Author: Stop the Donald Trump

Trump Awards $250M Venezuelan Oil Deal to Megadonor’s Company

The Trump administration awarded its first sale of Venezuelan crude oil to Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil trader, in a deal worth approximately $250 million. John Addison, a senior Vitol trader who secured the contract, donated $6 million to Trump-aligned political action committees during the 2024 election cycle, including $5 million to MAGA Inc in October 2024, according to donor records compiled by OpenSecrets.

Addison attended a White House meeting with Trump and oil industry executives days before the agreement was finalized, where he represented Vitol alongside Ben Marshall, the company’s U.S. head—making Vitol the only firm with two senior officials present. During the meeting, Addison told Trump that Vitol would work to secure the best possible price for Venezuelan oil sold by the United States, and Trump responded positively to the suggestion.

Vitol stated that Addison’s political donations were made in a personal capacity and unconnected to the company’s business dealings. The White House dismissed any ethical concerns through spokesperson Taylor Rogers, characterizing media scrutiny as a “tired attempt to distract” and claiming Trump acts in Americans’ best interests by brokering the Venezuelan oil deal following Nicolás Maduro’s arrest.

The administration plans to offload as much as 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil under U.S. control and intends to dominate Venezuela’s oil industry “indefinitely” following Maduro’s capture. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the United States sold Venezuelan crude at prices 30 percent higher than Maduro’s government achieved weeks earlier, when U.S. sanctions forced Venezuela to accept steep discounts.

The oil industry provided substantial campaign funding to Trump during 2024, with executives meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate where Trump promised to roll back industry regulations in exchange for campaign support. The administration has stated it will require the “majority” of Venezuelan oil under U.S. control to be sold to American buyers.

(Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hands-first-sale-of-swiped-oil-to-his-megadonors-company/?utm_campaign=owned_social&utm_sf_cserv_ref=37763684202&utm_sf_post_ref=652769681&via=FB_Page&utm_source=facebook_owned_tdb&source=TDB&utm_medium=socialflow&fbclid=IwdGRjcAPXz0lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe1A44NIGq57DnlgVeDHvbqYAoiPvVSOswEJYZ_2sGfxW7MEd-6788ExLZ-Eg_aem_jmo-uG5R0vyCTrrsQvaYzQ)

Trump Pardons Puerto Rico Ex-Governor Vázquez in Campaign Finance Case

President Donald Trump intends to pardon former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez, who pleaded guilty in August 2025 to a campaign finance violation involving acceptance of a promised campaign contribution from a foreign source that was never received. Vázquez was set for sentencing later in January, with federal prosecutors seeking one year in prison, though her attorneys argued the sentence violated a prior guilty plea agreement that had resulted in dismissal of bribery and fraud charges.

A White House official stated that Trump views the case as political prosecution, citing the timing of the investigation's initiation approximately ten days after Vázquez endorsed Trump in 2020. The official, speaking anonymously without authorization to disclose the pardon plan publicly, characterized the prosecution as retaliatory rather than justified. Vázquez is a Republican aligned with Puerto Rico's pro-statehood New Progressive Party.

According to authorities, Vázquez allegedly accepted a bribery offer from Venezuelan banker Julio Martín Herrera Velutini and former FBI agent Mark Rossini between December 2019 and June 2020 while serving as governor. In exchange, she demanded the resignation of Puerto Rico's financial institutions commissioner and appointed a new commissioner of Herrera's choosing, actions authorities documented as occurring after the alleged bribery agreement was made.

Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico's congressional representative and member of the opposition Popular Democratic Party, condemned the planned pardon, stating that "impunity protects and fosters corruption" and that the pardon undermines public integrity and faith in justice. Vázquez was the first former Puerto Rico governor to plead guilty to a federal crime and served as the territory's second female governor before losing her party's 2020 primary.

The pardon decision demonstrates Trump's use of executive clemency to benefit political allies, circumventing sentencing for federal prosecutors' recommended penalty. Vázquez's case involved foreign-sourced campaign funding and an abuse of gubernatorial authority to benefit a foreign banker, violations Trump's administration has now chosen to erase through presidential pardon rather than allow judicial process to conclude.

