Ewan Gleadow

'Hurricane of corruption': GOP warned to brace for tough questions on Trump

The Republican Party has been told to brace itself to field tough questions on Donald Trump and his administration.

The president is under fire for a multitude of reasons, including the cost-of-living crisis, healthcare woes, and frequent mentions in a newly released collection of Jeffrey Epstein's files. The GOP will have ended the year in a "hurricane of corruption," according to ex-judge Thomas G. Moukawsher, writing in Newsweek. The retired judge has said the next few weeks are paramount for Republican representatives to prepare themselves.

He wrote, "Republicans will have to answer for a hurricane of corruption in 2025. By the latest count Trump has enriched himself since the election by some $4 billion. Foreign actors and corporations from across the world have bought his cryptocurrency while he rolled back regulation of the industry."

Moukawsher went on to note Trump's economic activity had been questionable, including a change to tariff rates on Switzerland and the gift of a $400 million plane from Qatar.

Moukawsher wrote, "Vietnam won a dramatic reduction of its tariff rate just weeks after the Trump organization broke ground on a $1.5 billion golf course in that country. He lowered Switzerland’s tariff rate right after Swiss businessmen handed Trump a gold bar and a Rolex watch."

"He is simultaneously developing a Trump tower in Saudi Arabia and approving an unprecedented and risky sale of F-35s to that kingdom. Trump got a $400 million plane for himself and a government-financed resort from Qatar and repaid them with a unilateral military guarantee of that country’s safety."

There is a solution for the Republican Party, according to Moukawsher, who suggested representatives simply be honest with voters.

He added, "Republicans can gain political cover by taking the lead in undoing the damage they have done by ignoring Trump’s predatory business behavior in the White House.

"But they could do it for another reason too. It sounds quaint in this age of maximum cynicism, but they might do it because it’s in the national interest.

"All governments function with some degree of corruption. But corruption on Trump’s scale is unsustainable. When everything appears for sale, inevitably everything will be bought rather than awarded by neutral officials based on merit.

" Russia shows us what kind of a country we might become if bribery becomes our norm. And perhaps our biggest fear should be that Trump thinks things in Russia are just great and that its leader is 'so nice.'"

Nobel Prize winner frets that Trump's sent economy into chaos: 'Nobody knows what's next'

A Nobel Prize winner has suggested "nobody knows what's next" for the economy under Donald Trump's administration.

The president has struggled to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, prompting Paul Krugman to point out that the economy under Trump is hard to pin down. Writing in his Substack newsletter, the award-winning economist claimed the Trump tariff policy had made businesses across the country "reluctant to make commitments" for fear the economy could massively change again.

He wrote, "The key point about Trump’s tariffs and to some extent his other policies is that they keep changing, and nobody knows what will come next."

"This uncertainty makes businesses reluctant to make commitments, including the commitment involved in hiring new workers: If you hire workers based on current tariffs, what happens if the Supreme Court rules those tariffs illegal, or the Trump administration picks a different country or countries as enemies?"

Krugman went on to say Trump is "largely, though indirectly, responsible" for a K-shaped economy. Krugman explained the "K-shaped economy" is one where "incomes and wealth are rising only for those at the top".

The economist added, "So the K-shaped economy is a real but relatively recent development. Why is it happening? The proximate cause of the K-shaped economy is a weak job market."

"As I’ve written repeatedly, the U.S. economy has not (yet) experienced mass layoffs. Employers have, however, become very reluctant to hire new workers." A Gallup poll citing how Americans felt about the job market showed fewer people were finding it easier to find a job.

Krugman added, "Gallup’s result, consistent with other surveys like the Conference Board, shows that Americans are very pessimistic about the job market."

"Trump may claim that we are economically “the hottest country in the world,” but the truth is that we last had a hot labor market back in 2023-4. At this point, by contrast, we have a 'frozen' job market in which workers who aren’t already employed are having a very hard time finding new jobs, a sharp contrast with the Biden years during which workers said it was very easy to find a new job."

'Terrified little boy' Trump's ego projects stem from childhood neglect: family member

The renaming of the Kennedy Center is an attempt by the president to "fill a void" left by an unhappy childhood, his niece claimed.

