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Elon Musk

Congressional Republicans Veer Between Musk And Trump Over Budget Bill

President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk are locked in an ugly breakup—and Republicans are having a hard time choosing sides.

Since leaving the Trump administration in late May, Musk has gone rogue, openly attacking the House GOP’s "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" for its deficit-busting tax cuts. He called the legislation—which cuts Medicaid and food stamps but still would add trillions to the deficit thanks to its tax cuts, which overwhelmingly benefit the rich—a "disgusting abomination." Ouch.

That has angered Trump, who told reporters on Thursday that his friendship with Musk may be over, and that Musk is against the legislation only because it ends electric vehicle subsidies.

Some Republicans, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, are taking Trump's side, saying that Musk is wrong and that Republicans need to pass the legislation.

“I think he’s flat wrong … and I’ve told him as much,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday, insisting that he's not worried that the legislation will negatively impact Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune also downplayed Musk's criticism and its potential impact on how Senate Republicans will handle the bill.

“I can’t speak to his reasons other than what he stated, and I think that what he stated was that he thought it was something that would add to the deficit. And we believe the opposite,” Thune said, rejecting the nonpartisan independent analysis that shows the legislation will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.

Other Republicans say Musk's concerns about the fact that the bill lifts the debt ceiling and increases the national deficit are valid.

"He has real-world experience. [JPMorgan Chase CEO] Jamie Dimon has real-world experience. When they throw up red flags about the deficit, we ought to pay attention," Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland told reporters. Harris cowardly voted “present” on the bill to allow it to pass the House despite his reservations with the legislation.

"So @elonmusk is right to call out House Leadership. I wish I had a nickel for every time the @freedomcaucus sounded the alarm and nobody listened, only to find out the hard way we were right all along," Rep. Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania, wrote in a post on X, even though Perry voted for the legislation he now says is bad.

"It’s insincere for @SpeakerJohnson to insinuate @elonmusk is against the Big Beautiful Bill because it doesn’t benefit his companies specifically," Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of two House Republicans who voted against the bill, wrote on X.

"Musk is a true America First entrepreneur who could have had a much more comfortable existence and a higher net worth by sitting on the sidelines of politics. But he cares about this country, so he got involved. He knows if America collapses financially, we aren’t making it to Mars. He’s right,” Massie added.

Other Republicans want nothing to do with the fighting at all, like little kids who stick their fingers in their ears when their parents are arguing.

“I ain't got any thoughts on that. We got a lot of work to do. He doesn’t get to vote," said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama.

It's an ugly war that could end badly for the GOP no matter which side they choose.

Republican lawmakers can face Trump’s MAGA mob if they vote against the legislation, or they might go up against a Musk-funded primary opponent if they vote for the bill.

Republicans made a deal with two devils—Trump and Musk—and they’re finding out the hard way that their actions have consequences.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Americans Losing Their Jobs

New Data Show Trump Tariffs Are Ruining Job Market

Unemployment claims have risen for the second-straight week, exceeding economists' expectations at the highest level in eight months, the Department of Labor announced on Thursday.

Initial jobless claims stood at 247,000 for the week ending on May 31, higher than the 236,000 claims that economists had been projecting. That jump caused the four-week moving average to increase by 4,500.

"New jobless claims are ticking up. The numbers are still low, but there's an upward trend. This is key to watch. The main reason the US economy has been so resilient is 159.5 million people are still employed and getting paychecks. If that goes down, a downward spiral will start,” Heather Long, the chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote on X.

According to the Labor Department, the biggest surge in new unemployment claims was in Michigan, where 8,490 people filed claims—up 3,259 from the week prior. The state’s job losses came from the manufacturing industry, which is being hit hard by President Donald Trump's steel, aluminum, and automobile tariffs.

Indeed, a number of automobile manufacturing companies have announced layoffs, including Stellantis, Ford, General Motors, and a handful of other companies that manufacture car parts.

Ultimately, the increase in jobless claims comes after the payroll company ADP said that just 37,000 private-sector jobs were created in May—a major slowdown and possibly the first tangible signs that Trump's idiotic tariffs are now impacting the job market.

Economists said that Trump’s tariffs would cut into companies’ profit margins, leading to increased prices, layoffs, or both. And the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that the tariffs would cause the U.S. economy to shrink.

“If the president does not reverse course, he will increase the unemployment rate to recessionary levels,” Michael R. Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told CNBC in April.

All eyes are now on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which will release its monthly jobs report Friday morning. Should that number come in under economists’ expectations, it will be more proof that their fears of Trump’s tariffs are coming true.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Margie Whines That Her Life In Congress Is 'Miserable' -- And Costs Too Much

Mad Margie Is Sorry She Voted For Trump's Budget Bill

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, previously celebrated the House's passage of President Donald Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill.” But now she claims that she would have voted against it—had she actually read it.

In a post on X, Greene explained that she didn’t know that the bill includes a provision blocking states from regulating artificial intelligence, and had she known, she would have voted against the Medicaid-slashing legislation that passed by a one-vote margin.

"Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there,” she wrote.

Greene had been championing the dogshit legislation that slashes health care and food stamps while exploding the deficit with tax cuts for the rich. And after it passed the House ahead of Memorial Day, she cheered.

"We passed President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill out of the House this morning and now it’s on its way to the Senate!!" Greene wrote on X, celebrating the fact that the legislation would block Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood.

But now she claims that she didn't read the full bill, the text of which was released late at night and just a few hours before the House voted on it.

But Greene isn't the only Republican to admit to having no idea what she voted for.

Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska said he didn't know that the bill includes a provision that would make it more difficult for federal judges to enforce contempt rulings—a last-minute addition from sycophantic lawmakers who want to protect Dear Leader from being held accountable for ignoring court orders.

“This provision was unknown to me when I voted for the bill,” Flood said during a town hall, where he was mercilessly booed by his constituents who were angry that he voted in favor of the bill.

As backlash mounts against the bill, it’s possible that we’ll see other GOP lawmakers express remorse for voting in support of legislation that will kick millions of people off of their health insurance and food assistance while potentially taking down the U.S. economy.

It seems that even Republicans understand how much of a political loser the bill is, as GOP lawmakers are straight up lying about its Medicaid cuts to try to avoid voter backlash, which has exploded at town halls across the country.

The White House even released a fact sheet assuring Americans that people won’t “literally die” because of the bill.

If you have to explain to people that you don’t think they’ll die from your signature legislation’s health care cuts, it’s safe to say that you’re not in a great place politically.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Ernst's Callous Quip On Medicaid Cuts Inspires A Challenger

Ernst's Callous Quip On Medicaid Cuts Inspires A Challenger

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa made some callous and disgusting comments about her support for Medicaid cuts during a town hall on May 30, telling constituents that “we all are going to die.”

Now her comments have officially earned her a top Democratic challenger in the 2026 midterm election: JD Scholten, a current state representative for Iowa.

"After her comments over the weekend, I've been thinking about it for a while, but that's when I just said: This is unacceptable and you've gotta jump in," Scholten told The Gazette on Monday. "At the end of the day, though, it's not about her, it's not about me, it's about the people of Iowa deserving better. I don't think there's anything worse that you could do than cut Medicaid, cut SNAP benefits for everyday Iowans just so you can give billionaires bigger tax breaks. That is not Iowa in my mind."

Ernst has not apologized for her comments, but instead she’s doubled down, posting a video over the weekend to make fun of people who condemned her comments.

“I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth. So I apologize. And I’m really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well,” she said in the video.

But Scholten isn’t having her sarcasm, calling out her video as out of touch with what Iowans need.

“We’re taking them off [Medicaid], so billionaires can have a second yacht, so they can have a bigger tax break. We have a system that’s geared towards and favors billionaires and huge multinational corporations, and that’s not working for most of Iowa,” he told Politico.

Though Iowa has shifted right over the past decade—with Trump winning the state in every election since 2016—Ernst, who won in both 2014 and 2020, saw a margin of just 6 points in the 2020 election. That same year, Trump carried the state by 9 points.

And in a “blue wave” year like 2026 is shaping up to be—coupled with Ernst’s latest missteps—the race could be quite competitive.

Scholten overperformed the Republican lean in his district both in 2018 and 2020, according to Split Ticket data. And in 2024, he won his state House district by 6.9%, while Vice President Kamala Harris lost it by 1.6%.

It’s looking like we won’t want to sleep on Iowa in 2026.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

At GOP Town Halls, Furious Voters Condemn Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'

At GOP Town Halls, Furious Voters Condemn Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'

Forget Elon Musk—congressional Republicans are facing new fury from voters, this time for voting in support of President Donald Trump’s "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” which proposes slashes the social safety net to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

Two Republicans brave enough to hold town halls—Reps. Mike Flood of Nebraska and Ashley Hinson of Iowa—were both met by angry voters who questioned their support for a bill that would strip away health insurance, food aid, and more from millions of Americans.

Hinson was booed by the audience in her deeply Republican district after she said that she was "proud" to vote for the bill.

"This is a generational investment …” Hinson said, trailing off as the boos drowned her out.

And when Hinson claimed that judges who rule against Trump are engaged in "egregious abuses,” she was met by chants from the audience calling her a "fraud.”

Meanwhile, Flood also faced angry voters in his heavily Republican district, with Flood unable to defend certain provisions in the bill, including a last-minute addition that would make it harder for federal judges to enforce contempt rulings.

“This provision was unknown to me when I voted for the bill,” Flood said, admitting that he didn’t read the bill, which GOP leadership put up for debate in the middle of the night just minutes after releasing the amended text.

Given that House Republicans passed the dogshit bill right before Memorial Day weekend, few other GOP lawmakers have had time to hold town halls to see if this anger is widespread.

But polling shows that voters do not support cutting Medicaid and food stamps to fund tax cuts for the rich. So these displays of rage could be just the beginning for GOP lawmakers—most of whom have been hiding from their constituents by either holding heavily scripted events or eschewing town halls altogether.

Now House Republicans are trying to blunt the backlash by lying about what the legislation does. After the bill passed, the National Republican Congressional Committee, which seeks to elect Republicans to the House, issued a memo falsely claiming that it wouldn’t cut Medicaid.

“The One Big, Beautiful Bill is more than a messaging opportunity; it’s a midterm roadmap. Republicans must drive this contrast, simplify our message, and target Democrats every day. This is about fraud vs families. This is about taxes vs take-home pay. This is about securing the border vs subsidizing chaos. This is about putting working families first, not last,” the memo said.

Of course, independent analyses show that millions of Americans will lose Medicaid coverage and Affordable Care Act subsidies. And the lowest income brackets will actually see their take-home pay decline thanks to the bill, should Trump sign it into law.

Indeed, House Democrats are already gearing up to use this vote to hammer Republicans in the 2026 midterms.

“As the economy is tanking, consumer confidence is at historic lows, and millions are struggling to make ends meet, House Republicans decided to ignore it all… and advance an astonishingly detrimental bill – the GOP Tax Scam – that raises costs on working families while benefiting the wealthiest few,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wrote in a memo.

