Week 81 — The Return

This week the Republican Party at long last stood up to Trump. What did it take? Trump backing primary opponents of two of their own in the Senate, resulting in both losing, and another in the House. Trump’s $1.776 billion (yes, note the patriotic reference in dollar amount) so-called “anti-weaponization” fund hit roadblocks in the Senate, leading that body to adjourn for Memorial Day weekend, as did the House to avoid a vote that would have required Trump to get Congressional approval to continue his war of choice in Iran.

Trump, by all accounts, is losing the Iran War. Although the three-month old war has been stalled for weeks, Trump used the pretext of an “imminent” deal as an excuse to skip his son’s wedding on Saturday. This seemed odd enough when his schedule showed him heading to his Bedminster golf course on Friday, but when rain was predicted, he instead returned to the White House where he spent the weekend claiming to be close to a deal, then backing off, then claiming to be close again, and so on. Trump also spent his weekend continuing his ample use of Truth Social to spread unhinged, AI-generated images and videos, at all hours of the day and night. Trump visited Walter Reed this week for his fourth medical exam since returning to office, raising continued concerns about his health, after which he again refused to give accurate information on the reason for the visit.

This week the fourth Trump cabinet member was pushed out, and for the fourth time, notably, it was a woman, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Her diminished role, as well as Marco Rubio being a place holder as National Security Advisor, and Trump’s gutting of the National Security Council, led many experts to question if Trump’s shrinking circle of increasingly solely loyalists and yes men had led to his ill-advised and poorly planned Iran War. As NYT columnist Thomas Friedman put it:

Now, and forever, Iranians will know that we know that Tehran can shut off the world’s most important oil tap anytime it wants. This new source of leverage for the Iranian regime is priceless.

Trump’s failure to anticipate this is no accident. It is because he thinks he knows everything — when he doesn’t at all.

Trump has left himself, his party, and the country in a lose-lose situation through many of his actions highlighted this week. His approval overall and on key issues found new floors, while consumer sentiment reached a 70 year-low, lower than during the coronavirus pandemic and the great recession of 2008.

1. On Wednesday, the Trump regime’s DOJ charged former Cuban President Raul Castro, 94, with murder over his alleged role in shooting down two planes in 1996. The regime had similarly charged Venezuela’s president as a precursor to a military operation.
2. NYT reported Iceland, which traditionally had been fiercely independent, has been rattled by Trump’s repeated threats to take over Greenland, and is considering joining the European Union. Iceland will vote on a referendum for exploratory talks about E.U. membership.
3. On Thursday, Trump reversed himself on Truth Social, saying he would now send troops to Poland since his favored candidate won an election, posting, “Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki,” he was sending “5,000 Troops to Poland.”
4. On Thursday, acting Navy Sec. Hung Cao told a Senate committee that the Trump regime was pausing $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, citing the need for weapons to carry out Operation Epic Fury. The shift came after Trump’s attempted reconciliation with China.
5. On Friday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigned, citing her husband’s deadly cancer diagnosis. Reuters reported, however, that Gabbard had been forced out by the White House. Gabbard was the fourth female of four cabinet members forced out by Trump.
6. WAPO reported that the Trump regime did not plan to seek congressional authorization to build Trump’s 250 foot high triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, claiming they can rely on an 101 year-old authorization for a different project on the site.
7. On Thursday, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were all appointed by Trump, approved the design for Trump’s arch. Asked by reporters if he needed approval from Congress, Trump said, “No. We don’t need anything from Congress.”
8. FT reported that no deposits had been made for Trump’s Board of Peace. Although Trump had promoted that member states had pledged $7 billion, and promised that the U.S. would contribute $10 billion more, the World Bank official said, “Zero dollars have been deposited.”
9. On Wednesday, a federal judge directed White House offices to fully comply with the Presidential Records Act, saying advisers must preserve relevant records under the act, after an April memo from the regime had rejected compliance with the Act.
10. The judge ordered regime officials to preserve all records, including texts exchanged among its top officials, saying, “Congress has validly determined that this act helps to maintain that trust by shining some light on the activities of the president and his aides.”
11. On Wednesday, the DOJ announced charges against Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, a former federal prosecutor in Florida, alleging she tried to steal the special counsel report on the Trump classified documents case by renaming it “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and emailing it to herself.
12. On Wednesday, a Quinnipiac poll found Trump’s approval at new low for the pollster, with 34% approve, 58% disapprove. Trump’s handling of the economy hit a career low, with 33% approve, 64% disapprove, with 73% of Republicans approving.
