Category: Unpresidential

Trump Exploits Shooting to Push Stalled $400M Ballroom

President Trump and his Republican supporters exploited a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25, 2026, to advance his stalled $400 million White House ballroom project. Trump posted on Truth Social that the shooting “would never have happened” with his militarized ballroom, which he describes as “drone proof” and featuring “bulletproof glass.” Trump reiterated these claims at his Saturday night press conference, characterizing the ballroom as essential security infrastructure.

Republican officials and allied media figures immediately amplified Trump’s exploitation of the incident. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Representative Randy Fine posted on X that the shooting justified the ballroom’s construction. Conservative television personality Meghan McCain and far-right activist Chaya Raichik, who runs the anti-LGBTQ account Libs of TikTok, issued similar statements demanding approval for the project without further criticism.

Trump’s ballroom has faced prolonged legal obstruction after a federal court ruled last month that he lacks authority to proceed without congressional approval. A federal appeals court stayed that ruling in early April, allowing construction to continue until June 2026. Trump previously used the shooting incident to attack legal challenges to the project on Truth Social.

Despite repeated claims that taxpayers will not fund the ballroom, Trump’s administration reportedly revised tariffs to benefit a foreign steel firm providing materials for the renovation. The New York Times reported that the construction company received a secret no-bid contract for another Washington project at inflated costs, raising questions about abuse of power and misappropriation of government resources.

The coordinated messaging from Trump, Republican officials, and right-wing media demonstrates a pattern of exploiting national incidents to remove legal and congressional obstacles to Trump’s personal projects. Trump has previously attacked judges blocking the ballroom, claiming no court can stop its construction.

(Source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/04/trump-shooting-whcd-shooting-ballroom/)

Trump Promotes ‘Secure’ White House Ballroom After Shooting

President Trump used a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026, to advance his $400 million White House Ballroom project. In a Truth Social post the morning after the incident, Trump claimed the ballroom’s military-grade security features would have prevented the shooting and demanded immediate construction without further legal delay.

Trump’s post attacked the legal challenge to the ballroom, dismissing the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s lawsuit as frivolous and brought by “a woman walking her dog” with “absolutely No Standing.” He demanded the “ridiculous” lawsuit be “dropped immediately” and insisted nothing should interfere with construction, which he claimed was “on budget and substantially ahead of schedule.”

District Judge Richard Leon halted construction in March, ruling that Trump lacks statutory authority to proceed without express congressional authorization. The Trump administration had demolished the White House East Wing in October 2025 to make room for the ballroom, a project that has sparked constitutional and preservation concerns as Trump previously attacked the court ruling blocking the ballroom.

Trump’s invocation of security threats to bypass judicial oversight and congressional approval reflects a pattern of using crises to justify abuse of power and consolidation of executive authority, weaponizing a tragedy to advance a vanity project that violates constitutional checks on presidential power.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-promotes-large-safe-and-secure-ballroom-after-shooting/)

US Trade Rep Jamieson Greer Threatens Canada Over American Alcohol Boycott – Bloomberg

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer threatened retaliatory action against Canada after Canadian provinces removed American alcohol products from shelves in response to Trump’s trade war against the nation. Ontario and Quebec, which together represent approximately 60 percent of Canada’s population, joined other provinces in pulling US-made wine and spirits from store shelves last year. The boycott has cost American bourbon and spirits manufacturers millions of dollars in lost sales revenue.

Greer’s threat of US action underscores the escalating trade tensions between the two neighboring nations initiated by Trump’s trade policies. The Canadian provincial actions represent a direct economic response to the Trump administration’s trade aggression, demonstrating how trade wars create cascading retaliatory measures that harm businesses on both sides of the border. By threatening further action, the US trade representative signals the administration’s willingness to escalate conflicts rather than negotiate resolutions.

(Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-22/us-trade-rep-jamieson-greer-threatens-canada-over-booze-boycott?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcARZwRxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeeSJFgEEmhFr27Eo-r45J_OTcMbdxVe5kAO0z0xrhPh9dgjsAJJCRbTMLnog_aem_erJol5oCchEBgzYFryjzzQ&embedded-checkout=true)

The Latest: Trump sending Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran’s foreign minister | The Independent

Trump is deploying private envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to participate in a second round of ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran, the White House announced Friday. Witkoff and Kushner lack formal government positions and operate as Trump’s personal representatives, following Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s arrival in Islamabad for preliminary talks with Pakistani officials. Vice President JD Vance will not attend the negotiations.

