Category: Unpresidential

Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president’s name

The Trump Organization filed federal trademark applications seeking exclusive rights to use President Trump’s name on airports and related merchandise including buses, umbrellas, travel bags, and flight suits. The filings were triggered by a Florida state bill proposing to rename Palm Beach International Airport after Trump, and separate disputes over naming rights for a New York-New Jersey tunnel and Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

The Trump Organization stated it would not charge royalties or accept financial consideration for the Palm Beach airport renaming, claiming the applications were filed to protect against “bad actors” exploiting what it asserts is “the most infringed trademark in the world.” The company did not respond when asked whether it would charge royalties for using Trump’s name at other airports or on merchandise covered by the trademark filings.

Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who discovered the filings, called them “completely unprecedented,” noting that no sitting president’s private company has previously sought trademark rights in advance of airport naming proposals. He highlighted that presidents historically wait years—or must die—before airports are named after them: Bill Clinton waited 11 years, Ronald Reagan nine, and Gerald Ford 22 years, with JFK being the exception at one month following his assassination.

Recent months have seen multiple public venues and infrastructure renamed for Trump, including the Kennedy Center performing arts venue, a boulevard outside Mar-a-Lago, and a new class of battleships. The Trump Organization has also expanded its branding internationally, placing the Trump name on towers, golf resorts, and residential developments in Dubai, India, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, while simultaneously selling Trump-branded electric guitars, bibles, and sneakers through its DTTM Operations unit.

Trump has previously defended his family’s business activities by stating the company is held in trust by his sons and that he has no day-to-day involvement, a response to ongoing criticism that he and his family are profiting from his presidency. The company’s claim of having the world’s most infringed trademark could not be quickly verified against established luxury brands like Gucci, Prada, and Rolex, which have all battled extensive counterfeiting for decades.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-family-business-files-trademark-172427158.html)

NATO Transfers Commands to Europe, Cuts U.S. Leadership Roles

NATO announced the transfer of two Joint Force Commands from U.S. to European leadership, with the United Kingdom assuming command of Norfolk, Virginia’s Joint Force Command and Italy taking control of Joint Force Command Naples. The shift, expected to occur gradually over the coming years, follows President Trump’s demands that European allies assume greater responsibility for continental defense. A Pentagon official stated the decision was “made jointly among all allies” and strengthens the alliance by demonstrating European leadership in European defense.

The Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy, released last month, mandates that NATO allies assume primary responsibility for Europe’s defense while the U.S. prioritizes homeland defense and deterring China. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, the strategy’s lead author, is attending this week’s NATO Defense Ministerial in place of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, marking the first such ministerial Hegseth has skipped since taking office. The U.S. will retain the position of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), currently held by Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, who leads 80,000 U.S. service members in European Command.

Once implemented, all three Joint Force Commands directing operational crises will be under European control, while the U.S. assumes leadership of the Allied Maritime Command, currently led by a U.K. vice admiral. Germany and Poland will share rotational command of Joint Force Command Brunssum. The Norfolk facility housing one command will remain under U.S. Navy control despite the change in operational leadership, preserving American infrastructure presence on the continent.

The command restructuring reflects Trump’s stated priority of reducing U.S. military commitments abroad and shifting costs to allied nations. NATO’s announcement preceded this week’s defense ministerial meeting, where Trump administration officials will face European counterparts regarding defense spending increases and strategic burden-sharing arrangements.

(Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/nato-to-shift-2-commands-from-us-to-european-leadership/)

Hegseth Forces Removal of Col Butler From Army Public

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his position as chief of Army public affairs on Thursday, according to Fox News. Butler, who had served as public affairs chief under Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and was slated for promotion to brigadier general, had volunteered to withdraw his name from the promotion list to help unlock other pending officer advancements that Hegseth has blocked for nearly four months.

Driscoll, an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance, resisted Hegseth’s pressure to remove Butler for months due to Butler’s contributions to Army transformation efforts. Butler has extensive experience in military communications, having served as public affairs officer for Joint Special Operations Command from 2015 to 2018 and as chief spokesman for all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan under Gen. Scott Miller. A former four-star commander described Butler as “the consummate professional” and “the most competent Public Affairs officer I have ever worked with.”

Hegseth entered the Pentagon in 2025 and immediately removed or forced into early retirement numerous senior military leaders without stated cause, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti (chief of naval operations), Gen. CQ Brown (chairman of the Joint Chiefs), Gen. James Mingus (vice chief of the Army), Gen. Douglas Sims (director of the Joint Staff), and others. This pattern of unexplained dismissals has created fear and reluctance among senior officers to speak openly.

