Category: Unpresidential

Trump Denies Sending Gabbard to Georgia FBI Raid

President Donald Trump told NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas he did not know why Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during an FBI raid on the Fulton County Election Hub in Georgia on January 28, stating only that “a lot of the cheating comes from, it’s international cheating.” This claim directly contradicts Gabbard’s own written statement to senators, in which she asserted that her presence was requested by Trump himself and executed under her statutory authority to coordinate intelligence related to election security.

Gabbard wrote to Senator Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes that her role as Director of National Intelligence authorized her to investigate foreign and malign influence on elections. However, Trump’s disavowal of knowledge about her presence during the raid creates an explicit factual contradiction with her account. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attempted to clarify the situation, stating that Gabbard was “in the area where the search took place” but “not part of this investigation,” while also calling her an “expert” on election integrity without explanation.

Trump has offered multiple conflicting explanations for Gabbard’s presence at the Georgia location. At a Kennedy Center screening on January 29, Trump said Gabbard was “working very hard” to investigate 2020 election fraud. At the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, Trump claimed it was Attorney General Pam Bondi who sent Gabbard to Georgia, stating that “she went in at Pam’s insistence” to examine votes from the state.

The contradictions among Trump, Gabbard, Blanche, and Bondi reflect the absence of a coherent official account regarding the purpose of Gabbard’s involvement in the Georgia operation. Gabbard now faces intense scrutiny as whistleblowers have raised concerns about her conduct as DNI director, including allegations that she has obstructed efforts to provide reports to Congress.

The discrepancies underscore Trump’s pattern of using intelligence officials to investigate claims of election fraud that lack substantiation, while simultaneously denying direct involvement in those same operations when questioned by press outlets.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-tells-tom-llamas-he-doesnt-know-why-tulsi-gabbard-was-in-georgia-for-fbi-raid-she-claims-he-sent-her/)

Trump Deflects on Minneapolis Killings with Incoherent Water Response

During a Wednesday interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas at the White House, Trump responded incoherently to questions about the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Trump stated he was “not happy with the two incidents” but focused instead on criticizing the negative publicity surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pivoting to comments about U.S. naval operations in the Caribbean targeting drug boats.

When Llamas asked Trump directly about the Minneapolis killings, Trump deflected by claiming “nobody talks about all of the murderers that we’re taking out of our country” and shifted the conversation to offshore operations. Trump’s non-sequitur response about “the waters where we knock out boats” left the interviewer visibly confused, with Llamas repeating back “The — the — the waters?” in evident bewilderment before attempting to move forward with the interview.

The deflection exemplifies Trump’s pattern of evading accountability for federal law enforcement actions. An FBI supervisor resigned after the Trump administration pressured her to abandon a civil rights investigation into the Good shooting, while federal prosecutors simultaneously subpoenaed Minnesota Democratic officials in what constitutes politicized weaponization of the Justice Department.

Trump has also made unsubstantiated claims that a woman protesting the shooting was a “paid agitator” without evidence, and his administration has appealed court orders restricting ICE retaliation against peaceful Minneapolis protesters. These actions demonstrate the administration’s strategy of suppressing investigation and accountability while attacking those documenting federal actions.

Trump’s confused response during the Llamas interview reflects his administration’s broader refusal to address substantive questions about fatal law enforcement incidents, instead treating inquiries as opportunities to promote unrelated policy talking points and attack critics.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/trump-ice-minneapolis-shootings-interview-nbc-video-b2914752.html)

Trump Claims States Are Federal Agents in Elections

President Trump declared on Tuesday that states function as “agents for the federal government in elections,” advancing his push to federalize election administration. During an Oval Office signing ceremony, Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the federal government should take over elections from states he deemed incapable of running them honestly, specifically naming Atlanta and other Democratic-led cities as sites of “horrible corruption.” Trump’s assertion contradicts the Constitution, which assigns election administration to state and local officials with limited federal involvement.

Trump framed federal takeover as necessary to ensure honest elections, stating that if states “can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.” When pressed by Collins on constitutional constraints, Trump dismissed them, declaring states “can administer the election, but they have to do it honestly.” This demand for federal control extends Trump’s pattern of weaponizing federal authority against election officials, mirroring his sustained efforts to delegitimize the 2020 election and intimidate state administrators into compliance with his directives.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later reframed Trump’s “nationalize the voting” language as advocacy for the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration. However, noncitizens are already barred from voting in federal elections, making the legislation redundant. The move represents Trump’s broader strategy to impose new voting restrictions ahead of midterm elections under the guise of election security.