13. On Thursday, Gallup poll found Americans’ confidence in the economy had sunk to a four year low, with just 16% rating the economy good or excellent, 34% rating it fair, and 49% poor.
14. On Friday, the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers found that sentiment had fallen to 44.8 in May, well below the 49.8 level in April, and a new record low for the 70 year old survey, as consumers remained worried about inflation and higher fuel costs.
15. On Wednesday, Trump bragged to reporters about losing 13 U.S. troop members in the Iran war, saying, “we took over Venezuela, we essentially took over Iran — and we’ve lost, so far, 13 people. Somebody else would’ve lost 100,000 people,” adding he gets “a kick” when they mention it on television.
16. Trump also bragged about his popularity in Israel, saying, “right now, at 99% in Israel. I could run for prime minister, so maybe after I do this, I’ll go to Israel, run for prime minister,” lying, “Had a poll this morning, I’m 99%, so that’s good.” No such poll existed.
17. On Wednesday, Trump mused about serving a third term while addressing the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s 145th graduating class, saying, “I’m gonna be in office in 2028. Maybe I’ll be here in 2032, too. I don’t know. Maybe I will.”
18. NYT reported that Trump loyalist, former Rep. Dan Bishop, one of the 150 GOP lawmakers who refused to certify 2020 election results, was appointed to lead a sweeping DOJ investigation into alleged fraud across the country, including debunked claims of fraud from 2020.
19. Reuters reported Trump has repeated the false claim that the 2020 election was “rigged” at least 107 times in the last six months. A Reuters poll showed that 63% of Republicans believe the lie. Election experts and some Republicans warned that his rhetoric would undermine trust.
20. On Wednesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was censured by the Colorado State Democratic Party over his decision to commute the sentence of election denier and Trump loyalist Tina Peters, saying Peters posed a threat to elections and democracy, and was unrepentant.
21. On Thursday, a federal judge in Maine, appointed by Trump, dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Trump regime’s DOJ over the state’s unwillingness to turn over its voter rolls, the seventh state to win in court.
22. On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that Wisconsin did not need to turn over its voter rolls, saying voter registration lists are not documents that must be produced under the Civil Rights Act, the eighth state to win in court.
23. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled South Carolina state senate failed to pass a motion to stop the debate on a new map for midterms, the second time the body had defied Trump, leaving its one majority Black district in place.
24. On Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled 3–0 that Alabama could not use their revised map, citing it “represents an intentional effort to crack the Black population in Alabama.” State Republicans said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.
25. On Wednesday, NYT reported that days after tobacco company Reynolds American donated $5 million to Trump’s super PAC on April 30, a top executive from the company had lunch with Trump at his Jupiter, FL golf club. Less than a week later the FDA issued new guidance that paved the way for flavored vapes.
26. NYT reported Trump appointee Caroline Pham, the former acting chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, rushed through approvals for three companies that Trump and his sons and donors had large investments in, ignoring red flags from CFTC officials.
27. For Polymarket, a key approval was given after Donald Jr.’s 1789 Capital made an investment; for Crypto.com CFTC staffers who questioned their proposal were sidelined; and for Gemini, run by the Trump donors the Winklevoss twins, quick approval was given after previous denials.
28. After the other CFTC commissioners were pushed out by Trump or resigned, only one who was appointed by Trump remained. Since the other seats remained vacant, there was no quorum and so the agency was unable to carry out enforcement.
29. Shortly after the NYT bombshell was released, Trump posted on Truth Social that “It is critically important that the CFTC’s exclusive authority over Prediction Markets is maintained,” as states had increasingly been taking steps to regulate prediction markets.
30. Bloomberg reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was seeking volunteers from its workforce to go to domestic airports and screen for the Ebola virus. Jay Bhattacharya was overseeing the agency, which underwent massive staffing cuts and still had no director.
31. NYT reported the Trump regime planned to send U.S. citizens exposed to the Ebola virus to Kenya, instead of bringing them home where they would have access to state-of-the-art facilities and a much better chance of survival. The regime had already sent some citizens to Europe.
32. CNN reported that the Trump regime issued a directive barring key U.S. researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from communicating with the World Health Organization, even as the threat level of the virus was upgraded in the Congo.
33. The Atlantic reported Homeland Security Sec. Markwayne Mullin met with a small group of airline and travel-industry executives to inform them that he may reduce Customs and Border Protection staffing at airports in ‘sanctuary cities,’ forcing airlines to re-route flights.
