All posts tagged "white house"

Columnist warns Trump admin 'stocked' with crusaders to support red state's troubling move

A columnist is warning that the Trump administration is "stocked" with operatives ready for an assault on American freedom.

Paul Waldman wrote in a Tuesday piece for Public Notice that the "religious right" is "pushing harder every year" for Christian nationalism, and the Trump White House is "stocked" with operatives ready to join the fight.

"The Trump administration is stocked with unapologetic Christian nationalists like OMB Director Russell Vought, the architect of the administration's dismantling of the federal government," Waldman wrote, referring to the head of the Office of Management and Budget.

Waldman pointed to a 2021 column by Vought "defending" Christian nationalism. Vought wrote, "Part of being a nation is a shared religious heritage. And in America, that historical heritage is, of course, Christianity."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also has "multiple Crusader tattoos," and has put in place "monthly Christian prayer services featuring far-right clerics, including at least one who advocates the establishment of a Christian theocracy," Waldman added.

"Official government social media accounts regularly send out sectarian Christian messages," according to Waldman.

Waldman also mentioned a Turning Point USA speech by Vice President JD Vance, where he said, "The only thing that has truly served as an anchor of the United States of America is that we have been, and by the grace of God, we always will be, a Christian nation."

This is happening at a time when Texas has implemented a new law requiring the Bible to be taught in schools, which critics have argued flagrantly disregards the doctrine of separation of church and state.

After the Texas Board of Education added Bible passages to school reading lists, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during an Oval Office visit, "We were a nation founded upon not the words of our founders, but the words of God because He wrote the Constitution," and insisted "the separation of church and state is not in the Constitution," even though it is, Waldman noted.

"They seek the power not just to worship as they wish but to impose their beliefs on the rest of us," Waldman wrote. "If only they understood what the tradition of American religious liberty is actually about."

Journalist warns about Trump's bond with devoted aide: 'She is fueling his delusions'

A journalist warned that Trump's relationship with an aide who's always around him spells trouble.

In an episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, executive editor Hugh Dougherty spoke with host Joanna Coles about revelations regarding Trump executive assistant Natalie Harp, who Dougherty said "trails Donald Trump everywhere." The Daily Beast reported details of the relationship based on excerpts from Regime Change, a new book by reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

"What we have got out of this book is incredibly, like just the unbelievable amount of time that Donald Trump is spending with a woman who is almost 50 years his junior, who other aides are really worried about, who the Secret Service were worried about," Dougherty said, adding that even her estranged brother is "concerned about what he calls an unhealthy relationship."

Harp's brother described her relationship with Trump as "a national embarrassment," Dougherty noted, as she reportedly left Trump letters saying, "You are all that matters to me. I don't ever want to let you down."

However, the relationship is concerning because "she is fueling his delusions," Dougherty said.

"One of the really worrying things that we learned about from this Haberman and Swan book is he has officials, including Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, Howard Lutnick, the Commerce secretary, Jamieson Greer, the trade representative, and he, Trump, says your numbers are B.S. Get me the right numbers," Dougherty explained. "He turns to Natalie Harp to overrule the representatives of three different departments of the United States federal government to provide the right numbers."

Dougherty also noted that Harp "has the password to his Truth Social. She appears to be the person that posts many of his Truth Socials, or at least cues them up for him."

Trump's next makeover revealed: 'The White House campus just can’t catch a break'

President Donald Trump has planned to add to his vast number of projects with another White House makeover, according to reports on Friday.

After adding gold decor to the Oval Office, knocking down the East Wing for his ballroom and paving over the rose garden, Trump has turned his attention to the next venture — a new landing pad for his Marine One helicopter, The Atlantic reported.

Budget documents have revealed that weapons giant Lockheed Martin will drop a $5 million donation for the helipad, in addition to private donations for the new project at the White House South Lawn — where Trump hosted his recent UFC Freedom 250 birthday bash.

Federal park officials will reportedly supervise the construction of it and "would allow the latest model of the president’s Marine One helicopter to take off without burning the grass." Lockheed is the maker of the new helicopter.

"The White House campus just can’t catch a break under President Donald Trump," The Daily Beast reported.

"Though the South Lawn has seen the presidential helicopter come and go over the years, newer models have exhaust vents that aim down, making them more likely to burn the grass underneath," according to The Beast.

Previous administrations have reportedly been hesitant to alter the iconic campus.

The White House apparently wants the helipad design to be 100 feet in diameter with a black granite presidential seal, The New York Times reported in May.

MAGA rift erupts as White House insider bashes 'unlikable' GOP hopeful's 'bedwetting'

A White House insider unloaded after a GOP presidential hopeful went after one of its own, according to a new report.

The Daily Mail reported comments from an anonymous White House insider who responded to attacks by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) against Trump's Iran deal.

