Week 56 — The Return

For what should have been a quiet holiday week, Week 56 was packed with bombshell news, and escalating chaos and rhetoric from the Trump regime. The week started with Trump grasping on to the adage “never let a crisis go to waste,” when he used a Thanksgiving Eve shooting by an Afghan national of two National Guard troops as a prelude to make the most significant changes to his immigration policy during the second regime.

Notable this week was Trump’s increasingly unhinged rhetoric, and his late night social media posting storms, including one late night marathon of nearly 150 posts over a two hour span! This type of maniacal behavior was more typical during his first regime, often at times when he felt under attack or out of control; notably, this was the first week of his acting this way during the second regime.

Trump has a lot to be upset about: Republicans are at long last pushing back (because of election results, NOT because they finally found a moral compass), and big news stories hit this week, including questionable intent by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in their negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and a second strike on an alleged drug vessel that may amount to a war crime. Trump’s so-called war on drug cartels took an ironic twist this week when he pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who was found guilty of flooding the U.S. with cocaine, for which he was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Trump also weighed in on the close election in Honduras, and baselessly alleged fraud.

Finally, since the NYT reporting last week on signs of Trump’s fatigue and aging, there has been a renewed focus by our media on Trump’s health, which up until now had been largely absent, unlike their seeming obsession with former president Joseph Biden’s age and cognitive health. This is another plot line that Trump hates, because it diminishes his strongman status. However, you will note what we were not talking about this week: the Epstein files.

1. Gallup polling found Trump’s approval dropping to 36%, the lowest of his second regime, with disapproval rising to 60%. Approval of Trump’s handling of immigration fell to 37%, the economy 36%, and healthcare policy 30%.
2. Politico reported Trump has withdrawn a record setting 57 nominations during his second regime, over issues including Republican pushback, vetting issues, White House infighting, and Trump’s own mercurial views. Biden withdrew 29 in his first year in office.
3. On Wednesday, Trump insulted a third female reporter in a week, calling NYT’s Katie Rogers, who co-authored a piece about signs of his fatigue and aging in Week 55, posting that she was “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out.” He did not mention the male co-author.
4. On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he would “absolutely” release his MRI results, claiming he did not know what the MRI was looking for, adding, “it wasn’t the brain. Because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had challenged Trump to release his MRI results.
5. On Monday, the White House released a letter from Trump’s physician, saying the MRI of the cardiovascular system and abdominal region showed he “remains in excellent overall health.” Missing was what tests doctors conducted, why they were done, and what the results mean.
6. On Tuesday, at a cabinet meeting, Trump was seen fighting sleep and repeatedly dozing off while members of his cabinet were speaking, the second time in a month that Trump has been seen sleeping during an event. The meeting that started at 11:30 a.m. was his first public event.
7. Asked about his health by reporters, Trump said, “I’ll let you know when there’s something wrong. There will be someday. That’s going to happen to all of us. But right now I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago. But who the hell knows?”
8. On Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, police detained an Afghan man they said had shot two National Guard troops near the White House. The troops were from West Virginia, and were in D.C. as part of Trump’s deployment there.
9. Later Wednesday, Trump, who was at Mar-a-Lago, called for a crackdown on immigration and ordered 500 more troops to D.C. He posted on Truth Social that the shooting was an “act of terror” and “a crime against humanity.”
10. Trump also ramped up his rhetoric, calling Afghanistan “a hellhole on earth,” saying of immigration, “No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival,” and adding “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country under Biden.”
11. Days before, a federal judge had temporarily blocked Trump from maintaining more than 2,000 National Guard troops in D.C., finding the deployment was likely illegal. After the shooting, the Trump regime asked for that decision to be blocked.
12. The Trump regime’s Citizenship and Immigration Services said it had stopped processing immigration applications from Afghanistan. The pause also impacted the applications of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or NATO forces
13. The shooter was part of a CIA-backed paramilitary group, one of several so-called Zero Units, and had entered the U.S. in 2021 under a Biden Administration immigration program. He applied for asylum in 2024, and received asylum in April 2025 from the Trump regime.
14. On Thursday, the director of U.S. immigration services said that under orders from Trump, the agency would “re-examine “every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” meaning the 19 countries subject to Trump’s June travel ban, without further details.
