David McAfee

President Donald Trump's blunt statement that he doesn't think about Americans' financial situations when making deals has sparked rare pushback from within his own movement, with prominent MAGA influencers accusing him of betraying his base.

When asked by a reporter, "To what extent are Americans' financial situations motivating you to make a deal?" Trump responded directly: "Not even a little bit…I don't think about Americans' financial situations."

The statement represents an extraordinary moment of candor from Trump, who built his 2024 campaign on promises to prioritize working-class Americans and "put America first." His admission that household financial concerns play no role in his decision-making contradicts the central messaging that resonated with millions of voters struggling with inflation and rising costs.

The candid admission prompted Eric Spracklen, a self-identified MAGA influencer, to publicly denounce the president on social media.

"This is not the same man I voted for. I honestly can't even recognize him anymore," Spracklen wrote. "An absolutely disgusting betrayal."

Spracklen escalated his criticism by directly addressing Trump's core supporters: "MAGA boomers please wake up, PRESIDENT TRUMP DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU."

The Blaze host Auron MacIntyre also chimed in, saying that "Trump obviously has to say this because the main weapon Iran wields is not some superior weaponry but its ability to hurt the American economy."

The conservative then added, "That said, this plays terribly to Americans who are already facing financial struggles that Trump promised to alleviate."

Controversial far-right influencer Myron Gaines asked, "Are we surprised? He is STILL trying to sell the nuclear bomb hoax to justify domestic support for a war that does NOT serve Americans. The only people that want this war are oil tycoons, the military industrial complex, zionists, and MAGA-r------."

Self-identified J6 activist Trisha Hope said, "Nothing about this is ok!!!"

The rupture in Trump's base suggests his core supporters may be reassessing whether his policies align with their "America First" economic interests.

In a predawn vote Wednesday, Louisiana's Republican-controlled Senate committee approved a new congressional map that eliminates the state's second Democratic-majority district, setting the stage for GOP control of five of six seats.

The 4-3 vote came at 4:25 a.m. after more than nine hours of testimony, with "bleary-eyed" lawmakers and spectators witnessing the outcome of a gerrymander battle triggered by the Supreme Court's April 29 ruling that declared Louisiana's original Democratic district unconstitutional, according to local news reports.

Senate Bill 121, authored by Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Monroe), creates a winding 2nd District stretching from New Orleans through the River Parishes into Baton Rouge. The configuration could force Black congressmen Cleo Fields and Troy Carter to compete against each other for the state's lone Democratic seat.

Democrats immediately condemned the map. "This 5-1 map is a political power grab," said Sen. Sam Jenkins (D-Shreveport). "You're minimizing opportunity in the other five districts."

Morris defended the outcome, telling critics the new map "absolutely" passes scrutiny "compared to the 2024 map, which had the snake running from Shreveport almost all the way to New Orleans."

The legislation advances to the full Senate before the June 1 deadline for finalizing Louisiana's congressional maps.

Reporter Jake Sherman reacted to the controversial move, saying, "Louisiana goes for one Dem seat instead of 0."

President Donald Trump attacked the New York Times for coverage of the Reflecting Pool renovation, claiming his administration achieved dramatic cost and time savings compared to previous administrations' efforts.

The Times published a piece called, "Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million." That seemed to trigger the president.

In a post published at 1:12 A.M. Eastern, Trump characterized the Times as "one of the worst newspapers anywhere in the World, and is losing subscribers on an hourly basis," and accused the outlet of inaccurately covering his 2024 election victory.

Regarding the Reflecting Pool, Trump claimed former administrations "squandered at least 55 Million Dollars haplessly trying, with no chance of success, to get the Reflecting Pool to work. Instead, they made it worse, keeping it closed for years, and ending up with a leaking, smelling, ode to both of their failed Administrations."

Trump said his approach represented a fundamentally different strategy. "I worked with our now strong Department of the Interior and explained to them that we should view this as a highly sophisticated swimming pool, not the leaking, dilapidated facade, joints and all, of a building."

He claimed his team could construct the project "for 5 or 6 Million Dollars, and could complete the project in 2 weeks rather than 4 years," contrasting with what he described as a previous planned cost of "400 Million Dollars."