Psychologist Mary Trump believes the president's desire to put his name onto the memorial building is a sign he was not loved enough — and "never will be." Speaking to The Daily Beast, Mary Trump said the president is "constantly trying to fill a void that cannot be filled," and it's because of how Trump was treated during his youth.

Mary Trump believes her uncle did not receive preferential treatment or attention in his youth, and is now using the powers of the presidency to make sure he receives the love he wants.

She argued, "He is constantly trying to fill a void that cannot be filled, and the reason is actually pretty simple: even though Donald was the preferred child of my grandfather — and by preferred I mean most useful to him, the most useful in advancing his own agenda — my grandfather and my grandmother rendered Donald unlovable."

"The only thing, the thing he most desperately wants in his life, is to be loved. He never has been sufficiently. He never will be. That is an impossible thing for him to achieve."

Mary Trump went on to call the president a "terrified little boy" whose administrative failures is a reflection of his inability to "face the truth" of his political shortcomings.

She added, "Because his needs will never be met, and he can never grapple with them in a real way because he is just a terrified little boy who cannot face the truth about himself, all of us are suffering."

"He doesn’t have any conscious awareness of that, but he certainly understands it on a deep, unconscious level. And that’s why so much of his psychic and emotional energy is spent protecting himself from that knowledge. It’s a full-time job."

Further problems for the renaming of the Kennedy Center come from Trump's apparent indifference to the arts. Mary Trump said, "If you look at some of the things that President Kennedy had to say about the importance of the arts and what we should aspire to as a country—many of those quotes etched on the façade of that building—it just underscores how egregious this is."

"Donald cares nothing for the arts. He and his administration have underfunded or defunded them."

'Trump Class' battleships plan already has major 'cultural shift' problem: analysis

A proposed battleship line named after Donald Trump has already hit a snag according to a professor of war.

Professor Alessio Patalano of King's College London says the production of battleships named after Trump faces several problems, and that is before production has even started. The professor of war and strategy says the US may have the infrastructure necessary to building the new fleet, but it lacks the space and money necessary.

Speaking to CNN, professor Patalano said, "The question is … whether the US has a sufficient shipyard capacity and workforce to translate a visual gold fleet into a real sailing one."

"The US Navy is not known for being at the forefront of automation and innovative solutions in terms of more compact crew management." The professor of war and strategy has also suggested bringing these battleships up to speed with the rest of the US navy will require more than money.

It will also need a "cultural shift - in light of other new classes being built - of no trifling proportions," Patalano added. Fellow expert and former US Navy captain, Carl Schuster, agrees that a cultural shift is necessary for the project to be a success.

He said, "A national scale recruitment and training program for shipyard, electrical, information and sensor system workers (would be) required to support this program."

"This project will be managed by NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command), an organization and staff that has screwed up every surface warship program of this century. I believe Trump must clean house in that organization if he wants any shipbuilding program to succeed."

Schuster would go on to suggest there is a comparison to be made between Trump's military plans and that of JFK's space program.

The ex-Navy captain said, "I think Trump is trying to achieve a maritime equivalent to JFK’s call for a space program. Remember, the Soviets seemed to be ahead of us in space, a direct threat to our national security."

"The PLAN is nearing the ability to challenge our access to the Western Pacific, a direct and clear threat to our national security. Since it also poses a threat to Japan and South Korea, enlisting their help to meet that challenge is a necessary solution to the problem."

Trump alarms with move to grab DC golf courses: 'Thinks of government property as his own'

A proposed overhaul of the Washington, D.C. golf scene has been opposed by those who believe President Donald Trump "thinks of government property as his own."

The president is expected to make a move on the golf courses in the capital, a project unfavorably compared to Trump's remodeling of the White House. Democratic Party representative Jamie Raskin says a takeover of the golf system in D.C. is further evidence to Trump claiming government buildings as his own property.

Rep. Raskin, speaking to The Hill, said, "That ambition is reflective of a kingly approach to his job. He thinks government property belongs to him … it reflects the same mentality as bulldozing the East Wing. I haven’t heard anyone in the District, Maryland or Virginia say what the area needs is some Trump-run golf courses."