15. On Thursday, at a news conference, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the National Guard in D.C. was “the line that separates a civilized society from a barbaric one.” Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington said, “These young people should be at home in West Virginia with their families.”
16. On Thursday, Trump posted an anti-immigrant screed on Truth Social, baselessly claiming immigrants “are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels,” and “refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America.”
17. Later Thursday, speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump baselessly claimed of immigrants, many “are criminals” and “are people that shouldn’t be here.” He also baselessly claimed that Somali immigrants were “taking over” Minnesota, and were bringing in gang violence.
18. Trump insulted a fourth female reporter, CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes, who asked why he was blaming Biden when the shooter had a thorough vetting per his DOJ inspector general, saying, “Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?”
19. NYT reported that Trump’s crackdown on immigration after the shooting, including pausing asylum, reviewing green cards, halting Afghan immigration applications and barring more from entry, amounted to the most significant changes to immigration policy since he took office.
20. Trump also attacked former vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Walz, claiming, “Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for “prey,”” and “the seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing.”
21. Trump also insulted MN Rep. Ilhan Omar, posting she was “the worst “Congressman/woman” in our Country,” and “always wrapped in her swaddling hijab,” and baselessly claimed she “probably came into the U.S.A. illegally in that you are not allowed to marry your brother.”
22. Trump also continued to baselessly claim that South Africa’s Black-majority government persecutes its white minority, posting, “South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20.” Trump added he was “going to stop all payments and subsidies” to South Africa.
23. Later Thursday, Indiana state Sen. Mike Bohacek, whose daughter has Down syndrome, posted on Facebook that he would vote no on Trump’s redistricting push, citing Trump’s repeated use of the “r-word,” saying Trump’s “choices of words have consequences.”
24. Indiana state Sen. Greg Walkers said he declined an Oval Office visit last week, and accused the Trump regime of violating the Hatch Act through pressuring Indiana Republicans to redistrict.
25. On Monday, Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem posted on X that she recommended to Trump to enact “a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” Trump reposted her statement.
26. On Saturday, WSJ reported Russia’s strategy with the Trump regime was to bypass the traditional U.S. national security apparatus and convince the Trump regime to focus on business deals, creating business opportunities for the Trump family, regime, and allies.
27. Before and at the October meeting in Miami between Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, deals were discussed using $300 billion of frozen Russian assets, for a U.S.-led reconstruction of Ukraine, other natural resource deals, and a joint mission to Mars with SpaceX.
28. Witkoff, who was set to travel to Russia for the sixth time, had yet to visit Ukraine. The Treasury Department, who had to grant Dmitriev a waiver to come to the U.S., learned of Witkoff’s meetings with Russia from their British counterparts. Europeans and Ukraine were not included.
29. NYT reported that David Sacks, Trump’s A.I. and crypto czar, has used his senior position in the regime to shape policy that would benefit his Silicon Valley friends, as well as many of his investments: he held 708 tech investments, including 449 stakes in companies with ties to A.I.
30. Sacks’s podcast, “All-In,” hosted a summit in July in D.C., at which he featured Trump and other senior regime members as speakers. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles intervened to prevent “All-In” from serving as the sole host.
31. WSJ reported bets on Trump’s brands have soured during the second regime: shares of Trump Media & Technology Group are down 75%, Trump’s meme coin is down 86%, and Melania’s down 99%. The World Liberty Financial token is down 40% since its September launch.
32. WSJ reported the U.S. government will take a $150 million stake in xLight, a start up chipmaker led by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. Some analysts have compared the Trump regime’s investments in corporations to state capitalism.
33. On Friday, Costco sued the Trump regime in the Court of International Trade over tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, saying the tariffs are illegal and seeking a “full refund” of all duties paid under the act.
34. On Saturday, Trump pushed the Supreme Court to rule in his favor on tariffs, posting on Truth Social, “Tariffs have made our Country Rich, Strong, Powerful, and Safe,” and claiming, “because of what I have set in place, WE HAVE ALL THE CARDS.”
35. On Friday, Trump’s White House launched a page on its website targeting media outlets and reporters that publish stories that Trump does not like, including categories called “media offenders of the week” and “Offender Hall of Shame.”
