All posts tagged "white house"

Trump's glittering monstrosity could be his doom

The Washington Post recently published an article in which it noted that any chance President Donald Trump has to complete his $200 million "golden ballroom" at the White House in the near term would necessarily require wholly dodging years-long federal rules and regulations that would otherwise oversee such a project.

Democrats should silently cheer such frenetic desecration in homage to the purely pragmatic, a means to best bring about the last good chance to normalize the republic. Build it, and we will all come — history has a ready precedent.

An inclination to green-light this monstrosity may run counter to every preconceived notion of responsible stewardship, but Americans who are looking to end the encampment of a man who already breezily talks about 2028 should hope that he rams the plans through as thoroughly and recklessly as he did the gift of a new personalized 747 jet.

Other than perhaps the Epstein files, the inchoate ballroom may represent the biggest threat to the Trump administration, a standing monument to opulence in trying times, and an undeniable middle finger to America's struggling working class — a massive percentage of Trump's base.

If one begins by noting that Trump has never committed to peacefully leaving office, it is incumbent to start considering scenarios by which Trump might leave, short of a battle. Any efficient and effective solution necessarily involves cratering support among what was formerly his strongest political hold — MAGA men.

We have yet to see a Trump scandal shake MAGA man's confidence and loyalty to Trump, and it is wrong to presume that a sufficiently large scandal exists, even one involving Jeffrey Epstein. Picture it now: "It's all made-up evidence, a hoax!" No, the only sure means by which MAGA will turn on Trump is irrefutable evidence that he first turned on them.

Enter two converging realities.

One, that ballroom looks like it is going to get built. Trump doesn't usually just float development ideas. They have obliterated the Rose Garden, put up a tennis complex, and gilded the Oval Office. Trump is already making the place his personal palace (A scary enough premise).

Two, perhaps you've noticed, inflation hasn't gone away — indeed, it seems to be increasing, especially grocery prices. This is particularly bad news for Trump since he made grocery prices one of his signature campaign promises, and, of course, we all eat, rich and poor alike.

There is a reason every presidential campaign focuses on "kitchen table issues." The economy drives the mind of the body politic. The typical MAGA man has learned to endure nearly every type of Trump scandal, but he has never had to defend Trump on such weak ground, a shrinking economy.

Indeed, one of the few political threats to Trump can only come to fruition when and if he becomes a real threat to MAGA man's stability, his economic well-being. Simply triggering the libs has largely run its course anyway. No, they want him working for them; he's "their" president, they say.

Presidents can and do survive hard economic times, but only when the voters believe that the president understands that things are bad and is working to fix them. We know that Trump appreciates at least that reality: he fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after one particularly concerning jobs report, a decision he may soon very much regret. Dismissing the messenger and denying the problem exists belies someone more invested in creating his own reality than fixing ours.

Americans not only understand reality but are forced to create it, never more so than when grappling with sending kids to school, debating whether to buy a home, or planning a retirement. Most Americans have never been to a ballroom, don't care if they ever do, much less relate to ever wanting one, never mind build it. On those two or three occasions in a life when we might need a ballroom, we rent and decorate halls.

Very little says "out of touch" quite like prioritizing a project that inherently looks like personal ownership of the White House, extravagant luxury, devastatingly out of touch, and — most damaging — now out of MAGA man's reach.

Trump looks to be building a Versailles-like ballroom at the worst possible time from his perspective, as if history has nothing to teach at all on the subject. Indeed, for once, we should be grateful that Trump remains wholly ignorant of past lessons because his decision to build entails such poor timing, such self-indulgent priorities, such reckless disregard for those he considers his people, that all in opposition should [silently] hope that he breaks sacred ground and that audacious and ostentatious plans are released with blissfully ignorant enthusiasm.

To the extent there is an argument that such desecration of a national treasure must be avoided at all costs, it should only be made while noting that there's no evidence that Trump believes the law dictates when he leaves.

If there is another side, another hope for American democracy, it involves cratering support from the people who make Trump possible. To that end, the plans for the ballroom may be more dangerous to Trump than anything found in the Epstein files — defending that type of scandal comes second nature to MAGA voters now anyway.