34. On Thursday, federal prosecutors dropped all charges before trial against the ‘Broadway Six,’ who protested in front of an ICE detention center, one of the Trump regime’s marquee cases from Operation Midway Blitz, citing redactions made in grand jury transcripts.
35. The federal judge said she was “incredibly shocked” by the redactions, and that prosecutors met jurors outside the court, adding she had never seen the “types of prosecutorial behavior before a grand jury that I saw in those transcripts,” and that “trust has been broken.”
36. On Friday, a federal judge dismissed the Trump regime’s criminal charges of human smuggling against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, citing it was part of a vindictive effort to punish him for challenging his wrongful deportation to El Salvador, a stinging rebuke of the DOJ and acting AG Todd Blanche.
37. On Friday, the Trump regime announced a new policy mandating that almost all foreigners seeking green cards would need to leave the U.S. and apply from abroad, adding only in “extraordinary circumstances” could people apply within the U.S.
38. The announcement led to widespread confusion, and would impact hundreds of thousands of people, about 70% of whom got their green cards through marriage. The move was part of the Trump regime’s new effort to restrict legal immigration, after mass raids were unpopular.
39. As part of the effort, Trump signed an executive order targeting immigrants that required banks to take a closer look at clients’ citizenship. The order was designed to limit immigrants’ access to banking, mortgages, loans, and credit, forcing them to self-deport.
40. On Monday, ICE agents pepper-sprayed protesters, including Sen. Andy Kim, outside Delaney Hall, a privately-owned immigrant detention center with poor conditions where inmates were on a hunger strike. DHS claimed “rioters obstructed law enforcement from exiting.”
41. NYT reported that as the DOJ has been politicized under Trump, DOJ lawyers have struggled to get some grand juries to indict, something unthinkable in the past, and since November three federal judges have admonished prosecutors and accused them of misconduct.
42. Missteps and mistakes by DOJ lawyers have come as Trump pushed the DOJ to pursue his perceived enemies. After the mass exodus of DOJ prosecutors, many of the new lawyers lack experience and are not getting proper training or instructions from senior DOJ officials.
43. On Tuesday, a federal judge halted a Trump regime policy that restricted the faculty’s free speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The judge said cadets “are not snowflakes who will somehow be harmed by ​learning about controversial issues or competing viewpoints.”
44. On Wednesday, Trump demanded on Truth Social that the Senate fire parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, whom he had previously praised, after she ruled that hundreds of millions of funding for his ballroom could not be included in an immigration funding package.
45. On Wednesday, NYT reported that Trump’s $1.776 billion fund appeared to violate a Trump-era policy put into place by former AG Pam Bondi prohibiting payments to groups not involved in an underlying lawsuit. Experts said it was also unheard of to grant blanket immunity.
46. On Thursday, acting AG Blanche met with GOP senators on Trump’s fund, in what descended into a two-hour long meltdown, with dozens of Republicans expressing anger and concern about the fund. They were not notified about it in advance.
47. Republicans questioned Blanche on the legal basis for the unprecedented fund, whom it would pay, and how the process would work. Many made clear they wanted no part in the plan. There was still anger for Trump endorsing challengers to two sitting GOP senators.
48. After the meeting with Blanche, former Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called it “a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong — Take your pick.” Sen. Thom Tillis called it, “stupid on stilts.”
49. Later Thursday, Senate Republican leaders canceled a planned vote on a $72 billion immigration crackdown measure, over the possible inclusion of Trump’s fund. The Senate had already stripped out the $1 billion discussed for Trump’s White House ballroom.
50. Shortly after, House Republicans abruptly canceled a scheduled vote on a resolution directing Trump to end the Iran War or get approval from Congress, after Republican leadership realized they did not have the votes to block it. Both the House and Senate left for the long weekend.
51. On Thursday, WAPO reported that Trump allies were already preparing to apply to his $1.776 billion fund, including hundreds of Jan. 6 insurrectionists, and figures like Patricia and Mark McCloskey, George Santos, Rod Blagojevich, and the leader of the far-right Proud Boys.
52. On Friday, the Trump regime’s DOJ quietly deleted press releases detailing charges against hundreds of individuals who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The move came on the Friday night of a holiday weekend. The purge covered the vast majority of press releases.
53. When confronted about the removal, hours later the Trump regime said in a post on X, “We are proud to reverse the DOJ’s weaponization under the Biden administration,” adding, “We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes.”