Trump stated: "This is not just a paint job, like lowlife 'reporter,' David Fahrenthold, of the NYT so inaccurately and maliciously stated, it is a deeply complicated work of smart and beautiful construction. It won't leak, it will shine, and be the pride of Washington D.C. for decades to come."

The president concluded: "I saved more than 390 Million Dollars, and 4 years of no 'mess,' and was, of course, given no credit by the biased New York Times."

Actor Randy Quaid posted a rambling message on social media that drew connections between his own legal battles and Michael Jackson's prosecution, while tagging FBI Director Kash Patel in an apparent call for federal intervention.

"My career was one film after another, sometimes two at once. I didn't have time to know Michael Jackson or his work until I was maliciously prosecuted by the same office he was," Quaid wrote on Sunday, referencing Jackson's 2005 acquittal in Santa Barbara.

Quaid claimed to have "investigated every business connection we had" with Jackson, stating his findings "all leads to one man, the crook of all Hollywood crooks," though he did not identify the person by name.

The actor escalated to calling for elimination of the Santa Barbara District Attorney's office entirely, alleging the office "have all been trained by and revere Sneddon"—a reference to former prosecutor Tom Sneddon, who led Jackson's prosecution.

"They still have Michael's mugshot proudly displayed on their walls. They are sick and must be dismantled," Quaid wrote. "They run unopposed one after another. Don't let them get away with it."

Quaid tagged FBI Director Kash Patel directly in the post, apparently seeking federal action against state prosecutors.

Quaid has previously spoken about his own legal troubles, which have included disputes with law enforcement. The actor's post appears to conflate his personal grievances with broader claims about prosecutorial misconduct in California.

The post represents an unusual deployment of the FBI director's attention toward local California matters, reflecting growing willingness among some Trump allies to seek federal intervention in obscure state-level concerns.

Fascism historian Federico Finchelstein publicly corrected Senator Mike Lee's characterization of fascism and Nazism, challenging the Utah Republican's claim that the two ideologies represent a form of socialism.

Lee posted on social media: "Fascism and Nazism aren't the opposite of socialism, as the modern left would have you believe. They *are* socialism."

Finchelstein, a leading historian of fascism, responded directly: "Historian of Fascism here. Pls read some history books. Fascism was an anti-socialist & anti-liberal ideology & while it appropriated vocabulary of the left—Nazism's official name was National Socialist German Workers' Party—it used it in the service of right-wing domination."

He added, "Those who simplify history to argue that fascism is socialism intentionally forget that fascism was about violently fighting socialism (& constitutional liberalism), while displacing concerns x social justice & class struggle & replacing them w/ nationalist & imperialist aggression."

Finchelstein's correction addresses a persistent revisionist claim about fascism's ideological origins. While the Nazi Party did incorporate "socialist" and "workers'" language in its official name, historians have thoroughly documented that this branding was deliberately misleading propaganda designed to attract working-class voters.

In practice, fascist regimes violently suppressed socialist and communist movements, imprisoned labor organizers, and dismantled independent unions—actions fundamentally incompatible with socialist ideology, which prioritizes worker control of production and elimination of class hierarchies.

Fascism's actual ideological foundations are centered on ultranationalism, authoritarian leadership, militarism, and hierarchical social organization—characteristics distinctly opposed to socialism's egalitarian goals.

Legendary Democratic strategist James Carville is raising urgent warnings about the New Hampshire Senate race, saying it demands far more attention than it's currently receiving.

"What I'm seeing in New Hampshire right now is keeping me up at night — and it should concern y'all too," Carville wrote in a campaign memo, emphasizing he rarely writes such alerts.

The race between Democrat Chris Pappas and Republican John Sununu is running essentially tied, with recent polling showing the candidates separated by just one to three points. Carville stressed the stakes are existential for Democratic Senate control.

"If Chris Pappas loses, Democrats need to flip five seats instead of four. That math does not exist," he wrote bluntly.

Carville drew a parallel to Pennsylvania's 2024 Senate upset, when Democrat Bob Casey lost despite leading throughout the cycle.