Raskin had previously led an impeachment of Trump in the president's first term, and now he is warning that Trump is controlling more and more of the federal government directly.

Charles Allen, a member of the D.C. council, is concerned with Trump's interest and possible involvement in a takeover of the D.C. golfing parks. He said, "These are historic, important public courses that have a rich history of affordability and access."

"It concerns me to have the Trump administration terminate the lease for, let’s be honest, made-up reasons," Allen continued. "It seems to be about a grab of the land for the wealthy and well connected."

"We may be in a very difficult situation depending on which route the Trump administration takes on this," the councilman added. "I think our attorney general is going to be looking at all options if there is any recourse for the district. But again the termination of a lease that everyone has worked on for so long would be really devastating."

Comparisons between Trump's attempted grab at golfing in D.C. and remodeling of the White House comes as the president is sued over the future plans for the Eisenhower Building.

A plan to coat the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with white paint has horrified leading experts in the DC Preservation League, who were part of a lawsuit filed against Trump's rapid remodeling plans. League spokesperson Rebecca Miller argued Trump had been treating the White House as his "personal portfolio".

Greg Werkheiser, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, has said the issue is not in Trump's plan, but in how he wants to make the sweeping changes to historic buildings.

Werkheiser said, "Paint traps moisture, ruins the mortar, weakens and cracks the rock." Trump's wish to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was confirmed in an earlier statement from the president, where he shared his desire to change the "ugly building."

Trump's new Air Force One 'gesture' shows he's 'losing nimbleness with age': expert

Donald Trump is "losing nimbleness with age" — and adapting to this with a new Air Force One ritual, a body language expert said Monday.

Judi James told The Mirror US that the president is apparently preparing himself each time he needs to walk down the steps of the presidential aircraft. Trump has been spotted in some video clips slapping his right leg before making the walk down the stairs.

James said, "The slapping gesture could actually be a form of reminder or self-motivational ritual from Trump to himself to get into this state of temporary concentration needed to take the stairs well. It could be a prepping gesture for a man whose natural inclination would be to showboat a little or wave on arrival."

The body language expert went on to say the plane steps were a "minefield" for world leader's of Trump's age, with the president's predecessor, Joe Biden, once stumbling up the steps of Air Force One.

James continued, "Plane steps have always been a minefield for leaders like Trump and he is a big guy who is probably losing some of his nimbleness with age, like we all do."

"It also looks like it could be a form of celebratory ritual, a kind of one-handed clapping as he gets to arrive 'home' to spend Christmas. It could be done to signal enjoyment and even happiness publicly."

Trump was seen earlier this week struggling down the Air Force One steps. Critics of the president were quick to point out the strange manner in which his slowly meandered down the stairs while grabbing onto his right leg.

There has also been ongoing commentary into Trump's cognitive health, with some believing the president to be in rapid decline. Dr. John Gartner believes the three Montreal Cognitive Assessments is to monitor an existing condition that could indicate just how rapid the president's cognitive decline is.

He claimed, "You know, he kind of gave the game away again, as he often does. You could maybe justify giving someone the MoCA once, just on their age, just as part of a physical. If you’re giving it to him three times, that means you’re not assessing dementia. That means you’re monitoring dementia."

"Because if you keep feeling like, no, he’s still got the symptoms, we’ve got to see how bad he’s doing now, we’ve got to check again, see how bad he’s doing now—I think they’re giving him cognitive tests and M.R.I.s every six months to monitor the progress of his dementia, and/or strokes."

Trump 'gaslighting' after making promises — but 'failing to do math': Nobel Prize winner

A Nobel Prize-winning economist has suggested Donald Trump is "gaslighting" people over an economic issue that some may not have even noticed.

Paul Krugman wrote that the president is massaging figures on the cost of living crisis but also has kept poor employment figures away from the spotlight. Writing in his Substack, the award-winning economist said the boastful speeches from Trump on "nonexistent success" will not work.

He wrote, "So Trump’s plan to create manly jobs has, predictably, been a bust — a bust as complete in its way as his failure to reduce prices. The only difference is that in the case of jobs he actually tried to do something. But what he did was counterproductive."