36. The webpage included WAPO, CBS News, CNN and MSNBC in the hall of shame, as well as the Associated Press, ABC News, NYT, and WSJ. The website initially listed Fox News, because the regime wrongly identified a reporter as being from the outlet, but later it was removed.
37. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was “cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden,” e.g. using an autopen. Presidents, included Trump himself, have used autopens for decades.
38. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a podcast that he is overwhelmed with the position, and in “triage every day.” He admitted, “We have this joke that I’m not really a speaker of the House.” Trump has mused, “I’m the speaker and the president.”
39. Gallup polling found approval of Congress in November fell to 14%, the lowest level since the 2013 government shutdown. Approval of Congress from Republicans fell from a high of 63% in March to 23%.
40. On Saturday, Trump ally Rep. Troy Nehls said he would retire from Congress, rather than seek re-election in 2026, the 26th Republican to do so, tying a record. Rep. Don Bacon, a Trump critic, said he almost resigned over the Trump’s regime 28-point plan for Russia-Ukraine.
41. On Friday, WAPO reported that during the first Caribbean boat strike in September, Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth gave an order to SEAL Team 6 to conduct a second strike “to kill everybody,” after two survivors were seen clinging to the wreck from the first strike.
42. After the strike, Trump posted a surveillance drone video showing the attack on Truth Social, but it did not include survivors or the second strike. Although Hegseth told Fox News, “We knew exactly who was in that boat,” that information had not been shared with Congress.
43. Military experts said whether the U.S. is in an armed conflict, law enforcement or other military operations, targeting defenseless people is prohibited by international law, which calls for treating them as prisoners of war, and that the second strike amounted to a war crime.
44. After the Post report, Hegseth posted on X, “Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization,” and claimed that “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law.”
45. Hegseth also attacked the Post, calling it “the fake news” and claiming that it is “delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”
46. On Saturday, Republican-led Armed Services committees in the House and Senate demanded a “vigorous oversight” of the killing of the two survivors, a rare break from Trump, saying they are “taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.”
47. On Saturday, The Former JAGs Working Group said in a statement that they “unanimously considers both the giving and the execution of these orders, if true, to constitute war crimes, murder, or both.” Hegseth had previously fired several career JAG officers.
48. On Sunday, top Republicans joined Democrats in demanding answers. Rep. Mike Turner, former chair of the Intelligence Committee said on “Face the Nation” of the second strike, “if that occurred…I agree that that would be an illegal act.” Others suggested “vigorous oversight.”
49. Later Sunday, asked by reporters, Trump backed Hegseth, but added he “wouldn’t have wanted” a second strike that killed survivors. Trump added that Hegseth denied the reporting, saying, “Pete said he did not even know what people were talking about.”
50. Hegseth meanwhile was irreverent, joking later Sunday about the strikes by posting a meme on X of Franklin, the turtle from a children’s book series, firing a weapon at a vessels from a helicopter, with a byline, “For your Christmas wish list.”
51. On Monday, the Toronto-based publisher of the Franklin the Turtle children’s book series condemned the “unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image,” adding Franklin “has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity.”
52. On Monday, in an email to reporters, Hegseth again railed against the “fake news,” claiming it was “delivering more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors.” He did not comment on whether he ordered the second strike.
53. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement claiming that Hegseth had authorized the commander overseeing the attack, Adm. Frank Bradley, “to conduct these kinetic strikes,” and that Bradley was “well within his authority and the law.”
54. When pressed by reporters, Leavitt said, “I think you guys are sort of not listening fully to the statement I provided,” repeating, “Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law…and the threat to the narco-terrorists to the United States was eliminated.”
55. The White House account differed from reporting by the Post, which said that Bradley, who leads the U.S. Special Operations Command, had ordered the strike, which complied with an order from Hegseth to “kill everybody.” The regime messaging was also changing.
56. On Monday, Hegseth placed the blame on Bradley, posting on X, “Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support,” adding, “I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on this September 2 mission and all others since.”
57. WAPO reported that officials in Congress and the Pentagon were concerned that the Trump regime was looking to use Bradley as a scapegoat. One military official said the move was to protect Hegseth. Civilian staffers were said to be alarmed, with some considering leaving the regime.
58. On Monday, at a press conference, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly blasted Trump for a spike in threats directed at him and his wife, Gabby Giffords, who survived a 2011 assassination attempt. Kelly also accused Hegseth of weaponizing the Pentagon for political purposes.