Cruz has criticized the Trump deal to end a war with Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters this month that "the president is receiving some very poor advice on this deal," The Mail noted. The criticism is seen as "an obvious attempt" to position himself for a future presidential run with a "non-interventionist" stance, according to The Mail, which also highlighted his failed bids against Trump.

"Cruz has no shortage of ambition," The Mail wrote, citing White House sources. "The Texas senator has long felt that Trump robbed him of the presidency in 2016 and that he could have easily beat the unpopular Democrat Hillary Clinton."

However, the White House insider responded to The Mail's request for comment on Cruz's criticism and the idea that he could be setting himself up for a 2028 presidential run.

"Ted is an instrument of the donor class," the White House insider told the Daily Mail. "A very unlikable instrument, who unbeknownst to him will never be president."

The White House insider also shot down rumors that Vice President J.D. Vance had "gone rogue," as The Mail put it. Another White House official summed up criticisms of the Iran war deal as part of "handwringing and bedwetting" from Republicans that has no effect on Vance's alignment with Trump.

"There is no pearl clutching in this White House," the White House official told The Daily Mail. "Everyone, including the vice president, is following the president's lead on the peace deal, and no amount of handwringing and bedwetting from Washington, D.C. Republican 'panic-ans' will change that."

Trump takes shot across the bow as Knicks star casts doubt on White House visit

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has not committed yet to visiting President Donald Trump at the White House, according to reports on Thursday.

The NBA champions were invited to visit Capitol Hill, and James Dolan, the team's "Trumpy owner," had accepted the offer — but Brunson said the team still had to talk about it, The Daily Beast reported.

"We haven’t discussed it. But as a team, we’ll discuss it, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it," Brunson told Intelligencer this week.

Dolan, who has been friends with the president, invited him to Game 3 of the NBA finals, where he sat in the owner's box and ate snacks. Trump also appeared to be sleeping at one point.

"We just received an invitation which we’ve accepted, still have to figure out the details," Dolan told WFAN Sports Radio. "I’ve known the president 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House."

After Trump attended the game, which was the only game lost during the finals, fans used sage and complained about "the Trump curse."

Brunson's comments made it seem the visit was still uncertain. The top player has been critical of the president in the past.

Every NBA team has declined and boycotted customary visits to the White House after winning a championship since Trump's first administration. If the Knicks do visit, they would be the first to accept Trump's invite.

Melania resisted Trump's White House overhaul only to end up 'very unhappy': commentators

First Lady Melania Trump fought against Trump's overhaul of the White House and lost, according to commentators.

During an episode of the Daily Beast Podcast, host Joanna Coles and Hugh Dougherty, the executive editor of The Daily Beast, went over more revelations in the book Regime Change, an account of the Trump White House by journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

Last year, Trump paved over the Rose Garden. According to Dougherty, the book reveals that the First Lady's team relayed that she was "very unhappy" with the changes, and only secured a few compromises, like getting Trump to keep the rose bushes.

"It turns out he wanted to pave over the whole lot," Dougherty said, relaying details from the book. "He wanted the roses gone as well."

A similar scene unfolded with the demolition of the East Wing, which Trump tore down to make way for a ballroom. Trump's team knew "that this was not going to make the First Lady happy, but it still went ahead," according to Dougherty.

"I think there's a lot to digest about their marriage," Dougherty said, adding that he has questions about "what came back from the First Lady's team? Is that how they communicate? There's lots more to know."

Coles and Dougherty also talked about details that came up in the book about Melania and Trump's separate bedrooms and descriptions of how White House staff "have to clean up because he leaves discarded detritus from his fast food habit on the floor," Dougherty said.

Susie Wiles 'on her last leg' amid White House turmoil: political experts

Susie Wiles is running out of patience with Trump amid mounting White House turmoil, a couple of political experts said.

Dean Blundell, a Canadian political commentator, detailed what insiders had told him about the Trump White House Chief of Staff during an interview with ex-GOP operative Steve Schmidt. Wiles was rumored to be looking for the exit, but she and other White House officials shot down the claim, which came from a Daily Mail report based on insider insight.

"Susie Wiles is on her last leg," Blundell said, sharing what sources told him. "She just doesn't want to be associated with this stuff anymore."

The Daily Mail reported that Wiles was mostly upset about the appointment of Bill Pulte as the acting Director of National Intelligence. Blundell said that it's telling for her to be "this disgusted by his pick for DNI," and suggested that her frustrations went beyond that.

"You don't have to look too far for the damage that this family is doing, not just in the United States, but also in Albania," Blundell said, referring to the protests over Ivanka Trump's planned resort.

Schmidt gave his two cents, saying, "If you held a gun to my head and make me guess what happened here, I would say that Susie Wiles probably threatened to quit."

