Category: Unpresidential

Trump Says Venezuela Oil ‘Money Will Be Controlled by Me’

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he would personally control revenues from Venezuelan oil sales following the U.S. invasion of Venezuela on Saturday, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. In a Truth Social post, Trump stated he would oversee the sale of 30 to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil at market price, declaring “that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America.” Trump instructed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute the plan immediately, with oil to be transported by storage ships to U.S. unloading docks.

Trump explicitly tied the military invasion to resource extraction and corporate profit, stating the day after the operation that the administration’s priority was to “fix up the oil” and “have total access” to Venezuela’s resources. He indicated that oil companies had been alerted to his plans prior to the invasion, saying “They want to go in and they’re going to do a great job for the people of Venezuela and they’re going to represent us.” Trump acknowledged that major oil company investments would be required to rebuild Venezuelan infrastructure, positioning private corporations as the primary beneficiaries of military intervention. Trump has separately indicated that U.S. taxpayers may reimburse oil companies for reconstruction costs.

The announcement directly contradicts Trump’s stated rationale for the invasion—that military action was undertaken to benefit the Venezuelan people—by placing personal control of oil revenues in presidential hands rather than under Venezuelan governance or international oversight. Oil stocks surged immediately following Trump’s declaration that his administration would “run” Venezuela for the foreseeable future, signaling market confidence in corporate access to Venezuelan resources.

The Trump administration has simultaneously expanded U.S. military presence across Latin America and the Caribbean through security agreements, enabling armed operations under the pretext of counternarcotics efforts while simultaneously conducting resource extraction operations.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-says-hes-selling-venezuelas-oil-and-that-the-money-will-be-controlled-by-me/)

Trump wants US taxpayers to reimburse oil firm donors for Venezuela investment

President Donald Trump stated that US taxpayers could reimburse oil companies for reconstructing Venezuelan infrastructure to extract and export oil following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. Trump declared that “a tremendous amount of money” would be required and suggested his government would compensate energy firms through direct reimbursement or revenue sharing, explicitly linking military intervention to corporate profit.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright is scheduled to meet executives from Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil at a Goldman Sachs conference in Miami this week to discuss increasing Venezuelan oil production. These meetings represent the administration’s strategy to restore US oil company operations in Venezuela after nearly two decades of government control of the industry, contradicting Trump’s earlier claims that he had already held talks with “all” major US oil companies regarding Maduro’s removal.

Trump acknowledged no prior briefing of oil companies before military action but claimed companies were aware of discussions about intervention. When asked if he personally contacted top executives, Trump stated it was “too soon” to confirm direct conversations, saying “I speak to everybody,” despite Reuters reporting that no representatives from the three major firms had engaged with the White House on Venezuela operations before or after Maduro’s seizure.

Trump’s blockade announcement of Venezuelan oil tankers exposed the operation’s economic objectives beyond stated anti-drug rationales. Venezuela’s crude production has collapsed to approximately 1.1 million barrels daily from 3.5 million in 1999 due to underinvestment and sanctions, and industry analysts warn that reconstruction requires years of work and billions in investment amid political uncertainty and unclear US policy direction.

Stock markets responded immediately to Trump’s Venezuela initiative, with the S&P 500 energy index reaching its highest level since March 2025 on Monday, as ExxonMobil gained 2.2% and Chevron jumped 5.1%. The White House claimed US oil companies were “ready and willing” to make large investments to rebuild Venezuelan oil infrastructure, while the targeted companies declined to comment on their involvement or commitment to Trump’s stated plans.

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/06/trump-us-taxpayers-oil-firms-venezuela-investment?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=fb_us&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRleAPKh-pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe_-yezUeRoVFdugcD1nvSw5XtSl1m5n_0dygqy2cYQq8J1z-O6-KB_zPL_K4_aem_UlldULbmcvRIeiE8DDl0jg#Echobox=1767698755)

The 5 Most Unhinged Claims From Trump’s January 6 Website

President Trump’s White House launched a website on January 6, 2026, reframing the Capitol riot five years after the attack. The site advances false narratives about the January 6 insurrection, contradicting documented evidence and official investigations.

The website claims Democrats staged a “real insurrection” by certifying the 2020 election and “weaponizing federal agencies” against dissenters, despite no evidence supporting Trump’s assertion that the election was stolen. It attributes the Capitol breach to Capitol Police escalation rather than rioters’ actions, alleging officers “aggressively” deployed tear gas and “inexplicably” removed barricades while simultaneously firing on crowds. These claims contradict the documented timeline of events and sworn testimony from law enforcement present that day.

