Week 92 — The Return

This week, as Trump’s failures mounted and his polling continued to fall, he tried a new tactic ahead of midterms: blame the Republicans. In an interview, he bragged that he had “already won” his race, and said of the American people’s discontent, “They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me.” The shift seemed to be a tacit acknowledgment of what lies ahead on November 3, and Trump preemptively looking to shift the blame.

Once again this week, many of the broken norms, and much of Trump’s continued focus, is on his Washington D.C. vanity projects. Along with these projects, Trump spends his time searching for ways to impact the midterms, targeting his perceived enemies and pursuing his petty grievances. One time this week reporting indicated that a light bulb went off, and Trump wanted to offer an economic favor to the American people to gain support for Republicans on Election Day. Then we learn his ‘bold’ idea is cutting the capital gains tax rate, further illuminating how out of touch Trump has become, ensconced in his cocoon of yes-people.

Trump’s Iran war is a complete disaster. He and regime senior officials are desperately searching for an off ramp, but finding none. Trump looked incredibly weak as Iran threatened to cut off negotiations until he left office, leaving him open to comparisons to former president Jimmy Carter, whom he often cites as a complete failure. As well, a story about him being sneaked off of Air Force One in a catering cart, while leaving journalists and regime officials on a decoy plane out of Turkey, further chiseled away from his strongman image.

1. On Wednesday, a government report found the cost for Trump’s so-called “golden fleet” for the Navy was expected to cost $275 billion, at least 50% more than the earlier estimate. Trump elected to power the ships with nuclear reactors, not gas turbines, and made other changes.
2. WAPO reported that the real price tag for Trump’s White House ballroom would be at least $927 million, based on a review of contracts, significantly higher than previous estimates. $305 million would come from private donors, and the rest from taxpayers.
3. On Wednesday, Trump did an event in Las Vegas themed ‘No Tax on Tips,’ but quickly moved onto his favorite topics. Trump bragged about the ballroom, saying, “I’m building this big military complex” that includes “a lot of different things, and some of the things I can’t even talk about.”
4. Trump complained about the Supreme Court justices appointed by Republicans, saying they “don’t stick together,” adding of the justices appointed by Democrats, “I’d like to fire them.” Trump added, “We will pass the Great Healthcare Plan. It’s called the Great Healthcare Plan.”
5. Trump castigated people who drive electric vehicles, calling them “crazy” and saying “they have a disease,” adding, “It’s called like they get screwed up,” and “We have a thousand years of gasoline and it’s what people prefer.”
6. Trump also bragged about taking Venezuela’s oil, saying, “I love Venezuela. We’re doing great in Venezuela,” adding, “We’re taking a lot of oil from Venezuela…Billions and billions of barrels of oil is coming out of Venezuela.”
7. On Wednesday, WAPO reported Trump confronted Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth at the Camp David cabinet meeting, asking why he had been misled on the shortages of munitions that had limited his options, after Hegseth reportedly said the problem was fixed.
8. Shortly after the WAPO story, Trump posted on Truth Social that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped,” and the “‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down.” On Thursday he posted that he was “extremely happy” with the job Hegseth was doing.
9. NYT reported that although Trump had said the Qatari-gifted Air Force One plane would be displayed at his presidential library and he would not use it after he left office, Trump may take another AF1 for display, and use the Qatari jet for other purposes under consideration.
10. On Monday, WAPO reported that Trump had secretly switched planes on the return flight from the NATO summit in Turkey at the behest of Secret Service, after an Iranian assassination threat. The White House and Trump had claimed he had flown back in the old AF1 plane.
11. Trump entered, then departed the old AF1 in a catering container, and moved to a military jet. When the plane landed in Britain, he re-entered the same way, and ultimately departed from the AF1 plane. Journalists and White House staffers took the AF1 plane as a decoy to Britain.
12. A pool reporter noted, “We have been advised to keep our window shades in the press cabin closed.” When reporters asked Trump why they had to keep the shades closed, Trump lied, saying he knew of no specific threat, but that he was under constant siege from Iran.
13. NYT reported top officials were on the decoy plane, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Department Sec. Scott Bessent, White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, and communications director Steven Cheung. Rubio was the only one aware of the threat.
14. WAPO reported some of Trump’s most loyal and longest-serving aides did accompany him in the catering truck to fly in the military jet, including White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant Natalie Harp, and director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta.
15. WAPO reported during Trump’s second regime, 90% of ambassador nominations went to his political supporters, up from 43% in his first regime. Most had no ties to the country or experience. Other modern day presidents ranged from 26% (Jimmy Carter) to 41% (Joe Biden).
16. A 1980 law, ignored by the regime, advised only people with diplomatic experience should serve as ambassadors, and that these assignments should not be used as political patronage. Trump also left more than 100 key postings including Russia, Germany, and Saudi Arabia unfilled.
