All posts tagged "white house"

Trump's 'invulnerable' belief has bolstered admin to take self-serving risks: analysis

A self-belief from Donald Trump has bolstered both himself and his administration to make questionable, self-serving risks, according to one analyst.

The president's recent actions in Venezuela and Greenland have led to some political commentators suggesting the admin has taken liberties with world politics and domestic issues. Writing in Salon, Heather Digby Parton said that Trump can now "rule completely by whim" because of the precedent he has set in office.

She wrote, "He is not interested in ideology or philosophy. The president believes in himself and himself alone, and he has been so successful at evading all accountability for everything he’s done in his life that he sees himself as invulnerable."

This has set a standard, too, for those in the administration. She added, "We’ve witnessed the capitulation of the Republican Party and institutions such as law firms, media companies and universities, and we’ve observed opportunists playing the system for their own ends — all of which proves that, for all their world-weary skepticism about humanity’s inherent virtue, the founders greatly overestimated the strength of the average politician or the businessman’s ego and ambition."

"They thought those who were in competing spheres of power would fight for their own prerogatives, but it’s clear that’s actually quite a rare occurrence when it comes to facing down a tyrant. The most ambitious among them just want a piece of the action."

"The real courage is coming from ordinary people on the streets who are facing down Trump’s secret police and brandishing nothing more than cell phones to document the officers’ savage behavior."

"It may just be that the average citizens who are brave enough to fight for their prerogatives to pursue life, liberty and happiness are the honorable leaders Plato believed were the only ones capable of running a virtuous state."

"If so, this suggests that while democracy may have its weaknesses, it is also the best hope for saving itself."

Trump struggles to keep eyes open during Oval Office meeting: 'That's a long blink!'

The internet noticed that President Donald Trump was struggling to keep his eyes open — again — during a White House meeting on Wednesday.

Trump was caught getting sleepy during a signing ceremony for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in the Oval Office, where he was surrounded by a group of lawmakers, cabinet members and advocates for the dairy industry.

Several people had comments about the president's demeanor following an announcement earlier this month that meetings would be shortened after aides revealed concerns over fallout about Trump dozing off on camera.

"That’s a long blink," Mike Madrid, author and GOP Latino political consultant, wrote on X.

"BREAKING: In a stunning moment, Donald Trump has fallen asleep again at a public meeting. Wow," account Democratic Wins Media wrote on X.

"Uh oh -- Trump's eyes are closed," independent journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X.

"He’s getting older!" User Lucas Sanders wrote on X.

"Maybe he drank too much whole milk," college instructor and author Anthony M. Hopper wrote on X.

"BREAKING: Donald Trump just fell asleep again during a public meeting. This is who they’re telling us is fit to run the country. Wow," independent journalist Brian Allen wrote on X.

uh oh -- Trump's eyes are closed pic.twitter.com/6pQaQhNB6H
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 14, 2026

'Pathetic' Trump blasted by niece for building ballroom to 'pay homage' to himself

Donald Trump has been accused by his niece, Mary Trump, of building the White House ballroom to pay tribute to himself.

The Trump family member and author suggested the president is wanting to push through with the $400million project as he believes nobody will credit him and his presidency. Speaking in a recent piece of analysis uploaded to her YouTube channel, Mary Trump shared her thoughts on the ballroom project, which had ballooned in budget from $200million to twice that amount.

Referring to a clip of a Republican representative suggesting Trump is building the ballroom to give credit to himself, Mary Trump explained how this is no laughing matter.

She said, "If you find this funny, you know it's true and you think that Donald Trump is a ridiculous buffoon who understands in some very deep way that nobody values him. Nobody will ever, ever, pay homage to him. Nobody will ever honor him when he's gone."

"If he's going to be remembered in a way that matters to him, he's going to have to build his own monuments to himself. That is how pathetic that small, little man is."

Trump and his administration were heavily criticized in the last few months for the White House ballroom project. Mikey Smith, writing in The Mirror, suggested the president is trying to remodel the White House so it looks closer to his Florida golf resort, Mar-a-Lago.

Smith wrote, "A year into his second term in office, polls make him the second most unpopular President of all time. He's spending most of his time fighting the old wars of 2020, punishing his enemies and remodelling the White House to more closely resemble Mar A Lago. He schmoozes America's enemies and alienates her allies."