“It’s a vote that every single vulnerable House Republican will come to regret next year,” it said.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are now having their turn to amend the legislation, and they’re doing their usual performance of claiming that they won't back the bill because it adds to the deficit.

“In the House, President Trump can threaten a primary. Those guys want to keep their seats, I understand the pressure. He can’t pressure me that way," Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who says he won’t vote for the bill because it increases the deficit, told Punchbowl News.

But given how cowardly Republicans continue to prove themselves to be, there’s no doubt that they’ll fall in line with Dear Leader.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump

Trump Finally Admits That He's Been Treating Putin With Kid Gloves

President Donald Trump admitted that he goes easy on murderous Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, saying that if Trump wasn't in office Russia would be facing more consequences for the violent war the country is waging on Ukraine.

"What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD," Trump wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. "He's playing with fire!"

It's unclear if Trump, who is objectively a moron, understood that he was admitting that he hasn’t held Putin accountable—whether it be for the war in Ukraine or Putin’s interference in American politics.

But the admission comes as even some GOP senators, who normally refuse to go against Dear Leader, say they've had enough with Putin's attacks on Ukraine and are calling on Trump to respond.

"I believe president trump was sincere when he thought his friendship w Putin wld end the war. Now that being the case ITS TIME FOR SANCTIONS STRONG ENUF SO PUTIN KNOWS 'game over,'" Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa wrote Tuesday in a post on X.

And on Monday, Grassley wrote a plea for sanctions, mentioning Trump by name.

"I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl. Pres Trump Take action AT LEAST SANCTIONS," Grassley implored.

Trump's revelation that he’s gone easy on Putin comes after Russia launched yet another assault on Ukraine Monday, killing at least 30 civilians and wounding more than 163 others, according to The New York Times. It was the biggest drone attack Russia has launched on Ukraine to date, The Associated Press reported.

The U.S. president’s whiny admission also came a day after Trump fired off yet another Truth Social post in which he lamented that Putin has changed and become more violent—even though Putin has always been a violent dictator who invades other countries and kills anyone who dares to dissent.

Trump wrote:

I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia! Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not 'Trump’s,' I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.

Russia’s violent attacks on Ukraine have embarrassed Trump, who has been unable to end the war that Putin started—even though Trump vowed numerous times during the 2024 presidential campaign that he'd end the war within 24 hours of taking office.

Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine even as Trump has taken Russia’s side in his failing effort to broker peace. Trump has made positive remarks about Putin while railing on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including in an embarrassing ambush against Zelensky that Trump and Vice President JD Vance conducted in the Oval Office in February.

On May 19, after speaking with Putin, Trump issued a statement saying the two warring countries would begin peace negotiations.

“Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War. The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump said in a statement.

But Russia quickly broke those ceasefire negotiations, leaving Trump with egg on his face once again.

While Trump’s criticism of Putin is a step in the right direction, it’s ultimately meaningless unless Trump proves he is willing to actually punish the Russian dictator or help Ukraine fight back against Putin’s brutal war.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Howard Lutnick

WATCH: Lutnick Scorched By Audience As He Shrugs Off Tariff Worries

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sought to defend Donald Trump's nonsensical tariff policy on Wednesday by falsely saying that the massive tariffs the administration placed on nearly every item imported into the U.S. won't raise prices and that no one will feel any pain.

Lutnick made the comment at an event hosted by the media outlet Axios, where he told the audience that sellers won’t raise prices—even though major big-name retailers and manufacturers like Walmart, Mattel, and Nike have already said they will be forced to shift tariff costs onto consumers.

"You go to the store now, are you feeling the pain ? No. Why not? Because there is no pain," Lutnick, a billionaire, told the audience.

He then told the audience that tariffs have been in place since April and asked, "Have any of you felt any of it? Seriously."

Lutnick was clearly expecting the audience to say no. But the audience replied with a resounding "yes," which stunned him into an awkward silence.

Despite Lutnick’s ridiculous comments, a majority of American companies say they will have to raise their prices in order to stay afloat.

“Given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said. “The higher tariffs will result in higher prices.”

Meanwhile, contrary to what Lutnick said, polls show that voters are feeling the pain of tariffs. A new Civiqs poll for Daily Kos, which was conducted from May 17-20, finds that 56 percent of voters say tariffs have already led to higher prices.

It's not surprising, however, that Lutnick would say something wildly out of touch. Who can remember when he said that anyone who complains about losing their Social Security benefits is a “fraudster”?

In a podcast interview in March, when Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency was meddling with the Social Security Administration, Lutnick said: "Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who's 94, she wouldn't call and complain. She just wouldn't. She thinks something got messed up and she'll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise screaming, yelling, and complaining. And all the guys who did PayPal, like Elon knows this by heart, right? Anybody who's been in the payment system and the process system knows the easiest way to find the fraudster is to stop payments and listen.”

It was also Lutnick who said he wants Americans to toil away in factories for the rest of their lives.

"It's time to train people not to do the jobs of the past, but to do the great jobs of the future. This is the new model where you work in these kinds of plants for the rest of your life and your kids work here and your grandkids work here. We let the auto plants go overseas,” Lutnick said.

However, the new Civiqs/Daily Kos poll showed that 66 percent of Americans do not want to work in factories.

Ultimately, the pain of Trump’s tariffs is just beginning, with items hit by the nonsensical import fees now hitting shelves—or disappearing from shelves altogether.

A recent report from Yale University’s Budget Lab found that Americans can expect the tariffs to cost the average household $2,800.

That sure sounds painful to us.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Jerome Powell

Fed Chair Bluntly Warns Trump Tariffs Will Risk Inflation And Recession

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell defended the bank's decision to stabilize interest rates. He said that, while the economy seems solid, President Donald Trump's tariffs increase the risk of inflation and unemployment, warranting a pause in monetary policy to see how things go.