The statement follows an FBI seizure last week of election materials from Fulton County, Georgia, in connection with alleged voter fraud claims that have been repeatedly debunked. Legal experts, including UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, characterized such federal intervention as a dramatic escalation in federal control over state-run election infrastructure and warned of further interference in 2026 elections. Trump’s repeated false claims of election fraud and his push for federal dominance over election administration establish the groundwork for authoritarian control over voting mechanisms.

Trump’s assertion that states are federal agents in elections directly contradicts established constitutional law and democratic practice. His pattern of attacking election officials who refuse his demands, combined with federal actions targeting state election materials, demonstrates his intent to consolidate power over election administration and establish federal override of state election systems, dismantling the institutional safeguards that protect democratic elections from executive manipulation.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/03/politics/trump-nationalize-elections-states?Date=20260204&Profile=CNN+Politics&utm_content=1770166729&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAPxrotleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe_TP6JxjJ8F0XeylqLLR_PnMmKiHjepIwMfFSOkoZjpuKIlcOuE0eA99g3Kc_aem_XKBW8wXEdeRvaH0xj02M9A)

Trump Threatens Lawsuit Against Michael Wolff Over Epstein Emails

President Donald Trump announced plans to sue author Michael Wolff, accusing him of “conspiring” with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to damage his political career. Trump made the statement to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday night, following the release of additional Epstein documents, claiming that emails between Wolff and Epstein exonerated him rather than implicating him.

Released documents from 2015 and 2016 show Wolff messaging Epstein about obtaining damaging information on Trump before the 2016 presidential election. In one 2016 message, Wolff wrote that Epstein could “help finish” Trump by providing opposition research; in a 2015 exchange, Wolff stated that if Trump denied visiting Epstein’s plane or property, “that gives you valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him.” Trump characterized these exchanges as evidence of a conspiracy against him, calling Wolff a “third-rate writer” engaged in a political attack.

When Wolff released a video response to the emails in late 2024, he avoided addressing his communications with Epstein and instead suggested the correspondence might reveal details about Trump’s relationship with Epstein himself. Trump has previously dismissed Epstein-related coverage as a Democratic diversion and repeatedly sought to strengthen libel laws to restrict press reporting. Trump stated he will “certainly” sue Wolff and may also pursue legal action against the Epstein estate.

Wolff authored the 2018 bestseller “Fire and Fury,” which documented internal dynamics of Trump’s first administration. Trump’s litigation threat follows his pattern of using lawsuits to suppress unfavorable reporting and accounts of his conduct.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-aiming-to-sue-michael-wolff-for-conspiring-with-jeffrey-epstein-to-wreck-his-political-career/)

Trump Demands Omar Jailed or Deported to Somalia After Attack

President Donald Trump attacked Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) in a Saturday morning Truth Social post, demanding she be imprisoned or deported to Somalia days after she was assaulted onstage with a vinegar-filled syringe. Trump falsely claimed Omar orchestrated the attack, stating “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” and accused her and other Somali immigrants of fraud and corruption related to Minnesota finances.

Trump’s post attacked Omar as a “scammer” and suggested she and “her absolutely terrible friends from Somalia should all be in jail right now or, far worse, send them back to Somalia.” He also criticized Governor Tim Walz, characterizing him as either corrupt or incompetent for allegedly failing to prevent unspecified Minnesota fraud. Trump’s demand to deport Omar echoes rhetoric he has repeatedly deployed at rallies attacking Omar’s background and citizenship status.

Omar responded by questioning Trump’s decency and mental fitness, telling CNN that Trump “lacks” the compassion and basic humanity she was raised to possess. She suggested invoking the 25th Amendment, stating Trump exhibits “some sort of dementia” given his contradictory public statements about her and his apparent inability to recall his own rhetoric.

Trump has consistently used deportation rhetoric targeting Omar, repeatedly suggesting she return to Somalia where she was born. This pattern of attacks intensified following the on-stage assault, with Trump immediately weaponizing the incident as a platform for xenophobic accusations rather than expressing concern for her safety.