The site characterizes the fatal shooting of rioter Ashli Babbitt by Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd as murder “in cold blood,” omitting that the Department of Justice determined in April 2021 that Byrd acted in self-defense and defense of Members of Congress evacuating the House Chamber as rioters broke through glass doors. The website also falsely attributes deaths solely to non-law-enforcement individuals, though four Capitol Police officers who responded to the riot died by suicide in subsequent months.

Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence is branded a “coward” for declining to reject electoral votes, a power he did not constitutionally possess. The site misrepresents Pence’s role; his stated duty was to “count the votes of the Electoral College for President and Vice President in a manner consistent with our Constitution, laws, and history,” which he executed on January 6.

The website concludes by labeling January 6 defendants political prisoners held in “harsh conditions” and celebrates Trump’s 2024 election as a triumph over “relentless Deep State efforts to imprison, bankrupt, and assassinate him” through “fabricated indictments” and “rigged show trials.” This narrative contradicts Trump’s criminal convictions and documented legal proceedings.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/the-5-most-unhinged-claims-made-on-trumps-jaw-dropping-new-january-6-website/)

US ‘discussing a range of options’ to acquire Greenland, White House says | CNN Politics

The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Trump’s administration is “discussing a range of options” to acquire Greenland, with military intervention explicitly stated as a potential tool. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that acquiring Greenland constitutes a “national security priority” and that “utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal,” according to her statement to CNN.

Trump has escalated his focus on Greenland in recent days, prompting European leaders to issue a statement of support for Denmark, the NATO ally that holds sovereignty over the Arctic territory. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller reinforced the administration’s intent by telling CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday that no nation would militarily oppose U.S. acquisition of Greenland, framing the prospect as inevitable.

The White House’s explicit invocation of military options to seize Danish territory represents an unprecedented assertion of force to acquire a foreign nation’s sovereign land. Denmark has already demanded U.S. answers over alleged Trump operations in Greenland, and this statement escalates tensions with a core NATO ally.

Trump’s pursuit of Greenland abandons established international law and diplomatic norms governing territorial acquisition, reversing decades of Arctic policy based on cooperation rather than coercion. The military already dismissed a base commander in Greenland for criticizing Vice President Vance’s political agenda, signaling the administration’s intolerance for dissent within its ranks on this territorial ambition.

Trump’s prior Greenland video masked imperial ambitions and elite interests, and these statements confirm the administration will consider military force to achieve territorial expansion, fundamentally departing from U.S. commitments to international law and alliance partnerships.

(Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/06/politics/us-options-greenland-military)

Trump claims he predicted 9/11 but says no one listened to him

Donald Trump claimed on Air Force One that he predicted the September 11 attacks in his 2000 book “The America We Deserve” and warned about Osama Bin Laden, asserting the attacks could have been prevented if U.S. officials had acted on his warning. Trump’s assertion contradicts fact-check findings showing his book contained only a brief, vague reference to Bin Laden as a “shadowy figure” among general security threats, not a specific warning about him or al-Qaeda.

While Trump’s book did reference the possibility of a major terror attack, it neither identified Bin Laden nor al-Qaeda as potential perpetrators. By 2000, concerns about Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were already public knowledge, and U.S. intelligence agencies were actively monitoring both the organization and its leader, meaning Trump’s observations reflected widely available information rather than unique foresight.

Trump’s post-9/11 claim mirrors his pattern of associating himself with 9/11 commemoration events while promoting narratives disconnected from documented fact. His invocation of his own predictive ability, unsupported by the actual text of his book, demonstrates his use of false historical revisionism to construct an image of prescience and leadership.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/trump-president-bin-laden-al-qaeda-b2895001.html)

U.S. changes childhood vaccine schedule to require fewer immunizations – Los Angeles Times

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on January 5, 2026, that it is eliminating routine childhood vaccinations for numerous diseases previously covered under federal recommendations. Children will still receive vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and chickenpox, but vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, RSV, bacterial meningitis, influenza, and COVID-19 are now classified as optional through “shared clinical decision-making.” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine opponent, stated the changes “protect children, respect families, and rebuild trust in public health.”