59. WAPO reported the Pentagon will host its first in-person press event on Monday, after mainstream media walked out over Hegseth’s new press policy. Only right-wing media outlets and influencers were set to attend.
60. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who was found guilty by an American jury last year of conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S., and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
61. Hernández’s family portrayed his conviction as political persecution by Biden, although the investigation took place during Trump’s first regime. Former and current U.S. attorneys called the pardon “lunacy” and “nothing short of catastrophic.”
62. On Tuesday, Hernández was set free from prison, and referred to Trump as “your Excellency.” Amid Trump’s so-called efforts to end the inflow of drugs into the U.S., Hernández was at the center of “one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.”
63. Trump also weighed in on a close Honduras election, posting on Truth Social that if his favored candidate did not win, the U.S. would “not be throwing good money after bad.” It was highly unusual for a president to endorse a candidate, rather than encourage free and fair elections.
64. Trump later Monday baselessly alleged fraud in the Honduras election, posting on Truth Social, “Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their Presidential Election,” adding, “If they do, there will be hell to pay!” A delay in vote counting was expected and normal.
65. Trump also pardoned private equity executive David Gentile, who had reported to prison on November 14 to serve seven years for his role in a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of victims. Gentile’s co-defendant, Jeffry Schneider, who is serving six years, was not pardoned.
66. On Saturday, Trump threatened on Truth Social that the airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed. The warning came as Trump told Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that he would consider using force if he did not leave voluntarily.
67. NYT reported the Trump regime is using a new deportation tactic of arresting foreign-born spouses with green cards during their final interviews at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices, and charging some with visa violations that could result in deportation.
68. In every case, ICE claimed the spouse had overstayed tourist or business visas. However all had submitted extensive paperwork and paid all required fees, been fingerprinted and passed medical exams. None had criminal records. None had entered the country illegally.
69. The Charlotte Observer reported on a 23 year-old woman who was one of 370 picked up in Trump’s Charlotte immigration sweep. She came from Honduras at 14 after her father was murdered by a gang member. Her mother died of cancer. She was denied bond at an immigration hearing.
70. ABC News reported that Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19 year-old college student who was traveling on Thanksgiving to surprise her family in Texas, was detained at Boston Logan Airport, and later deported to Honduras, despite a federal judge’s order blocking her removal.
71. On Monday, the Trump regime fired eight immigration judges in New York City, a courthouse that previously had 34 judges. One fired judge said, “The court has been basically eviscerated.” The firings were allegedly over judges being too lenient.
72. Pop star Sabrina Carpenter demanded the Trump regime stop using her music, after her song was used in a TikTok video showing ICE agents apprehending people, posting on X, “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
73. Axios reported on the Trump regime’s efforts to erase Black history, including $3.4 billion in grants for HBCUs, public health research, and entrepreneurs had been cut, 6,769 federal datasets had been deleted, and 591 books by Black authors had been banned.
74. Citing Trump’s DEI guidance, the University of Alabama suspended two student magazines, one appealing to women, one to Black students. One magazine said it was open to all students, but the school’s representative said it was not enough to avoid federal scrutiny.
75. On Friday, Northwestern University reached a deal with the Trump regime to pay $75 million, the second highest of the six schools that have reached agreements, over alleged antisemitism on campus. The deal restored hundreds of millions in research funding to the school.
76. Billionaire and Trump allies Michael and Susan Dell announced they would pledge $6.25 billion to establish “Trump Accounts” for children, depositing $250 in investment accounts for 25 million children, in places where the median household income is below $150,000.
77. On Monday, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling disqualifying Alina Habba from her position as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, finding her appointment violates the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
78. NYT reported despite victories before the Supreme Court, the elite Office of the Solicitor General has seen an exodus of more than half of its lawyers. New hires have been screened based on their loyalty to Trump and party affiliation, breaking from past bipartisan hires.
79. White House lawyers, who typically have a wall between the office, now communicate regularly. The focus of the office, which traditionally was apolitical, has been transformed to service Trump’s agenda, and now uses his phrases in Supreme Court filings.
80. NYT reported the architect working on the White House ballroom stepped back, after what was initially supposed to be a 500-seat ballroom grew to 650 seats, then a 999-seat ballroom, to now 1,350. Trump claimed he does not need to follow permitting, zoning, or code requirements.