The attack and Trump’s response align with his broader pattern of dehumanizing Somali immigrants and people, including recent statements characterizing Somalis as “good at” only “pirating ships” during a White House briefing marking his return to office.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-rages-at-ilhan-omar-in-early-morning-rant-days-after-attack-demands-sending-her-to-jail-or-back-to-africa/)

Judge Condemns DOJ Claim Trump Can Erase Slavery

A federal judge in Philadelphia sharply rebuked Justice Department lawyers Friday for asserting that the Trump administration can unilaterally decide what American history to display at National Park Service sites. Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, called the government’s position “dangerous” and “horrifying” during a hearing over the abrupt removal of a slavery exhibit at the former President’s House on Independence Mall.

Trump’s executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” prompted workers this month to remove outdoor plaques, panels, and materials documenting the nine people enslaved at George and Martha Washington’s presidential mansion. The city of Philadelphia, which invested $1.5 million in the exhibit developed two decades ago, discovered the materials had been placed in a pickup truck and moved to storage without notice.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken argued the Park Service routinely changes exhibits and that “the government gets to choose the message it wants to convey.” Rufe immediately objected, stating the government cannot alter historical facts based on “the whims of someone in charge.” Michael Coard, an attorney for advocacy groups supporting the exhibit, characterized the administration’s legal argument as dictatorial, stating the government was attempting to exercise power that belongs to Congress, the judiciary, and the American people.

The exhibit preserved biographical details about the nine enslaved individuals—Austin, Paris, Hercules, Christopher Sheels, Richmond, Giles, Oney Judge, Moll, and Joe—whose stories had been newly uncovered. Now only their names remain engraved on a cement wall. City officials and legal advocates contended the Park Service does not have unlimited authority to interpret national history, while residents have left flowers and handmade signs at the site affirming “Slavery was real.”

Judge Rufe indicated she would rule quickly, citing expected visitor surges for the nation’s 250th anniversary commemorations. She instructed Justice Department lawyers to ensure no additional materials are disturbed and plans to visit both the storage area and the site before issuing her decision on restoring the exhibit.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/american-national-park-service-philadelphia-justice-department-donald-trump-b2911294.html)

Trump Demands Jail for Noem Critics, Attacks Protest ‘Scam’

President Donald Trump defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday via Truth Social, attacking protesters and Democrats as “Radical Left Lunatics” and “Insurrectionists” while demanding they be imprisoned. Trump claimed Noem is being targeted “because she is a woman” and credited her with fixing “the Border disaster” he inherited, asserting the murder rate reached a 125-year low under his administration.

Trump characterized protests in Minnesota and major cities as a “SCAM” designed to obscure what he labeled “CRIMINAL ACTS of theft and insurrection” by Democrats. He accused Democrats of “stealing Billions of Dollars from Minnesota, and other Cities and States” and instructed Republicans not to be “pushed around” by what he termed aggressive protest manipulation.

The president reiterated his campaign platform of “Strong Borders, and Law and Order” and separately praised Border Czar Tom Homan, whom Trump appointed this week to oversee the immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota. The operation has deployed approximately 2,100 federal agents to the Minneapolis area in what officials characterize as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever conducted.

Trump’s remarks come amid DOJ investigations into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over allegations they conspired to impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations through public statements. Trump’s invocation of imprisonment for political opponents and protesters aligns with his broader pattern of weaponizing federal authority against critics.

The late-night posts demonstrate Trump’s willingness to criminalize dissent and attribute federal policy failures to Democratic sabotage while absolving his administration of responsibility for enforcement outcomes.

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

Trump Sues Dimon $5B After CEO Opposes Credit Card Rate Cap

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon faced immediate retaliation after publicly opposing Trump’s proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, which would slash rates roughly in half from their current average of 20%. On January 22, 2026, Trump filed a $5 billion lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase and Dimon in Florida state court, alleging the bank improperly “debanked” him following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The lawsuit arrived one day after Dimon told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Trump’s affordability proposal would trigger “an economic disaster.”

Trump’s lawsuit exemplifies his use of federal power to punish corporate executives who contradict him. The president has investigated, sued, or brought criminal charges against perceived enemies including media companies CBS, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Trump threatened Apple with massive tariffs over CEO Tim Cook and blocked Exxon from entering Venezuela because he disapproved of CEO Darren Woods’ demeanor at a meeting. The filing demonstrates Trump weaponizing litigation as retaliation for speech that contradicts his agenda.