Butler, who is retiring after 28 years of service, had traveled with Driscoll to Ukraine in November 2025 to help initiate peace negotiations. President Trump publicly recognized Butler by name during the Army’s 250th birthday celebrations in 2025 for organizing the Washington, D.C. parade. Driscoll stated in a statement that he “greatly appreciate[s]” Butler’s “lifetime of service” and his role in the Army’s transformation.

(Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scoop-hegseth-orders-removal-army-public-affairs-chief-amid-broader-pentagon-purge)

Trump Vows Executive Order Voter ID Mandate Bypassing Congress

President Donald Trump announced Friday via social media that he would issue an executive order mandating voter identification for midterm elections if Congress does not pass legislation to that effect. Trump stated, “There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!” and claimed there are “legal reasons” supporting such an order, though he provided no specifics. The House passed the SAVE America Act on Wednesday with unanimous Republican support, requiring states to obtain documentary proof of citizenship before voter registration and imposing new mail-in ballot restrictions.

Legal experts directly contradicted Trump’s authority to unilaterally alter election procedures. Stanford law professor Nate Persily stated the Constitution explicitly grants election regulation power to state legislatures, not the president, and that “the Constitution is clear on this.” Rick Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law, said any executive order requiring states to comply with Trump’s voter ID mandate would “similarly be found to be unconstitutional” based on a federal judge’s January ruling that permanently blocked a prior Trump executive order attempting to alter voting laws. Trump issued that sweeping order in March 2025 seeking to impose mail-in ballot deadlines and citizenship proof requirements, which a federal court determined exceeded presidential authority.

The SAVE America Act now faces a Senate vote requiring 60 votes to succeed—an unlikely threshold given Democratic opposition and Republican defections. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska became the first Republican senator to oppose the bill, noting that GOP colleagues claimed in 2021 to oppose federal election mandates imposed on states. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer characterized the legislation as imposing “Jim Crow type laws to the entire country” and declared it “dead on arrival in the Senate.” Democrats argue voter ID laws are designed to disenfranchise voters, emphasizing that voting by noncitizens is already illegal and exceedingly rare.

Persily connected Trump’s voter ID push to broader attempts to federalize election administration, including the FBI’s recent seizure of ballots and voter records from Fulton County, Georgia—a seizure Trump’s continued false claims about the 2020 election have motivated. Persily stated Trump’s push represents a coordinated effort: “It’s not an isolated tweet here, right? There’s a lot that’s going on. So you’ve got the action in the legislature, in Congress, you’ve got these, the earlier executive order, you have the seizing of the ballots and other materials from Fulton County, right? And so it’s all of a piece with the desire to have greater federal oversight of elections.”

Trump’s pattern of attempting to circumvent constitutional limits on presidential power reflects his stated goal to federalize election administration from states he deems incapable of running elections honestly, specifically targeting Democratic-led jurisdictions. His explicit threat to impose voter ID requirements “whether approved by Congress or not” contradicts the constitutional separation of powers and follows his documented history of pressuring state officials to overturn legitimate election results.

(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-vows-voter-id-requirements-midterms-rcna259018)

Jeremy Carl Nomination Collapses Over Antisemitic Great Replacement Rhetoric

Jeremy Carl's nomination as assistant secretary of state for international organizations collapsed after a contentious Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on February 12, 2026, where Republican Sen. John Curtis and all Democrats questioned his record of antisemitic and anti-Israel remarks. Curtis announced his opposition, stating he could not support Carl given his "anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people," which would block the nomination from advancing out of committee.

During the hearing, Carl defended comments claiming the U.S. prioritizes Israel excessively and that "white Americans are undergoing cultural genocide" through immigration and diversity initiatives. When pressed by Sen. Chris Murphy to define white culture, Carl cited differences in churches, food, and music—pointing to a Spanish-language Super Bowl halftime performance as evidence of cultural erasure. Carl explicitly affirmed the Great Replacement Theory, stating the Democratic Party "through its immigration policies has certainly shown signs of that" intentional effort to replace white Americans with immigrants.

Sen. Cory Booker extracted partial concessions from Carl on Holocaust minimization, with Carl acknowledging past comments "downplaying the effects of the Holocaust" were "absolutely wrong." Carl also disputed being a racial nationalist, claiming instead to be a "civic nationalist" concerned with "majority common American culture" becoming "balkanized" through mass immigration. However, Carl refused to renounce his belief that white Americans face discrimination or to specify which aspects of white identity require protection.

In neo-Nazi literature, they argue that multi-ethnic societies are inherently unstable. They point to the "Balkanization" of the U.S. to claim that different races cannot coexist peacefully, eventually leading to a "race war" or a total national collapse.

By claiming the country is already "Balkanized," neo-Nazis argue that the only solution is formal separation, the creation of a "White Ethnostate." They view this as a return to a "natural" order where heredity and geography align.