17. CNBC reported that according to financial disclosures, Trump’s foreign licensing income surged to $59.5 million in 2025, up 71% from 2024 and nearly tenfold from 2023. Nearly two-thirds came from Gulf projects, including projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
18. NYT reported the White House pressed Congress to roll back restrictions on hemp meant to address public health risks. The rollback, which would benefit a company run by the son-in-law of Susie Wiles, Trump’s Chief of Staff, was added to a spending bill up in September.
19. On Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys filed an emergency stay motion, urging the judge to lift her order that Trump hand over financials for his businesses to BBC in his libel lawsuit, citing, ironically, the effort by the BBC “to wrongly exploit this litigation for its own political benefit.”
20. The lawyers also called the request “shockingly broad.” On Thursday, the deadline for compliance, the judge granted a temporary stay, but said she would still weigh whether BBC was entitled to the financials to defend whether Trump’s businesses had suffered harm.
21. On Thursday, the FCC voted 2–1 to repeal the cap on television station ownership which was at 39%, with FCC Chair Brendan Carr claiming it would restore “a healthy counterbalance to the growing leverage of national programmers,” like ABC, NBC, and CBS.
22. The lone Democrat on the committee noted that since Congress had set the cap, “only Congress can change it.” Earlier this year, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz had also questioned whether the FCC had authority to modify ownership limits.
23. Reuters reported that the Trump regime gutted staffing in two DOJ watchdog groups tasked with investigating misconduct: the Office of Professional Responsibility was cut in nearly half, and the Office of Inspector General by 17%, as DOJ misconduct soared.
24. The number of complaints submitted to the OPR rose to a 20-year high, while the number of investigations fell to a 20-year low, amid staff cuts and fear of retribution. DOJ officials also denied judges’ claims of misconduct, claiming the courts were politically hostile to Trump.
25. WSJ reported that several U.S. airlines and unions affiliated with the airline industry were pushing back on ICE enforcement at U.S. airports, including in meetings with DHS. The flight attendants union cited “glaring workplace, safety and legal concerns for flight attendants.”
26. On Thursday, Trump signed two executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, one limiting the number of people who are eligible and the other cracking down on women who are tourists giving birth in the U.S. to gain citizenship. It was unclear if the orders could be enforced.
27. On Friday, AP reported that while ICE agents will be getting body cameras in the next two month, ICE policy states that the agency has broad control over which footage is released to the public, and only needs to release what the agency deems is in its “best interests.”
28. Politico reported that after a July 2025 two-page ICE memo which broadened a detention statute, arrests escalated. Of the 16,000 times hundreds of judges ruled against detention tactics, about two-thirds were relating to this change, a rebuke of the unprecedented policy.
29. AP reported ICE planned to spend $20 million to give agents gloves that could deliver painful electric shocks, intended to gain compliance. Civil rights advocates expressed alarm given the track record of ICE agents during the Trump era.
30. On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate committee that held hearings last week voted 8–5, along party lines, to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt for his refusal to answer questions about the pandemic. The resolution was referred to the DOJ for possible prosecution.
31. Two of Taylor Swift’s songs were removed from social media posts by Trump and the White House made in the past week. Although there was no public statement from Swift, several musicians in recent weeks had publicly demanded that Trump remove use of their songs.
32. WSJ reported Trump had repeatedly called Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh since he became chair, a departure from the norm in recent history. Reports of the calls raised concerns about the Fed’s independence.
33. NYT reported the Trump regime sent a letter to Fed governor Lisa Cook, saying it was “considering” removing her from the job, and giving her 21 days to respond to allegations of mortgage fraud. The vague ruling by the Supreme Court did not lay out criteria for which she could be fired.
34. On Thursday, CNBC reported the Trump regime rejected a plan from Iran which would block U.S. and Israeli ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The news came days after Trump and Treasury Department Sec. Bessent said a deal was close and just days away.
35. On Friday, at a roundtable on American mining, Trump excused himself early, telling attendees, “If you could go quickly, I would appreciate it because we have a war to prosecute,” adding his regime had spent billions to bring the mining industry back.
36. On Friday, CNN reported Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine had privately told Trump cabinet members that he was looking for an off-ramp from the Iran war, because escalating could backfire, and airpower alone was unlikely to achieve Trump’s objectives.
37. The Guardian reported the Iranian regime seemed to be dragging out negotiations to hurt Trump’s party in the midterms by keeping him entangled in the war, similar to the blow suffered by Jimmy Carter during the hostage situation, which Trump often cited as weakness.
38. MSNOW reported that families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln said while the carrier was in its ninth month at sea and fifth month in combat, the sailors were facing food shortages and lack of basics, and that their exhaustion could lead to a deadly mistake.