Dead Air: Happy birthday, loser with Steve Schmidt & Dean Blundell by Steve Schmidt

Read on Substack

Pilot landing at Reagan National gets cockpit full of Trump's UFC lights: report

A commercial airline pilot received a baffling response from the FAA after Trump's UFC lights blinded them while landing, MeidasTouch reported.

The pilot spoke anonymously about how powerful lights from the UFC octagon on the White House South Lawn filled the cockpit during a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. It was "10 times worse than any laser illumination event," the pilot told MeidasTouch.

Landing an aircraft relies heavily on visual references, according to MeidasTouch. The pilot filed reports with the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System.

FAA personnel told the pilot to contact the White House about the safety concerns. MeidasTouch noted that the pilot's reports "raise questions" about how well the fight's organizers coordinated with aviation authorities, considering the illuminated UFC setup's proximity to the "busiest flight corridors."

The FAA recently recommended blinking red lights for Trump's triumphal arch because of how close it is to busy D.C. flight corridors. MeidasTouch also brought up heightened concern ever since an American Airlines flight fatally collided with a U.S. Army helicopter last year.

'This feels so gross': Internet rips Trump's 'little birthday party'

People online on Friday were criticizing the UFC fight to mark Donald Trump's 80th birthday — an event that has been touted as the country's 250th birthday celebration.

The mixed martial arts event this weekend on the White House's South Lawn will be a historic first, and more than 100,000 people are expected to attend, CNN reported.

Trump has admitted that he will skip signing the Iran peace deal if it happens during his scheduled event — and that he plans to send Vice President JD Vance and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff instead.

Social media users commented on the event as U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels practiced flying over the White House on Friday.

"Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars will be spent on Trump’s birthday party," Ron Filipkowski, MeidasTouch editor and attorney, wrote on X.

"The crowd at the White House UFC fight will be one of the most diverse ever. There will be convicted felons, rapists, pedophiles, sex traffickers, domestic abusers and insurrectionists," Covie, a political commentator with more than 177,000 followers, wrote on X.

"So...Donald Trump has summoned a flyover for his little birthday party, too. And, it's HIS birthday party. Not for the UFC. Not America. For Trump," writer and editor of Protect Democracy, Amanda Carpenter, wrote on X.

Carpenter also called out the Trump administration in a separate X post.

"Don't let anyone pretend the UFC cage match debacle on the WH lawn is about anything but a gaudy, lavish, taxpayer-funded birthday party for Trump. Let's talk about why this feels so gross, because it's about a lot more than Trump turning 80. What should be a celebration of America 250 is really a forced celebration for Trump," Carpenter said.

"Trump is calling his UFC cage match an 'event.' It’s actually a scheme: fed. property, fed. staff, & a policymaking process handed over to boost a private business," Norm Eisen, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and founder of Democracy Defenders Action, wrote on X.

"Trump corruption of the day: his UFC cage fight at the White House," Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) wrote in a post on X, sharing a video describing his thoughts about the event and calling out Trump for hosting a MAGA fundraiser the day before the fight and his ties to the parent company of UFC as an investor.

"So what is the corruption? It's when a person who holds a high office — no one higher than the president — uses that office to enrich himself, to enrich his family. And that's at your expense," Welch said in the video.

So...Donald Trump has summoned a flyover for his little birthday party, too. And, it's HIS birthday party. Not for the UFC. Not America. For Trump. https://t.co/EPvrSfO9wa
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) June 12, 2026

Trump notched a dubious presidential record with his latest medical checkup: report

President Donald Trump set a dubious presidential record during his latest medical checkup, according to reporting by the Washington Post.

Although the White House hasn't said why, Trump was assessed by 22 medical specialists during his latest checkup, according to the Post. That's a new record for presidents, outpacing President George W. Bush by 10 specialists.

"It is an extraordinary number," Jonathan Reiner, the longtime cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney, told the Post. "What specialties do they represent? Why so many?"

The Post looked at Trump's medical records released by the White House. The 22 medical specialists that Trump saw nearly doubled the number who assessed him during his first term, according to the Post. Trump saw 11 specialists during a 2019 checkup.

Last year, he saw 14 specialists in a single checkup, the Post reported based on past medical reports from the White House.

According to the Post, the specialists that Trump saw included physicians affiliated with Harvard, Duke University, and other well-known institutions, including generalist physicians.

White House officials explained the record number of specialists at his latest checkup by saying it was commensurate with the need for a "complete and preventive evaluation," the Post reported, adding that the president's physician said Trump is in "excellent health."

"The involvement of multiple specialists reflects a comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation consistent with best practices for executive-level medical care," The White House told the Post in a statement. "We have nothing to hide."