For example, in Carl’s mention of the Super Bowl halftime show not being in English, "Balkanization" is framed as a loss for the "majority." In this worldview, the presence of other languages or cultures doesn't add to the whole; it subtracts from a specific "white culture" that they believe should be the national standard.

Sen. Jacky Rosen condemned Carl's recorded statement that "the Jews love to see themselves as oppressed," rejecting his Jewish heritage—Carl converted to Christianity—as justification for antisemitic rhetoric. She framed a vote for Carl as disrespecting Jewish Americans and Holocaust survivors. Sen. Booker additionally condemned Carl for defending January 6 Capitol rioters, accusing him of lacking "decency" and "honor" and of disgracing the legacy of those who died serving the nation.

Sen. Jeff Merkley challenged Carl's qualifications, noting his complete absence of staff experience at the U.N. or in diplomatic roles and his inability to articulate specific policy positions on United Nations organizations. Carl's evasiveness on whether other U.S. allies receive excessive attention, combined with his failure during the hearing to substantively address antisemitic rhetoric he had previously encountered, led Curtis to question whether Carl could credibly push back against anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas presented by foreign diplomats.

(Source: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/02/jeremy-carl-nomination-hearing-antisemitism-john-curtis/)

Trump Erases EPA Climate Endangerment Finding, Kills Greenhouse Gas Rules

President Trump announced the elimination of the federal government’s scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, a move that strips the EPA of its legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases. Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax,” rejected decades of peer-reviewed research and the scientific consensus accepted by presidents of both parties since Richard Nixon, whose advisers warned of climate dangers in the 1970s, and George H.W. Bush, who signed an international climate treaty.

The action directly accelerates the transition away from pollution controls on fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources like solar and wind. By terminating what Trump called the “disastrous Obama-era policy,” the administration eliminated the regulatory framework that had allowed the federal government to impose limits on the emissions driving heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and other extreme weather events documented by climate scientists.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stood alongside Trump at the White House announcement, visibly approving of the decision Trump described as “about as big as it gets.” The move represents the culmination of a yearslong campaign by conservative activists and fossil fuel industry interests—including oil, gas, and coal companies—to block the nation’s shift away from carbon-intensive energy sources.

This decision dismantles protections that had been grounded in scientific fact for decades. By erasing the endangerment finding, Trump’s administration declared that the overwhelming majority of scientists worldwide are incorrect about the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and planetary warming, contradicting a body of evidence that has informed climate policy across multiple presidential administrations.

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-epa-greenhouse-gases-climate-change.html)

Trump Accepts Invented ‘Clean Coal’ Trophy From Mining

President Trump accepted a bronze trophy from Peabody Energy CEO Jim Grech at a White House event on Wednesday, named “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” by the Washington Coal Club, a pro-coal advocacy group with financial ties to the coal mining industry. Trump used the occasion to tout his administration’s coal policies, claiming he “ended the war on coal” and citing a 4 million ton monthly production increase, while promoting withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.

The award represents Trump’s repeated pattern of accepting newly invented honors created by organizations and individuals seeking his favor. Trump previously accepted a newly created “FIFA Peace Prize” from FIFA President Gianni Infantino in December 2025 after failing to receive a nomination for an actual Nobel Peace Prize, an omission he has publicly lamented. In January 2026, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented Trump with a Nobel Peace Prize despite the prize’s organizers explicitly stating the award “cannot be revoked, shared or transferred.”

Trump’s promotion of “beautiful clean coal” directly contradicts established climate science. During a December 2025 NORAD Christmas Eve call, Trump pressured a child who declined coal as a gift, insisting coal is “clean and beautiful,” despite coal being a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Trump has also directed the Pentagon to increase coal-generated electricity purchases through executive order, artificially subsidizing a declining fossil fuel industry.

The ceremony drew comparisons to Trump’s acceptance of a custom gold-plated gift from Apple CEO Tim Cook in August 2025, which prompted online criticism describing the gesture as deference to authoritarian leadership. Trump’s collection of self-created or invented awards underscores a pattern of surrounding himself with loyalists and industry figures willing to fabricate honors that reinforce his preferred narratives.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-clean-coal-white-house-meeting-b2918708.html?fbclid=IwdGRleAP8F_tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe6qODtF520ZXkp8eFUWEZM0Ebz6YmUmRHz4-tjI0fUz_kq7chvFn3eGrgdx4_aem_nS9se4Nk2uqaOHIq1XXBgw)

Trump Orders Pentagon to Purchase Coal Power

President Trump issued an executive order directing the Pentagon to increase purchases of coal-generated electricity, effectively using the Department of Defense budget to subsidize a declining fossil fuel industry. The order represents a direct intervention into energy markets to artificially prop up coal production, which has failed to remain competitive against cheaper and cleaner alternatives.

