All posts tagged "white house"

‘I don’t want to go to prison’: JD Vance ducks tough Iran question

Vice President JD Vance tried to evade a question about his real thoughts on the war in Iran on Friday.

Vance was taking questions from reporters following his speech in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he campaigned for GOP candidates in a district Republicans were hoping to flip. Associated Press reporter Bill Barrow asked the vice president what advice he gave the president regarding military strikes and the economic fallout, including surging gas prices.

"Did you express any concerns like those you've expressed in the past on the possibility of those extended wars?" Barrow asked.

Vance refused to directly say whether he supports the joint U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.

"We're in the Situation Room, where you can't even take your iPod in there, or your AirPods, I guess what they're called, you can't take your iPhone in there, you can't take anything in there — because it is the most classified space anywhere in the world," Vance said.

"And I sit there with Pete Hegseth, and Gen. Caine, and Marco Rubio, and the entire White House team, and the president and I, and the entire senior team are talking about the options and about what we need to do and how we must best protect the American people," Vance added. "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going to show up here in front of God and everybody else and tell you exactly what I said in that classified room partially because I don't wanna go to prison and partially because I think it's important for the President of the United States to talk to his advisors without those advisors running their mouth to the American media."

Insiders have reported that Vance, who was a public affairs officer during the Iraq war and served from 2003 to 2007, has remained skeptical about the military operation. He has previously criticized wars in the Middle East.

Q: “What did you advise the president initially as he considered his actions in Iran?”

Vance: “I’m not gonna show up here and in front of God, and everybody else tell you exactly what I said in that classified room, partially because I don't wanna go to prison.” pic.twitter.com/wqcuc5hJO2
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) March 13, 2026

'What the hell?' Trump admin freaking out over new CBS News hire

The White House was furious Thursday after CBS News and its MAGA-friendly boss, Bari Weiss, had added a new communications executive who formerly worked for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).

Jeremy Adler was slated to join the network's communications team, two sources told Axios. From 2019 to 2023, Adler was deputy chief of staff and senior communications adviser for Cheney, "one of the president's biggest foils during his first term, when she led the House's probe into the Jan. 6 Capitol siege."

The Trump administration had harsh words surrounding the hiring decision.

"The idea CBS would hire Liz Cheney's flack who has worked to jail President Trump and make it impossible for anybody who supported the president to get hired is insanity. What the hell is Bari Weiss thinking?" a White House official told Axios.

Tensions have been escalating between CBS News and the Trump administration.

The network has faced increasing scrutiny and tension from the Trump administration over its editorial decisions and coverage of White House policies, with the network maintaining its commitment to independent journalism despite pressure from the administration. The relationship between the White House and CBS News reflects broader conflicts between the Trump administration and mainstream media outlets over news narratives, fact-checking and access to administration officials.

Weiss's news operation has taken some recent hits. Longtime journalists have opted to exit the news organization and not renew their contracts, including departures by Anderson Cooper and Scott MacFarlane.

'Death is imminent': MAGA-voting Joe Rogan 'spooked' by this Trump fact

Podcaster Joe Rogan this week described how President Donald Trump's upcoming 80th birthday — making him the oldest American president to date — has revealed something else about him.

Rogan, who voted for Trump, was talking to British political commentator Konstantin Kisin on Wednesday for his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" and asked if the now slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would potentially see the president and say 'let's f--- with that guy," The Hill reported.

"Right, he’s 80, he doesn’t have much to lose. That’s the scary thing about old leaders — it’s like, death is imminent. It’s within a decade, if you’re lucky," Rogan said. "That’s spooky."

"You’re making decisions for babies and children and the future of the world, and you’ve got maybe 10 years left on Earth if everything goes great," Rogan said.

Trump's health has been called into question throughout his second term. The White House has tiptoed around sharing information about the president's health and has claimed that he has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which can cause swollen ankles. His administration has also stated that the president's frequent handshaking has caused hand bruising.

EX-NFL players 'disgusted' as Trump admin uses them to hype Iran war

Several former NFL players are among a growing number of people calling out the White House for using their images in Trump administration videos trying to sell Americans on the war in Iran, according to a Washington Post report on Thursday.

Kenny Bell, who has played for several NFL teams, saw one of his favorite plays from when he played for The University of Nebraska posted in a White House video featuring military strikes in Iran, he told The Post.

"Bell, now retired from pro football at 34, said he was disgusted with the montage set to AC/DC’s 'Thunderstruck,'" The Post reported

"For that play to be associated with bombing human beings makes me sick," Bell said. "I don’t want anything to do with images like that."

The White House has been criticized by several public figures, including actor and producer Ben Stiller, for using pop culture clips or songs to promote Trump's agenda in content framed like action movies or video games. Artists Kesha, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo have also asked the administration not to use their material in White House videos promoting ICE agents or MAGA policies.

Stiller last week responded to the White House's use of his film "Tropic Thunder" in a social media supercut featuring multiple other movies, television shows and recent military footage promoting the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

When it comes to the NFL and its game footage, the league has generally opposed use or reproduction of its copyrighted material, The Post reported.

