Author: Stop the Donald Trump

DOJ Ballroom Motion Bears Trump’s Fingerprints

The Department of Justice filed a nine-page motion on Monday seeking to dissolve an injunction blocking construction of Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project. The filing cites “national security” grounds following last weekend’s attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had previously halted above-ground construction after the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to block the project.

The opening two pages of the DOJ motion contain language strikingly similar to Trump’s Truth Social posts, including mocking references to the preservation group’s name, accusations of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and repeated references to “Barack Hussein Obama.” The document also includes the phrase “very bad for our Country” and arguments about a woman walking her dog lacking standing to challenge the project, language that appears in multiple Trump social media posts about the ballroom lawsuit. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle confirmed that Trump is “intimately involved” in the litigation, though officials did not explicitly confirm Trump authored the opening section.

The motion characterizes the ballroom as essential to national security, arguing it functions as part of an integrated hardened bunker structure beneath the White House East Wing that protects presidents and their families. The filing claims the National Trust for Historic Preservation was shown classified military plans by top officers but proceeded with the lawsuit anyway. It further states the military requested the preservation group not bring the suit due to the project’s classified nature.

The DOJ document accuses the preservation organization of obstructing “vital” national security infrastructure and of being funded by the government before refusing to continue that support. The motion explicitly asks Judge Leon to dissolve the injunction to protect “President Trump, future Presidents, and their families, Cabinets, and staff.” The filing was signed electronically by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.

The unusual tone and content of the opening section reflect Trump’s characteristic rhetorical style, including unnecessary capitalization of words like “country,” “military,” and “governmental agency,” alongside gratuitous attacks on the preservation group and references to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Trump posted the first pages of the document to Truth Social early Tuesday, ahead of the official White House ceremony for King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit, amplifying the filing’s talking points across his social media platform.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-house-ballroom-trump-truth-social-court-document-b2966532.html)

FCC Reviews Disney Broadcast Licenses As Fascism Takes Hold In America

The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing Disney’s broadcast licenses, according to sources familiar with the matter, intensifying pressure on ABC’s parent company as the Trump administration targets the network over comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has previously threatened Disney’s licenses this month, citing concerns about the company’s diversity programs and suggesting that evidence of discrimination could affect Disney’s character qualifications to hold licenses.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump both demanded ABC fire Kimmel after he made jokes during a monologue two days before an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where he remarked that Melania Trump had “an expectant widow” appearance. A source said the timing of the FCC review was not directly tied to the Kimmel monologue, though the administration’s actions suggest otherwise given the sequential attacks on the broadcaster.

The FCC licenses ABC’s television stations across the country to broadcast over publicly owned airwaves, giving the agency authority to review whether licensees meet qualifications for renewal. Disney’s stock declined approximately 1 percent following the news of the potential review on Tuesday morning.

(Source: https://www.semafor.com/article/04/28/2026/fcc-prepares-review-of-disneys-tv-licenses)

Trump Attacks CBS for Reading Shooter’s Manifesto in Interview

During a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, Trump responded aggressively to CBS News journalist Norah O’Donnell after she read excerpts from a manifesto allegedly written by Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old suspect who opened fire at the White House press dinner on Saturday. The manifesto contained accusations that Trump was “a pedophile, rapist, and traitor,” and O’Donnell presented the document as potential evidence of motive. Trump immediately attacked the journalist, calling her “disgraceful” and “horrible people,” then denied the allegations: “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”

When pressed on whether the manifesto was referencing him, Trump escalated his denials and personal attacks on O’Donnell, declaring “I’m not a pedophile” and telling her she “should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things.” He criticized the network for airing the content on 60 Minutes, calling it inappropriate and demanding O’Donnell’s conduct be questioned. Trump’s defensive reaction came despite his public claims that he believed he was the target of Saturday’s attack.

Trump has faced renewed scrutiny following the release of the Epstein files, which contained FBI interviews documenting allegations that he assaulted a woman when she was a teenager. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime related to financier Jeffrey Epstein. The president’s aggressive pushback during the interview reflected his pattern of dismissing accusations as fabricated or politically motivated.