These same voters have never been asked to defend Trump through a major economic downturn, and nothing, nothing, says "I don't care" quite like the plans for a ballroom juxtaposed against such worry. We can debate whether Trump really ever cared about his voters, but that misses the point. A ballroom in such times means he now resents them.

The last people who built a Versailles-like ballroom made a similar miscalculation. The faster and more outrageously this thing is built, the less economic pain it will take to bring about a political matter/anti-matter end, the ultimate bonfire of the vanities.

Build it, and even they will come.

Jason Miciak is an American attorney, former associate editor for Occupy Democrats, and current part-time columnist for Politizoom

'Widely disliked' Hegseth ally tried to boot White House liaison out of Pentagon: report

A war has erupted between the Pentagon and the White House over the actions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's acting chief of staff, according to The Washington Post.

Ricky Buria, a recently retired Marine Corps colonel, reportedly tried and failed to oust Matthew A. McNitt, who coordinates personnel policy as White House liaison at the Pentagon. White House officials "intervened" to prevent Buria from achieving his goal, the report said.

The Post called it an "unusual dispute that marks the latest instance of infighting among a staff plagued by disagreement and distrust" that "appears to have shaken a fragile agreement between Hegseth and the White House."

That agreement allowed Buria to serve as temporary chief of staff after several other people refused the role.

Hegseth's first chief of staff, Joe Kasper, left earlier this year, paving the way for Buria to become "the Defense secretary's most trusted advisor," according to The Guardian. That report added that Buria -- who was "widely disliked" at the Pentagon -- was "not expected to formally receive the White House’s approval to become the permanent chief of staff to Hegseth."

Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe wrote that Buria's actions appeared rooted in his "frustration with pushback from the White House as he has attempted to fill positions in the defense secretary’s office. It coincides, too, with the White House’s refusal to let Buria take over the powerful chief of staff job on a permanent basis."

In a department plagued by turmoil, "Buria has been at the center" of much of it, the report said, "seeking to isolate Hegseth from other senior advisers on his staff and assert control over the Pentagon’s inner workings," Lamothe wrote.

The report said it wasn't clear whether Hegseth approved of Buria's "power play" or even knew about it.

In a statement, a White House spokeswoman said that President Donald Trump is “fully supportive of Secretary Hegseth and his efforts to restore a focus on warfighters at the Pentagon,” the report said.

Read The Washington Post story here.

Why Trump's ballroom is a sign of his own doom

U.S. President Donald Trump’s $200 million plan to construct a new golden ballroom at the White House is not just a monument to narcissism. It is statecraft by spectacle, financed by national rot. The timing is not subtle. It arrives alongside his “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” a federal budget that slashes Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, and climate programs, all while inflating the national deficit past $40 trillion. In this juxtaposition — architectural self-glorification for the ruling executive, fiscal starvation for the governed — we are not witnessing innovation. We are watching reruns of Versailles.

Louis XVI’s France operated on the principle of dépense utile, or “useful splendor” — the idea that royal extravagance was a form of political investment. Gold leaf and crystal chandeliers weren’t indulgence. They were instruments of authority. Versailles was never merely a residence. It was theater. It showcased the king’s ability to dominate not only his nobles but the metaphysical order of the kingdom itself. Every garden vista, every mirrored hallway, whispered the same thing: Obedience is beautiful, and beauty belongs to the crown.

This logic broke the country.

Charles-Alexandre Calonne, Louis XVI’s finance minister in the 1780s, argued with sincerity that royal pageantry had diplomatic utility. France, he said, could not afford to appear poor. To reduce spending would be to lose face, both at home and abroad. It would risk undermining the delicate myth of royal omnipotence that kept the aristocracy groveling and foreign rivals guessing. So he doubled down. The state borrowed to cover Versailles’ operating costs. The result was a debt spiral so vast that it cracked the ancien régime wide open.

Fast forward to 2025. The United States now faces annual interest payments approaching $2 trillion, nearly one-third of all federal revenue. Unlike France in 1789, America has no tax-exempt aristocracy. Instead, it has tax-exempt billionaires. And instead of court ballet, it has cable news. But the fiscal structure is no less absurd. Trump’s budget performs the same dark magic: redirecting public funds toward elite vanity while accelerating structural collapse

The ballroom is a symptom. A projected $200 million marble-and-gold performance space, modeled loosely on Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, will sit at the center of Trump’s renovated West Wing. It will host foreign dignitaries, Republican fundraisers, and presidential photo ops. This is how kleptocracy dresses itself — in borrowed grandeur, gilded walls, and florid illusions of permanence.