Corporate America has largely remained silent under Trump’s second term, with executives adopting an unofficial strategy of compliance to avoid becoming targets. When Trump imposed steep global tariffs last spring and began explicitly meddling in private company revenues—carving out government cuts from firms like Nvidia and Intel—business leaders stayed quiet. Trade groups drafted plans to oppose the administration but shelved them after worrying about inviting White House retaliation, according to CNN sources. Normally vocal business lobbies have been notably quiet, revealing how thoroughly Trump has chilled legitimate corporate speech.

Dimon and other Wall Street leaders broke ranks over the credit card rate proposal because it struck directly at banking’s profit engine. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser stated the bank could not support a rate cap, and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan argued it would restrict credit availability. However, Dimon’s “economic disaster” comment—coming from Wall Street’s most prominent figure—represented the rare direct critique that prompted Trump’s swift legal action. Trump subsequently attacked Dimon publicly, falsely suggesting he profits from higher interest rates before announcing the lawsuit.

The pattern reveals authoritarian governance by retaliation: Trump uses his control over federal agencies and courts to punish dissent from business leaders whose compliance he demands. Dimon has not endorsed Trump, contradicting Trump’s false claims, yet the CEO still faced legal assault for opposing a specific policy. This abuse of executive power to settle personal grievances and enforce political loyalty demonstrates corruption at the core of Trump’s administration, where government becomes an instrument for silencing opposition and enriching those in the president’s favor.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/business/jamie-dimon-donald-trump)

Trump Attacks Powell, Demands Fed Rate Cuts

President Donald Trump attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday via Truth Social, demanding the central bank cut interest rates immediately and claiming Powell is "hurting our country and its national security." Trump called Powell a "moron" responsible for "costing America Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year" in interest expenses, despite the Federal Open Market Committee voting 10-2 to hold rates steady after three consecutive months of reductions.

Trump falsely linked the Fed's interest rate decision to his tariff policies, claiming that revenue from tariffs should result in the lowest interest rates globally. He did not explain the relationship between import taxes and the Fed's overnight interbank lending rate, nor did he acknowledge that tariffs are paid by American consumers rather than foreign countries.

Only two Trump appointees to the Federal Reserve's board—Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran—supported further rate cuts aligned with Trump's demand. The broader committee cited solid economic expansion and elevated inflation as reasons to maintain current rates, noting that future adjustments would depend on economic data and outlook rather than presidential pressure.

Trump's attack followed a Department of Justice criminal investigation into Powell and the Federal Reserve, which Powell publicly characterized as retaliation for the bank's refusal to artificially lower rates. Powell stated the investigation represents "a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."

The DOJ probe drew bipartisan congressional criticism, including from Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who vowed to block any future Trump nominees to the Fed board until the investigation concludes. Trump has previously threatened to sue Powell over Federal Reserve building renovations, continuing his pattern of weaponizing federal authority against officials who resist his economic demands.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jerome-powell-interest-rates-reaction-b2910171.html)

Trump Officials Meet Alberta Separatist Group Seeking $500B

Officials from the Trump administration held three secret meetings in Washington since April with leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a far-right Canadian separatist organization seeking independence for Alberta. The group claims to have met with “very, very senior” U.S. government officials and plans to request a $500 billion credit facility, according to reporting on these clandestine encounters.

Both the White House and State Department have publicly denied making any commitments or pledges to the separatist group. A spokesperson stated explicitly that no support or other assurances were conveyed during any interactions, contradicting the Alberta Prosperity Project’s claims about the scope and substance of the meetings.

These meetings occurred amid escalating U.S.-Canada tensions, including remarks by a Treasury Secretary about Alberta’s independence and threats regarding tariffs and Canadian sovereignty. The timing demonstrates the Trump administration’s willingness to entertain conversations with fringe separatist movements while maintaining official denials of substantive engagement.

Public opposition to Alberta separation remains strong within the province itself, with an Alberta government spokesperson noting most residents oppose independence. A counter-petition against separation collected significantly more signatures than those supporting the separatist cause, undercutting the group’s claim to represent popular sentiment.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/alberta-canada-separatist-group-trump-officials-b2910271.html)

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