(Source: https://abc7.com/post/trump-pardon-ex-puerto-rico-governor-vzquez-campaign-finance-case-official-says/18417246/)

Trump’s Vague Healthcare Plan Duplicates ACA, Experts Say

Trump unveiled "The Great Healthcare Plan" on the final day of ACA enrollment, proposing to redirect government insurance subsidies into health savings accounts and implement "most favored nation" drug pricing. The one-page proposal contained minimal specifics regarding funding amounts, distribution mechanisms, or the actual financial benefit to consumers, leaving policy experts without concrete details necessary to evaluate feasibility.

Health Savings Accounts is not insurance, but a bank account.

Dr. Sachin Jain, former HHS official and current CEO of SCAN Health Plan, stated that "health care is one of these areas where the devil is always in the details," underscoring the inadequacy of the announcement's documentation. KFF Senior Vice President Cynthia Cox noted that several Trump proposals already exist within the Affordable Care Act, including price transparency and insurance company accountability measures, meaning the plan duplicates rather than innovates existing policy frameworks.

Cox warned the plan could destabilize ACA markets by allowing healthy individuals to use taxpayer funds for non-compliant coverage while vulnerable populations and those with pre-existing conditions face coverage collapse. She stated this approach "could effectively do away with the pre-existing condition protection provisions of the Affordable Care Act" affecting over 20 million people purchasing individual insurance, contradicting Trump's messaging about expanding consumer choice.

The announcement coincided with enrollment data showing 1.4 million fewer ACA enrollees as premiums spiked following the expiration of enhanced tax credits in December 2025. Democratic Senator Patty Murray criticized the one-page proposal, stating it would "do absolutely NOTHING to stop your premiums from more than doubling" after a decade-long wait for Trump's healthcare alternative.

Trump directed Congress to pass the framework without delay, though GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated no appetite for extension votes in the upper chamber. House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged continued discussions with the White House, while Republican Senator Bill Cassidy and Roger Marshall proposed working with Trump on a comprehensive affordability package, leaving the legislative path forward uncertain.

(Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/policy-experts-struggle-make-sense-new-trump-health/story?id=129261245)

The US government seems to have a clear message for white nationalists | CNN Politics

The Department of Homeland Security is recruiting immigration enforcement agents using language and imagery tied to white nationalist ideology. A DHS recruiting poster declares "America has been invaded by criminals and predators" and urges applicants to "get them out," while another features a cowboy and bomber jet with the phrase "We'll have our home again"—language documented by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism as having ties to white nationalist and supremacist groups in the US and Canada, including the Proud Boys.

The phrase "We'll have our home again" echoes replacement theory, the white supremacist belief that white Americans are being displaced, which has been promoted by figures including Elon Musk. Cynthia Mills-Idriss, director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University, explained that coded language creates "plausible deniability" while signaling to those familiar with extremist terminology that they are welcome to apply for government positions. Right-wing accounts on social media are now amplifying these official DHS posts.

William Galey Simpson’s “Which Way, Western Man?” (especially Chapters 16–17) argues that “civilizational decline” is fundamentally biological and demographic: nations rise or fall based on “breeding stock,” differential birthrates, and the need to preserve a “thoroughbred” in-group against dilution—an explicitly eugenic worldview he even pairs with proposed state machinery like special “Eugenics Courts.”  The Trump-era ecosystem echoes that structure through dog-whistle signaling and rhetoric: official DHS/White House memes using “Which way, ___ man?” are widely analyzed as a deliberate nod to Simpson’s title and its white-nationalist subculture, while Trump’s repeated “blood/genes” language (“racehorse theory,” “bad genes,” “poisoning the blood”) and the Fox/Tucker “replacement” frame translate the same demographic panic into mainstream politics—then operators like Stephen Miller, documented circulating white-nationalist/anti-immigrant material, help turn it into enforcement posture and recruitment culture.