Meanwhile, Medicaid is being “restructured.” Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are being “realigned.” These are words chosen to disguise cruelty. The One Big Beautiful Bill is an exercise in anti-governance. It is designed to shrink the public sphere until only the strong, the connected, and the loyal remain. The money isn’t gone. It’s just moved — upwards.

There is bitter historical irony here. The French Revolution did not erupt because peasants lacked bread. Bread shortages had existed for centuries. What changed was the visibility of the farce. The illusion cracked. People saw a monarchy bleeding the treasury dry for glitter and pride, while demanding austerity from everyone else. The palace at Versailles, once a symbol of majesty, began to look grotesque. The line between luxury and insult collapsed.

Today, Americans are watching that same shift in real time. A president calls himself “king” on social media and receives thunderous applause from his base. He designs a ballroom while communities lose clinics. He throws gala dinners while food pantries see record demand. The White House is not a palace, but it is being remade into one.

The parallels to 18th-century France are not metaphorical. They are operational. Royal France justified excess as necessary to preserve order and prestige. Trump’s America justifies it with the language of branding. In both systems, the result is the same: obscene pageantry disguising political decay. The court is televised now. The courtiers wear microphones. And the people foot the bill.

There is no modern equivalent of Calonne’s Assembly of Notables. No gathering of billionaires will be summoned to justify the deficit or explain why America can afford a golden ballroom but not insulin. The rituals of accountability have vanished. The theater remains.

Trump’s defenders will call the ballroom symbolic. They are right. It symbolizes a state that has abandoned the moral obligations of government and replaced them with architecture. It is the spatial embodiment of policy by spectacle. The Roman emperors built circuses. Louis built Versailles. Trump builds ballrooms. The continuity is not ideological. It is psychological.

And it is ending the same way.

History offers no guarantees, but it does offer warnings. The French monarchy believed it could govern through performance. It fell because people eventually realized they were not guests at the party. They were the bill.

The question is not whether America can afford another ballroom. The question is whether it can survive the regime that thinks it should build one.

CNN cuts off Karoline Leavitt as she descends into false claims about Idaho murders

CNN cut off White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt after just seconds Wednesday as she launched into a press conference with wild claims about Idaho killer Brian Kohberger.

Kohberger had been forced to listen as his victims' families and friends spoke of their loss and grief due to his murderous rampage at the University of Idaho in 2022 before his sentencing.

Before handing him life in prison for killing students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, the judge lamented that he couldn't force Kohberger to explain why he committed his horrific acts.

The White House, however, claimed that President Donald Trump would have gotten the answers out of Kohberger.

Leavitt made the statement shortly after the sentencing.

"We are so sorry for the grief and the pain you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer," Leavitt said. "Our nation grieves with you and we will never forget the precious souls who were lost in this horrific act of evil. If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls."

CNN cut away from the briefing and put Leavitt right on her statement.

"I mean, is there any legal basis for that statement?" host Jim Sciutto asked attorney Joey Jackson.

"So, Jim, there's not," Jackson said.

Jackson explained that an "allocution" is a court procedure where a defendant must verbally enter a plea and answer specific questions to show he's competent.

"Did you do this? Are you accepting responsibility or at least admitting to the murders that you committed?" Jackson said. "There has to be answers to those questions. But at a sentencing, you have no obligation to speak and cannot be compelled to."

Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday, "These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered. While Life Imprisonment is tough, it’s certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders.

"There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING. People were shocked that he was able to plea bargain, but the Judge should make him explain what happened."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'More than meets the eye': Doctor casts doubt on Trump’s ‘benign’ diagnosis

A day after the most recent speculation about President Donald Trump's bruised hand and swollen ankles, the White House offered up his doctor's diagnosis: chronic venous insufficiency, which causes blood to pool in the veins.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the condition as "benign" and claimed, "The president remains in excellent health," but CNN's Brianna Keilar didn't take the diagnosis at face value.

She asked a medical expert how the president's age, lack of cardiovascular activity, and other lifestyle factors could worsen the diagnosis.