"The new ballroom is just part of a gradual process throughout the year to turn the White House into Mar a Lago. Every time the Oval Office was on TV, there was a fresh gold (painted) sconce or detail somewhere."

"He paved over the rose garden to put a patio out there to match the one at his Florida resort - inviting Republicans over for dinner and glad-handing on late summer evenings. Even the two enormous flagpoles he installed on the White House lawn were identical to one he has in Palm Beach."

‘Radioactive’: White House insiders ‘freaked out’ as Fed chief probe spooks key market

White House insiders were reportedly reeling Monday as President Donald Trump's Department of Justice launched its investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, prompting anxiety over financial market disruptions.

The Trump administration was apparently in "damage-control mode" after the news heightened over the DOJ's criminal probe announcement that alleges Powell lied about the scope of renovations at the Fed headquarters, Politico reported.

"Privately, some White House officials see the episode as radioactive, with aides and allies eager to distance themselves from a probe they believe could do more damage to the White House than to Powell," according to Politico. "One of the five people familiar said some inside and close to the White House are 'freaked out' that a further threat to the Fed chief’s job security could spook the bond market."

The White House was reportedly working to distance itself from the investigation as Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the Trump administration was not aware of the investigation and that president did not prompt the DOJ to initiate the subpoenas.

"And given the Fed’s role in keeping a lid on inflation, the decision to target Powell in a criminal probe risks eroding Wall Street’s confidence in Trump’s economic agenda and the central bank’s credibility at a time when the president faces serious political challenges over his handling of the economy before the midterm elections," Politico reported.

Powell has pushed back on President Donald Trump's pressure over lowering interest rates. He issued a defiant response in a video statement on Sunday, responding to the president's most recent revenge attack. Trump's other retribution campaigns have targeted Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one—certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve—is above the law,” Powell said. “But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”

'It would snap our threads': Veteran offers grim prediction about Trump Greenland invasion

A proposed military action against Greenland would "crumble alliance" with NATO nations and spells disaster for public approval, a veteran has warned.

The White House has suggested acquiring Greenland is a matter of national security, and that they would move to take over the country. This has been met with opposition from both Greenland's officials and Danish members of parliament. Donald Trump and members of the administration are keen to take the country into their possession for matters of national security.

But an Iraq War veteran believes sentiment for the war would be broadly negative, with a "disillusioned" public turning on the administration more than they already have.

Problems could also come with the damage an invasion of Greenland does to NATO members. Patrick Murphy, who served as the 32nd Under Secretary of the U.S. Army and is an Iraq War combat veteran, said a military operation in Greenland would be a point of no return for the US.

He told The Mirror US, "A military takeover of Greenland is certainly possible. But it's absolutely not practical. Military action would put the most strain on Article 5 since the creation of NATO, and it would effectively crumble our alliance. It would snap our last threads of allyship with European nations, and they're our strongest allies."

NATO, the North Atlantic treaty Organization, has 32 member states, 30 of which are in Europe. Article 5 of NATO states that an armed attack against one NATO member is an attack against all.

While military action in Greenland would need congressional approval, it has not stopped some from worrying about how the public mood would turn should such a strike happen.

Murphy said, "I'm hoping this is just irresponsible rhetoric. I hope and pray that America goes back to our roots as a reluctant warrior who honors our NATO commitments with our closest allies."

"The American people are fatigued of conflict abroad and would be further disillusioned by conflict with one of our historic allies." He added that "a majority of Americans understand that Europeans are [our] closest and most reliable allies in this world."

'How stupid do you think we are?': Jimmy Kimmel fumes at White House after ICE shooting

The shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by ICE agents and subsequent White House reaction has horrified Jimmy Kimmel.

The talk show host used the opening monologue on his Live! show to denounce the government's response to the death of Renee Nicole Good, 37. An ICE agent shot and killed Renee during an immigration raid. ICE raids have surged as Donald Trump's administration ordered more than 2,000 federal immigration officers into the city following reports of welfare fraud committed by the local Somali community.