“If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they're likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and an increase in unemployment,” Powell said during a press conference.

A simultaneous increase in unemployment and inflation is known as "stagflation," which is not only rare but is also exceedingly difficult for the Federal Reserve and policymakers to solve, since the tactics that they would usually use to fix one would exacerbate the other.

For example, lowering interest rates leads to economic and job growth, but it often spikes inflation. Conversely, raising rates leads to slower growth that helps ease inflation, but it doesn’t help jumpstart the job market.

“The Fed didn't use the word ‘stagflation,’ but that's what it's warning about. Never a good moment when your central bank says that it's worried about *both* higher unemployment and higher inflation. That's a problem that monetary policy alone can't solve,” Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, wrote on X.

The Federal Reserve's decision to stabilize interest rates is likely to piss off Trump, who has demanded that Powell cut rates.

"The [European Central Bank] is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, 'Too Late' Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete 'mess!' Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS. Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on April 17.

He has even threatened to fire Powell for not lowering interest rates, only backing off when the stock market tanked as investors feared that Trump would end the Federal Reserve’s independence.

Meanwhile, Democrats are already seizing on Powell’s warning that tariffs could lead to stagflation.

"Donald Trump's tariffs mean you could suffer higher prices and lose your job AT THE SAME TIME. Forget dolls, families will be forced to make impossible choices between necessities like food, housing, and health care," Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote on X.

But even as the economic warning lights are flashing red, Trump says that he has no plans to lift his tariffs on Canada, a major U.S. trading partner, and that he is fine with a trade embargo on China.

"By not trading, we're losing nothing. So we're saving a trillion dollars. That's a lot,” Trump falsely claimed during a meeting with Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday.

Instead, he’s telling Americans that their children will just have to deal with having fewer toys. But if Trump keeps up his idiotic tariffs, the pain will be felt much further than the toy store.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Meeting With Canada's New Prime Minister, Trump Displays Mental Decay

Meeting With Canada's New Prime Minister, Trump Displays Mental Decay

President Donald Trump hosted newly minted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House Tuesday—and in the process showed that his 78-year-old brain has completely turned to mush.

He incorrectly said that a Russian hockey player is from Canada and baselessly claimed to have solved California's drought problems. But let’s break down Trump’s idiotic claims point by point.

In one exchange, a reporter asked Trump about his punishing 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, which for all intents and purposes is a trade embargo on a major U.S. trade partner.

"By not trading, we're losing nothing. So we're saving a trillion dollars. That's a lot,” he said.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Of course, since China manufactures trillions of dollars worth of goods, not trading with them means we are losing quite a lot. Many of the products made in China cannot be manufactured in the United States, so shortages are about to hit. And with shortages come higher prices, since demand will outstrip supply. And that will hurt U.S. consumers.

“Trading with others generates gains for both sides of the transaction. Trump's tariffs prevent trade, destroying the gains both for Americans and our trading partners. Recognize that symmetry and you'll see how much he's hurting Americans,” Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan economics professor, wrote on X.

In yet another head-scratching moment, Trump claimed that the United States doesn't do much business with Canada, which is absurdly incorrect.

“We don’t do much business with Canada from our standpoint,” Trump said, as a very shocked Carney sat beside him. “They do a lot of business with us.”The United States imported $412.7 billion worth of goods from Canada in 2024, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Meanwhile, the United States exported $349.4 billion to Canada in 2024, meaning that we take in more from Canada than we export.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

In 2023, the United States imported $122.9 billion worth of fuel; $64.7 billion in transportation equipment; and billions in metals, machinery, and fertilizers from Canada.

In fact, farmers have been warning against Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying that the increase in fertilizer prices will cause painful inflation to U.S. consumers.

As Trump continued his meeting with Carney, he tried to bully the newly elected prime minister into making Canada the 51st state.

"I love Canada. I have a lot of respect for the Canadians. … You happen to have a very, very good hockey player right here on the Capitals, he is a big tough cookie too, just broke the record,” Trump said.

He was referring to Alex Ovechkin, who is Russian—not Canadian. Surely if former President Joe Biden had made a similar comment, questions about his mental fitness would blanket corporate media airwaves.

Trump also spoke of his moronic belief that he somehow saved California from droughts, bragging about how he gave Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom “a lot of water.”

“If they would've had that water and done what I said to do, they wouldn't have had the fires in Los Angeles,” he said.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

In fact, Trump's water gambit of opening dams ended up wasting billions of gallons of water that California farmers needed for crops—and it didn’t even end up going to Los Angeles.

“They were holding extra water in those reservoirs because of the risk that it would be a dry summer. This puts agriculture at risk of insufficient water during the summer months,” Heather Cooley, Pacific Institute director of research, told CNN. “It’s providing zero benefit and putting California farmers at risk of water supply constraints in the coming months.”

Well, at least Canadian voters saw through Trump’s bullshit.

Mike Waltz

Trump's Failed National Security Adviser Gets UN Consolation Post

Hours after nearly every major news outlet reported that national security adviser Mike Waltz was the first big casualty of the Trump administration, President Donald Trump announced that—surprise!—he’s nominating Waltz to be ambassador to the United Nations.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role.”

The U.N. ambassador role requires Senate confirmation, so Waltz—who is responsible for inadvertently adding a journalist to an unsecured group chat in which top Trump administration officials shared highly secret attack plans—will have to publicly defend his egregious mistakes as national security adviser.