Former NFL players Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were also included in the White House's supercut. Both have condemned it.

“I do not approve this message," Reed wrote in a post on X.

Mason Foster, another former NFL player, said he had deleted his social media years ago and was surprised to also be featured in the recent Trump administration video.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Foster said. “It’s a strange feeling, seeing those clips like that. I don’t think anything going on in the world today is as simple as a great football play or a hit. I’m still wrapping my head around it. When people are losing their lives, I don’t think it can compare to a game.”

'He wants to get out': Insiders spill about Trump's panicked plan to leave Iran

White House insiders divulged what President Donald Trump was considering next after the U.S. and Israel started launching military strikes in Iran, a Wall Street Journal reporter said Wednesday.

Josh Dawsey, WSJ political investigations reporter, told a CNN panel that although Trump hasn't mentioned an exact exit strategy, his administration was panicking amid rising oil prices, looming midterms, and Americans' dissatisfaction over the escalating conflict to figure out what the off-ramp would be to leave the war in the Middle East.

"He doesn't have an appetite for a long term war, at least according to my sources that I've talked to, he's looking for ways to sort of message 'We've done this, we've done that. Now it's time to leave,'" Dawsey said. "The question is, have they said how much of that can he control? Right. If he says we're out of here, and then let's say the Iranians keep attacking with the missiles or drones or they have left, what does the president do? The president has a lot of power. He's obviously, you know, in a lot of ways, the most powerful figure in the world but he can't control everything, right. And some of these things are beyond his control. But he wants to get out at some point."

Trump has appeared to be influenced by a variety of factors, which could ultimately determine how the U.S. strategizes its moves with Iran.

"He watches the markets closely, you see when he makes comments, when he wants the markets to sort of go back up, he watches the markets closely, watches oil prices closely," Dawsey said. "He watches the MAGA supporters closely. I mean, Joe Rogan, I can quite tell you the president notices that he's watching voices, he's watching polling in his party. He's watching the midterms. And I don't think he has an appetite for a long term sustained conflict with Iran, at least according to what I'm told by folks inside the White House."

Trump has plenty on his mind — and it's not just the war.

"He launches a war, and then he goes to a MAGA fundraiser where he polls everyone in the room. 'Do you think it should be JD Vance or Marco Rubio?' That's what he does the first weekend," Dawsey said. "He's done college football events. He goes in the White House and he's talking about the ballroom. I mean, I'm not saying he's not focused on the war. I'm just saying he has so many other things that he's talking to people about."

Dawsey argued that the Trump administration doesn't appear to be making an aggressive case for the public as to why Americans should support the war. Instead, the president has focused on multiple things at once.

"He's spent two hours on Friday afternoon of the college sports, and NIL roundtable, he had all these celebrities, he's talking to them," Dawsey added. "I'm not saying president couldn't weigh in on that. A lot of people care about college sports but I mean, it's sort of discordant from what's going on in the world."

White House insists Iran war will actually make gas cheaper

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday claimed that the U.S. and Israeli military strikes in Iran could ultimately make gas cheaper for Americans despite soaring prices at the pump.

Leavitt was speaking during a news conference when she made the comment, just as the U.S. entered its 11th day of war in the Middle East. Gas prices rose nearly 9 percent in the week after the bombing campaign began, with the national average for a gallon of regular gas hitting $3.25, according to AAA.

"Rest assured to the American people — the recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term," Leavitt said.

"Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than prior to the start of the operation," Leavitt added.

Leavitt: "Rest assured to the American people -- the recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term." pic.twitter.com/MFw8SsD8fI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 10, 2026

MAGA fumes as Ben Stiller blasts White House for using 'Tropic Thunder' in war hype video

Hollywood actor and producer Ben Stiller's response to the White House sent MAGA fuming on Friday.

Stiller has joined an increasing number of artists and creators calling out the Trump administration for using songs or pop culture clips to promote Trump's agenda, including Kesha, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo. Stiller was responding to the White House's most recent use of his film "Tropic Thunder" in a social media supercut featuring multiple other movies, television shows and recent military footage promoting the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

"Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie," Stiller wrote on X.

Stiller's comments infuriated MAGA, prompting these reactions:

"Never go full r----- Ben," the president's eldest son and business Donald Trump Jr., wrote on X.

"Shut up," Canadian conspiracy theorist Liz Churchill wrote on X.

"Never go full Ben Stiller," MAGA influencer Kevin Dalton wrote on X.

"Hey White House: Don't Do It!" Charles Gasparino, Fox Business senior correspondent, wrote on X.

"Sorry, Ben, but I believe Paramount, now Paramount Skydance Corporation, retained the rights. Maybe give David Ellison a call," MAGA follower Tony Seruga wrote on X.

Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie. https://t.co/dMQqRxxVCa
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) March 6, 2026

Mockery abounds over Trump's remarks on embattled Pam Bondi: 'He's gonna fire her tonight'

The internet couldn't help but laugh when President Donald Trump called Attorney General Pam Bondi "tough" during a White House event Thursday, just hours after ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and after Congress voted to subpoena Bondi over the Epstein files.