39. On Saturday, Iran issued a sweeping list of demands on their state media, including the U.S. lifting its naval blockade and sanctions on Iran, war reparations, releasing Iran’s frozen assets, withdrawing the U.S. military from the region, and ending attacks on Iran’s allies.
40. On Sunday, WSJ reported that Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory if Iran reopened the strait, without achieving his main objective of a nuclear deal, in order to find an off-ramp. Experts said Iran realized this, which is why they were playing hardball.
41. On Monday, Trump shifted to economic pressure, telling reporters, “They have no money. Iran is broke, totally broke.” Trump also countered that Iran should pay the U.S. compensation, posting, “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly” into negotiations.
42. On Tuesday, Trump baselessly claimed to reporters, “Iran is going fine…We totally control the Strait of Hormuz…Nobody else, only us,” adding he does not trust Iran, and “at some point, maybe they’ll do something and then they get blown away,” and “We’re in a very good position.”
43. On Wednesday, Trump baselessly claimed on Truth Social that “The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz,” adding, “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” He added, “Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer.”
44. NYT reported that under Defense Department Sec. Hegseth, the share of women getting promotions to high ranking military fell to 4% in 2026, the lowest level in at least 25 years. Hegseth blocked at least 40 high ranking women from reaching the Senate for approval.
45. WSJ reported Hegseth revoked security clearance from Frank Kendall, Air Force secretary under Biden, over allegedly leaking classified information after Kendall made on-the-record comments to the NYT and WSJ about Trump’s Qatari-gifted AF1. Kendall denied the allegations.
46. NYT reported that the CIA had set up a secret task force for Cuba, to direct financial, human and technical resources there to sow conflict between the Cuban political elite in order to achieve Trump’s goals of economic, political, and leadership changes there.
47. NYT also posted that Trump pressured spy agencies to identify a current or former Cuban official who could take over the government, in the mold of Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela. Some experts warned that hard-liners were waiting in the wings, and could emerge from the efforts.
48. Greenland issued a “strong warning” after Greenland Energy, a Trump-linked Texas company set up last year, prepared to sink wells in Greenland without receiving permission from local authorities. Two days later, Trump posted an image of him overseeing Greenland.
49. On Thursday, advocacy group Democracy Forward Foundation sued the DOJ, claiming Trump’s immunity guarantee from the IRS under the proposed $10 billion lawsuit settlement was unlawful. The immunity order was signed by AG Todd Blanche in the days before he was confirmed.
50. On Friday, at just after 4 a.m., the Senate voted 50–49 to confirm Blanche, with two Republicans joining Democrats.
51. Department of HHS Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr. moved to eliminate hundreds of federal requirements from the Head Start program, including math and literacy curricula, class size, medical screenings, and home visits. Critics said the move essentially gutted the program.
52. A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that DOGE’s claim of $110 billion in savings was vastly inflated and unreliable, lacking sufficient evidence to prove 96% of its claimed cancelled grants, and taking credit for leases already terminated.
53. Later Thursday, Trump sent a series of late night Truth Social posts, including a poster with “Trump 2028,” Trump in a military uniform alongside Generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur, and Trump, with Abraham Lincoln and George Washington to sign a map of the U.S.
54. On Friday, a federal appeals court ruled 2–1 to halt Trump’s ballroom construction for two weeks, while he could appeal to the Supreme Court, finding, “Each ‌President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House,” and that Trump needed Congressional approval.
55. The judges added, “We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House,” adding, “Until now.”
56. Shortly after, Trump posted on Truth Social that the regime would “immediately” appeal to the Supreme Court “this unjust decision,” baselessly claiming the ruling was “horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful,” and posed a grave threat to national security.
57. On Friday, nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly declined by 23,000 in July. The report showed that the labor participation rate fell to its lowest level in 50 years, outside of the Covid era, due in part to the exodus of nearly 1.4 million people.
58. WSJ reported Trump was becoming increasingly frustrated with DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin, especially after Mullin suggested in a speech that immigration could make up for the low labor-force participation rates. Regime members said Trump was not ready to fire him.
59. NYT reported Mullin and other regime officials were under pressure to deport 350,000 Haitians after the Supreme Court ruling, but logistical challenges of deporting that many people to an unstable country, lack of ICE guidance, and impact on certain industries had slowed things.
60. On Friday, in an interview with Punchbowl News, when Trump was asked if he would be impeached again, he said, “A lot of people are saying I’m one of the greatest presidents ever,” to which the interviewer pushed back, that people are not saying that.
61. Trump denied he was receiving criticism, instead blaming Republicans, and when asked about midterms said he does not need to campaign for Republicans, saying he “already won” his race, and claiming, “They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me.”
62. Trump said of his falling poll numbers, especially for his handling of the economy, “When I see polls on the economy, I should have 150% approval, not 100%,” adding, “This is the golden age of America.”