"No doubt Trump will continue to give speeches boasting about nonexistent success, telling voters that we have the hottest economy in world history, etc. But his attempt to gaslight the nation about jobs will go no better than his gaslighting on the cost of living."

Krugman would go on to suggest the economic shortcomings are solely down to the administration failing to "do the math" on what the tariff plan would do for the economy.

The Nobel Prize winner wrote, "Fundamentally, Trump and those who have his ear, especially Peter Navarro, his trade czar, made two big mistakes. First, they didn’t do the math. Second, they failed to understand the nature of modern international trade."

"When I say that they didn’t do the math, I mean that as far as I can tell nobody with Trump’s ear made any effort to estimate how many U.S. manufacturing jobs would be created even if the tariffs had eliminated U.S. trade deficits (which they were never going to do.)"

"Moreover, the tariffs have not made a significant dent in the trade deficit. In fact, the deficit was bigger in the first 9 months of 2025 than during the corresponding period in 2024. Why? Because international trade is very different in 2025 from what it was in the days of William McKinley, whose tariffs Trump admires."

Further analysis from political commentator John Casey suggested Trump is refusing to face the reality of his economic woes. He wrote, "Trump’s governing style reflects this refusal to face reality, with consequences stemming from deadlines passed and protections lapsed, with the indifferent refrain that 'things won’t be that bad.'"

'No revival coming': MAGA warned it's squandered prime opportunity to win 'dominance'

There is no revival in sight for the MAGA faithful who are struggling with "lame-duck" president Donald Trump and infighting in the Republican Party, Slate writer Luke Winkie pronounced Monday.

Winkie suggested the "new era of MAGA dominance" was already off to a bad start as figureheads failed to adapt to the death of Charlie Kirk. The right-wing political commentator was assassinated on September 10, and it has not brought MAGA the boom in support it was expecting.

Winkie wrote, "The consequences are such that the assassination of Charlie Kirk has shed the readily available narrative coherence that Trump-aligned agitators once hoped to leverage. There is no revival coming, nor an institutionalization of MAGA thought."

Further on from the power vacuum left by Kirk's death, the MAGA faithful who have filled the space he once populated are now fighting with one another. Influencers Candace Owens and Tim Pool were seen arguing on X, with Owens' comments on Kirk's death deemed "ghoulish, fantastical, or otherwise insane" by Winkie.

Pool has taken issue with Owens because, as Winkie writes, she is "shamelessly profiting off of Kirk's death by cultivating an eldritch sense of suspicion." He continued, "But, again, that is only possible because deregulated conservative digital media has long feasted on talking points that skew false, ghoulish, fantastical, or otherwise insane."

There was trouble already within wider parts of the Republican Party and Trump's administration, which Winkie went on to highlight. He wrote, "Instead, Kirk leaves behind a battlefield for a scattered and increasingly aberrant Republican Party, unbound by the gravity of a lame-duck Trump."

Owens shows no signs of stopping her constant comments on Kirk conspiracy theories. In one statement, she said the "gaslighting" over Kirk's death must stop, and that there is "nothing that's been convincing" when it comes to confirming the political activist was assassinated by Tyler Robinson.

Winkie added, "Owens will continue to spread strange rumors about Kirk’s killing, reaping massive engagement along the way."

"For what it’s worth, the vast spectrum of right-wing media has made a concerted effort to discredit Owens and stymie the spread of these conspiracies."

'All of us hate' him: Ted Cruz gets warning that his own party wants to sink him

Ted Cruz could face off against a section of the Republican Party that "hate" him — and another huge obstacle — should he bid for the presidency, according to a report.

Cruz had tried and failed to pitch himself in 2016, losing to Donald Trump in the primaries. But a comeback could be on for the long-serving GOP Texas senator. Insiders believe Cruz must face off against a contingent of the party who simply "hate" him, and the apparent shoo-in nomination for vice president, JD Vance.

The Washington Post suggested that, if Cruz does intend on running, he may face more pushback from the Republican Party than most others would when announcing a presidential bid.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who confirmed her retirement earlier this year, suggested the MAGA contingent of the party is fully on the side of JD Vance. She said, "The Republicans will be fighting for their identity. There’ll be Ted Cruz, I’m sure, running against JD Vance. All of us hate Ted Cruz."