Trump was speaking during a White House event honoring soccer champions Inter Miami when he addressed Bondi in the audience, who is apparently a fan of the club.

"She's proving how tough she is, and I think the next three years she's gonna really prove it, right?" Trump said.

Trump announced earlier Thursday that he removed Noem from her position, demoted her to "Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas," and named his MAGA ally Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as her replacement.

People had some hilarious responses — and suggestions — on social media.

"As the DA for the Shield of the Americas," marketing business owner Ron Shillman wrote on X.

"Tough on everything, but pedophiles," user Mason, who self-describes as an Iraq veteran and fund manager, wrote on X.

"Narrator: she was fired the next week," internet commentator Bill DeMayo wrote on X.

"She's just been subpoenaed, he knows she's on her way out," writer Tessa Blackwell wrote on X.

"Translation: He's gonna fire her tonight," comic and artist Patric Reynolds wrote on Bluesky.

"Someone needs to remind Bondi that though Trump will probably never see the inside of a prison cell, the same can’t be said about you," user Roz, who self-describes as retired, wrote on Bluesky.

Trump to Bondi: "She's proving how tough she is, and I think the next three years she's gonna really prove it, right?" pic.twitter.com/t989WNw9rJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 5, 2026

White House's 'Call of Duty' style war hype videos 'offensive' to slain troops: analyst

An analyst on Thursday described the White House's recent video game-style hype videos as "distasteful" following the recent deaths of six American service members in the war against Iran.

The videos, which have a similar presentation and style to the popular game "Call of Duty," have been posted on the White House and Department of Defense's social media accounts and have been produced to "set the narrative" and appeal to President Donald Trump's base, which includes gamers, CNN anchor Dana Bash reported.

CNN senior political analyst Nia-Malika Henderson described why the videos might have instead raised questions after the first American casualties since the military strikes started Saturday in Iran, plus the estimated 1,100 Iranians who have died.

"I think this is in keeping with the way Pete Hegseth is also talking about the war," Henderson explained. "He of course, had a press conference yesterday talking about utter dominance, talking about the war, likening it to a football game, I think was one of the analogies that he used. And it's part of the sort of the bro culture that Donald Trump used to win. It's part of Pete Hegseth, why he's the secretary of war and why it's not the you know, the Department of Defense anymore. So it's part of the selling of the war, and we'll see if it's effective."

How Americans actually view the war is not yet clear, she said.

"The shock and awe part of it is always part of the initial selling of it — the utter dominance of the American military," Henderson said. "'Best military ever in the history of the world.' We get that right. And you also could see that the White House obviously understands media, understands social media. This is a president who is watching the coverage of this war on his television set every day and trying to program it right. And so I think that that's part of it, it's part of why they were so high on the sinking of that naval vessel, which apparently was just sort of a ceremonial vessel and hyping it up. So listen, this is a White House that is good at the hype."

But that hype could be insensitive to military families, Henderson argued.

"I think listen, if you were part of the families who have lost Americans — six Americans have died — this is quite distasteful to liken war to a video game because, you know, these are soldiers' lives who are at risk," Henderson added. "And so to liken them to a football game or a video game, I think is offensive to a lot of people."

Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue. pic.twitter.com/kTO0DZ56IJ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 4, 2026

'God awful!' Trump's 'hideous' ballroom greeted with explosion of negative public comments

Americans have had a lot to say ever since President Donald Trump knocked down the White House's historic East Wing to make way for his ballroom. It turns out that the people have spoken — and they're pretty unhappy with the president's plans.

The Swamp, the Daily Beast's Substack, reviewed 32,000 public comments submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission ahead of the design meeting slated for tomorrow at the commission’s D.C. headquarters. The more than 9,000 pages reveal a common theme, with an overwhelming number of people urging the planning commission to stop the ballroom construction. They instead call for rebuilding the East Wing.

"But the president’s home is also the People’s House—and the people don’t like Trump’s plan to turn it into Dance-a-Lago," The Swamp reported.

The public comments revealed just how people feel about it:

"DO NOT BUILD THIS god AWFUL MONSTERS RIDICULOUS BALLROOM!" One person wrote, using Trump's signature writing style.

"NO GAUDY FAKE GOLD STUFF ALL OVER THE PLACE," another commented.

"Please do whatever is within your power to stop and permanently prevent trump from ruining our White House any further with the hideous ballroom," Karen Centers commented.

"DO NOT ALLOW DONALD J TRUMP OR ANY OTHER FOOL REMODEL,CHANGE,DESTROY REARRANGE, WHATEVER VERBAGE THERE IS TO DESTROY THE 'PEOPLES HOUSE' IT IS NOT HIS! THIS SHOULDN'T EVEN BE A TOPIC,OR DISCUSSION BUT THE CRAZY FOOL IS AT THE WHEEL. THIS IS HISTORY! LEAVE IT ALONE!! THANK YOU!" Donna Cook wrote, also borrowing the same all-caps writing tone as Trump.

"Shame! Shame!" Leesa Shemtov wrote.