63. A Pew Research poll found that Trump’s approval had dropped to 34%, the lowest level for any president at this point in their presidency in modern history, and lower than his 40% approval at this point in his first regime.
64. Pew Research found that the decline in Trump’s approval came with a dramatic fall among Republicans, from 84% in February 2025 to 69%. The partisan gap in approval for Trump was also the widest in seven decades, and similar to the historic gap during his first regime.
65. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social urging U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to “re-visit her hastily made decision” to drop the case against David Hearn, baselessly claiming, “Now that people are able to see it up close, they are reporting pure VANDALISM.”
66. On Friday, NYT reported on the process for the Reflecting Pool, under which the manager of a Trump Organization golf club in New Jersey went to a World of Concrete trade show to learn how to repair the pool. He was recommended Creative Polymers.
67. Creative Polymers partnered with Rhino Linings, who then brought in Atlantic Industrial Coatings, who had never won a government contract. All were given no-bid contracts, bypassing preservationists and other experts, and were paid an above market rate to meet Trump’s timeline.
68. On Sunday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that “a National Park Service employee caught David Hearn (ActBlue-linked) red-handed vandalizing the pool,” sharing a screenshot of an NPS employee interview that was part of a court document, claiming he “violently” ripped the coating.
69. Trump claimed that there was “substantial damage” to the pool “but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof,” and acknowledged that “there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening,” which he baselessly claimed was “relatively inconsequential.”
70. On Tuesday, WSJ reported the White House asked the DOJ to consider bringing new charges against Hearn over the pool, likely based on misdemeanor allegations. It was unclear whether the presiding judge in the last case would dismiss the charges “with prejudice.”
71. On Tuesday, Trump nominated Dennis Kirk, the co-author of Project 2025 and a former adviser to Tulsi Gabbard, as inspector general of the Interior Department. In that role, he would oversee any review of the Reflecting Pool renovation.
72. On Sunday, Trump named Will Scharf as his White House counsel. Scharf was the third senior DOJ official, including AG Blanche and Solicitor General John Sauer, who were formerly Trump’s personal attorneys.
73. On Monday, the Office of Legal Counsel published an opinion that would extend Trump’s claim of executive privilege to communication between him and outside advisors, who are not employed by the federal government, giving them protection from future Congressional probes.
74. On Monday, in an interview with Real America’s Voice, Trump did not rule out declaring a national security emergency if the Senate does not pass his SAVE America Act before midterms, telling the interviewer, “stranger things have happened.”
75. On Monday, a judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay the $250,000 legal fees of artist Chuck Redd, after the judge threw out the Trump regime’s lawsuit against him for breach of contract after he pulled out of performing when Trump renamed the center after himself.
76. On Monday, the DOJ sued Connecticut, New York, and Vermont over the states offering in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants at public colleges and universities, calling the policies unconstitutional, and saying they discriminate against out-of-state U.S. citizens.
77. On Monday, Politico reported the Trump regime quietly pulled federal funding for the NOAA’s Arctic Report Card, an annual report that had tracked the changing environment in the Arctic for two decades.
78. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order that would revamp the childhood vaccine schedule, limiting the inoculation schedule to 11 shots, and would separate the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots.
79. Trump called the order a “major victory for parents rights, religious and constitutional rights, and for the gold standard science.” The order advanced a longstanding goal of HHS Sec. RFK Jr., who continued to baselessly link vaccines with autism.
80. Trump cited multiple false claims as cause for the change, alarming experts, including that combining the three shots in MMR were “quite lethal;” that “large amounts of like vats of vaccine” are in vaccines; and that “the worst thing that would happen would be nothing happens.”
81. Trump appeared to be sleeping during the Oval Office ceremony for the signing of the executive order.
82. The Trump regime barred federal Medicaid from being used for gender-transition medication, despite support from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Medicaid administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said, “Children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions.”
83. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported Trump was considering pushing Congress to pass a capital gains tax cut and an exemption on taxes for the sale of some homes ahead of midterms, as an incentive for voters to back Republicans.
84. On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at the Center for American Progress over their report finding D.C. crime did not go down with his National Guard deployment, posting the names of their donors, and threatening, “This will be met with a lawsuit, which is being drawn now.”
85. On Tuesday, a federal judge entered a nationwide order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out Trump’s executive order on mail-in ballots, citing a “critical need for an injunction to prevent” the regime from changing the ballot rules on the eve of midterms.
86. Later Tuesday, Mike Lindell, who baselessly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” and was endorsed by Trump, refused to concede his Minnesota GOP gubernatorial primary, telling reporters that there were abnormalities in the numbers.
87. On Wednesday, Trump asked a federal appeals court to halt a federal judge’s penalties on him and his attorneys over how they handled the settlement of his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.