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川普觀察：爛人爛事錄 -- 開欄文
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瀏覽26,393 ｜回應60｜推薦2 |
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川普幫因「和議草案」窩裏反 - Benedict Smith
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Trump’s allies break ranks over Iran deal
The president’s MAGA base is splintering over an agreement compared to ‘appeasing the Nazis’
Benedict Smith, 06/21/26
Donald Trump's allies are queueing up to criticise the US president over his peace deal with Iran.
Figures from the Republican Party and Mr Trump's Maga coalition have taken issue with the memorandum of understanding, signed by the president on Wednesday.
Everyone from GOP senators to Fox News commentators has condemned the agreement, which commits to a $300bn (£220bn) "reconstruction" fund for Iran while unfreezing assets and lifting oil sanctions that will release billions of dollars more.
Some on the Right are relieved that the war, which unleashed economic chaos as Iran choked off the Strait of Hormuz, is winding down before the midterm elections in November.
But some have compared it to the appeasement of the Nazis in the 1930s.
Mark Levin, a conservative commentator, has been repeatedly praised by Mr Trump. In December he was personally invited to the White House to celebrate Hanukkah, where he was introduced as "the great Mark Levin".
Since the bombs started dropping in Tehran on Feb 28, he has been one of Mr Trump's most vocal supporters, making the case to the president's increasingly sceptical Maga base.
But Mr Levin issued a warning to fellow conservatives. "When the dust settles, the American people are going to be furious," he wrote on social media, in one of many broadsides against the agreement.
"As we comb over the [memorandum of understanding] for guarantees, the enemy won't give a s---. They're going through the motions."
Many Republicans simply do not trust the Iranians to keep their word when dealing with the US, a country its leaders refer to as "Great Satan". After all, the regime has consistently claimed it is not developing a nuclear weapon while enriching uranium to levels far beyond any possible civilian purpose in underground mountain bases.
"I don't trust the Iranians. I don't recall any deal they've ever made that they kept, in my judgment," Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist, told The Telegraph. "It's a matter of time until the thing blows up."
Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, had a similar assessment. "Unless you were homeschooled by a day drinker, no one's confident that Iran is going to do anything," he said on Wednesday.
Mr Trump rose to prominence pledging an end to "forever wars" and futile interventions. His vice-president, JD Vance, is an isolationist voice in the administration and has been accused of accepting a deal at any price to end the war.
But early polling suggests that Mr Trump's Maga base, which Mr Vance has spent years courting, is sceptical of the memorandum.
Self-described "Maga Republicans" favour regime change in Iran over striking a peace deal by a margin of more than two to one – 51 per cent to 25 per cent, according to the Reagan Institute summer survey. The numbers are almost exactly the same among all Republicans.
Rod Dreher, a conservative writer who is close to Mr Vance, voted for Mr Trump in 2024, in part because of his cornerstone policy of "no new wars".
The US has spent billions of dollars fighting a war without achieving its fundamental objectives, he noted in a newsletter on Tuesday. Iran has kept its stockpiles of enriched uranium and learned that it can close the straight whenever it wants and hold the world economy hostage.
"This is a humiliation of immense strategic and historical consequence," he concluded.
"I feel, in a sense, personally humiliated, because I wanted Trump to be president again, despite his many flaws, because I trusted him more than any other senior American politician to keep us out of these useless damn wars. Now look."
Many critics believe Mr Trump's decision to pull the plug on the war, which the president admits he did to avoid economic disaster, is akin to appeasement of the Nazis.
The $300bn fund for Tehran to rebuild, which the administration insists will come from Middle East allies rather than the US, is a "disaster", according to Marc Thiessen, a columnist and trusted confidant of Mr Trump.
The plan is like offering "the Marshall Plan to rebuild Germany while the Nazis were still in power", he continued.
Lindsey Graham is one of Mr Trump's closest allies in Congress, and made the same comparison, although he later backed the memorandum after speaking to Steve Witkoff, the US Middle East envoy.
Ben Domenech, a Fox News talking head, has said "everything" about the agreement "seems bad" and fails to meet any of the objectives Mr Trump set out at the start of the conflict.
Erick Erickson, an early critic of Mr Trump who later endorsed him, declared the president had "surrendered to Iran".
According to Charley Cooper, who served in George W Bush's administration, several Republicans feel Mr Trump could have "held out for better terms rather than what they view as capitulation".
And some Republicans seem unable to stomach an agreement that smacks of the one Barack Obama struck with Iran in 2015. Known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it set limits on Iran's enrichment of uranium while lifting sanctions on the regime.
A compounding problem for the president is that some Republicans are retiring or have recently lost elections to primary challengers. When he could once keep them in line by threatening to end their careers, that power has waned.
Senator Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, declared that Ronald Reagan was "rolling in his grave", calling the deal "JCPOA-plus".
Senator Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, said the memorandum was inadequate after a war that cost around $100bn (£74bn) and killed 13 US service members.
Senator John Cornyn, of Texas who in June proposed naming a major highway after the president before his primary loss, said: "Everything I've heard about it causes me concern."
Still, Mr Gerow believes many in Washington are relieved by the agreement and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Petrol prices have dropped below $4 (£3) a gallon for the first time since late March after Iran released its stranglehold on the waterway.
