SINCERETALK

While First Lady Melania Trump has profited from her office — whether by releasing a documentary about her life or dumping a self-named memecoin onto the crypto market — she has been conspicuous in her absence from President Donald Trump's White House. Now a journalist who specializes in covering the Trumps explains why. "It took six months, in Trump’s first term, for his wife to relocate from New York to Washington D.C. — and then, even with separate bedrooms in the White House, she was hardly there," journalist Michael Wolff wrote on his Substack on Monday . "Their son, Barron, was virtually never there. Rather, they “often stayed with,” in White House parlance, her parents in a house in Maryland. Likewise, at Mar-a-Lago, Melania and Barron’s move was actually into a Palm Beach house with her parents — rather than into the country club quarters." Wolff added, "During the two active years of the 2024 campaign, her only appearances included the Republica...

President Donald Trump's Army Secretary just resigned, allegedly due to his ongoing feuds with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — and as a result, there are no Senate-confirmed Army leaders remaining in power. "Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the service and the ouster of numerous senior Army officers," reported The Wall Street Journal's Michael R. Gordon and Marcus Weisgerber on Monday . "He is expected to leave the Pentagon in coming days." The Journal added, "With Driscoll’s departure, the Army will lack any Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has served as acting chief of the service since Hegseth fired his predecessor, Gen. Randy George." Trump has received repeated criticisms for purging the military , which is supposed to be apolitical, of generals and other officials who do not ...

President Donald Trump’s most potent political weapon has never been traditional policy or legislative maneuvering. Instead, it has been an unparalleled mastery of public attention—a signature skill that might best be called "the distraction." As a recent analysis from Slate points out, just as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar commanded the basketball court with the skyhook, Trump has historically commandeered the American media landscape by driving the conversation exactly where he wants it to go. Whether declaring premature victory, invoking the elusive rhetorical shield of "many people are saying," or plastering outrageous graphics across social media, Donald Trump's ability to hijack the mainstream media news cycle was once absolute. Central to President Trump's playbook has been an obsession with renaming things to trigger his opponents. This strategy peaked at the start of his term in 2025, when he decreed that the Gulf of Mexico would henceforth be known as the ...

I still come across people who believe Trump won the 2020 election, that the attack on the U.S Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an act of patriotism, that Trump’s subsequent indictments and felonies were Biden’s work, that most immigrants are criminals, that Democrats are evil, that Jews are trying to replace white Christians born in America, that Muslims can’t be trusted, that a significant amount of voting is fraudulent, that we’re winning the war against Iran, that the economy has never been as good, that climate change is a hoax, that Canada poses a threat to the United States and it’s only fair for Lake Ontario to be renamed Lake America. To label these people “deluded” is to overlook an entire world created by Trump and his assistants, Cabinet secretaries, “spokespeople,” other political appointees, Republican enablers in Congress and state legislatures, and billionaire accomplices in the media (Musk, Murdoch, Pichai, Bezos, Zuckerberg, the Ellisons) — all of whom have reinforced...

The Supreme Court's latest ruling on mail-in voting changes was a nakedly "partisan" move to please President Donald Trump, and one top legal expert explained how "the worst part" of the decision makes that clear. Andrew Weissmann is a veteran attorney and legal counsel, having served over a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, as well as in various legal roles at the FBI and former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He now makes numerous media appearances where he offers legal insights into the various misdeeds of the Trump administration, including in his role as a legal analyst for MS NOW. Over the weekend, he appeared as a guest on the latest edition of the "Fast Politics" podcast with host Molly Jong-Fast, with the conversation largely revolving around the Supreme Court's recent 6-3 ruling to allow Trump's executive order demanding changes to mail-in voting to proceed. The decision, coming down along familiar partisan lines,...