"So, it appears that the White House physicians were also concerned about more than meets the eye," said cardiologist Dr. Bernard Ashby, before mentioning the additional tests performed by Trump's doctors, including an echocardiogram and lower extremity ultrasounds.

"Essentially, they were covering all their bases, meaning that they were screening him for heart failure, which is a common cause of lower extremity swelling. In addition to that, they were concerned with increased pressure in his heart."

"Now, taking a step back, looking at the entire case, the president is obese. He is older. And I don't know if he has hypertension, but that's very...common in his age group, particularly with his body habitus. So, when you do have a condition like lower extremity swelling, bilateral, and a diagnosis of venous insufficiency, the question is, is it intrinsic to the veins? Meaning, does the venous insufficiency that he has, is it related to bad valves, or is it related to increased pressure coming from the heart?"

Ashby continued, "Even though he's diagnosed with a benign condition, venous insufficiency by itself doesn't necessarily mean it's benign. The question is, what's causing the venous insufficiency? But I wouldn't take the benign diagnosis on its face."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

White House slur prompts accusations of 'disrespect' for MAGA base

The White House has unflinchingly adopted a slur coined by Donald Trump to describe anyone who fears the worst will come from his tariffs, inflation, and trade wars.

Trump's new label came shortly after he announced his "liberation day" tariffs and promised "90 deals in 90 days," that were met with a healthy dose of skepticism.

"The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO," the president wrote on Truth Social at the time. "Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!"

When Trump's 90 deals failed to materialize this month, the office of the White House press secretary reminded Americans about Trump's derogatory term.

On Tuesday, Press Secretary Karolina Leavitt reposted Trump's assertion that the "Fed should cut Rates by 3 Points. Very Low Inflation. One Trillion Dollars a year would be saved!!!"

Leavitt then commented, "Every month since President Trump took office, core inflation — the best measure of inflation — has beat or matched expectations. The data proves that President Trump is stabilizing inflation and the Panicans continue to be wrong about tariffs raising prices."

Not to be outdone, Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly posted, "Are the PANICANS tired of losing yet? 'Inflation Remains Right on Target Under President Trump.'"

And yet another Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson got in on the fun, writing, "Panicans proven wrong YET AGAIN."

Former Biden White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates was appalled at the Trump administration's disdain for its own base.

"Never seen a @WhiteHouse show this much disrespect for their base," he posted. "Right when we learn Trump's tariffs are worsening inflation - breaking his #1 campaign promise - they attack Americans' concerned about costs as "Panicans."

@LibertarianMama

“Panicans” is the dumbest most boomer phrase ever created.

'Brain capacity of a jellyfish': White House lashes out at Jasmine Crockett

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), one of the most vocal Democrats in Congress who's poised to take a future leadership role, is once again finding herself in the crosshairs of White House officials.

On Wednesday, a Trump administration official told Fox News's Chad Pergram, "Jasmine Crockett has the brain capacity of a jellyfish and is the last person on Earth to critique anyone’s mental acuity, let alone intelligence."

Harrison Fields, White House principal deputy press secretary, continued, telling Pergram, "The Democrats’ rising star has done more to cement the party’s demise than the President she breathlessly supported, the decrepit and feeble Joe Biden. Jasmine continues to prove she’d be better suited as a reality TV star on VH1 than an elected official on Capitol Hill."

Fields may have been referring to Crockett's recent swipe at Melania Trump, claiming the First Lady was given special treatment when she came to the United States on an EB1 visa, which is commonly referred to as an "Einstein visa."

Crockett told a House hearing on "restoring integrity in the visa process" that the Einstein visa is given to people with "some sort of significant achievement, like being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer; being an Olympic medalist; or having other sustained extraordinary abilities and success in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. Last time I checked, the first lady had none of those accolades under her belt."

Crockett concluded, "It doesn't take an Einstein to see that the math ain't mathin' here."

On the same day, Trump hit out at Crockett's intelligence, posting to Truth Social, "I have an idea for the Democrats to bring them back into 'play'" that involved nominating "Low IQ Candidate, Jasmine Crockett, for President."

Trump confronted with bizarre assassination 'threat': 'Can no longer sunbathe!'

President Donald Trump was confronted with a bizarre "threat" from an Iranian official during a question-and-answer session at the White House on Wednesday, where he met with African leaders.