"I try to keep my ear pretty close to the ground… and from what I've heard so far are folks saying, 'Thank God this thing is over', because they were not thrilled with the longevity of the conflict. And 'Let's hope that this has a significant impact on gas prices', which it looks like it will."
But Iran's military said on Saturday it had closed the Strait once again over Israeli "violations" of the peace deal agreed with the US. The Iranian military command said the closure was the "first step" in response to what it described as breaches of the ceasefire agreement, warning that further measures would be taken if "aggression" continued, according to state media.
Other voices from the Republican Party's hawkish wing, normally loyal to Mr Trump, are sounding the alarm.
Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said parts of the deal were a "step in the wrong direction". Iran, which stands to benefit to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, will rebuild its drone and missile arsenals, and send money to its terrorist proxies, he predicted.
Roger Wicker, who heads the Senate armed services committee, claimed that the deal made the $1.7bn sent by Mr Obama to Tehran in his 2015 agreement "look like a pittance by comparison".
"History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea," said Senator Ted Cruz, of Texas, stoking speculation about a possible presidential bid in 2028. Mr Trump is "receiving some very poor advice", he claimed.
Still, Mr Cooper believes that no large-scale Republican rebellion is going to emerge – at least until the final negotiations are concluded.
"They will have the ability to not rattle the cage now, because it's a [memorandum of understanding], because they can use the 'Hey, let's not judge until 60 days from now.'"
Mr Trump ripped up the JCPOA in his first term, calling it the "worst deal ever negotiated". Judging by the critics in his own party, he has managed to find one that's even worse.
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.
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撒謊的川痞又在撒謊 -- AFP
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請參考：
* Meloni tells Trump to 'focus on your own popularity' as row escalates (06/21)
我給川普取了「川痞」和「川瘋」兩個外號，還真他媽的沒冤枉他。
Italian FM cancels US visit over reported Trump comments
AFP, 06/19/26
Italy's foreign minister on Friday cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
"The grave and offensive words of President Trump... offend the whole of Italy," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had been due to visit the US on June 21 and 22, said on X.
Meloni said she was "stunned" by Trump's comments to Italian channel La7 in which, according to a transcript provided by the network, he said Meloni "wanted a picture with me so badly" at the G7 summit and he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her".
He also suggested that Meloni might be "happy that I talked to her, I didn't have to talk to her".
Meloni called what Trump said "made up", adding: "Neither I nor Italy ever beg."
"I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies," the far-right leader wrote on X.
"I can only say that it's a pity he doesn't show the same determination with enemies of the West, with enemies of the United States, with leaders with whom, instead, he is far more accommodating," she said.
At the end of the G7 summit in Evian on Wednesday, Meloni had spoken of a "very positive climate" and "no friction" between Trump and other world leaders present.
Meloni has positioned herself as a bridge between Europe and the Trump administration, but the relationship came under strain during the Middle East war.
Trump turned on Meloni in April after she defended Pope Leo XIV from the US president's harsh criticism of the pontiff's anti-war views.
Meloni condemned Trump's remarks as "unacceptable" -- prompting the president to turn his fire on her.
"I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," the US president said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera at the time.
He accused Meloni of failing to help the United States with NATO.
Trump has threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome "has not been of any help to us" in the Iran war.
dt/sbk
相關報導：
* Italy's Meloni says Trump 'totally invented' story that she begged him for photo
* How has Italy's government responded to Trump's remarks?
* What are the broader implications for NATO cooperation with Italy?
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甘迺迪中心之「川普」除名記 - Devan Cole/Betsy Klein
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請參考；
* Judge rejects bid to halt removal of Trump name from Kennedy Center
當一個不要臉的人掌握了「國家機器」，社會規範和大眾輿論被他/她視若無物時，法律是暴力制裁前的最後一道防線。
Crews begin removing Trump’s name from Kennedy Center after missing Friday night deadline
Devan Cole/Betsy Klein, CNN, 06/13/26
Workers began removing President Donald Trump's name from an exterior wall of the Kennedy Center early Saturday morning, video from a CNN crew appeared to show.
It comes after the historic performing arts venue missed a deadline to comply with a federal judge's ruling to remove Trump's name from the building and asked for for additional time to carry out the directive.
Justice department attorneys representing the center said late Friday that while work was ongoing, thunderstorms in the Washington area caused delays. They said crews expected to fully remove Trump's name "in the early hours" of Saturday.
US District Judge Casey Cooper had set a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Friday for the center to certify compliance with his order. The judge hasn't yet responded to the center's request for additional time to say that it has carried out his demand.
A federal appeals court rejected a last-minute bid to block the work, and the Kennedy Center said removal was underway after thunderstorms delayed the deadline. The name was ordered off the facade after a court found it had been added unlawfully.
Crews began assembling scaffolding underneath the exterior signage of the building Friday. Shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, workers started to drape a covering around the scaffolding, essentially blocking the view of their progress, as people in a crowd below chanted, "Shame!"
A little after 3 a.m., crews appeared to be removing the letters, video shot through a small opening in the scaffolding covering showed.
Earlier Friday, an appeals court kept intact a federal judge's ruling requiring the Kennedy Center to remove the president's name from its building by the end of Friday, rejecting a last-minute effort by the center to freeze the ruling while more court proceedings play out.