The Trump administration simultaneously announced economic sanctions targeting a major China-based oil refinery and approximately 40 shipping companies and tankers transporting Iranian oil as leverage in negotiations. This action implements the administration’s threat of secondary sanctions on entities conducting business with Iran, designed to eliminate Iran’s oil export revenue. Trump previously claimed the outcome of Iran negotiations makes “no difference” to American interests, while also accusing Iran of committing a “serious violation” of ceasefire terms.

Pakistan’s capital Islamabad entered near-lockdown conditions Saturday as security forces established checkpoints, road closures, and diversions throughout the city in preparation for the high-level talks. Hundreds of thousands of residents faced disrupted commutes, with soldiers and police stationed at intersections and helicopters circling overhead, particularly near the airport where Iran’s delegation arrived. Pakistan is hosting the negotiations as part of mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.

Iran executed another man Saturday over alleged ties to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and participation in anti-government protests, continuing a pattern of executions following the conflict. Human rights advocates have documented that Iran conducts closed-door trials without permitting defendants adequate legal defense, with recent executions targeting alleged spies, protesters, and members of Iranian opposition groups in exile.

Germany announced plans to deploy minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean with potential transfer to the Strait of Hormuz following hostilities, pending parliamentary approval. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari is traveling to China for a week-long visit to discuss economic cooperation and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with discussions expected to include Pakistan’s role in facilitating U.S.-Iran negotiations.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pakistan-iran-islamabad-jared-kushner-jd-vance-b2964803.html)

Pentagon Proposes Suspending NATO Members Over Iran War

The Pentagon circulated an internal email proposing punitive measures against NATO members who declined to support the United States’ war with Iran, according to Reuters citing an unnamed U.S. government official. The Department of Defense considered suspending Spain from the transatlantic alliance and reevaluating the United Kingdom’s claim to the Falkland Islands as retaliation for countries refusing to grant U.S. access to their bases or airspace. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson stated that the administration would ensure allies “are no longer a paper tiger” and perform their obligations, offering no further comment on internal deliberations.

NATO’s founding treaty contains no provision for suspending membership, according to a NATO official who spoke to Reuters. Trump has repeatedly threatened to leave NATO over grievances unrelated to the Iran conflict, including his desire to acquire Greenland and complaints that member nations would not help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In April, Trump told Reuters he was “absolutely, without question” considering withdrawing from the alliance.

Suspending NATO members would require congressional approval or Trump invoking presidential authority over foreign policy, both actions likely to face legal challenges. Taking punitive action against allied nations would generate domestic and international backlash, yet Trump has demonstrated little respect for long-standing alliances and readily dismantles them when he perceives himself slighted.

(Source: https://newrepublic.com/post/209466/pentagon-email-punish-nato-allies?utm_campaign=SF_TNR&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwdGRleARZpa1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEevH3HUcVzwUhCUz8BQkQLJhx66MAypP3yE3PhZKDeDInMf1w43en2qG0-vW8_aem_Hv21H-w7Xy0erqt31jrvKQ)

Pete Hegseth Mocks EU’s ‘Silly Conference’ On Iran War

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attacked European Union allies on Friday for refusing to support the United States military campaign against Iran, dismissing their diplomatic efforts as worthless. Hegseth demanded that European and Asian nations abandon what he called “free riding” and contribute directly to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where approximately 20 percent of global oil supplies transit, after Iran declared its own blockade following President Trump’s ceasefire extension.

Hegseth characterized a Cyprus summit where EU leaders convened to discuss Iran policy as a “silly conference” focused on “talking about talking about maybe doing something eventually.” He stated that European nations benefit far more from Strait access than the United States and should “get a boat” rather than hold meetings, framing military participation as a requirement of alliance obligations rather than a matter of sovereign choice.

The Defense Secretary framed the conflict as primarily a European and Asian concern, claiming the United States maintains an unmatched military position and has “all the time in the world” to pressure Iran into capitulation. Hegseth has previously characterized the bombing campaign as a “gift to the world,” while accusing allies of inadequate commitment and pressuring them toward direct military involvement.