Coal generation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, yet Trump continues to promote it as economically and environmentally sound. His administration has pursued fossil fuel favoritism through exclusive assistance to oil and coal companies, while simultaneously blocking renewable energy projects, demonstrating deliberate prioritization of polluting industries over clean energy development.

This Pentagon directive exemplifies Trump’s pattern of weaponizing federal agencies to advance personal ideology and financial interests aligned with fossil fuel donors. The order compels military spending to serve as a subsidy mechanism for an uncompetitive industry rather than optimizing defense procurement based on cost or operational efficiency.

Trump has repeatedly made false claims about coal being “clean and beautiful,” contradicting established scientific consensus on coal’s environmental harm. The administration is simultaneously pushing looser pollution rules and increased coal funding, while the EPA delays Biden-era pollution standards that would otherwise protect waterways and air quality.

The executive order redirects taxpayer dollars from military readiness and innovation into sustaining a dying industry, subordinating national defense priorities to fossil fuel industry profits. This diversion of Pentagon resources demonstrates how Trump’s administration systematically bends federal power toward enriching allied industries regardless of economic rationality or public health consequences.

(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/11/trump-coal-pentagon-order/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawP698xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEersty_fFS5HGzkHTkEM7ZQSoTKMW1nx6KGJ_yNjB0KB40S39AeTAEN5P90rM_aem_oqWqjPN1L0uzL5J7-4JNaQ)

Trump Threatens GOP Tariff Dissenters With Primary Challenges

President Donald Trump threatened Republican members of Congress with primary challenges and electoral defeat if they vote against his tariff policies, declaring they will “seriously suffer the consequences come Election time.” Trump made the threat on Truth Social after six GOP representatives—Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Dan Newhouse of Washington—joined Democrats in voting to block his emergency tariffs on Canada.

Trump justified the tariffs by citing stock market gains and claimed they reduced the trade deficit by 78 percent, asserting that tariffs provide both economic and national security benefits. He stated that “no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege” and framed opposition as disloyalty to the party and the administration’s economic agenda.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, countered that the vote was straightforward: “stand with working families and lower costs, or keep prices high out of loyalty to Donald Trump.” Rep. Don Bacon defended his vote by writing that tariffs function as a tax on American consumers and that congressional debate should precede major trade policy decisions.

The nonpartisan Tax Foundation estimated that Trump’s tariffs imposed an average tax increase of $1,000 per U.S. household in 2025 and warned costs could rise further if the policy continues. The tariffs have strained relations with major trading partners including Canada, Mexico, China, India, Brazil, and the European Union, triggering Canadian retaliatory boycotts of American goods.

Trump’s threat represents his pattern of weaponizing federal authority against officials and lawmakers who resist his demands, extending party discipline through electoral intimidation rather than policy persuasion.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-republicans-tariffs-threat-canada-b2918970.html)

DOJ Fails to Indict Six Democrats Over Military Video

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice attempted and failed to indict six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a November video urging military and intelligence personnel to refuse unlawful orders. The federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., rejected the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, with prosecutors unable to convince even a single juror that probable cause existed for charges, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The video featured Representatives Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Senators Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan—all with military or intelligence backgrounds—explaining that service members can refuse orders that are manifestly illegal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The prosecution, led by Trump appointee Jeanine Pirro at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, employed political appointees rather than career prosecutors, according to one source. Trump had publicly accused the lawmakers of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH” on his Truth Social platform following the video’s release. Legal experts widely rejected the prosecution’s theory, citing both First Amendment protections for political speech and the Constitution’s speech-or-debate clause, which grants lawmakers immunity from prosecution for legislative acts.

The failed indictment reflects a broader pattern of weaponizing the Justice Department against Trump’s perceived political opponents. The administration previously dismantled the Public Integrity Section, eliminating standard oversight requirements that normally govern investigations of sitting members of Congress, especially those involving free speech considerations. The Justice Department has also failed to secure indictments against New York Attorney General Letitia James before separate grand juries in Norfolk and Alexandria, and Pirro’s office has struggled to obtain convictions even in cases involving alleged assaults on federal officers.

Senator Kelly stated that the prosecution attempt followed administrative retaliation by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued a formal censure and sought to reduce Kelly’s retirement rank to punish his participation in the video. Slotkin condemned the effort as indicative of Trump’s authoritarian approach, declaring that “whether or not Pirro succeeded is not the point. It’s that President Trump continues to weaponize our justice system against his perceived enemies.” Other lawmakers rejected intimidation tactics, with Representative Crow stating that “Americans should be furious that Trump and his goons tried to weaponize our justice system again against his political opponents.”

(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/doj-fails-secure-indictment-democrats-involved-illegal-orders-video-rcna258385)

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