The appeals court did not explain its reasoning for its decision in a brief, unsigned ruling. The panel included Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee; Patricia Millett, an appointee of former President Barack Obama; and Robert Wilkins, also an Obama appointee.
The judges asked for more written legal arguments to be submitted later this month over the center's bid to pause the lower-court's ruling that said it must remove Trump's name from its building, website, promotional materials and other areas. But even as the legal wrangling plays out in coming weeks, the center must, for now, take steps to completely comply with the judge's directive.
The center had taken steps in recent days to reverse the change in some places but kept letters spelling "The Donald J. Trump and" on the front of its building as it sought to stave off compliance with Cooper's ruling.
In their earlier 22-page filing to the DC Circuit, DOJ lawyers repeated many of the arguments they pushed before Cooper, including that restoring the original name of the center now may cause confusion to the public should they ultimately prevail in the legal challenge to the renaming.
But they also raised the prospect that compliance with the judge's ruling could jeopardize private donations to the center. The department pointed to bylaws that say money must be returned to donors if Trump's name is removed from the center's "filings, marketing, branding, façade, or any other affiliated location."
"All of this money, hundreds of millions of dollars, will have to be immediately returned, or not received by the Center," the department told the appeals court.
Crowds at center chant: 'Take it down'
Friday afternoon, with the scaffolding partially assembled, crews paused their work as severe thunderstorms rolled into the area and the freeze request was filed before the appeals court. A small crowd of protesters observed the scene throughout, shouting chants of "Take it down," and at one point calling the workers "heroes."
Rep. Joyce Beatty, the Ohio Democrat who has led the legal challenge, stopped by to survey the scene and pose for a photo underneath the scaffolding. "We know we're on the right side of justice and the law," Beatty said to applause from protesters. "No matter what happens, we're going to continue to fight for the Kennedy family."
"Of course they're going to fight us. Every bit of the way, there's going to be a legal fight," she added.
The signage bearing Trump's name was installed in December after the board of trustees voted to include his name to honor the president, who has made sweeping changes to the institution's leadership and programming. The name change drew criticism from the Kennedy family, as well as a legal challenge.
In its Thursday meeting, the board also voted to approve a resolution honoring Trump's "profound dedication" to the arts center and establishing the "Trump Kennedy Center Fund," which a Kennedy Center official told CNN would "raise additional private funds to endow the Center." Those funds would be in addition to the $257 million allocated by Congress through Trump's signature "One Big Beautiful Bill."
It's unclear if the president will be personally involved in donating any money to his namesake fund.
This story and headline have been updated with additional details.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
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烽火四起下之川普提前跛腳 -- Matt Spetalnick/Nandita Bose
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Trump setbacks fuel lame-duck talk as he turns 80
Matt Spetalnick/Nandita Bose, 06/10/26
Summary
* Trump faces defiance from some fellow Republicans as midterms approach
* Trump focused on retribution campaign and pet projects like White House ballroom
* Trump's global challenges: Iran war, trade tensions
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to project political strength as he turns 80, but setbacks at home and abroad are exposing the limits of his power and pushing him toward the kind of lame-duck status he has told aides he is determined to avoid.
Nearly 17 months into his second term, the courts are pushing back, his effort to wind down the Iran war has stalled, and his approval ratings have weakened. Some fellow Republicans in Congress are also defying him - though his hold on core supporters remains firm.
Still, Trump has shown he retains significant clout: he has helped oust Republican incumbents in primary races and has pressed ahead with aggressive trade policies. He has also pursued high-profile construction projects in Washington in one of the most ambitious building drives by a U.S. president in years.
This dynamic is unfolding just months ahead of November’s midterm elections as Trump's Republican Party scrambles to maintain control of Congress. The loss of one or both chambers to opposition Democrats could hasten his slide into a lame-duck phase, historically when a president - if barred from running again - sees influence waning and domestic priorities stymied.
The White House is trying to prevent that narrative from taking hold prematurely and has been forceful about letting Republican lawmakers know Trump can still make or break them, according to a presidential adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.
But with some Republicans already showing greater willingness to stand up to Trump, the adviser acknowledged it was inevitable that his authority would begin to diminish.
"He’ll naturally start to lose leverage, especially after the midterms," the adviser said.
Trump has privately told staffers that one of the reasons he has mused about a third term, which is forbidden by the Constitution, is to ward off any public perception that he might become a lame duck and slip into "irrelevance," according to a former senior aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said, "President Trump is the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party who is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress."
HEALTH UNDER SCRUTINY
The questions about Trump’s political standing come as scrutiny of his personal stamina is intensifying.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found 61 percent of Americans thought Trump had become more erratic with age, and another survey in April showed a majority concerned about his temperament and mental sharpness.
Trump, who is the oldest president sworn into office, will celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday by hosting a UFC cage fight on the White House lawn.
After a flurry of near-weekly travel early in the year, Trump has largely stayed at the White House or his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since he launched the Iran war on February 28. He has made only a handful of domestic trips since then.
His public daily schedule consists largely of "executive time" and policy meetings held behind closed doors. He is often more visible on his Truth Social platform, where he posts throughout the day and late into the night.
Trump declared himself in excellent condition following a routine checkup last month after he was seen at public events with swollen ankles, which his doctors have described as only a "slight" issue, and with bruising on his hands.