The Supreme Court's recent willingness to allow President Donald Trump to implement his mail-in voting restrictions, even as it considers ultimately banning them, has left outside observers "angry and alarmed." The decision is consistent with the actions of a bench both Democrats and neutral outsiders agree has acted in a hyper-partisan manner . Yet a Thursday decision by federal district Judge Indira Talwani has used their own logic to stop a Democratic president as a justification for halting his Republican successor — if, that is, they will set aside their partisanship to rule consistently." On Thursday evening, federal district Judge Indira Talwani issued a new order that temporarily blocks an effort by the Trump administration that appears designed to sabotage voting by mail in the upcoming midterm election," wrote Vox's Ian Millhiser on Sunday. "Talwani previously blocked an executive order that President Donald Trump issued in March, which ord...

Even at 80 years old, she was still bringing Americans together. At 80, he continues to tear us apart. She always stood for the underdog. He stands for the overlord. She was among the most generous people in American public life. He is the most self-centered. Hers was a voice of clarity, courage, and hope. His is the voice of cruelty, corruption, and incompetence. If you line up the human species from most admirable to least, she’d be among the first; he’d be among the last. Sadly, she is no longer with us. Sadly, he is. This week he took to his Truth Social media to share an AI-generated illustration of himself walking arm in arm with her around the White House (see above). “I knew her a little bit,” he boasted on Glenn Beck’s radio show. “She really liked me, I will tell you!” at which Beck laughed out loud. Most of the people I meet around this country are more like her than him. Americans are kind, friendly, empathic, optimistic. We want to protect the vulnerable and comfort the...

President Donald Trump's relevance is "declining with every passing moment," according to the D.C. insiders at Pod Save America , as his meager new effort at " trolling " shows just how much he has "lost his fastball" as a public figure. During the latest edition of the podcast, former Obama administration officials Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer touched on Trump's "losing wars, raising prices and changing maps ," noting further that his only public event on Thursday was for an executive order signing to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America." This came as a petulant response to crumbling trade talks with Canada, with Trump adding that he might also consider similar changes for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Unlike Trump's similar move early in his second term to try and rename the Gulf of Mexico, which drew much scrutiny and public outcry, this alleged change to Lake Ontario has largely failed to draw more than a shrug fro...

A former supporter of President Donald Trump argued on Friday that Republicans have worked hard to hop into bed with Trump and now they’re going to have to sleep with him. “I know, all of this could and will tighten up after Labor Day. Sure. And Republicans have God's money right now. But how funny, Trump is holding all of his money and Trump wants to make the midterms a referendum on him. So you’re gonna get all of him,” said former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, a reformed MAGA lawmaker from Illinois on his Friday podcast . “Yeah, that's the problem. When you jumped into bed with Donald Trump, you get all of Donald Trump. All of it,” agreed show co-host and Blue Amp Media host Cliff Schecter. “Most of the Republicans say … he's got money because he grifted from crypto crap and whatever and it paid off. But in the end, he's going to spend it all on him, making himself look better. And he's going to go to all these states for people who are like, ‘please don't come here...

Republicans are facing a hard uphill battle in their fight to retain the House and Senate majority, but critics on social media say the party appears to be toiling up the wrong hill entirely. Conservative X account Republicans against Trump appeared to roll its eyes as they reposted Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to get Republicans re-elected this midterm—plaster them with President Donald Trump’s face. “The president’s gonna look right in the camera and say, ‘I am on the ballot.’ Because even though his name isn’t, right, his administration, his legacy, the America-first agenda is,” said Johnson, speaking at a rally for Rep. Monica De La Cruz, (R-Texas) “We gotta get people to turn out.” Hold the majority. Hold the majority,” said Johnson, quoting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, while acknowledging “this is one of our toughest elections.” Critics rattled Johnson’s post in responses. “Great idea, Mike,” said one progressive account . “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” “Hey – thi...