This will also put Republican senators on the record about whether they’ll support someone who so carelessly jeopardized national security. And it will allow Democrats to highlight the “Signalgate” scandal, giving them an easy way to attack the Trump administration.

It’s hard to see how voters will approve of this switcheroo, either.

A Civiqs poll conducted for Daily Kos found that voters wanted accountability for the group-chat snafu—not a promotion for one of the people involved in it.

The poll found that 51 percent of registered voters wanted the person who was responsible for sharing classified information to be fired, with another 24 percent saying that person should face disciplinary action. Just 17 percent of voters said there should be no consequences for the scandal.

Getting a promotion to be U.N. ambassador—which comes with a sick residence on the Upper East Side of Manhattan—doesn’t sound like accountability.

As for who will serve as Trump’s next national security adviser, the president announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take on the role.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. “Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

It’s unclear how Rubio will be Trump’s main adviser on national security as well as the country’s top diplomat, the acting archivist of the United States, and the acting head of the United States Agency for International Development, an organization the Trump administration is trying to shut down.

But amid all of this, the maddest person must be Rep. Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, who Trump initially nominated as U.N. ambassador before pulling her nomination because he feared Republicans would lose her seat in Congress.

Stefanik remains in the House without her top House leadership role and without the sweet mansion in New York.

Sad!

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Hegseth Brags About Killing 'Woke' Women's Security Program Pushed By Ivanka

Hegseth Brags About Killing 'Woke' Women's Security Program Pushed By Ivanka

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that he ended the Women, Peace and Security program within the Pentagon, disparaging the initiative that ensures women are part of peace-building efforts across the world as "woke."

"This morning, I proudly ENDED the “Women, Peace & Security” (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense," the embattled Hegseth wrote in a post on X. "WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops—distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.”

Hegseth continued his hysterical criticism of the program.

“WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it,” he seethed. “DoD will hereby executive [sic] the minimum of WPS required by statute, and fight to end the program for our next budget. GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!"

Of course, it was Donald Trump who in 2017 signed WPS into law. In 2019, the Trump administration touted the success of the program, which it said “aims to promote the meaningful inclusion of women in processes to prevent, mitigate, resolve, and recover from deadly conflict or disaster.”

A Women for Trump press release pointed to the passage of WPS as one of the reasons Trump was pro-woman (hah!).

What’s more, the law was written by Trump Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she served in the House, and was co-sponsored by Trump Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he served in the Senate.

The law was so uncontroversial that it passed by voice vote in both the House and Senate, without any lawmakers objecting to its passage.

Rubio even touted the program just a few days ago at the International Women of Courage event on April 1.

“President Trump also signed the Women, Peace and Security Act, a bill that I was very proud to have been a co-sponsor of when I was in the Senate, and it was the first comprehensive law passed in any country in the world— first law passed by any country anywhere in the world—focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society,” Rubio said.

Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was also very proud of WPS, celebrating its passage in 2017 and later its implementation.

"By recognizing the diverse roles women play across the spectrum of conflict — and by incorporating their perspectives throughout plans and operations — DOD is better equipped to promote our security, confront near-peer competitors, and defeat our adversaries," former Trump Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in 2020 while touting the success of the WPS program.

But now Hegseth, an accused sexual abuser and misogynist who has attacked the inclusion of women in the military, said he's ending it.

Democrats slammed Hegseth for announcing he’s killing the program.

“Dear @PeteHegseth: Please stop spewing bullshit. The WPS program was authored by GOP Rep Noem during the first Trump Administration in 2017. It was bipartisan and signed into law by Trump. Oh, and how is your makeup today? Did you use your taxpayer-funded Pentagon makeup studio?” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) wrote in a post on X.

After it was pointed out that WPS is a Trump initiative and not a Biden one, Hegseth had to defend his decision to go after the program as part of his nonsensical war on “woke.”

“The woke & weak Biden Administration distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017. So—yes—we are ending the ‘woke divisive/social justice/Biden (WPS) initiative.’ Biden ruined EVERYTHING, including ‘Women, Peace & Security,’” Hegseth wrote.

Ultimately, this is yet another instance of the unqualified buffoon leading the Pentagon putting his foot in his mouth.

Hegseth came under fire in March when he removed web pages that celebrated diverse military veterans such as Major League Baseball legend Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights icon Medgar Evers, and even an image of the Enola Gay airplane that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan during World War II. The pages were removed because they contained references to words deemed inappropriate under the Trump administration’s effort to end diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—the dreaded DEI bogeyman.

It certainly seems that Hegseth’s war on DEI is also why he moved to cancel WPS.

Had he done any research whatsoever on WPS to see that it was Trump who created the program, maybe he wouldn’t have yet another foot-in-mouth situation on his hands.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Mike Lawler

New York GOP Lawmaker Lustily Booed By Handpicked Town Hall Audience

In what is now a familiar scene, yet another GOP lawmaker got mercilessly booed and jeered by their own constituents at a town hall, facing a barrage of questions that all boiled down to one central theme: Why won’t Republicans stand up to President Donald Trump?

The latest victim of town-hall rage was Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who held an event Sunday night in which he prescreened audience members to ensure they lived in his district, similar to what his Republican colleague Byron Donalds did in Florida last week.

Yet, despite Lawler’s efforts to keep out the supposed outside agitators whom Republicans have baselessly claimed are being paid by Democrats to incite scenes to embarrass GOP lawmakers, the prescreened attendees still took Lawler to task for not standing up to his party’s leader.

“What are you doing to stand in opposition to this administration, and what specifically are you doing that warrants the label ‘moderate’?” one constituent asked Lawler after laying out the ways Trump is hurting Americans, such as putting tariffs on all imports and deporting a two-year-old American citizen with cancer.