A senior White House official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump was keen to avoid comparisons to Joe Biden, his Democratic predecessor who faced questions about his fitness for the job before leaving office at 82.
Even so, Trump has occasionally been caught on camera appearing to doze off at events, including at an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden on Monday. As clips of him with his eyes shut have gone viral, Trump aides have fired back on social media, claiming he was blinking or listening intently.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle described Trump as "the sharpest and most accessible president in American history."
A WEAKENING HAND
Analysts agree that even if Trump's political influence wanes, he can still rely on executive orders to shape policy and act more freely on the world stage, where presidents have greater leeway to take action unilaterally.
Still, there have been signs of Trump’s weakening hand.
While he is not likely to see a full-scale Republican revolt, some defeated incumbents, who remain in office until January, have already begun opposing parts of his agenda and have also signalled pushback against his cabinet nominations.
In the past two weeks, small Republican factions in the Senate and House of Representatives have joined with Democrats to rebuke him over the Iran war, reject $1 billion in funding tied to his ballroom and force a retreat on his $1.8 billion fund to pay political allies claiming they were victims of "weaponized" prosecution.
As Trump has struggled to achieve policy objectives, he has become more preoccupied with his construction projects. He is increasingly touting not only the ornate ballroom under construction but also refurbishment of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall and a proposed triumphal arch.
One way Trump is likely to continue exercising power is in the selection of Republicans’ 2028 presidential nominee, seen as a contest between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
And for the rest of Trump’s term, the world should expect the unexpected from a president who prides himself on unpredictability, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University.
"His helter-skelter style of leadership, that’s not going anywhere, whether the Democrats take Congress or not," he said.
Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Nandita Bose; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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甘迺迪中心更名案川痞敗北 -- Kyle Cheney/Josh Gerstein
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雖然此案到目前只是司法程序的第一步，但在美國當前「不要臉」已經成為社會「主流價值」或「時代精神」下，更彰顯出：「依法意治理」原則的運用和它的重要性(1)。
附註：
1. 我以 「依法意治理」與「依法條治理」相對；後者有時譯為「號稱法治」。
Judge blocks renaming, closure of Kennedy Center
The ruling is a stinging blow for Trump, who has made clear his personal stake in the rebranding and remodeling of the Kennedy Center.
Kyle Cheney/Josh Gerstein, 05/30/26
President Donald Trump’s effort to rebrand the Kennedy Center in his own name is illegal, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the rebranding of the institution that honors President John F. Kennedy as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” violated the clear language of federal law that requires the building to honor “President Kennedy and President Kennedy alone.”
The order to revert to the original, longstanding name came as part of a broader ruling that also overturned a plan announced in March to close the center for two years for renovations. Cooper, an Obama appointee, said repairs to the campus can proceed and an outright closure in the future might be lawful if the center’s board is more thoroughly consulted.
But he blasted the board for making its closure decision based on “an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information” that “neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions.”
The ruling is a stinging blow for Trump, who has made clear his personal stake in the rebranding and remodeling of the Kennedy Center. Officials at the performing arts center told Cooper in evidentiary hearings about Trump’s direct involvement even in the minutiae of the redesigned campus and ballrooms, from the details of the chairs to the plans for exposed steel on the exterior to the design of the decorative columns.
Spokespeople for the White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“We are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center,” said Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations.
Daravi added that the center remains “committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”
During the litigation, the Justice Department also contended that the renaming of the building as the Trump-Kennedy Center was legal because it was merely an informal nickname, despite the fact that Trump’s name was added to the building’s marble facade last December.
But Cooper cited official statements from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt describing the formal “renaming” of the center and other efforts to tout the rebranding, concluding that they “reflect far more than an innocuous nicknaming.”
Cooper’s ruling against Trump’s plans came in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who serves as an ex officio member of the center’s board. She argued in the lawsuit that the Trump administration’s moves illegally deprived her of her power to vote on the closure and remodeling plan, and frustrated board members’ legal duty to maintain a presidential memorial and present arts programming.
In another ruling Friday, Cooper denied a bid by a preservation group to force the Kennedy Center to consult with outside groups before undertaking its planned renovations. The judge said the scope of the work described by the current executive director of the center, Matt Floca, did not appear to require such consultation.
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川普向習近平曲膝的醜態 - Vic Verbalaitis
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把川瘋/川痞/川蠢描寫得淋漓盡致，維妙維肖。
How Trump Will Cave on the Biggest Stage: Political Guru
Vic Verbalaitis, The Daily Beast Podcas, 05/12/26
President Donald Trump’s chaotic second administration has taken the U.S. down a peg internationally, political expert David Rothkopf argues.
Appearing on The Daily Beast Podcast, Rothkopf said that the 79-year-old president’s upcoming trip to China marks a drastic shift in global power dynamics.
“I think Donald Trump may be, on this trip, the first time a U.S. president has ever gone to China where the U.S. president wasn’t the most powerful man in the room. The Chinese president will be,” Rothkopf told host Joanna Coles. “It is what it is.”
Trump is scheduled to land in Beijing on Wednesday night, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping through Friday amid the ongoing Iran war, which Trump started over 10 weeks ago.
China is Iran’s top trading partner and buyer of oil, no doubt making the ongoing conflict a tricky topic between the two superpowers.