Skepticism remains over whether a Cruz bid for the 2028 nomination would go very far. The Washington Post reporters Liz Goodwin and Emily Davies wrote, "The emerging rivalry shows how much the party has changed under Trump’s leadership since Cruz arrived in the Senate in 2013."

"After rising to prominence as a rebel against the establishment, Cruz is now a vocal champion of some longtime orthodox GOP positions, as a new generation of conservatives is ascending with a different vision."

"Some political observers are skeptical that another Cruz run would gain much traction. He can no longer run as an outsider and alienated some conservatives with his fight against Trump in the 2016 campaign."

"Still, Cruz has built name recognition and relationships with plenty of activists and donors across the country in recent years, and it’s far from clear what will animate the base in the next GOP primary."

Cruz has refused to make himself a clear ally of Donald Trump during the president's second term, with many believing this distance means the senator is putting the groundwork in for a run at the presidency. A source close to Trump has called Cruz's interest in the NASA administrator role a "desperate attempt" at relaunching his political career.

They told NOTUS, "The roadblocks that Ted is putting up in front of the president’s nominee for NASA administrator — someone who’s gone through the hearing and is qualified — only serve as a desperate attempt to relaunch a political career as a protest candidate. Ted has been terribly unserious as of late."

Trump's 'refusal to face reality' on economic crisis shows his 'indifference': analysis

Donald Trump has failed to face up to the reality of the cost of living crisis according to a political commentator who highlighted this "indifference".

John Casey suggested the president had failed to mark up the everyday problems facing the country this Christmas in an opinion piece for The Daily Beast. Casey claimed that Trump had flat out lied about prices falling when, in fact, they were on the rise. Trump's administration was compared to that of Herbert Hoover's "moral failure" in failing to adapt to The Great Depression.

Casey wrote, "Herbert Hoover embodied the moral failure of inaction. When the Great Depression devastated the nation, he refused to treat widespread suffering as a call for federal intervention."

"The catastrophic results included soaring unemployment, hunger, disease, and death. Americans experienced what it means when their government refused responsibility for pain."

"Trump’s governing style reflects this refusal to face reality, with consequences stemming from deadlines passed and protections lapsed, with the indifferent refrain that 'things won’t be that bad.'"

"He dismisses warnings from job reports to inflation data as mere messaging problems and the reliable fallback of fake news. Economic hardship is challenged as a Democratic hoax, even as ordinary Americans struggle. Gas prices are down even when they are up."

These economic woes are starting to put strain on the MAGA faithful, according to Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman. Writing in his Substack newsletter, Krugman explained how Trump had inherited an economy that was in much better shape before he took office.

The Nobel Prize winner wrote, "Trump inherited when he took office was in much better shape than today’s economy, with lower unemployment combined with faster job growth, and inflation trending down."

"Trump’s radical policy changes – huge (illegal) tariffs, mass deportations, big tax cuts (for the rich), benefit cuts (for the poor and middle class), mass layoffs of federal workers, disinvesting in huge green energy projects and aid to farmers — have been clearly damaging to everything besides crypto and AI.

"It strains credulity – even for the Trump faithful – to claim that we are still in Joe Biden’s economy." Krugman went on to suggest Trump will try and "gaslight" Americans into believing the economy has been fixed.

He wrote, "Trump is going to make a prime-time address to the nation tonight. The details of his speech haven’t been announced, but it’s a good guess that he intends to gaslight Americans yet again, claiming that things are going well. They aren’t."

'He's not the guy': Ex-GOP insider says JD Vance's chances of presidency run are slim

A former GOP insider believes JD Vance has little to no chance of becoming the Republican Party pick to succeed Donald Trump as president.

The Lincoln Project founder Rick Wilson, during an appearance on Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast, suggested Vance will be taken out by other, more capable candidates. Host Jong-Fast agreed and suggested Vance did not have the competency required to be seen as a shoo-in for the presidency.

Wilson noted the endorsement for the vice president from Erika Kirk had come far too soon, with Trump still sitting as president for the next three years. In that time, Vance may be side-lined or dropped from the front runner spot to take over as the Republican Party's pick.