Allen, arrested at the scene of the Saturday shooting at the Washington Hilton, allegedly wrote in his manifesto that he identified himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and planned to target Trump administration officials in order of rank, excluding FBI Director Kash Patel. The document also invoked Christian theology, claiming he was acting to protect those harmed by administration policies. Law enforcement officials confirmed the manifesto’s contents to media outlets, and Allen is scheduled for arraignment Monday.

The incident drew attention to security vulnerabilities at high-profile events, with the manifesto itself noting the “insane” lack of security measures at the hotel. Trump seized on the security concerns to promote his planned White House ballroom as a safer alternative venue for such gatherings, converting the attack into an opportunity to market his own facility.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-60-minutes-interview-manifesto-b2965411.html)

Trump’s ATF Rule Forces Trans Gun Buyers Into Felony Trap

The Trump administration’s proposed changes to federal gun purchase forms would require all new gun owners to list their sex assigned at birth, rather than their current gender identity. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed to The Independent in April 2025 that it is updating ATF Form 4473 to comply with Trump’s January 2025 executive order, which eliminated federal recognition of transgender identities. Firearms policy experts warn this rule creates a mechanism to identify and compile lists of transgender gun owners based on name-to-sex mismatches.

The proposed requirement places transgender people in an unconstitutional “Catch-22,” according to Second Amendment advocates and civil liberties experts. If a trans person lists their gender identity on the form, they risk federal felony charges for false statements punishable by up to ten years in prison, since it would contradict their birth sex designation. Conversely, listing their sex assigned at birth could also trigger false statement charges, because it no longer matches their appearance, legal documents, or official identity in most states. Patrick G. Eddington of the Cato Institute called the rule a “felony trap” designed to chill lawful firearms purchases by a vulnerable population already facing increased violence.

The Trump administration has pursued multiple concurrent efforts to restrict transgender people’s access to firearms and to surveil transgender populations. The Department of Justice is weighing rules to declare transgender Americans inherently mentally unfit to possess guns, while the Department of Homeland Security scrapped safeguards against spying on people based solely on gender identity. The Justice Department has subpoenaed hospitals for information about transgender patients, and Republican-led states continue compiling lists of transgender individuals through medical records and driver’s license data. Conservative media figures and activists have called for transgender people to be institutionalized or designated domestic terrorists, claims senior administration officials have declined to reject.

Despite the administration’s targeting of transgender gun ownership, membership in LGBT-focused gun clubs has surged since Trump’s 2024 reelection. Pink Pistols chapters increased 68 percent from November 2024 to April 2025, while the Liberal Gun Club’s membership nearly doubled following Trump’s return to office. Erin Palette, national coordinator of Pink Pistols, stated the proposed ATF rule change is “not about safety or identification” but “targeting a minority for being a minority,” violating constitutional protections. The spike reflects widespread fears among marginalized communities, including transgender people, people of color, and progressives, following rising anti-LGBT hate crimes, federal immigration enforcement killings, and Trump administration rhetoric.

The ATF has not yet formally published the proposed rule in the Federal Register, and Form 4473 has not been updated as of late April 2025. The formal rule-making process, which includes public comment periods, must occur before implementation. Both transgender gun advocates and conservative Second Amendment supporters, including Eddington, argue the rule is facially unconstitutional and represents abuse of power by an administration indifferent to legal constraints on executive authority.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-atf-transgender-gun-owners-rules-b2965843.html)

Melania Trump Attacks Jimmy Kimmel’s Unconnected Joke Days Earlier as Hateful

First Lady Melania Trump issued a statement on Monday condemning late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for jokes made during a parody White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner speech on his Thursday broadcast. Kimmel joked that Melania Trump had “a glow like an expected widow,” a remark that circulated widely on social media after a third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump disrupted the real dinner on Saturday.

Melania Trump characterized Kimmel’s rhetoric as “hateful and violent” and called his monologue corrosive to American society, rejecting the content as comedy rather than legitimate speech. She accused ABC of enabling the host’s “atrocious behavior” and demanded the network take action to prevent such material from entering households.