“But what he wants is, you know, some kind of wins,” Rothkopf said. “He does not want to fight with the Chinese. I know The New York Times today has a story that both sides are ready to stand tough with each other. That’s because they’re talking to people in both governments who are saying that, right? They want to appear tough.“
“But what Trump wants is some deals, and he’s gonna get the deal the way he usually gets deals, which is to say, he’s going to take a problem that he created and undo it. That’s how he gets wins this time around,” he continued.
Rothkopf hypothesized that Trump will likely remove the tariffs on China that he imposed himself, while China agrees to buy some American products, which he will chalk up as a win. The political expert noted that strategy was “exactly what happened in his last term, and they didn’t buy the stuff.”
“They know that they don’t have to follow through and that these are nonbinding promises,” he added.
“And I don’t know, he’ll get some kind of deal on rare earth metals or something. And he’ll say, ‘Look, it was fantastic. And there was a big dinner, and there was a toast, and they love me, and Xi Jinping put his arm around me, and so by association, I’m a great man because he’s a great man,’” Rothkopf said. “That’s what he wants.”
Coles mentioned that oftentimes when leaders are struggling with approval at home, “they go abroad looking for international validation,” before asking Rothkopf if Trump’s upcoming trip resembles “another PR exercise.”
“First of all, second-term presidents tend to do this,” the analyst replied. “They realize that, you know, they’re lame ducks and they have less influence here, and so they travel more. They go around the world. But... there’s a long history of world leaders making their way to China, the Middle Kingdom, because it was so important.”
“In this case, we have our wannabe king going to their successor to the emperor,” he continued. “But Xi Jinping’s the emperor. And what’s going to happen is that they’re going to do just what has happened throughout history.”
Rothkopf then mentioned the Grand Kowtow, a historic ritual performed involving three kneelings and nine prostrations, intended to display one’s utmost respect and submission before the emperor.
“And Trump’s going to do a bunch of that. You just know that he is,” Rothkopf said. “And in private meetings—this is what really worries people—is he going to give a wink and a nod and say, ‘Well, I don’t really care so much about Taiwan,’ or, you know, ‘Help me out a little bit on Iran, and I’ll help you out a little bit on Taiwan,’ or whatever, you know?"
“Nobody knows, because everybody knows Trump doesn’t actually believe in anything that, you know, doesn’t put money in his bank account or make him look better,” he added. “And those are the things I’d watch for coming out of any trip of Trump anywhere.”
The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast are released every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday on YouTube, and on other podcast platforms the next morning. Follow our new feed on your favorite podcast platform at beast.pub/dailybeastpod and subscribe on YouTube to watch full episodes.
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川瘋、川痞、川蠢之以上皆是 - David Gardner
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Staggering Reason Trump Made Such a Mess of His War Exposed
David Gardner, 04/09/26
Donald Trump didn’t plan for a ticking time bomb at the Strait of Hormuz because he was convinced that his war with Iran would be over in a matter of days, or even hours, the Daily Beast has learned.
The president was warned by his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and other advisors that Tehran would almost certainly plug the Strait if the U.S. attacked them.
He was also told America’s Middle East allies might come under fire.
But intelligence sources with knowledge of the war planning said the president ultimately dismissed the concerns because he believed Iranians opposed to the repressive fundamentalist regime would take to the streets and overcome the ayatollah’s henchmen once the bombing began.
It was never supposed to go on this long. A few hours. A few days. A week at most. Then the Iranian people would do the rest.
But the revolution never happened.
The CIA even launched a covert mission to arm one of the biggest groups of Iranian dissidents in the weeks before Operation Epic Fury was launched. The guns didn’t make it to their destination, Trump later disclosed.
The president was unbowed. “He was absolutely certain there would be an uprising. He’d seen footage of people out in the streets and how it spread across the country before the security forces cracked down,” said the official, who requested not to be named because they feared losing their job.
“There is no question the president knew the repercussions. He just thought it would all be over very quickly and that these other factors would not come into play. He thought it would be a little like Venezuela—they’d take out the leadership and that would be it."
“When we are finished, take over your government,” Trump said in his Truth Social video announcement that the bombings had begun. “It will be yours to take. America is backing you with overwhelming strength. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach.
“This is the moment for action,” he added. “Do not let it pass.”
Despite strikes taking out the Iranian leadership, the moment did, indeed, pass, and there were no repeats of the demonstrations that brought the country to a standstill at the beginning of the year.
This massive miscalculation by Donald Trump is the reason the U.S. had zero advance planning to prevent the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz or to foresee rising gas prices.
Trump himself admitted the gun-running operation went awry. “You know we sent some guns,” the president said in an off-guard moment at Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll. “But the group that was supposed to give, which I said would happen to my people, I said it, I called it exactly.
“We sent guns, a lot of guns,” Trump continued. “They were supposed to go to the people, so they could fight back against these thugs. Know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them. Because they said, ‘What a beautiful gun. I think I’ll keep it.’ So I’m very upset with a certain group of people, and they’re going to pay a big price for that.”
The White House has been contacted for comment.
Trump is no great student of history, but his military advisors would undoubtedly know how Britain lost control of the Suez Canal in the 1956 Suez Crisis. The British government was forced to withdraw its troops—under immense diplomatic pressure from the U.S.—after Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal.
There was a run on the pound, and Britain agreed to a ceasefire, only to later lose control of the waterway to Egypt. The saga effectively ended the UK’s status as a global superpower.