“My record speaks for itself,” Lawler replied, eliciting gasps and even laughter from the crowd. “I have been rated the fourth-most bipartisan for a reason, which is the very simple fact that, unlike many of my colleagues, I actually do work across the aisle.”

Lawler also got booed when he was defending Trump’s tariffs, with constituents chanting “blah, blah, blah” and drowning out his answer.

And in perhaps his most absurd answer, Lawler told voters not to believe that he’d vote to cut Medicaid, even though he voted earlier this month for the GOP budget blueprint that would require hundreds of billions in cuts to the lifesaving program that provides insurance to roughly 72 million Americans a year.

“When it comes to Medicaid, I have been very clear: I am not cutting benefits for any eligible recipient,” Lawler said, according to The New York Times, adding of the budget he voted for, “That is as good as the paper it’s written on.”

Lawler, for his part, is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House.

He's one of just three House Republicans who represent districts that Democrat Kamala Harris won at the presidential level. Harris received 49.9 percent of the vote in Lawler’s district, while Trump got 49.3 percent, according to data compiled by The Downballot.

Lawler is also mulling a bid for governor of New York, which may be an even tougher climb in a blue state where Trump is deeply unpopular. According to Civiqs’ tracking poll, just 34 percent of voters in New York approve of the job Trump is doing as president, as opposed to 62 percent who disapprove.

Because of his district’s partisanship, it’s not surprising that Lawler would face blowback.

However, GOP lawmakers are being met with enraged voters even in districts and states Trump won by large margins.

It’s a warning sign for Republicans, who will be facing strong headwinds in the 2026 midterm elections if Trump’s approval rating remains as abysmal as it is now. Even more concerning for Republicans is that Trump’s approval is this low before the impact of his tariffs have really hit voters, with experts warning that empty shelves and skyrocketing prices are expected to hit in May and June.

Early polling shows Democrats with an advantage on the generic congressional ballot, which asks voters which party they'd like to see control Congress.

A Fox News poll released Friday found that Democrats hold a lead on the generic congressional ballot by seven percentage points—a large margin that suggests a sizable Democratic victory in the midterms. The poll found that 49 percent of registered voters said they'd vote for a Democrat for Congress, while 42 percent said they'd vote for a Republican.

To put that in perspective, in 2018, when Democrats won control of the House, the final generic-ballot average had Democrats up by 7.3 points, according to RealClearPolitics.

"If the House GOP is under any illusions that Donald Trump's fall in the polls won't bring them down as well—well, they are living on fantasy island,” CNN polling analyst Harry Enten said, adding in a post on X, “Polls look like April ‘05 & '17, prior to big Dem midterm gains.”

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Andy Ogles

Congressional Republicans Unite In Blustering Defense Of Hegseth

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is digging in after the latest bombshell report that he shared classified war plans in yet another Signal group chat—this time including his wife, brother, and personal attorney.

But instead of condemning Hegseth’s clear mishandling of sensitive military information, GOP lawmakers are circling the wagons, making the insane claim that Hegseth is being taken down by some sort of nefarious deep state within the Pentagon rather than his own bad decisions.

"The D.C. foreign policy establishment is getting desperate. They've tried to take out [Hegseth] twice. Everyone knows exactly what they're doing. It won't work. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have full faith and confidence in his leadership," Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri wrote on X.

And Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee made a similarly absurd accusation.

“Deep State leakers inside the Pentagon are trying to sabotage [Hegseth]. They’re terrified of the bold, America-First reforms President Trump is delivering. The D.C. cartel is in full-blown panic mode. Their desperation says it all: we’re winning—and history will prove us right,” he wrote on X.

But those were far from the most ridiculous defenses of Hegseth.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, a noted douchebag who berated teenage Senate pages for taking photos in the Capitol rotunda, said that Hegseth was above reproach because he served in the military after 9/11—as if that absolves him of any wrongdoing.

"I don’t want to hear from any healthy American that was of fighting age on 9/11 who did not join the military and deploy to combat talking shit about [Hegseth]. You had your chance to serve our Nation when She needed you and you did not. Stand down, the Warriors will take,” he wrote on X.

And Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, a Republican who helped push to get Hegseth confirmed despite his numerous scandals, also said that he’s sticking by the former Fox News host.

“I will lead the breach. I will lay down cover fire. I will take the high ground. I’ll expose myself to enemy fire to communicate. We must bring back integrity, focus, and put the Warfighter first inside DOD. I stand with [Hegseth],” he wrote on X.

Even the entire Republican cohort on the House Foreign Affairs Committee defended Hegseth,

“Pete Hegseth is a warfighter and he’s helping President Trump make sure our country is worthy of the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform,” they wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida tried to use whataboutism to defend Hegseth during an appearance on CNN, which—unsurprisingly—did not go well.

"Nobody was saying a word when Lloyd Austin, the previous defense secretary, disappeared for a month. Nobody could find him," Donalds deflected.

So far, only one Republican has called for Hegseth to resign: Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, one of the most vulnerable GOP lawmakers in the House who represents a district that Vice President Kamala Harris carried in 2024.

“The military should always pride itself on operational security. If the reports are true, the Secretary of Defense has failed at operational security, and that is unacceptable. If a Democrat did this we'd be demanding a scalp. I don't like hypocrisy. We should be Americans first when it comes to security,” he told Axios.

But don’t expect other Republicans to join Bacon anytime soon.

According to Politico, Republicans are afraid that calling for Hegseth to resign will get them on President Donald Trump’s bad side.

“Everyone knows he’s a joke, but he’s the guy to do pushups with the troops,” a former congressional aide toldPolitico. “Plus, not many want to publicly say anything right now and get on Trump’s bad side.”