The policy reversal stems from a December 2025 presidential memorandum signed by President Trump directing the health department to align the pediatric vaccine schedule with practices from peer-developed countries, specifically citing Denmark’s more limited schedule of 10 diseases. However, public health experts including Dr. Kelly Gebo of George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health note that Denmark’s approach reflects its disease prevalence, universal healthcare system, and higher screening rates for conditions like hepatitis B—factors absent in the United States, where less than 85% of pregnant women receive hepatitis B screening.

Pediatricians and public health officials rejected the changes as dangerous and unnecessary. Dr. René Bravo, president of the California Medical Association, stated the decision “undermines decades of evidence-based public health policy and sends a deeply confusing message to families at a time when vaccine confidence is already under strain.” The American Academy of Pediatrics condemned the schedule as “dangerous and unnecessary” and announced it will continue publishing its own independent immunization recommendations.

The federal changes follow a pattern of health authority reversals under Trump appointees. A Kennedy-led CDC panel previously voted to drop the routine newborn hepatitis B vaccination, a decision that contradicts 35 years of disease elimination since the vaccine’s 1991 introduction. Dr. James Alwine, a virologist with Defend Public Health, characterized the rollback as releasing “viruses and bacteria that were under control” onto vulnerable populations, describing the policy as fundamentally incompatible with disease prevention efforts in the United States.

Insurance companies remain required to fully cover all vaccines on the revised schedule, including those now designated optional. Four states—California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii—announced in September they would adopt independent immunization schedules based on American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical group recommendations, effectively rejecting the federal revision.

(Source: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2026-01-05/u-s-changes-childhood-vaccine-schedule-to-require-fewer-immunizations)

Trump Warns Iran He Will Act if Regime ‘Kills’ Protesters

President Trump posted a threat on Truth Social on January 2, 2026, declaring the United States “locked and loaded and ready to go” to intervene militarily in Iran if the regime kills peaceful protesters during nationwide demonstrations. The warning came as Iranians protested economic collapse, soaring inflation, and currency devaluation, with reports of deaths and mass arrests as security forces deployed tear gas and detained demonstrators across Tehran, colleges, and regional cities.

Ali Larijani, Iran’s former parliament speaker and current secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, responded by claiming without evidence that Israel and the United States orchestrated the unrest. Larijani stated on X that U.S. interference would destabilize the region and harm American interests, warning Trump that he “began the adventurism” and should focus on protecting American soldiers rather than intervening in Iran’s internal affairs.

Trump’s threat marks a significant military escalation following a 12-day military campaign in June 2025 when Washington and Israel jointly struck Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has previously warned he would authorize additional strikes if Iran rebuilds its nuclear or ballistic missile programs, a position he reiterated during recent discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office promising economic reform and relief for citizens, responded by appointing a new central bank governor and meeting with business leaders to address rising prices and collapsing wages. On Thursday night, Pezeshkian stated that “people’s livelihoods are the government’s red line,” calling economic stability “non-negotiable,” though Trump did not specify what his threatened intervention would entail in practical terms.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/locked-and-loaded-trump-warns-iran-he-will-intervene-if-regime-kills-peaceful-protesters/)

Trump Suggests Tim Walz Ordered Death of MN Legislator

President Donald Trump amplified a conspiracy theory on social media suggesting that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ordered the assassination of State Representative Melissa Hortman, who was murdered in summer 2024. Trump “re-Truthed” a post from @LightOnLiberty that falsely connected Hortman’s death to alleged money laundering fraud involving Somali immigrants, despite law enforcement’s clear findings regarding the actual perpetrator.

Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed at their home by Vance Boelter, 57, a man posing as a police officer who was indicted on six federal charges of stalking and murder. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Minnesota, Boelter “embarked on a murderous rampage targeting Minnesota’s elected officials and their families” after extensive research and planning. Trump displayed indifference to the murder while blaming the “radical left” for inciting violence, deflecting responsibility for the actual crime.

Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were also targeted in their home by the same suspect and survived after lengthy recoveries. The Department of Justice has never indicated charging anyone other than Boelter for the shootings, yet Trump’s amplification of the baseless conspiracy persists without factual foundation.

Trump’s promotion of this theory fits his pattern of attacking Walz over Somali immigration and alleged fraud. In November, Trump falsely claimed “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over” Minnesota and alleged Somali gangs “roving the streets” looking for prey, while the FBI has investigated such reports for years without substantiating Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric.