Any emergency modeling for a potential World War Three would include a study of the implications of any conflict on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through Iran and Oman that carries almost a quarter of the world’s oil.
If Trump dismissed the specter of the Strait, Iran did not.
“For many decades, Iran has worked to develop asymmetric naval capabilities for precisely this sort of scenario,” said MIT professor and Brookings senior fellow Professor Caitlin Talmadge.
“This includes an arsenal of probably 5,000 to 6,000 mines of different types and varying levels of sophistication, along with numerous platforms that could deliver those mines.
“The concern is that Iran also potentially has hundreds of smaller vessels: midget submarines, fast attack craft, even civilian boats of a certain type that could be used to lay small numbers of mines, and that potentially are very hard to find because they’re in all these small ports all along the coast.
“Some of them may be in an extensive tunnel network Iran built along the coast that hides them until right when they enter the water. So, it’s not very hard to tell a story about how, if it chooses to, Iran could conduct a significant mine-laying campaign in the Strait. Just the possibility of this—or at least the inability of the United States to confirm that there are no mines—is a deterrent for tanker traffic."
Now the world’s attention is focused on a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Not the human rights abuses of a hateful regime.
The uprising never happened.
Instead, the Iranian people were told by the U.S. president over the weekend that their entire civilization would be sent back to the Stone Age.
And now they have to worry about their own government and the Americans who were supposed to save them.
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美國司法部長邦蒂去職 ---- A. Faguyand/B. Debusmann Jr.
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美國司法部長通常是總統的頭號殺手。邦蒂去職顯然表示她的「槍法」太遜。如果伊朗戰爭再膠著三到五週，國訪部長就該捲鋪蓋了。
Trump removes US Attorney General Pam Bondi
Ana Faguyand/Bernd Debusmann Jr., 04/03/26
US President Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi - a longtime ally and fierce defender of his administration - from her post as America's top law enforcement officer.
Trump praised her in a post on Truth Social and said she would be "transitioning" to a role in the private sector.
Bondi's time leading the justice department was often overshadowed by its handling of the release of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein and its investigation into the convicted sex offender.
She is the second Trump administration official in recent weeks to be cut from her post, after Kristi Noem was ousted as homeland security chief in March. Bondi will be replaced by her former deputy, Todd Blanche.
Bondi said she would be "working tirelessly" to transfer her work to Blanche, adding that the job had "been the honour" of a lifetime.
She added that in her new private sector position - which she did not identify - she would "continue fighting for President Trump and this administration".
The announcement comes less than two months after a combative congressional hearing in which Bondi was peppered with questions from lawmakers - at times descending into shouting matches in which she called one Democrat a "washed-up loser".
As recently as Thursday morning, Trump was defending Bondi, saying: "She is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job."
But hours later, Trump confirmed her departure on Truth Social, saying that her new private sector role would be "announced at a date in the near future".
Trump lauded Bondi's performance as attorney general in his post, saying she had done "a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in crime across our country".
But the president had reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Bondi, in particular over her handling of the Epstein files.
When she was sworn into the post in February 2025, she vowed transparency over the Epstein case and promised to release an alleged client list associated with the disgraced financier, who died in 2019.
The department later said no such list existed.
In the end, millions of files related to Epstein were released under pressure - including from Trump supporters - and only after Congress passed a law requiring the Department of Justice to make unclassified records public.
The agency, and subsequently Bondi, faced bipartisan backlash, with lawmakers accusing the justice department of failing to obscure some identifying information about survivors, while protecting the identities of those who were not victims.
A handful of Republicans who worked with her closely over the years praised her on Thursday.
"Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I'm grateful for her leadership and friendship," Blanche wrote on X. "We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe."
Others celebrated her departure.
Among them was Kentucky Republican congressman Thomas Massie, a regular critic of Bondi's handling of the Epstein files.
"I hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions and arrests," he wrote on X.
California Democrat Ro Khanna - who worked with Massie on the bipartisan law to compel the release of the files - told the BBC's Newsnight programme: "This shows that Congress isn't a doormat."
Khanna said lawmakers should refuse to confirm Blanche as the next attorney general unless he will "submit to investigating and prosecuting this Epstein class, this group of men who felt that they could write their own rules, play by their own roles, and treated the rest of us as dispensable".
Watch: Next Attorney General must release remaining Epstein files, Ro Khanna tells BBC Newsnight 視頻
Another Republican critic of Bondi's, South Carolina representative Nancy Mace, accused her of having "stonewalled every effort to hold the guilty accountable" and "seriously undermined" Trump with her handling of the files.
Survivors also told the BBC that Bondi had yet to meet them or respond to their emails about Epstein's wrongdoing, and that the matter had become a political liability for Trump.
Bondi has called Epstein a "monster" and told the victims she was sorry for the abuse they endured.
Most recently, a congressional committee formally summoned Bondi to answer questions over her handling of the Epstein investigation. She was expected to appear before them this month.
Under her leadership, the justice department has pursued a number of criminal investigations into political opponents of the president, including California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
In September, Trump pushed Bondi to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries. He said in a social media post addressed directly to Bondi: "We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility."
The justice department under her tenure faced questions over its handling of the investigation into federal immigration agents fatally shooting two people during confrontations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which sparked nationwide demonstrations in January.