54. Also Friday, Trump’s DOJ filed a motion to dismiss the most serious criminal cases of the Jan. 6 insurrection, the seditious conspiracy prosecution against a dozen members of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The judges would need to sign off on the request.
55. NYT reported that collectively these moves were part of the Trump regime’s efforts to remove the last remaining traces of the investigations into the Jan. 6 insurrection, as Trump sought to rewrite the history of and whitewash that day.
56. On Friday, Trump defended the fund on Truth Social, claiming, “I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward,” adding, “I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration.”
57. Trump also posted on Truth Social about his ballroom, saying it was “under construction” and scheduled to open around September 2028, despite no Congressional funding, adding it was “ahead ‌of ⁠schedule, and will be the finest ⁠facility of its kind anywhere in ​the U.S.A.”
58. On Friday, two additional lawsuits were filed to halt Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund. A lawsuit by watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics called the fund “a jaw-dropping act of presidential corruption.”
59. A lawsuit by a coalition of nonprofits and individuals, including a former Jan. 6 prosecutor, said it was “a collusive agreement between the President and his own administration, this Fund has no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability.”
60. On Thursday, Trump told reporters he would try to go to his son Donald Jr.’s wedding, saying, “He’d like me to go,” but adding, “I’m in the midst — I said, ‘You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things,” adding that going or not was a “no win” for him.
61. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would not attend his son’s wedding, citing “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,” adding, “I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C.”
62. Trump’s schedule on Friday originally showed him heading to his Bedminster golf club, after a campaign event for a GOP House member in New York’s Hudson Valley. Trump later changed that, returning to the White House. Some cited expected rainy weather precluding golf.
63. On Friday, Reuters reported that three months in, many experts were questioning whether Trump was losing the Iran War, citing Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, its resistance to any nuclear concessions, Trump’s main issue, and the Iranian regime remaining in power.
64. On Saturday, at 1:52 a.m., Trump sent Truth Social posts about the “Late Show” finale, posting “Colbert is finally finished at CBS,” calling him “highly overpaid, not funny, and very poorly rated,” adding, “No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person.”
65. The White House X account earlier posted an AI video of Trump throwing Colbert into a dumpster, saying, “Bye-bye.” Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said Trump had been vocal about getting his critics off the air.
66. On Saturday, the day of his son’s wedding, Trump sent a long series of Truth Social posts, many using AI generated images. Trump posted an altered image of Iran draped in the American flag, with the words, the “United States of the Middle East.”
67. Trump also posted a suggestive image of him gazing at Greenland from above, with the words, “Hello, Greenland.” The post came days after hundreds of Greenlanders gathered outside the U.S. consulate, protesting the U.S. increasing its influence there.
68. Trump also posted images of him shaking hands with China’s president and another of a crowd cheering him, claiming, “China Loved Trump.” Trump shared a derogatory AI image of Rep. Ro Khanna, calling him “A Dumocrat” and saying, “Don’t allow this sleazebag of Fox News.”
69. Trump also claimed that a peace deal with Iran was near, without providing details, saying he had spoken with several Arab leaders about a memorandum of understanding “pertaining to PEACE,” and it was “subject to finalization” by the U.S., Iran, and other countries.
70. Senate Republicans, including Trump’s close allies, publicly criticized what they believed was in the deal, with Roger Wicker saying it “would be a disaster,” Ted Cruz saying he was “deeply concerned,” and Lindsey Graham saying it made him question “why the war started to begin with.”
71. Later Saturday, a 21 year-old man, already known to the U.S. Secret Service, approached the White House complex and fired multiple shots, before being shot by officers and being rushed to a hospital where he died. A bystander was also shot, but it was unclear by whom.
72. Trump, who was at the White House at the time, used the incident to once again promote his ballroom, saying it underscored the need for “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington.”
73. On Sunday, Trump’s DOJ cited the shooting in a court filing, asking the federal judge to lift the injunction on his ballroom. The filing included phrases clearly dictated by Trump, such as, “This is a terrible, ​tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!”
74. Trump shared a copy of the filing on Truth Social on Monday, which was signed by Blanche and two other senior DOJ attorneys, which included, “Without the construction of this great Project, the President cannot safely conduct the business of the United States.”
75. On Sunday, after claiming on Saturday that “An Agreement has been largely negotiated” and was “subject to finalization,” Trump sent a Truth Social post with an AI generated image of U.S. military airplanes blowing up Iranian ships, with the word, “Adios.”