"A race that has been tied for six months is not a comfortable position. It is a warning sign. I have seen what happens when we assume a race is in-hand and the resources don't follow," he cautioned.

He characterized Sununu as a formidable opponent with establishment backing, noting the Republican spent decades building personal wealth through corporate board positions before returning to politics.

"Listen: I don't write memos like this for every race. I wrote this one because I'm genuinely worried about what happens if New Hampshire slips away while everyone's looking somewhere else," Carville concluded.

Stephen Miller's wife Katie was hit with intense criticism over the weekend after a "radical" Mother's Day comment.

Katie Miller took to social media to write, "In honor of Mother’s Day, a reminder that peak feminism is having babies. The most radical thing a woman can do is embrace her biological destiny." Along with that caption, she included a photo of herself with her pregnant belly left exposed.

The post left some political observers bewildered.

Capitol Hill reporter Julian Andreone responded with, "You’re so weird. Just say 'Happy Mother’s Day' like every other normal human."

Comedian Walter Masterson chimed in, "You f----- Stephen Miller? Your children will have cloven hooves."

The founder of America First Post, Aidan, added, "I just don’t think we should be doing this stuff."

Popular influencer and academic Karen Piper replied with, "Nope. It’s equal pay and opportunities."

Iowa Republicans are engaged in a destructive internal battle that threatens to hand the governorship to Democrats in a state that has voted for GOP candidates decisively in recent elections.

Five Republicans are competing for their party's nomination in the June 2 primary, but rather than uniting against Democratic state auditor Rob Sand, the top three candidates—Representative Randy Feenstra, farmer and businessman Zach Lahn, and former aide Adam Steen—are locked in a "bare-knuckle, personality-focused primary fight," according to the New York Times.

The intensity of the GOP infighting has created an unlikely opening for Democrats, according to the report. Despite Republicans holding a registration advantage of nearly 200,000 voters in Iowa, political prognosticators are calling the governor's race a tossup—with some polls giving Sand a slight edge.

"The Democrats see the environment; I think they see Republicans are divided," said Bob Vander Plaats, an influential Christian conservative whose endorsement is highly sought. "They see there is a fracture in the party, and they believe that Rob Sand...is the kind of candidate that can win back the governorship."

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is leaving office after nine years with the lowest approval rating of any governor in the country—a burden her party's candidates must carry, the report notes.

One Republican county supervisor, Mark Nelson, a farmer, said Reynolds "really attacked public education. You can't attack and undermine one of your biggest areas of the work force and not have it be detrimental to that next election."

Even within his own party, Feenstra faces skepticism. Republican voter Sherri Webb, 76, said she would vote for Democrat Sand if Feenstra wins the nomination because "Most of us are sick and tired of him not showing up and not giving us answers," according to the report. Feenstra notably skipped a PBS-aired debate last month.

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican trying to hang on to his seat in Texas, was hit with a wave of MAGA criticism after he reportedly shared a post from a group critical of the president.

According to MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec, Cornyn shared an image on social media featuring a Cornyn quote in which he calls his opponent in that race, Ken Paxton, unfit for office. The problem, according to Posobiec, is that the image was from a group called "Republicans against Trump."

"Hi Cornyn! Did you think I would miss you retweeting ‘Republicans Against Trump?’" the right-wing influencer asked the GOP lawmaker. "Why did you do that?"

Although it appears Cornyn has now deleted the post, X's Grok does say the post was legitimate.

Paxton himself joined in on the mockery on X Sunday, sharing Posobiec's post and writing, "The Never Trumpers and Democrats are working overtime to elect John Cornyn."

In a follow-up post, Posobiec added, "Sure be a shame if someone showed this to the White House."

It's not confirmed by Hollywood, but MAGA is already freaking out about a rumor that Elliot Page might be cast as a legendary Greek hero.

The rumor mill online has suggested actor Page, who transitioned from female to male several years ago, could potentially nab the Achilles role in an "Odyssey" film.

Global Box Office reported, "THE ODYSSEY by Christopher Nolan to have Lupita Nyong’o playing Helen of Troy and Elliot Page playing Achilles."

