswoman said of the president’s decision to take control of DC’s police department and deploy federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in the nation’s capital, during an interview on the “Defending Democracy with Marc Elias” podcast last week.

“Sic the military on the very people that they’re supposed to be protecting in these cities and then expect a certain response so that it can escalate — I truly believe that that’s what the president hopes for,” McIver argued, before calling the effort — and Trump’s “Liberation Day” for DC label — “racist.”  

“When he says, ‘Oh,’ you know, ‘it’s Liberation Day,’ and all of these things, those are, you know, ways of him saying, ‘Oh, it’s white power,’” McIver said.  

“Those are racist remarks,” she argued. “His number one targets are cities that are led by black mayors.” 

McIver went on to moan that Trump’s “number one targets are sanctuary cities that, you know, support immigration.” 

The New Jersey Democrat charged that Trump’s push to clean up DC and end sanctuary city policies “show us each and every day how much of a bigot he is.” 

The White House brushed off McIver’s allegations, mocking her “attempted catfight” outside the Newark ICE facility that landed her in trouble with the feds. 

“LaMonica McIver, whose claim to fame was assaulting federal agents, is an unserious person whose comments are nothing more than a political stunt, much like her attempted catfight in front of an ICE facility,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told The Post.  

“Congress would be better off if she left, and the people of New Jersey would benefit greatly if she pursued her apparent passion for street fighting,” he added. 

McIver’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

The congresswoman has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials related to her alleged role in the ICE facility dustup.

White House mocks ‘unserious’ NJ Dem Rep. LaMonica McIver after she claims ‘Liberation Day’ is ‘racist’ and code for ‘white power’
The New Jersey Democrat charged that Trump’s push to clean up DC and end sanctuary city policies “show us each and every day how much of a bigot he is.”

https://nypost.com/2025/08/19/us-news/white-house-mocks-unserious-nj-dem-rep-lamonica-mciver-after-she-claims-liberation-day-is-racist-and-code-for-white-power

HuffPost: This Republican Governor Has Declined To Send National Guard Troops To D.C.

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Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott has declined to send the state’s National Guard to Washington, D.C., noting that he didn’t believe it to be a proper use of these troops. 

“In the absence of an immediate emergency or disaster that local and regional first responders are unable to handle, the governor just does not support utilizing the guard for this purpose, and does not view the enforcement of domestic law as a proper use of the National Guard,” Scott’s chief of staff Jason Gibbs told Vermont Public on Friday. 

Scott is the rare Republican leader who’s refused to bow to the Trump administration’s requests as the president has deployed National Guard and federal law enforcement to address what he’s described as a spiraling crime crisis in the capital. In reality, data shows that violent crime rates in the district have declined in 2024 and 2025, and Trump’s efforts have been criticized by Democrats as a “stunt” designed to distract from other controversies his administration is grappling with, like the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Scott’s decision followed a Pentagon request for a “few dozen” of the state’s troops, according to Gibbs, and comes as six Republican-led states, including West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana, have authorized the deployment of their National Guard to D.C. in the last week. 

All told, Trump has already deployed 800 National Guard troops to the city, and the states’ contributions could put that number upwards of 1,700. 

It’s not evident why more troops have been requested from different states and what function they will serve upon their arrival in D.C. 

A spokesperson for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told the Associated Press that the state’s National Guard would “assist with monument security, community safety patrols, protecting federal facilities, and traffic control.” Some troops “may be armed,” a Guard representative said Sunday.

“In this case, because it is being hyperpoliticized, the governor doesn’t feel like — and I believe the vast majority of Vermonters don’t feel like — it would be an acceptable and appropriate use of the National Guard,” Gibbs added in his comments to Vermont Public. 

A Scott spokesperson and a White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to provide additional comment. 

Gibbs noted that Scott would have viewed the situation differently if D.C. leaders had called for federal aid, which was not the case this time around. On Friday, the D.C. attorney general sued the Trump administration for its federal takeover of the leadership of the district’s police force. 

“This doesn’t make sense. The numbers on the ground and the district don’t support 1,000 people from other states coming to Washington, D.C.,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday. 

This also isn’t the first time that Scott has pushed back on the Trump administration’s attempts to use the state’s National Guard. Previously, Scott rejected a Defense Department request to utilize Vermont’s National Guard to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at detention facilities. 

This Republican Governor Has Declined To Send National Guard Troops To D.C.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/this-republican-governor-has-declined-to-send-national-guard-troops-to-d-c/ar-AA1KLFeF

Mirror US: Trump slammed for ‘dictator talk’ as he jokes with Zelensky about having ‘no more elections’ in US

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Donald Trump has been accused of sounding like a dictator after joking with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky about how the US could have ‘no more elections’ by 2028

Donald Trump made an eyebrow-raising remark about the potential to halt US elections as he sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss efforts to negotiate peace with Russia.

Monday’s historic meeting marked Zelensky’s first time back in the White House since Trump and Vice President JD Vance laid into him live on TV during a spectacular Oval Office blowout in February. This time around, things remained relatively calm as the pair appeared far more civil with each other.

But Trump still escalated the tension in the room with a controversial statement. It comes as Trump appears to relish idea of a violent clash in DC as the city takes steps to de-escalate.

At one point during their press conference, the US president suddenly interrupted Zelensky as the Ukrainian leader was responding to a question about his commitment to holding elections after the war with Russia is over.

“So you’re saying during the war you can’t have elections,” Trump said. The president hinted that before the 2028 presidential election, he could call off elections as he joked: “So, let me just say, three and a half years from now so you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections. Oh, that’s good.”

Zelensky laughed before shaking his head as he responded: “You like this idea, no no no no.” Trump’s remarks, which have since gone viral on X, quickly saw him accused of spouting “dictator talk”.

Trump has previously called Zelensky a “dictator” and criticised him for halting elections during wartime in Ukraine. Critics raised the alarm, claiming there was a more sinister side to the joke.

One wrote: “You can practically see the dim little lightbulb flicker on above his head. ‘Wait a second… if my country is in a war… I don’t have to leave the White House… EVER?! THAT’S GOOD!’ It’s the giddy, amoral excitement of a child who has just discovered a brand new and fantastic way to cheat at the game. Except the game is the Constitution of the United States.”

A second warned: “His remark to Zelensky wasn’t just a slip of the tongue it’s a window into his authoritarian fantasies. If Trump thinks he can dodge elections by dragging us into some endless conflict, he’s not just dreaming; he’s planning. The question isn’t just ‘who’ we’re going to have a long war with it’s ‘how long’ before we wake up to the fact that this man will stop at nothing to cling to power.”

Trump’s comments to Zelensky aren’t the first time that he has hinted at plans to remain in the White House beyond his second term, something which is currently unconstitutional. In a phone interview with NBC news back in March, Trump said he’s “not joking” about running for a third term and insinuated that “there are methods” of bypassing the Constitution.

When asked to elaborate on those methods the following month, the president told TIME Magazine: “I’d rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known.”

“But I don’t believe in loopholes,” Trump added. “I don’t believe in using loopholes.” However, earlier this month the president appeared to back-peddle on talk about running for a third term.

Asked whether he would make another bid for president in 2028, Trump told CNBC: “No. Probably not. I’d like to run. I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had. You know why? Because people love the tariffs.”

Despite this, Trump on Monday showed off his collection of MAGA hats to Zelensky, including one emblazoned with the phrase “4 More Years”.

Trump slammed as he jokes with Zelensky about having ‘no more elections’
Donald Trump has been accused of sounding like a dictator after joking with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky about how the US could have ‘no more elections’ by 2028

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-elections-zelensky-usa-1337245