With Trump's announcement, Bondi becomes the third high-profile member of Trump's cabinet to leave this term, following Noem and, last year, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz - whose duties were given to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The relatively intact inner circle of this Trump presidency stands in stark contrast to his first term in office between 2017-21, which was a revolving door of firings and replacements.
In the first year alone, the administration saw the departure of acting Attorney General Sally Yates, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, FBI Director James Comey, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon and two press secretaries, among others.
Since returning to the White House last year, commentators and political strategists had remarked that Trump's approach in his second term had been more disciplined and less chaotic.
Bondi was part of Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial and when he claimed without evidence that the 2020 election had been stolen from him through mass voter fraud.
She also publicly supported him by showing up at court during his hush money trial in New York, which ended in May with a conviction of 34 counts of fraud. Trump is appealing against the verdict.
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反川普抗議全美遍地開花 ---- Shimon Prokupecz等
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Huge crowds protest against Trump on 'No Kings' day in the US and abroad
(Organisers said the protests may add up to one of the largest demonstrations in US history, with more than 3,100 events taking place in major cities, suburbs and rural areas. They expect the total number of participants to be above nine million.)
‘King’ Trump, 79, Suffers Another Worldwide Humiliation
‘No Kings’ protests: Large crowds attend nationwide rallies against the Trump administration
West Coast marches are underway on a day of protests large and small across the US, including a marquee event in Minnesota.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz reflects on "No Kings" protests, Updated 03/28/26
What to know
• Widespread protests: “No Kings” demonstrations have taken place from coast to coast today, with attendees rallying against President Donald Trump’s policies, the rising cost of living and the war with Iran.
• On the ground: West Coast rallies are in full swing, including huge marches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Throughout the day, crowds have gathered to sing, dance and wave signs in major cities, suburbs and small towns across red and blue states. A marquee event in Minnesota featured a Bruce Springsteen performance and a slate of high-profile speakers.
• Third round: Last year, millions of people attended largely peaceful protests on two “No Kings” days. Since then, Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement blitz has come and gone in several major cities. Now, Americans are facing skyrocketing gas prices and a flagging economy due to the war.
WATCH: "No Kings" co-organizer talks about the impact of the nationwide rallies
TuAnh Dam, CNN
Indivisible Co-founder Ezra Levin talks evolving "No Kings" movement
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, spoke with CNN’s Omar Jimenez about organizing the “No Kings” rallies to “be a place for everybody to come and exercise their rights as Americans in a patriotic and safe way.”
Almost half of "No Kings" protests took place in GOP strongholds, organizers say
Nina Giraldo
Demonstrators gather for a "No Kings" protest in Clarkesville, Georgia, on Saturday, 003/28/26.
“No Kings” protesters marched through suburbs, major cities and small towns across the US, carrying signs and showing off many inflatable costumes. Almost half of protests took place in GOP strongholds, according to event organizers.
Texas, Florida and Ohio each had over 100 events scheduled today, and states like Idaho, Wyoming and Utah had events in the double digits, organizers said. One of the most far-flung demonstrations took place in the Alaskan community of Kotzebue.
A litany of rural, red-leaning communities participated in the “No Kings” movement for the first time today, from Seward, Alaska, to East Glacier Park, Montana.
Here were some other red states that saw protests today:
* Texas: Protesters marched in Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth, many listening to music, chanting and holding signs over their heads. CNN saw thousands gather near Dallas City Hall, where speakers denounced Trump administration policies from a stage. Officers detained one person in Dallas, according to the city’s police, although it is unclear why or whether they were a counterprotester.
* Georgia: Protesters lined the road leading into Jekyll Island on the state’s coast, waving American flags and carrying signs. The protest received mostly positive feedback.
* Florida: The crowd of “No Kings” protesters in Boynton Beach, Florida, was “very enthusiastic” and “for the most part pretty peaceful,” said the city’s vice mayor, Thomas Turkin. In neighboring city West Palm Beach, about 50 supporters of President Donald Trump engaged in verbal altercations with protesters, some flashing “Proud Boys” caps, T-shirts and flags.
CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Chris Youd, Elise Hammond, David Williams and Aditi Sangal contributed to this report.
Mother at Chicago rally recalls trying to flag down her daughter, who didn't realize it was her
Veronica Morales and Nic F. Anderson
Maria Isabel Trejo, a Chicago resident and mother, said she showed up to the “No Kings Day” demonstration in Chicago after she had a case of mistaken identity with her daughter in Portland.
Trejo said she saw her daughter, who lives in Portland, leaving a grocery store and attempted to chase her down, but it didn’t go as planned.
“She ran to her car, locked the doors, and displayed her American passport. She was shaking, she was crying. They, they would have grabbed her,” Trejo told CNN.
Rallies are underway nationwide. Get caught up here
Tori B. Powell
Big crowds are marching against President Donald Trump and his policies today in “No Kings” protests taking place from coast to coast.
Here’s what you should know:
Minnesota protests: At a Minnesota rally in St. Paul, Gov. Tim Walz offered fierce criticism of Trump’s policies, particularly with regard to immigration enforcement. Sen. Bernie Sanders lauded the people of Minnesota at the rally and warned against what he called “an unprecedented and dangerous moment in American history.” Rock legend Bruce Springsteen called Minnesota “an inspiration to the entire country.” And in Minnesota, “we are built different,” proclaimed Rep. Ilhan Omar. Actress and progressive advocate Jane Fonda opted not to make a speech and instead read a statement from Becca Good, the wife of Renee Good.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a "No Kings" protest against President Donald Trump's policies in St. Paul, Minnesota, 03/28/26.