The Trump administration has also officially adopted the term "remigration," which echoes far-right ideologies with roots in Nazi ethnic cleansing. The term describes the administration's mass deportation policy and encourages self-deportation, but borrows directly from white nationalist movements in Europe. The State Department is creating an "Office of Remigration" to implement this framework, according to Wendy Via, CEO and co-founder of GPAHE, who characterized it as "a plan for ethnic cleansing" that has become "normalized" and "commonplace."

The Washington Post reported that DHS plans a $100 million "wartime recruitment" effort including geotargeting attendees at NASCAR, UFC, and rodeo events—venues associated with conservative demographics—and hiring online influencers to spread recruitment messaging. DHS declined to comment on whether the coded language was intentional or whether recruitment content was designed to appeal to white nationalists.

Similar messaging extends beyond DHS: the Department of Labor posted a video featuring a statue of George Washington with the tagline "One Homeland. One People. One Heritage" and the message "Remember who you are." According to critics cited in the article, this "one heritage" being promoted by the Trump administration does not reflect immigrants from the past century or those from non-European backgrounds. Via stated that these are not isolated incidents but "a concerted effort to create these type of recruitment ads" designed to signal to white nationalists that the federal government shares their agenda.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/politics/dhs-recruitment-ice-minnesota-noem-images-analysis)

Military Newspaper Applicants Face Loyalty Test

Applicants for positions at Stars and Stripes, the independent U.S. military newspaper, are being asked during recruitment how they would support the president’s policy priorities. This recruitment approach has prompted concern among staffers and media observers regarding the outlet’s editorial independence and journalistic autonomy.

The loyalty-based screening represents a direct attack on the institutional independence that Stars and Stripes has maintained throughout its history. By conditioning employment on alignment with presidential policies, the administration is weaponizing hiring practices to reshape editorial direction and eliminate dissenting voices within the military press.

This effort aligns with the Pentagon’s broader push to overhaul the military newspaper, which the administration has labeled “woke” for its factual reporting. The systematic pressure to conform editorial judgment to executive preferences dissolves the firewall between government propaganda and legitimate news reporting.

Staffers and press watchdogs recognize the implications for military journalism and public accountability. Subordinating news judgment to presidential loyalty ensures that critical reporting on military spending, conduct, and policy decisions will be suppressed in favor of administration messaging.

(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/14/stars-and-stripes-trump-loyalty-test/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=bluesky,facebook,threads,twitter&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwdGRleAPU5phleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeagqzlN2HRRIyzSbs4vATvyqpRzroKbZTJVklifnl11B7-R459m4FebIInbc_aem_7tz7GhA6l2VwJs6gHoZmEQ)

White House Post Hints Third Trump Term With Coded Number

The White House posted an image on January 14, 2026, depicting President Donald Trump as a character in the 2016 video game Stardew Valley, celebrating the administration’s promotion of whole milk. The post included a gold counter reading “45464748,” which social media users identified as potentially referencing Trump serving as the 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th president.

Internet users flagged the numerical sequence as a hidden allusion to a third presidential term. X user “Eris,” a video game enthusiast with nearly 10,000 followers, posted: “The gold is signaling the 3rd term.” The observation gained traction, accumulating nearly 500,000 views and prompting additional scrutiny from other commentators questioning the timing and intent of the imagery.

Trump has repeatedly suggested the possibility of serving beyond two terms, contradicting the 22nd Amendment, which constitutionally prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms. In March 2025, Trump stated: “No, I’m not joking. I’m not joking. There are methods which you could do it, as you know,” when directly asked about running for a third term.

Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House chief strategist, has publicly encouraged Trump to pursue a third term and has promoted multiple debunked legal theories supporting such a run. The White House’s decision to include the specific numerical sequence in an otherwise routine social media post aligns with Trump’s ongoing promotion of indefinite tenure in office.

(Source: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2674902648/)

Trump Claims Dokoupil Owes CBS Job to Harris Election Loss

During an exclusive interview at a Ford plant in Detroit, President Donald Trump told CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil that his new anchor position exists only because Harris lost the 2024 election. Trump claimed Dokoupil would be unemployed had Harris won, suggesting Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison—whom Trump praised as "an amazing guy"—might lack the financial resources to hire him under a Democratic administration.