Hegseth’s remarks dismiss multilateral diplomacy and international consensus-building, positioning Trump administration unilateralism as the only acceptable approach to foreign policy. The rhetoric signals the administration’s intent to coerce allied nations into military participation through blame and demands rather than negotiation or mutual strategic alignment.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/pete-hegseth-rips-europe-allies-and-their-fancy-conferences-over-lack-of-iran-war-support-time-for-free-riding-is-over/)

Kennedy Moves to Purge U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, told lawmakers at a Senate Finance Committee hearing that he intends to dismantle and reconstruct the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the federal committee responsible for recommending disease screening tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies and determining insurance coverage for preventive care. Kennedy called the existing committee “lackadaisical and negligent” and stated he would recruit new members, though he did not clarify whether he would fire current members or simply expand the panel. This effort follows Kennedy’s earlier purge of a CDC vaccine advisory panel, where he removed existing members and appointed his own replacements until a judge blocked those appointments.

Kennedy claimed the current task force lacks adequate representation from medical specialties including anesthesiologists and oncologists, and said the Department of Health and Human Services is now soliciting nominations and applications for new members. He also pledged to increase transparency in task force meetings but admitted he has “not done a good job” rescheduling meetings that were postponed indefinitely last year. Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, himself a physician, questioned whether Kennedy had a concrete reform plan, while Kennedy provided no specific timeline or methodology for restructuring the committee.

At the hearing, Democratic Senator Christine Smith of Minnesota pressed Kennedy on Medicaid cuts included in the Trump administration’s tax bill, noting the reductions in funding for breast cancer screenings and other preventive health programs. Kennedy falsely denied that legally enrolled Medicaid beneficiaries were losing coverage and, without evidence, attributed Medicaid cuts to health care fraud. He and Republican lawmakers repeated unsubstantiated claims about fraud but provided no documentation supporting the assertion.

The task force restructuring represents an abuse of power over an independent scientific body that provides guidance to physicians and insurance companies nationwide. Kennedy’s history of dismantling expert-led health committees and replacing them with ideologically aligned appointees signals an effort to subordinate public health recommendations to disinformation about vaccines and screening protocols. The blocking of his previous vaccine panel appointments by federal court demonstrates legal recognition of such overreach.

(Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rfk-jr-set-to-overhaul-key-committee-that-issues-disease-screening-recommendations/?utm_campaign=sprinklr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&fbclid=IwVERFWARY_wVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe4SpCgnPHYbnMENG-EubY11nP-xm5MJxEkbF-hH2FVr7sQXFdinekVLBBAek_aem_jN1EA9Sr_qSDLx3DEzwTpA)

‘Our candidates are fat Jewish Zionists!’ Trump aide Paul Ingrassia under fire again as leaked group chat reveals slur-filled rant targeting fellow Republican with vile AI-altered photo | Daily Mail Online

Trump administration official Paul Ingrassia, a 30-year-old attorney and longtime Trump loyalist, is facing renewed scrutiny after leaked text messages reveal he used racist and antisemitic language targeting fellow Republicans. In messages from April 2025 exchanged in a group chat titled “Team DOJ/DHS/WH” with other Trump aides, Ingrassia called Florida Congressman Randy Fine, a Jewish pro-Israel Republican, a “fat Jewish Zionist” and circulated an AI-altered photograph designed to make Fine appear grotesquely overweight, according to the Daily Mail’s exclusive report.

Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, denied the allegations, claiming the group chat does not exist on his client’s phone and characterizing the accusations as “false and fabricated.” The Daily Mail verified that the original photograph of Fine was taken at an RNC meeting in Marion County, Florida, in January 2025 and had been manipulated using artificial intelligence. Congressman Fine responded by expressing hope the messages were fabricated and stated that President Trump maintains zero tolerance for antisemitism and would fire those responsible if the texts were authentic.

This incident marks the second major controversy involving Ingrassia’s inflammatory remarks in less than a year. Last October, Politico exposed racist messages Ingrassia allegedly sent in January 2024, in which he stated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and admitted to having “a Nazi streak” in him. The outlet also reported he used a racial slur for Black people while attacking holidays including Kwanzaa, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, and Juneteenth. Paltzik disputed the authenticity of those texts as well, claiming they were satirical commentary on liberals rather than genuine expressions of Ingrassia’s views.