Tim Evans/Reuters
West Coast demonstrations: Rallies on the West Coast are kicking up. As demonstrators gather and set up for the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, a familiar face has been seen bobbing through the crowds: a giant blimp depicting Trump as a diaper-clad baby. Scores of protesters filed into San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza wielding American flags and “No Kings” signs.
A giant inflatable Donald Trump balloon is seen while protestors gather in front of Los Angeles City Hall during the "No Kings" national day of protest on 03/28/26.
New York marches: In Manhattan, “No Kings” protesters held anti-ICE, anti-Trump and anti-Iran war signs, chanting as they marched south from Midtown in New York City this afternoon. Amid flashing billboards and marching crowds in Times Square, progressive influencers Hasan Piker and Harry Sisson attended demonstrations.
Demonstrators take part in a "No Kings" protest against President Donald Trump's policies, in New York City on Saturday.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Florida rallies: The crowd of “No Kings” protesters in Boynton Beach, Florida, was “very enthusiastic” and “for the most part pretty peaceful,” said the city’s vice mayor, Thomas Turkin.
CNN’s Zoe Sottile, Danya Gainor, Sophia Peyser, Donie O’Sullivan and Nina Giraldo contributed reporting.
In pictures: Demonstrations are taking place coast to coast
People hold a banner reading "End the wars, stop ICE, May 1 general strike" as they march during the "No Kings" national day of protest in Chicago on Saturday.
下略
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川瘋求援硬是被友邦打臉 ----- Jack Revell
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Key Ally Instantly Slaps Down Trump’s Demand for Help
Jack Revell, 03/14/26
Sometimes it takes a good friend to call you out when you’re wrong.
For Donald Trump, that pal is the nation of France, which has delivered an emphatic “Non!” to the American president’s request for military support in his Middle Eastern campaign.
The 79-year-old conducted diplomatic relations via Truth Social on Saturday, begging America’s allies to intervene in the Strait of Hormuz. The maritime shipping lane, which is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, is currently being blockaded by Iran following the U.S. and Israel’s joint attacks on the country.
As a result, approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supply is not moving, rapidly driving up the prices of gas and aviation fuel in America.
“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
Trump has claimed the Iranian military is both destroyed and posing a significant issue to American forces. / Truth Social 川痞直屬網頁
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat,” he continued, in what appeared to be a veiled plea for help from America’s allies.
French Response, the official X account of the French government’s foreign office, was quick to clarify that it would not be sending the ships Trump requested.
“No. The [French] aircraft carrier strike group remains in the Eastern Mediterranean. France’s posture is unchanged: Defensive. Protective,” the diplomatic outlet wrote. “Stop the scaremongering.”
The official French Foreign Office account has denied that the country will be sending military support. / X X社交網頁
The account repeated the message to multiple posts on X that had claimed France would be deploying warships to the Middle East.
Earlier, Trump had posted a separate message, calling for a coalition to help reopen the Strait.
“The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help—A LOT!” he promised.
“The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be—It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!”
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence has said that it is discussing “a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
Trump has claimed that allies will come to the aid of the U.S. in getting the Strait open. / Truth Social 川痞直屬網頁
The Financial Times had previously reported that both France and Italy were seeking to negotiate a deal to guarantee safe passage of their ships through the Strait, though Italy has since denied the report.
Two French officials also previously told Reuters that the country was working on attempting to build a coalition to allow European ships through the strait, but French Response’s message suggests this may not include military activity.
Trump has made a series of posts in recent days suggesting that the Iranian military is both “completely decimated” and proving to be highly resilient, with continued bombardment required to open the vital maritime passageway.
Shipping traffic has all but come to a standstill through the Strait of Hormuz as the war enters its third week. / JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images霍爾木茲海峽地圖
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water,” Trump wrote. “One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is, in fact, open for shipping but that it carries a high risk of being bombed by Iranian forces.
“The only thing prohibiting transit in the Strait right now is Iran shooting at shipping. It is open for transit should Iran not do that,” Hegseth said.
Iranian military leaders have said that they will continue to block shipping through the strait and drive up the price of oil, which has already climbed to more than $100 per barrel. It is the largest disruption to global oil supplies in history.
While Iran’s historical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening salvo of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since taken over and vowed to keep fighting.
On Friday, Trump announced that the U.S. had struck more than 90 military targets on Kharg Island, the deep-water fuel terminal through which most Iranian oil flows, typically to its main buyer, China. Fuel infrastructure reportedly remains intact on the strategic island, which is considered vital to the regime’s finances.
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island last month. Trump said he did not bomb oil infrastructure “for reasons of decency” as he tries to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. / 2026 Planet Labs PBC / via REUTERS 卡格島煉油設施照片
On Saturday, however, Trump said the U.S. “may hit it a few more times just for fun,” telling NBC that Tehran is ready to make a deal but he won’t accept it as the “terms aren’t good enough yet.”
Iran has downplayed the damage on Kharg and is now targeting fuel ports in nearby Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the United Arab Emirates.
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