Kimmel has since responded to the government's reaction, with many in the Trump administration claiming the ICE agent was defending themselves. The talk show host, after a compilation of some political commentators defending Trump, said, "A foreign invasion. These foreigners who invade our country, they barge into our homes, they start feeding our children, mowing our lawns, and every time we pay them, they come back and they do it again."

"Of course, everyone you saw took their cues from the president, who falsely posted on social media that Renee Good, the woman who was killed, said she 'ran over the ICE officer', which is clearly not true. I don't think anyone with eyes other than him would make that claim."

"Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, said it was an act of domestic terrorism, which is just flat out- this unarmed mom, a devout Christian by the way, who had no criminal record, driving a Honda Pilot, trying to get away from armed men in masks, masked men were screaming at her."

"We're to believe this woman was a terrorist, committing a terrorist act? And the fact that ICE shot through her windshield three times, that was her fault? The ICE officer was, as Kristi Noem put it, 'following his training'."

"How stupid do you think we are? That's not just an insult to Renee Good, that's an insult to every law enforcement everywhere. They're not trained to do that."

The Trump administration's response to the shooting has been roundly denounced by leading political experts, while ex-GOP member Adam Kinzinger says he worries for the long-term impact the shooting will cause.

He said, "If this doesn't wake the American people up, and if this doesn't create enough pushback on the administration, I fear what is next. I fear what this escalation chain does."

"You're going to have ICE agents who see the community as the enemy, and you're going to have the community see law enforcement as the enemy. That is never good. That is not the point of law enforcement."

White House pressure on ballroom review may 'short circuit' crucial step: expert

Pressure on a review of the White House ballroom blueprints could "short circuit" the whole process, an expert has warned.

A "refinement" process has been established for the ballroom, and while it's a "foregone conclusion" that the plan will be approved, pressure from Donald Trump's administration is still present. Phil Mendelson, chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia and an ex-officio member of the commission, suggested the ballroom project will be fast-tracked and will falter as a result.

He told CNN, "What I’m concerned about is that so much has happened without any review, which I think is inappropriate, and that this is going to be fast-tracked with a lot of pressure to just approve what the White House wants without any planning thought."

"I have seen project after project after project where the refinement as a result of feedback leads to a better result. And I’m concerned that the pressure will be to short-circuit that. … That’s part of what worries me, that … they don’t really care what NCPC (National Capital Planning Commission) thinks. They just want to go through the steps. They’ve got the votes, design be damned."

Bryan Clark Green, an architectural historian appointed to the NCPC by Joe Biden, suggested there is a "critical difference" at play between how the White House should react to the ruling, and how they are responding to the review.

Green said, "All of your arguments about all the things that would normally restrain you in a conversation about alternatives, they’re gone. They’re swept away. This is not how the process works. It’s not supposed to be like this."

He added that it's "a foregone conclusion" that the ballroom review would pass, despite some critics voicing their concern.

Despite this conclusion, the White House are still putting pressure on the NCPC to pass the review. Green said there are questions that must be brought up during this process that Trump's administration may not have considered.

He said, "Could this function be accomplished in a building that is more appropriate in scale to the White House? When is the last time you had a seated dinner for 1,000?"

"What’s the size that you would actually need? Could you accomplish this function in a way that the building is lower down in the view shed? Could the footprint be smaller?"

'Nobody is spared from his wrath': Stephen Miller's staff reveals 'he yells at everybody'

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller reportedly has daily meltdowns and "the gleeful brawler Miller plays on TV is no act," according to insiders.

Trump administration staff described daily 10 a.m. phone calls — even on Saturdays — and bully behavior from the top official, according to a new report published by The Atlantic Wednesday.

"One senior official who has participated in the calls told us that the intensity and urgency often veer into hectoring," The Atlantic reported.

“He pushes everybody to the absolute limit because he knows that the clock is ticking,” the source told the outlet. “He gets on the phone and he yells at everybody. Nobody is spared from his wrath.”

Miller, who has had public squabbles on cable news, has no problem saying what he thinks. And as one of President Donald Trump's longest serving aides, who served in the first administration, he has used the "power of the government" to tell other people to get out of his way.

"Miller publicly shames bureaucrats he feels are falling short or resisting orders," The Atlantic reported.

"If there’s a problem and you’re the owner, you have to fix it quickly," another source who has participated in the conference calls told the outlet. "It’s not a place where you can say, ‘I have to get back to you.'"