81. The New York Post reported a report by former FBI agents, prepared for U.S. Senators, called the FBI under the leadership of director Kash Patel a “rudderless ship,” and said Patel is “in over his head,” and that he and deputy Dan Bongino were arrogant and obsessed with social media.
82. NYT found the National Institutes of Health gave 12,588 grants in 2025, 22% fewer than the 16,099 average over the past decade. Hardest hit were minority health, nursing, human genome, alcohol abuse, and mental health.
83. On Monday, Trump sent nearly 150 posts on Truth Social between 10 p.m. and midnight, ranging from criticizing Democrats to posting right-wing conspiracies. At 5:30 a.m on Tuesday, Trump was posting online again.
84. On Tuesday, at a cabinet meeting, members of Trump’s cabinet took turns going around the table thanking him and heaping praise on him with grandiose compliments, many of which were not reality-based, and reminiscent of an authoritarian regime.
85. Trump listed what he viewed as his economic accomplishments, and called the issue of affordability a “fake narrative” and “con job” created by Democrats to trick the public. Trump also baselessly claimed that the price of groceries were coming down.
86. A Yahoo/YouGov poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans believed Trump’s actions have raised prices rather than lowering them.
87. Trump also ranted about Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage,” and saying he does not want them in the U.S., adding, “These are people that do nothing but complain,” and “Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”
88. Also on Tuesday, the Trump regime launched an intensive ICE operation, including the so-called strike teams, targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The directive from ICE came immediately after Trump’s remarks.
89. Seated next to Trump at the cabinet meeting, Hegseth claimed he was not in the room when the second strike took place, claiming he had “moved on” to his next meeting, and blamed the “fog of war.” This contradicted an appearance in September on Fox News, where he said he had watched it all live.
90. Hegseth also claimed he did not see survivors after the first strike. He distanced himself, putting the blame on Bradley for the second strike, saying he “made the right call.” Hegseth claimed he learned of the second strike hours later.
91. Trump stood by Hegseth, claiming “he didn’t know anything,” and claimed he [Trump] “still hasn’t gotten a lot of information because I rely on Pete,” adding, “I wasn’t involved in it.” Trump also praised Bradley, calling him an “extraordinary person.”
92. Hegseth, who was a main focus of the meeting given national attention to the second strike, had a misspelled nameplate, listing him as the “SSecretary.”
93. Trump also told reporters that he was planning a land strike on Venezuela to target alleged drug traffickers “very soon,” adding, “the land is much easier,” and saying any country “is subject to attack,” singling out Colombia, which had been a longtime U.S. close ally.
94. CNN fact checker reported Trump gave a long list of false claims, many of which were repeats and had been previously debunked, including lies about consumer prices, investment in the U.S., foreign affairs, public safety, the 2020 election, and his signature domestic policy.
95. On Tuesday, the family of the Colombian fisherman who was killed in a U.S. strike on September 15 filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging the U.S. government illegally killed him, calling the strike “extra-judicial killings.”
96. On Tuesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to cut off SNAP funding to more than 20 Democratic-led states that have refused to provide the Trump regime with sensitive personal data about recipients, which the states say violates privacy laws.
97. On Tuesday, the DOJ sued six more Democrat-led states — Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — over their unwillingness to turn over private voter information as part of the regime’s efforts to compile a national voter roll.
98. On Tuesday, in a court filing, Trump asked federal judge Aileen Cannon, whom he appointed, to not allow the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report, a break from the precedent of the DOJ handling of such reports, which are typically given to Congress and made public.
99. In a memo to GOP lawmakers, Kari Lake, head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said the regime would shrink the broadcasting capacity of Voice of America, closing its six overseas news bureaus and four overseas marketing offices, despite a judge’s order not to do so.
100. On Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner, after meeting with Ukrainian officials in Miami on Friday, met with Putin, Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev. Putin came to the meeting an hour late, and symbolically in army fatigues. No compromise was reached in the five-hour meeting.
101. On Wednesday, ADP Research reported private-sector payrolls decreased by 32,000, the lowest reading since early 2023. Economists had expected a 10,000 job gain. Wage growth also slowed, with a 6.3% increase in pay for changing jobs, the lowest since February 2021.