Now that is the definition of cowardice.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Imitating Foreign Despots, Trump Aims To Shut Democrats' ActBlue Site

Imitating Foreign Despots, Trump Aims To Shut Democrats' ActBlue Site

President Donald Trump is set to sign a presidential memorandum Thursday targeting ActBlue, the fundraising platform that powers Democratic campaigns and causes. This is Trump’s latest attempt to neuter political opposition.

It's unclear what exactly the memorandum will do, but according to Politico, it claims that ActBlue accepts foreign contributions—which the platform vehemently denies.

Of course, Trump himself has been hit with allegations of accepting Russian bribes. In fact, a political consultant who worked for Great America PAC, which backed Trump’s 2016 campaign, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2023 for illegally accepting Russian contributions.

What’s more, Trump is currently taking in millions from cryptocurrency investors, who are buying his meme coin for a chance to meet with Trump. It’s a blatantly corrupt pay-to-play effort, in which foreigners could be personally funneling money to Trump.

“The Trump coin scam is the most brazenly corrupt thing a President has ever done. Not close,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote on X.

Similarly, Massachusetts Democrats Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jake Auchincloss joined together to demand an investigation into Trump’s meme coin, though it’s unlikely that the Department of Justice run by the nakedly partisan Pam Bondi would actually prosecute.

“Anyone, including the leaders of hostile nations, can covertly buy these coins, raising the specter of uninhibited and untraceable foreign influence over the President of the United States, all while President Trump’s supporters are left to shoulder the risk of investing in $TRUMP and $MELANIA,” they wrote in a letter in January.

And while ActBlue is being targeted by Trump’s memorandum, the Republican fundraising platform WinRed will seemingly go unscathed, despite its many actual issues—including coming under fire after the 2020 election for tricking people into unknowingly making recurrent donations to Trump’s campaign.

But this despotic attack against what Trump deems a “political enemy” is nothing new.

For example, Trump has stripped Big Law firms of their security clearances and government contracts because they employed lawyers who have investigated him or have sued to block Trump’s illegal actions. As a result, firms have halted pro bono work that might anger Trump.

ActBlue raises massive amounts of money for Democrats and Democratic causes, taking in nearly $500 million in 2025 alone. And its lawyers have been gearing up for a fight against Trump.

“Every one of our clients is concerned about being arbitrarily targeted by the Trump administration. We are going to great lengths to help clients prepare for or defend themselves,” said Ezra Reese, political law chair at Elias Law Group, which represents many Democrats and Democratic organizations.

And ActBlue says that it will not be scared into submission by Trump's bullying.

"Nothing will deter or interrupt ActBlue’s mission and work to enable millions of Americans to participate in our democracy," ActBlue President and CEO Regina Wallace-Jones wrote in an email to Democrats.

"There is an ongoing and persistent effort to weaken the confidence of the American people in what’s possible,” she added. “This is the next version of ‘the big lie.’”

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Donald Trump

Americans Oppose Trump On Immigration, Want Garcia Returned From Salvador

New polling finds President Donald Trump underwater on his handling of immigration policy, historically one of his strongest issues.

The poll, released on Wednesday and conducted by YouGov for The Economist, finds that 45 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of immigration, while 50 percent disapprove. That's a massive swing from the previous Economist/YouGov poll on the matter. The older poll, which was fielded April 5-8, found that 50 percent approved of his handling of immigration policy, and 44 percent disapproved.

The decline may be due to Trump's policy of deporting immigrants to a notorious Salvadoran prison without offering them due process and in direct violation of a judge’s orders.

In the past few weeks, it's been reported that most of the people Trump has deported to CECOT—where inmates are packed into inhumane and overcrowded cells without mattresses, pillows, or proper nutrition, and with limited access to legal representation—have no criminal record at all.

The poll finds that a plurality of Americans (49 percent) say Trump’s approach to immigration policy has been “too harsh,” compared with the 38 percent who believe it's "about right" and five percent who say it’s been “too soft.”

In another eye-popping finding, 50 percent of Americans believe Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a Maryland man Trump wrongly deported to CECOT—should be returned to the United States, which the Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to do. Just 28 percent side with Trump, who said he cannot and will not bring Garcia back.

The Trump administration has accused (without credible evidence) Garcia of being a member of MS-13—but that messaging appears to be failing. According to the poll, just 27 percent of Americans believe Garcia is a member of the gang.

The poll’s results are similar to a Civiqs poll conducted for Daily Kos, which found 51 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration, while 49 percent approve.

The polling suggests that Democratic lawmakers' condemnation of Trump’s deportations, as well as their efforts to bring Garcia back, have hurt Trump's standing with voters—a sign Democrats should keep up the pressure.

“Approval of Trump’s handling of immigration fell 10 points over the last week,” G. Elliott Morris, the former polling director at the now-defunct news outlet 538, wrote in a post on X. “Obviously the backlash to the [Kilmar Abrego Garcia] case worked, and it would have been a mistake not to talk about this — from both a rights perspective and the POV of moving opinion against POTUS.”

For example, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland recently traveled to El Salvador to meet with Garcia, as did a handful of House Democrats, where they highlighted the dangers of deporting people to a foreign prison without due process.

“Donald Trump and his Administration are running a government-funded kidnapping program– illegally arresting, jailing, and deporting innocent people with zero due process. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is Trump’s latest victim,” Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, one of the Democrats who traveled to El Salvador, said in a news release.

While the immigration data from the Economist/YouGov poll is bad for Trump, other data from the survey is even worse for him. A plurality of Americans (42 percent) give Trump’s first 100 days in office a failing grade.