Miller has demanded progress reports on deportations and "accepts no excuses."

"In Trump’s inner circle—even with the president himself—Miller is known as a dogmatic force whose ideas are sometimes too extreme for public consumption," according to The Atlantic.

Trump joked in October during an Oval Office briefing, saying "I’d love to have him come up and explain his true feelings—maybe not his truest feelings,” he said, laughing.

And despite people calling him a "Nazi, a neo-Nazi, a white supremacist, a kapo, and Lord Voldemort" — he doesn't express his reactions to the criticism.

"But in Trump’s second term, Miller finds himself at the height of his powers—the pulsing human id of a president who is already almost pure id," The Atlantic reported.

White House airs unedited N-word in video celebrating Maduro capture

The Trump administration's social media video has raised eyebrows after an unedited racial slur was shared by the White House's official X account, Newsweek reported Monday.

The video posted on Jan. 3 showed Nicolás Maduro speaking in Spanish and yelling "come and get me," followed by a clip from Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking at a press conference and saying "if you don't know, now you know" — paired with the same lyrics from "Hypnotize," a 1997 hit from rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

The video cuts to shots of Maduro in custody and Trump walking by military officials inside the White House while the song plays out without any edits as the performer uses the N-word.

Previous reports have cited how the Trump administration has pressured ICE's public affairs team to quickly produce social media videos in a move to try and score viral hits. ICE has used music from artists — without licensing the songs or getting permission — which has come under fire from several artists, including Sabrina Carpenter and even Pokémon.

Several social media users reacted to the post.

"What was that at 0:13??" User Comet wrote on X.

"The US is acting like the United Mafia," user Hüseyin Gökalp wrote on X.

User Dede Watson shared an image on X with the following words in neon: "Another distraction for the Epsteinth time."

If you don’t know, now you know 🦅 pic.twitter.com/XrIps1OzY4
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026

Trump's Venezuela attack was quid pro quo for massive ballroom donations: lawyer

A project overseen by President Donald Trump has highlighted "corruption" in the White House, two political commentators have claimed.

The building of the White House ballroom has been denounced as a "corruption tumor on the White House grounds" by attorney Norm Eisen. The legal expert, who served as co-counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during the first impeachment trial of Trump, has warned the renovations made to the White House so far show just how far Trump is willing to appease oil companies and benefactors.

Trump has claimed the ballroom is being funded by private donors — including oil companies.

And Eisen suggested the attacks on Venezuela could be seen as a hand back to those oil barons.

Speaking with Greg Sergeant of The New Republic, Eisen suggested the ballroom is more symbolic than practical. He said, "We should not be invading foreign countries to seize their oil. I mean, the guy is such an unsophisticated dictator. Trump is setting up a payback loop to the big oil companies."

"But then he’s done quasi-official fundraising for his whims, like the ballroom that he’s going to erect over the destroyed East Wing. That ballroom is like—remember how in the Popeye cartoon, Popeye would have one giant arm, the rest of him scrawny? That ballroom is symbolic; it’s like a corruption tumor on the White House grounds."

Eisen went on to suggest Trump's claim of "draining the swamp," which he touted during his 2016 presidential campaign, had failed.

He said, "Donald Trump said he would fight the corruption of the swamp. Instead, he’s just deepening the swamp. So that’s one point." Later in the podcast, Eisen made the point that oil companies "contributing to Trump's campaign ventures" could see executives exercise some newfound power on White House buildings.

He added, "And then, of course, that sets up this vicious cycle where those same oil companies and/or their executives can start contributing to Trump’s campaign ventures, to his misbegotten vanity projects in government, like the ballroom, like the Kennedy Center."

Eisen would highlight a statement from ex-MAGA faithful Marjorie Taylor Greene as part of the "extreme unpopularity" the president is now facing.

Eisen added, "Healthcare premiums are skyrocketing all over the country because of Donald Trump’s policy failures. Marjorie Greene notes that. And it’s the distraction factor. This is not what they put Donald Trump in office to do. And I think you see that in the extreme unpopularity."

"Most unpopular president at this point in their tenure of anyone not named Trump — except for the possible exception of his first term, the most unpopular."