76. Trump also backed off from his claim of 24 hours ago of a “near finalization” of a deal, posting on Truth Social, “I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal,” adding, “Both sides must take their time and get it right.”
77. On Monday, Trump politicized Memorial Day, posting on Truth Social, “Happy Memorial Day to all, including the Dumocrats, who disrespect our Military and all of the tremendous success that it has had over the last year.” Trump reposted the post later in the day.
78. Trump also threatened Iran, posting that if a deal is not struck, it would be “back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.” The deal, he said, would also need to include every Middle Eastern country “immediately” signing the Abraham Accords.
79. Among the countries that Trump posted he was “mandatorily requesting” join the accords were Turkey and Pakistan, who had a poor relationship with Israel; Egypt and Jordan, which already had a peace deal; and Saudi Arabia, which had said no barring a two-state solution.
80. Trump also lied that several allies told him they “would be honored” if Iran joined the accords, adding, “it will be the most important Deal that any of these Great, but always in Conflict Countries, will ever sign.” Notably the current regime was sworn to the destruction of Israel.
81. Trump also posted that critics of his deal, which reportedly included reopening the strait and removing the blockade with money flowing to Iran, “know nothing,” adding, “things haven’t even been negotiated yet.” Trump also claimed the deal was the “exact opposite” of Obama’s deal.
82. On Monday, NYT reported with just over five months until midterms, Republicans were deeply concerned that Trump’s actions showed he was totally unfocused on keeping Republican control. He publicly attacked GOP candidates in battleground races who opposed him.
83. Trump also continued to focus on self-indulgent projects that were unpopular with the American people, most recently his ballroom and $1.776 billion fund, and minimized or ignored the rise in gas price, and other affordability issues exacerbated by the Iran War.
84. WAPO reported that Mauricio Claver-Carone has been Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s right hand man in managing and shaping U.S. policy and negotiating with Venezuela. Claver-Carone is not a government employee, or Senate confirmed, raising ethical concerns.
85. On Tuesday, starting at 5:52 a.m., before leaving for Walter Reed, Trump sent 13 Truth Social posts, mostly about his approach to Iran, praising himself as “the man who saved America,” the “Master Negotiator,” and “the Dealmaker in Chief.”
86. Trump also accused former President Barack Obama of “treason” for sending Iran “tons of cash to fund nukes,” although the leaked version of Trump’s deal would do just that. Trump also posted an AI image of former President Joseph Biden sleeping at his desk.
87. Trump also threatened Republicans, posting an AI image of himself holding a rifle while riding on a rhinoceros, targeting so-called RINOs, with the words, “No RINOs! Repost to make the point clear.” The image appeared to be a warning to Republican lawmakers.
88. WAPO reported that Trump was scheduled for a trip to Walter Reed on Tuesday, his fourth scheduled medical visit in 13 months, despite the White House having 24-hour doctors on staff. The visits continued to raise questions about Trump’s physical and mental health.
89. The Trump regime had aggressively pushed back on questions, including creating a “Wall of Shame” for those who posted a former rumor, and Department of HHS Sec. Robert Kennedy, Jr. saying that Dr. Oz saying that Trump has the “highest testosterone level that he’s ever seen for an individual over 70 years old.”
90. After a three hour visit, Trump posted, “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.” It was unclear when further information would be made public. Trump had yet to explain bruises on both hands, having previously blamed handshakes, and considerable swelling of his legs.
91. On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management posted a draft notice announcing the Trump regime planned to implement a government-wide nondisclosure agreement barring federal workers from sharing “confidential government information.”
92. The definition of confidential information was intentionally broad. OPM cited alleged high-profile leaks to NYT and WAPO about the U.S. raid in Venezuela as rationale. While the NDA was said to be “voluntary,” the draft also noted, “Failure to sign may result in removal from federal service.
93. On Tuesday, Ken Paxton, the Trump-endorsed candidate, beat incumbent John Cornyn in the GOP Senate primary in Texas, cementing Trump as the kingmaker, but also certain to exacerbate tensions between Trump and the Senate Republicans.
94. NYT reported that even after courts forced the Trump regime to restore billions in funding for university research, many of the projects that were abruptly halted may not be able to be restarted, or faced serious setbacks, with loss of staffers, materials, contracts, and other issues.
95. On Wednesday, Iran state media claimed it had obtained a draft of a preliminary deal between Iran and the U.S., describing it as Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz in return for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade. There was no mention of Iran’s nuclear program or its highly enriched uranium.