Trump repeatedly emphasized Dokoupil's salary during the exchange, stating "you wouldn't have this job, you wouldn't have this job, certainly whatever the hell they're paying you" if Harris had prevailed. The Skydance-Paramount merger, which enabled Dokoupil's hiring, was approved under the Trump administration. Dokoupil was named to replace the CBS Evening News anchor role last month under new network editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

Dokoupil pushed back on Trump's assertion, stating he believed he would hold the anchor position regardless of election outcome. Trump countered by suggesting Dokoupil's salary would be substantially lower under a Harris presidency, implying financial constraints would limit compensation even if the position existed.

Trump used the interview to declare the country had transformed from "dead" under the previous administration to the world's "hottest" under his leadership. He framed Dokoupil's employment as direct evidence of his administration's success, linking the broadcaster's career advancement to his electoral victory and the resulting corporate merger approval.

Viktor Orbán's Hungary provides a troubling blueprint that some argue Republican operatives are actively implementing in the United States. Rather than direct state control, Orbán uses wealthy business allies to acquire independent media outlets, which are then consolidated under organizations like the Central European Press and Media Foundation (KESMA), effectively controlling approximately 80% of Hungary's media landscape. Key figures such as Lőrinc Mészáros, Miklós Vaszily, and Andy Vajna purchased major news outlets and donated them to create a unified, pro-government editorial voice. Critics contend that similar dynamics are now emerging in America, with Trump-aligned billionaires strategically acquiring major news organizations like CBS to shift editorial direction toward favorable coverage. This model replaces transparent state propaganda with the appearance of independent media while systematically silencing opposition voices, withdrawing advertising from critical outlets, and using government-friendly platforms to attack opponents. If this pattern continues unchecked in the U.S., observers warn it could fundamentally undermine democratic discourse by concentrating control over information in the hands of ideologically aligned wealthy elites, mirroring the erosion of press freedom witnessed in Orbán's Hungary.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/trump-tells-tony-dokoupil-you-wouldnt-have-a-job-right-now-if-harris-won/)

Trump Curses, Flips Off Autoworker at Ford Plant

During a Tuesday visit to a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, Donald Trump responded to an autoworker’s accusation of being a “pedophile protector” by cursing at the worker and making an obscene gesture. Video footage obtained by TMZ shows Trump standing on an elevated walkway above the factory floor, pointing downward while mouthing profanities and the phrase “you’re fired” before extending his middle finger toward the crowd below.

The autoworker’s reference targeted Trump’s documented connections to deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his administration’s efforts to block the release of Department of Justice files related to Epstein. Trump’s hostile reaction—captured on camera in a black peacoat—demonstrated his pattern of responding to criticism with personal attacks rather than substantive engagement.

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung defended Trump’s conduct, characterizing the worker’s statement as a “complete fit of rage” and labeling Trump’s obscene response as “appropriate and unambiguous.” This framing inverted the facts: Trump initiated the escalation through his visible anger and deliberate vulgarity rather than addressing the underlying allegation.

The incident reflects Trump’s broader conduct in public settings, where he routinely demeans individuals who question him. His use of profanity and dehumanizing language—including “you’re fired”—mirrors his documented pattern of demanding absolute loyalty from subordinates, treating dissent as personal betrayal rather than legitimate expression.

Trump’s behavior at the Ford plant exemplifies how he leverages his office to attack citizens rather than engage with substantive concerns about his past associations or policy decisions. The incident underscores the normalization of executive vulgarity and hostility toward ordinary Americans who dare to challenge him publicly.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-drops-f-bomb-flipping-224633176.html)

Trump Halts Federal Funding to States Harboring Sanctuary

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that beginning February 1, he will withhold federal funding from states that contain local governments limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump made the declaration during a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, stating that sanctuary jurisdictions “protect criminals at the expense of American citizens” and that the administration would cease payments to “anybody that supports sanctuary cities.” When pressed by reporters on which funding programs would be affected, Trump declined specifics, saying only “You’ll see. It’ll be significant.”