On Air Force One in November, Trump defended calling Walz “retarded,” claiming “there’s something wrong with him” for allowing Somali immigrants into Minnesota and stating the U.S. funds Somalia despite his assertion it “doesn’t function like a country.” This pattern demonstrates how Trump leverages baseless conspiracy theories and racist narratives to weaponize tragedy for political gain.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-shares-conspiracy-post-suggesting-tim-walz-ordered-the-assassination-of-minnesota-legislator/)

U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela, Trump says Maduro captured and flown out of the country

President Trump announced early Saturday that Delta Force operatives captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were then flown out of the country following large-scale U.S. military strikes on Caracas and other locations. Trump confirmed the operation via Truth Social post and scheduled a press conference at Mar-a-Lago for 11 a.m. ET, stating U.S. law enforcement was involved without specifying which agencies. This operation follows Trump’s announcement of a “total and complete blockade” of Venezuelan oil tankers announced just weeks prior.

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated Maduro would face criminal charges in the U.S., where he was indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism allegations. Rubio reportedly told Lee that “no further action in Venezuela” was anticipated now that Maduro was in U.S. custody, and that the military operation was deployed to protect those executing the arrest warrant. The Trump administration has maintained a $50 million bounty for information leading to Maduro’s capture, doubled from $25 million last summer.

U.S. military strikes targeted major installations including Fuerte Tiuna military base, La Carlota airbase, signal antenna at El Volcán, and La Guaira Port on the Caribbean coast. The operation represents the culmination of Trump’s rapid military expansion across Latin America through recent security agreements signed with multiple nations. The FAA banned U.S. commercial aircraft from Venezuelan airspace due to ongoing military activity, effective through Sunday morning Caracas time.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded proof of life and Maduro’s location on state television, while Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced military deployment across the country and declared a state of external emergency. The Venezuelan government called supporters to the streets to resist what it termed an “imperialist attack,” though the defense minister made no mention of Maduro’s reported capture.

Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona denounced the strikes as “illegal,” calling it the “second unjustified war in my lifetime,” while Republican Senator Mike Lee expressed constitutional concerns about military action absent a declaration of war or authorization for use of military force. Congressional measures to require approval for Venezuelan strikes have been voted down in recent months despite bipartisan pushback against the administration’s military buildup in the region.

(Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/venezuela-us-military-strikes-maduro-trump/)

HHS freezing child care payments to all states after Minnesota fraud allegations: Official – ABC News

The Trump administration halted child care funding to all states following fraud allegations centered on daycare centers in Minnesota, with HHS officials stating funds will resume only when states demonstrate legitimate spending. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill characterized the alleged fraud as “blatant” and “rampant” across the country, demanding Minnesota Governor Tim Walz conduct a comprehensive audit of identified facilities. The freeze expanded requirements for all child care funding recipients nationwide, mandating administrative data submission and additional documentation including attendance records, licensing reports, and inspection findings.

The federal action was triggered by an unverified online video posted by conservative influencer Nick Shirley alleging fraud in Somali community child care centers in Minneapolis. ABC News has not independently verified Shirley’s claims, which included footage of allegedly empty facilities during business hours. Minnesota state officials disputed the video’s methodology and findings, with Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown questioning whether the footage was captured during operational times.

Minnesota officials documented that state unannounced visits to all facilities named in the video found children present and confirmed each site had been inspected within six months as part of routine licensing procedures. Governor Walz characterized the federal freeze as part of Trump’s strategy to defund assistance programs, stating Minnesota has actively pursued fraud investigations independent of the administration’s pressure. The state emphasized it takes fraud concerns seriously while questioning the video’s investigative standards.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced expanded investigations into alleged child care fraud and other federal program abuses, with Patel citing a $250 million fraud scheme involving federal food aid uncovered during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutor Joe Thompson described the scale of alleged Minnesota fraud as “staggering,” though unrelated fraud investigations in the state predated the viral video and Trump administration’s current response.

The funding freeze applies to all states despite allegations being localized to Minnesota, with HHS tightening documentation requirements for the Administration for Children and Families across the nation. The Trump administration has linked the child care fraud allegations to broader claims of systematic fraud nationwide, though the specific evidence supporting nationwide fraud in child care funding remains unsubstantiated beyond the Minnesota video.

(Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/hhs-freezing-child-care-payments-minnesota-after-fraud/story?id=128793851&fbclid=IwdGRleAPD_AxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeAlKtCzgHaZqiNF57R8QpvrDOu-xIFNjYML4K4McqSDWlBx43ljfzHBipd90_aem_FzrHH7CVhYuJlkcgzRqBeg)

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