Fox News's Peter Doocy paraphrased Mohammad-Javad Larijani, "a regime figure and adviser to Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei," who said on Iranian television, "Trump can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago, because while he's lying down, a micro-drone might target and strike him right in the navel."

According to Newsweek, Larijani "laughed as he made the remark...as part of a discussion about the country's military technology."

Doocy asked the president if he thought it was "a real threat," before throwing out, "and when is the last time you went sunbathing, anyway?"

Trump smiled as he mused, "It's been a long time. I don't know; maybe I was around seven or so. I'm not too big into it."

Trump then got serious as he responded to the threat of assassination at the hands of the Iranians.

"Yeah, I guess it's a threat. I'm not sure it's a threat, actually. But, perhaps it is."

It's the latest in the war of words between Trump and the Iranians. Shortly before ordering the U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June, Trump posted to Truth Social, "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now."

Also in June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News' Bret Baier that Iran tried to assassinate Trump twice "through proxies."

And last November, the Department of Justice unsealed criminal charges against an alleged Iranian asset who claimed he was charged with killing the then-former president before the election, according to The Associated Press.

Watch the clip below via The White House.

'We're toast': Federal workers panic after 'life-altering' Supreme Court ruling

Federal employees are scrambling now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of President Donald Trump's desire to slash the government workforce.

Although it's currently on summer break, the Court lifted an order Tuesday blocking Trump from firing federal workers in nearly two dozen agencies, including the State Department and the Social Security Administration.

The Washington Post reported, "Litigation will continue as the layoffs proceed at 19 agencies, according to the ruling, which drew dissents from two liberal justices. It marks the latest upheaval in a chaotic half year of Trump-driven downsizings of federal departments, which spurred lawsuits and court-ordered halts — followed by still other court counterorders resuming the federal dismissals."

The Post added that the ruling wasn't definitive because it failed to "answer the underlying question of whether the mass firings are legal, which a lower court will still need to address."

The ruling has left government staffers navigating uncertainty and fear for their livelihoods, with one at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau telling The Post, "We are toast."

Everett Kelley, president of the nation’s largest federal union, called it a "life-altering decision for tens of thousands of American families."

“Federal employees across the country will sit at their dinner tables tonight with their layoff notice next to a pile of bills, knowing the Supreme Court’s action just changed their lives forever, and they’re wondering what they’re going to do next to make ends meet," Everett said.

The White House declared the ruling “another definitive victory for the President and his administration."

Read The Washington Post article here.

'Stupid person': Trump suggests ousting Powell and making himself head of Fed

President Donald Trump went on a tear against Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell while standing in front of a group of workers waiting to put up two new flag poles outside the White House.

Trump began by talking about the flag poles before veering off the rails on Powell.

"We're doing well as a country. If the Fed would ever lower rates, you know, we'd buy debt for a lot less," Trump said as the workers looked on.

"It's a shame, this guy. I have a guy. Do you ever have a guy that's not a smart person and you're dealing with him and you have to deal?" Trump asked the workers.

"He's not a smart guy. He's worried about inflation. I said, 'That's all right, if there's inflation in six months or nine months, you lower the rates or you raise the rates. You can do whatever you want'...So let's say there's rampant inflation, which there's none. You know what? There is a success. I got a call from Congress last night: 'Sir, there's a problem.' I said, 'What is it?' 'Money is pouring in. We don't know how to account for it.' I said, 'Check the tariffs.' $88 billion came in from tariffs. No inflation. And it's going to get even more. So, I know what I'm doing. So, we have a stupid person frankly at the Fed."

"He probably won't cut today. Europe had 10 cuts and we had none. And I guess he's a political guy. I don't know. He's a political guy who's not a smart person, but he's costing the country a fortune. So, what I'm going to do is, you know, he gets out in about nine months. He has to. He gets fortunately terminated."

Trump then claimed people are losing "hundreds of billions" and "even trillions of dollars," because Powell is "too late" cutting interest rates.

"I call him 'Too Late Powell,' because he's always too late. I mean, if you look at him, every time I did this, I was right 100%. He was wrong. Maybe I should go to the Fed. Am I allowed to appoint myself? I don't know. Am I allowed to appoint myself at the Fed? I'd do a much better job than these people."

Watch the clip below via CNN or click the link.