This represents an expansion of Trump’s previous threats, which targeted sanctuary cities directly rather than entire states housing them. The Justice Department published a list identifying roughly three dozen states, cities, and counties as sanctuary jurisdictions—a list dominated by Democratic-controlled areas including California, Connecticut, New York, Boston, and Cook County, Illinois. No strict legal definition of “sanctuary city” exists, though the term generally refers to jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Courts have blocked Trump’s funding cutoff attempts twice before. In 2017, during his first term, federal judges rejected similar efforts. Last year, a California-based federal judge struck down an executive order directing federal officials to withhold money from sanctuary jurisdictions, despite government arguments that it was premature to halt the plan when no concrete action had been taken. The administration has already begun targeting specific states through other agencies, with the Department of Health and Human Services halting childcare subsidies to five Democratic-led states over unspecified fraud allegations—a decision a court has placed on hold.

The Trump administration is simultaneously executing broader funding freezes across multiple programs. The Justice Department’s sanctuary cities working group lost all members amid Trump pressure, and the Department of Agriculture has threatened to reduce administrative funds for states refusing to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data. Minnesota faces particularly aggressive action, including a threat to withhold $515 million quarterly—equivalent to one-fourth of federal Medicaid funding—for fourteen programs labeled “high risk” after the state rejected the administration’s corrective action plan.

Border Patrol operations continue under Trump’s aggressive immigration policies, with the administration weaponizing federal agencies to coerce compliance from state and local governments. State officials are mounting legal challenges to these actions, though the cumulative effect of simultaneous funding threats across healthcare, nutrition assistance, and childcare programs creates immediate pressure on Democratic-controlled jurisdictions.

(Source: https://abc7.com/post/trump-threatens-halt-federal-money-next-month-sanctuary-cities-states/18398676/)

Trump Denies $2K Tariff Check Promise Despite November Announcement

President Trump denied making a promise to distribute $2,000 tariff rebate checks to Americans when questioned by The New York Times on January 11, 2026, asking “When did I do that?” despite having publicly introduced the idea in early November 2026 on Truth Social. Trump later acknowledged the checks were planned, stating the tariff revenue collected is “so substantial” that he would issue $2,000 checks “toward the end of the year,” and claimed no Congressional approval would be required.

In November, Trump announced Americans would receive “a dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!)” funded by tariff collections he claimed would reach “Trillions of Dollars.” The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the government would need approximately $600 billion to issue such checks. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ABC News on November 12 that he and Trump had not discussed the tariff rebate possibility, and later advised Americans to save the funds to avoid inflation.

Trump’s tariff policy faces legal scrutiny, with cases pending before the Supreme Court regarding whether the tariffs violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Trump previously falsely attributed $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” payments to service members to tariff revenue, when the funds actually derived from Congressional appropriations. If the Supreme Court rules the tariffs illegal, the Treasury Department would refund approximately $774 billion collected, with repayment potentially spread over weeks or a year.

Trump’s claim to unilaterally distribute tariff revenue without Congressional approval contradicts established fiscal law requiring legislative authorization for government expenditures. The shifting timeline—from an undefined date in November to “toward the end of the year” in January—and his initial denial of the promise demonstrate the absence of a concrete plan. Trump has similarly made unilateral economic directives without legislative or procedural authorization, including ordering representatives to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds to lower housing costs.

The discrepancy between Trump’s initial November announcement and his January denial, combined with the absence of a detailed distribution mechanism and Bessent’s explicit contradiction, indicates the tariff rebate remains an unfulfilled campaign-style promise dependent on uncertain tariff collections and unresolved legal challenges to the tariff policy itself.

(Source: https://people.com/trump-asks-when-did-i-do-that-when-asked-about-sending-americans-2k-tariff-checks-11884184?utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&utm_content=photo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=6965c2e5490dd2000189e8c3&fbclid=IwdGRleAPS4wpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeFyrAxSrIgq2CeX5Yw6brG7rJkPekajqBm2cQ5dveBEOMvcqnR6VLAQwzp3M_aem_ljbHllP-Gcm_wwfEaMjG6Q)

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