That set off anti-DEI influencer Robby Starbuck, who said, "If Elliot Page is playing Achilles, this will be the biggest bomb of Christopher Nolan’s career. It’ll be meme’d to death before it ever comes out. You can’t go from Brad Pitt as Achilles to a confused woman and expect an audience to take it seriously."

Ex-Trump lawyer Jeff Clark agreed with Starbuck, noting, "I’ll add that it is tragic that Ellen Page, who was quite a beautiful woman, becoming trans is explainable only as a mental illness and the product of the influence of some malign spirit. Pray for Ellen. But as Robby says, if Page is truly playing Achilles, I’ll definitely sit out this movie. It’s a classic situation of voting with your dollars to just say 'no' to trying to normalize gender confusion."

One MAGA influencer account, Oilfield Rando, said to their hundreds of thousands of followers, "We all died from Covid and are in hell."

Christian MAGA actor Kevin Sorbo, best known for his old role as Hercules, said, "You could have paid me to tank this movie and I wouldn’t have thought of this."

Conservative podcaster Kyle Becker chimed in, "You might say casting a 5'1", 105 pound girl pretending to be a boy as one of the mightiest warriors in Greek lore is going to be this film's Achilles' Heel."

The popular "Catturd" MAGA account also weighed in, writing, "Incoming mega-flop that will be made fun of for all times."

A new Financial Times poll has delivered devastating news for Republicans, showing that President Donald Trump's economic policies and the Iran war are eroding voter confidence ahead of November's midterm elections.

The nationwide poll, conducted by research firm Focaldata from May 1-5, found that nearly 58 percent of registered voters "strongly" or "somewhat" disapprove of Trump's handling of inflation and the cost of living—the top issue on voters' minds heading into the midterms.

The damage extends across Trump's signature economic agenda. Just over 50 percent disapprove of his handling of jobs and the economy overall, and a striking 55 percent said Trump's tariffs have hurt the U.S. economy. Only about one in four voters believe his trade policies have helped the economy, according to the new poll.

As FT explains, the timing is particularly damaging for Republicans. "The war in Iran has sent petrol and other consumer prices sharply higher," according to the FT, directly undermining Trump's 2024 campaign promises to "curb inflation and put 'America first.'"

Trump has claimed in recent days that gas prices are "way down," but the reality tells a different story. The average price in the U.S. was about $4.60 a gallon last week—almost 50 percent higher than when the Iran war began in late February.

Trump's handling of the Iran war is similarly unpopular, according to the poll. Nearly 54 percent of voters disapprove of his prosecution of the conflict, with just under one-third approving. Even among Republicans, roughly one in five expressed disapproval—a significant crack in party unity.

The Iran war, which has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz and created a global oil supply crunch, has "split Trump's Maga base," according to the FT.

Trump's overall approval rating reflects the economic and foreign policy headwinds. Just over 54 percent of voters disapprove of his job as president, compared to just over 39 percent who approve. The damage is especially severe among independents: more than 58 percent view him unfavorably.

The White House pushed back on the troubling numbers. Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, claimed Trump's tax cuts, deregulation, and energy agenda would keep the country "on a solid economic trajectory," predicting that once the Iran war's "energy disruption" eases, Americans will see "gas prices plummet, real wages grow, inflation cool and trillions in investment continue pouring in."

But with six months until the midterms and Republicans currently controlling both chambers of Congress, the poll suggests Democrats have a realistic path to retaking control of the House and Senate—a prospect that would dramatically reshape the final two years of Trump's presidency.

Reacting to the news, geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert simply stated Sunday, "They’ve sunk the party."

A joke by SNL comedian Colin Jost fell flat with the audience this weekend, as he made light of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

SNL's Weekend Update, which includes quick newsy bits mixed with jokes from Jost and Michael Che, featured a joke from Jost about recent reports on a purported Epstein suicide note.

"Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide note was released that contains the phrase 'Whatcha want me to do? Bust out cryin'?' which is apparently referencing a line from a Lil' Rascals movie. And I think this note is real, because little rascals were Epstein's type," Jost said to a groaning audience with laughter sprinkled in.