The timing of Kimmel’s joke preceded a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday, when 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen was arrested after allegedly passing a security checkpoint armed with guns and knives and opening fire at a Secret Service agent. Allen’s manifesto reportedly stated his intent to act against the president, though Kimmel’s monologue preceded this incident by days.

Trump has previously demanded ABC fire Kimmel over similar jokes, signaling a pattern of attacks on the broadcaster for late-night content critical of the Trump family. Melania Trump’s statement echoes these demands, framing the network’s protection of Kimmel as institutional complicity in spreading divisive material.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/hateful-and-violent-melania-trump-condemns-jimmy-kimmel-urges-abc-to-take-action-after-host-cracks-joke-about-first-lady-becoming-a-widow/)

Trump Demands ABC Fire Jimmy Kimmel Over First Lady Joke

Trump demanded ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday following a joke the comedian made during a Thursday parody skit of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Kimmel joked that First Lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expected widow,” referencing her in a fake video segment that never actually featured her or their son Barron present in his studio. Trump posted on Truth Social that the joke was “shocking” and “despicable,” claiming Kimmel’s words constituted a “call to violence” after a gunman with multiple weapons attempted to enter the White House Correspondents Dinner ballroom on Saturday with what Trump characterized as intent to kill administration officials.

Melania Trump posted on X hours before her husband’s demand, calling Kimmel’s rhetoric “hateful and violent” and accusing the comedian of spreading hate into American homes nightly. She criticized ABC for allegedly providing cover for Kimmel and demanded the network take action, stating that “people like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.” Melania framed the late-night host’s comments as corrosive to national unity and deeper political division within the country.

This incident follows a similar pattern of Trump targeting late-night comedians over their commentary, as demonstrated by his previous demand that NBC fire Seth Meyers and his earlier pressure on networks regarding comedic content. Kimmel had previously faced suspension from ABC after making a joke about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, though that suspension did not result in permanent removal. The current controversy emerged amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and media figures, with Trump using his Truth Social platform to directly pressure network leadership for personnel decisions.

Trump’s call for Kimmel’s firing represents a direct attempt to exercise authority over broadcast networks’ editorial and personnel decisions based on comedy content critical of his family. The characterization of a joke as incitement to violence, followed by a shooting incident, creates a causal narrative that links Kimmel’s words to the gunman’s actions without established factual connection. Trump’s demand reflects patterns of abuse of power through weaponizing the presidency to silence media criticism and retaliate against journalists and entertainers who mock his administration.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/breaking-trump-calls-for-abc-to-fire-jimmy-kimmel-immediately/)

Trump Attacks CBS Correspondent for Reading Shooter’s Manifesto

During a 60 Minutes interview, correspondent Norah O’Donnell read excerpts from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter’s manifesto, which referenced targeting “administrative officials” and an unnamed “pedophile” and “rapist.” O’Donnell presented these as the gunman’s stated motives when asking Trump how the shooting would affect his relationship with the press.

Trump responded with hostility, calling O’Donnell and CBS News “horrible people” and a “disgrace” for reading the manifesto’s language on air. He denied being a rapist or pedophile, saying he was “totally exonerated,” and accused O’Donnell of associating him with unfounded claims.

Trump pivoted to attacking Democrats and the press, claiming they are “almost like one and the same” on issues like crime. He stated his associates were not involved with Epstein or related matters, redirecting blame toward unnamed figures on “the other side.”

O’Donnell clarified that she was reading the gunman’s own words from the manifesto, not making accusations against Trump. Trump continued to object to her reading the text on air, asserting she should be ashamed and demanding she stop.

The exchange occurred as Trump was being interviewed about Saturday’s shooting at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Trump’s defensive response and attacks on O’Donnell’s journalism for simply citing the shooter’s publicly available manifesto demonstrated his intolerance for any reporting that presents unfavorable information without editorial protection.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-scolds-60-mins-for-reading-shooters-manifesto-calling-him-a-pedophile/)

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)

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