In fact, a plurality or outright majority of nearly every demographic polled gives Trump an “F” grade, including white Americans (38 percent), every age and income demographic, and independents (46 percent). The only groups that this isn’t true for? Republicans, ideological conservatives, and Trump voters.

That’s likely because Trump has a net-negative approval rating on every issue included in the poll: jobs and the economy (-12 percentage points), immigration (-5 points), foreign policy (-14 points), national security (-3 points), education (-12 points), crime (-1 point), criminal justice reform (-6 points), and inflation and prices (-20 points).

It appears it’s just shy of 100 days in office for political gravity to pull Trump back down to earth.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

White House Reportedly Aiming To Replace Embattled Defense Chief

White House Reportedly Aiming To Replace Embattled Defense Chief

The search for a new secretary of defense is on, NPR reported on Monday, as controversy surrounding the current secretary, Pete Hegseth, continues to mount.

Hegseth is bleeding staff, with former aides going on record to say Hegseth’s leadership has led to “chaos” and “dysfunction” in the Pentagon.

And a new report in Sunday's New York Times revealed that Hegseth was sharing classified intelligence on future military attacks in a Signal chat with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer—who had neither the clearance nor the need to know about imminent military strikes. It’s the second known time Hegseth shared classified attack-planning information on an unsecured messaging app—the kind of behavior Hegseth himself has said should lead to prison time.

Publicly, President Donald Trump is sticking by Hegseth.

"Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is. There's none. Pete's doing a great job. Everybody's happy with him," Trump said at the White House Easter Egg Roll event, referring to the Iran-backed militant group that the military is still battling.


Trump also repeated the ridiculous White House talking point that an apparent deep state within the Pentagon is conspiring against the former Fox News host.

"It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that's what he's doing. So you don't always have friends when you do that," Trump added.

But apparently, in the background, White House aides are starting the process of looking for Hegseth's replacement less than 100 days into his tenure.

Those who haven't blacked out the first four years Trump was in office may remember that it was a trend for him to claim he had confidence in one of his Cabinet officials immediately before firing them. For example, Trump said he had confidence in crackpot Michael Flynn as his national security adviser, only to fire him hours later.

Ultimately, polling shows voters want heads to roll over the Signal chats Hegseth was part of.

A Civiqs survey conducted for Daily Kos found that 51% of registered voters think those responsible for sharing classified information in a Signal chat should be fired.

Democrats were already calling for Hegseth to resign. But now some Republicans are joining that bandwagon, with Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska—one of the most vulnerable GOP House members in the 2026 midterm elections—saying on Monday that Hegseth should step down.

"He’s acting like he’s above the law—and that shows an amateur person," Bacon told Politico.

It’s unclear whom Trump would replace Hegseth with.

It should be hard to get someone worse than Hegseth—a racist, misogynistic, former Fox News host who was always unquestionably unqualified for the job.

However, never underestimate Trump’s ability to surround himself with the worst people.

Trump Is Vandalizing The White House In Tacky Mar-A-Lago 'Style'

Trump Is Vandalizing The White House In Tacky Mar-A-Lago 'Style'

President Donald Trump is gilding the White House, using his so-called "gold guy" to add gold touches to the Oval Office on the taxpayer dime to make the historic building look like his tacky Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, The Wall Street Journalreported.

Trump has gilded the furniture, affixed gold ornaments to the Oval Office fireplace, added gold sculptures and picture frames, and reportedly installed a gold Trump crest over the doorway into the White House. He even ordered his and Vice President JD Vance’s portraits to be reprinted with a gold border because he wanted the pictures to “catch the light,” the Journal reported.

“It’s the Golden Office for the Golden Age,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Journal.

The Journal reported that Trump also wants to add a ballroom to the White House complex where he can hold events, like he does at his Florida club, where guests pay stupid amounts of money for the chance to heap praise on the egomaniacal leader.

Trump loves his gilded Mar-a-Lago ballroom, telling guests at an event in February, “The ballroom is in top shape. We just spent a lot of money on gold. I’ve got more gold in the ballroom than anybody’s ever had in a ballroom before.”

Trump apparently wants to recreate that at the White House.

The ballroom addition is a project Trump has wanted to do since 2016, when he reportedly spoke to the Obama White House and offered to build the $100 million project—even though Trump is notorious for not paying his bills and stiffing workers. During his campaigns he even stiffed localities, refusing to pay hundreds of thousands in fees for the public safety provided for his ego-stroking rallies.

The Obama administration laughed off Trump’s offer.

“I'm not sure that it would be appropriate to have a shiny gold Trump sign … on any part of the White House,” then-White House press secretary Josh Earnest said at the time.

But in Trump’s second term in office, where he’s acting like the dictator he’s always dreamed of being, he is now serious about remaking the White House—a worrying sign from someone who has mused about staying for a third term, despite the Constitution banning such a thing.

Trump’s tacky ballroom would be in addition to his plan to pave over the Rose Garden, the beautiful green space outside the White House where presidents hold events and press conferences. Trump’s reason for that? He said women are uncomfortable when their high heels sink into the grass. The horror!

Trump is gilding the White House and turning it into a gaudy mess comes at the same time that his administration is slashing federal spending for critical social safety net programs like Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps, preschool education for low-income Americans, and more. He is also cutting medical research, disease mitigation, and foreign aid, which is already having disastrous consequences and will undoubtedly lead to even more.

Worse, as Trump demands austerity from the country, he’s reportedly planning to spend tens of millions on a grotesque military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate his own birthday.

Trump is taking a page out of Marie Antoinette's playbook. "Let them eat cake!"

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.