Wilson said, "It never gets better for JD Vance than it does at this moment. JD Vance will be knifed to little, itty bitty pieces at some point by these other people."

Jong-Fast added, "You have this power, you should have everyone coming to you, proving that they are the heir apparent. One of the things we saw with Vance when he ran for Senate in Ohio, what we've seen again and again, is he's a terrible candidate. He's not good at this."

"He doesn't have good political instincts. He's not charming. He's done just about as badly as anyone with this job." Wilson would also note Vance's "negative charisma" and how it could be a major stumbling block for the vice president in future.

He said, "There's a degree of JD Vance's negative charisma. He is kind of an odd guy. Vance is strange." Despite doubts from the ex-GOP insider, Vance could step in as acting president in an unlikely but possible scenario.

Biographer Michael Wolff believes Trump's off topic comments last month during a meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani could have set alarm bells off for White House insiders.

Wolff, quoting an unnamed source, said, "'Nobody expected that. This was not the script. It was completely out of the blue... and concerning. This wasn’t just losing the plot. This was like a different guy. The look in his eyes was crazy.'" The biographer has gone on to suggest the 25th Amendment could come into play.

The source told Wolff, "The only explanation was that the guy forgot who he is—so weird. It gives you a 25th Amendment shiver." The 25th Amendment was written to ensure the vice president takes over in the event the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office by impeachment.

Trump doctors check 'how bad he's doing' as cognitive decline continues: psychologist

Frequent check-ups for Donald Trump could point to "monitoring" a health problem rather than finding it, a psychologist has claimed.

Dr. John Gartner believes the three Montreal Cognitive Assessments is to monitor an existing condition that could indicate just how rapid the president's cognitive decline is. Dr. Garter, speaking to The Daily Beast, says Trump "gave the game away" when boasting about his brilliant health aboard Air Force One.

Speaking in April this year, Trump says he "got every answer right" on the cognitive test. He would repeat this claim in October, saying he had passed a "very hard" test which "a low IQ person" would not manage to pass.

He said at the time, "They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. AOC is low IQ. You give her an IQ test, have her pass, like, the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed."

"I took– Those are very hard– They're really aptitude tests, I guess, in a certain way, but they're cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump. I don't think Jasmine– The first couple questions are easy: a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know."

"When you get up to about five or six and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn't come close to answering any of those questions." Dr. Gartner believes these tests are to monitor an existing dementia condition than track for signs of it starting.

Dr. Gartner has since suggested there has been a "change of some kind" in the president that can be linked to his mental decline.

He added, "We have to judge people against their own baseline, and if somebody doubles their rate of speed, that’s a mental status change of some kind."

Trump 'tantrums' and 'impulsiveness' has delayed White House ballroom by 'years': analysis

Constant delays to the White House ballroom are being caused by Donald Trump's "tantrums" and "impulsiveness", a political commentator has claimed.

The president made his plans for the $200million turned $400million ballroom project known in July this year, but the renovation has hit more than a few snags. Trump has been hit by more than one lawsuit regarding his changes to the White House and surrounding buildings, and the head architect of his proposed East Wing renovation quit earlier this year.

It is hardly the best start for Trump's plan, which columnist Amanda Marcotte believes is the president's only chance to leave his legacy in the White House. Trump's initial plan for the ballroom has expanded, and as such, the project has been delayed.

Marcotte, writing in Salon, suggested, "Trump keeps changing things, driven by a short-sighted impulsiveness that keeps pushing him to expand the scope of the project. Initially, it was supposed to seat 650 people in 90,000 square feet, but he kept throwing tantrums about how he wanted it bigger."

"The projected price tag has already ballooned from $200 million to $400 million, but those numbers have almost no meaning since they don’t correlate to any plans that would generate an estimate."

Marcotte added that the changes made to other parts of the White House, including a "presidential walk of fame" would be removed quickly by his successor.

She wrote, "While talking up the ballroom project, his actual renovations of the White House have only been destructive, like demolishing the East Wing. Others are so flimsy and gaudy that they will be gone by the end of the first day of the next president."