Despite the October scandal leading Ingrassia to withdraw his nomination for Office of Special Counsel after Republican senators voiced opposition, he retained his position within the Trump administration. CNN previously reported on Ingrassia’s connections to white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and documented racist and conspiratorial remarks Ingrassia had made. Ingrassia currently serves as Acting General Counsel for the U.S. General Services Administration, where he leads a team of attorneys implementing the president’s executive orders.

Ingrassia’s legal and professional history shows a pattern of defending controversial figures aligned with Trump’s movement. He has represented Andrew Tate, a kickboxer and influencer facing rape charges in Romania and the United Kingdom, and provided legal representation to numerous January 6 rioters who were later pardoned by Trump. Additionally, he faced harassment allegations from a lower-ranking female colleague whom he allegedly pressured to share his hotel room during an Orlando trip, allegations Paltzik denied while initiating a defamation lawsuit.

(Source: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15762363/trump-paul-ingrassia-jewish-slur-florida-randy-fine-AI-photo.html)

Ellison Hosts Trump Dinner as Paramount Seeks Merger Approval

David Ellison, billionaire head of Paramount, hosted a private dinner at the U.S. Institute of Peace on Thursday to honor President Trump and senior administration officials, including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who oversees the Justice Department’s antitrust review of Paramount’s pending $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The event featured CBS News executives and journalists, including Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who sat at Trump’s table alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller, and the First Lady.

The dinner created immediate conflict within CBS’s newsroom. Multiple journalists expressed concern that Paramount was hosting an event designed to honor politicians whom CBS News is tasked with covering objectively, particularly while the company awaits federal regulatory approval for its massive media merger. CBS staff said the event risked creating a perception of inappropriate closeness between the news division and the Trump administration at a critical moment for the deal’s fate.

Bari Weiss, the network’s editor-in-chief, has drawn criticism for potentially shifting CBS News coverage toward Trump-friendly editorial directions. Trump has given mixed reviews of CBS under Ellison’s ownership, praising some moves while harshly attacking “60 Minutes” reports he deemed unfair. Meanwhile, Trump has publicly demanded CNN be sold as part of discussions about the Warner Bros. merger, effectively endorsing Ellison’s acquisition strategy.

Paramount’s chief legal officer, Makan Delrahim, also attended and sat with Trump, positioning the company’s leadership directly before the president who benefits from regulatory approval. Paramount beat Netflix in February to secure the Warner Bros. deal, which would place CNN and HBO under Ellison’s control, fundamentally reshaping the American media landscape. Shareholders approved the sale this week, but the Justice Department must still authorize the transaction.

Several dozen protesters gathered outside the Institute of Peace on Thursday opposing the merger. CBS News declined to comment on the event, the White House did not respond to requests for comment, and Paramount also refused to address the controversy. Trump is scheduled to speak at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, where CBS News will host administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller.

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/business/media/david-ellison-trump-cbs-news.html)

Pentagon Fires Stars and Stripes Ombudsman Over Editorial Independence

The Pentagon terminated Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman for Stars and Stripes, the military’s independent newspaper, after she repeatedly flagged efforts to control the publication’s editorial independence. Smith had served in the role since December 2023 and was explicitly tasked by Congress with protecting the paper’s autonomy from Pentagon interference. Her firing, effective April 28, came without explanation and was declared non-grievable.

Smith detailed the abuse of power in an op-ed, stating she had warned the House and Senate Armed Services committees about “attempted control of the newspaper by the Pentagon” in recent months. She characterized her dismissal as occurring “in the coldest way possible,” suggesting deliberate suppression of her oversight role. On the same day as her termination announcement, the Pentagon rescinded the regulatory process that would have provided Stars and Stripes legal protection from interference, according to Smith’s account.

The firing aligns with broader institutional changes at the publication. In January, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced plans to overhaul Stars and Stripes, stating the paper would shift away from “woke distractions that syphon morale” and focus on a “new generation of service members.” Smith noted that Parnell’s social media post signaled serious intent, as the administration routinely reveals policy through such channels.

Stars and Stripes receives partial Defense Department funding but operates as an independent outlet with its own editorial authority. Smith’s removal eliminates the primary institutional check on Pentagon influence over the publication’s newsroom. She urged readers and officials to protect the newspaper from what she characterized as control by “Pentagon brass,” emphasizing the publication’s historical commitment to both military audiences and journalistic standards.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/pentagon-fires-stars-and-stripes-ombudsman-who-warned-of-attempted-control-over-military-paper/)

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