"This attempt by Trump to leave his mark is destined for the trash heap, probably before 3 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2029. He’s restarted weak efforts to pretend he’ll just take an illegal third term, but his apparent poor health and exhaustion leaves most wondering if he’ll be able to make it through the second."

"Efforts to force a lasting legacy are maddening, but ultimately, they will fail. Trump will be felled by the worthlessness he’s spent a lifetime trying to conceal with cheap parlor tricks, because he’s incapable of making a true, lasting contribution."

'Can't turn the Titanic that quickly': Trump allies say 'work to be done' after big speech

Donald Trump's inner circle are flapping after the president's bizarre national address earlier this week.

In a 20-minute speech to the nation, Trump made a series of claims later debunked by political analysts. Even The Republican Party is concerned with the president's speech, as some insiders believe there is a lot of work to do between now and the midterm elections next November.

Though one unnamed operative speaking to The Hill found positives to take from the address, they did note it would take a lot longer than people believed it would to turn things around for the GOP.

They said, "You can't turn around the Titanic that quickly." The unnamed operative also noted "there is still a lot more work to be done" for both the president and party.

Mick Mulvaney, who served as Trump’s chief of staff during his first administration, was critical of the speech, as were many other former representatives of the GOP. Mulvaney questioned "the purpose" of the address and asked why the president seemed to be yelling at those watching.

He said, "I was sitting with a group of Republicans watching it, and one of them asked out loud ‘Why is he yelling at us?’ National addresses are typically for very serious matters. In 2019 Trump did an Oval Office address to speak to the issue of the (then-longest) government shutdown."

"Last night, I was actually expecting something about war in Venezuela. What we got was essentially an hour-long rally speech compressed into 20 minutes. Which is fine, I suppose. But it didn’t really seem to fit the moment."

Rick Wilson, a former member of the Republican Party, also highlighted the nonsense style of speech and suggested Trump's address was a "deep scream of outright panic" from the president.

He said, "What you were watching is a deep scream of outright panic. Donald Trump was not in control of himself tonight, he did not understand how to get out of the hole he's put himself in, he can't figure out how to dig himself out of the economic disaster that he has caused."

"He can't figure out how to pull himself out of the polling slump where he now has an approval rating of 38%, that is a screaming, flaming, white hot stinking disaster. In the space of a 20-minute scream-a-thon, every single one of the greatest hits of 2024, threw it against the wall. Guess what? None of it was convincing. Not a single bit of it was selling."

Nobel Prize winner says GOP health plan has 'one devastating detail' hidden within

The Republican Party's health care bill has a "devastating detail" hidden inside of it, according to a Nobel Prize winner.

Award-winning economist Paul Krugman has warned the current plan the GOP is trying to push through the House will leave Americans much worse off than they are under the current health care plan. Writing in his Substack, Krugman suggested the public should be wary of sweeping changes made by future Republican health care plans.

He wrote, "So Trump says that he’ll replace the current system, in which people buy their own health insurance with the aid of government subsidies, with a system in which the government gives people money they can use to buy their own health insurance. How is that different?"

The crucial difference is in what has not been said about the bill, with Krugman arguing Republicans will make health care more expensive for the average person through "stingier" politics.

Krugman explained, "In fact, it isn’t different except for one devastating detail: Republicans in Congress will never approve subsidies adequate to make health insurance affordable."

"Because the Republican plan would be far stingier than the one currently in place, millions of people will be forced to drop their insurance. And as I said, because it’s the younger and relatively more healthy that will drop their coverage, the pool of those who keep their coverage will be older and sicker."

"And you know what happens next – premiums go up even further. No wonder that four Republican congressmen in purple districts defied Mike Johnson and voted to extend the Obamacare subsidies."

Krugman would go on to suggest the health care problems, along with the cost of living crisis and recent national address, highlight how Trump does not know how to govern coherently.

The Nobel Prize winner wrote, "But leaving the short-run politics aside, the speech revealed something important: Namely, Trump has no idea how to govern. Faced with adversity, he’s unable to propose policies to improve the situation. All he can do is continue to gaslight the public and claim that everything is great, while smearing his opponents."

"That was a short speech, but it presages a very long next three years for ordinary Americans. And for congressional Republicans, it presages a very ugly November 2026."