Dyed in the wool conservative Nick Catoggio tells the Dispatch that President Donald Trump has managed to succeed where many other U.S presidents have failed — in pushing Russia into a hot war with the rest of NATO, that is. “Strange as it may sound, in many ways this is an opportune moment for Putin to confront the West,” wrote Catoggio, citing Trump’s CIA chief fretting that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is mulling the prosect, and considering it soon. But why would Russia try it now? Because even more so than usual, “an overextended White House is compelled by circumstance to think twice before involving America in any new wars,” Catoggio answered. “Logistically, the U.S. is in no position at the moment to wage a two-front war of its own,” Catoggio reports, citing a Wall Steet Journal report claiming Precision Strike Missile and Army Tactical Missile Systems are crucial to repel a Russian land invasion. “Thanks to Trump’s folly in Iran, we’re a little short on both ,” Catoggio ra...

Lisa Cook is a member of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors who has been repeatedly targeted by President Donald Trump. He has tried to fire her and been repeatedly denied the ability to do so, but nevertheless has persisted in that agenda — even as his meddling in the Federal Reserve has created worse economic conditions for ordinary Americans. Now The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board , despite its conservative-leaning views, is blasting Trump for his ongoing war against Cook. "Are we really doing this again?" The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote on Thursday. "President Trump last year tried to summarily fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, accusing her of lying on a mortgage filing. That removal lost in June at the Supreme Court, which held in Trump v. Cook that she is 'entitled to notice and some opportunity to respond.' Well, now she has had both, after an exchange of letters this month." They added, "The White House wro...

President Donald Trump’s revenge scheme against various individuals he has publicly deemed political enemies is officially defunct -- at least according to several sources, in no small part because of his failure to successfully prosecute a man he wrongly accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. Indeed, that trend is even extending to cases that would normally be considered airtight. The Daily Mail's Charlie Spiering reported on Thursday that the citizens of Washington DC are treating Trump’s Justice Department like an organization which deliberately targets innocent people rather than a good faith actor, and they are responding accordingly. When they targeted Olympic canoeist David Hearn by incorrectly saying he vandalized the Reflecting Pool, for example, the case was seemingly rejected for that reason. “The bigger problem now is that [USAG Jeanine Pirro's] office has struggled to land seemingly airtight cases, with Washington's jury pool deeply skeptical of the adm...

Incumbent Sen. Darline Graham — the Republican Senate candidate in South Carolina whose visible political inexperience was literally center-stage during a primary debate in which she admitted to knowing nothing about America-Taiwan relations — is now a potentially weak nominee in a traditionally GOP state. Yet while Graham may lose in an upset to Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews, a conservative commentator said she is an ideal representative of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party . "I saw a hot take somewhere last week speculating that Graham’s cringy Taiwan debate gaffe was actually a contrived four-dimensional-chess move to show Republican primary voters how relatable, authentic, and outsider-y she is," wrote The Dispatch's Nick Catoggio on Wednesday. "I’m skeptical of that, but after watching Sean Hannity defend her by noting that most Americans can’t find Taiwan on a map either, I wouldn’t discount it completely. (One is reminded of the famous Roman Hruska quo...

Veteran Democratic strategist and long-time President Donald Trump gadfly James Carville refused to join the crowd calling the victories of Trump-endorsed candidates in South Carolina and Oklahoma a “win for Trump’ considering how close the call came in the wee hours. “In the Republican primaries in South Carolina and Oklahoma, they played it as a big Trump win, and I don’t understand it,” said Carville, griping on his Wednesday Politics War Room podcast. “I was so taken aback. Who am I to be the arbiter or whatever, but man, when you get 50.5 in a Republican primary in SC and the guy that got 49.5 attacks you and the crowd breaks out wildly cheering, or in Oklahoma, and they barely won, I just don’t see it.” Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) won her South Carolina Senate primary campaign against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) on Tuesday, officially winning a full term in the seat once held by her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). During the campaign Trump endorsed her during her camp...

President Donald Trump's close informal adviser Steve Bannon is no stranger to controversy. From being roped into the president's political problems to being accused of cryptocurrency chicanery , Bannon is frequently in the headlines and often faces court battles. Yet Trump's Justice Department has done its best to pull him out of any fires he finds himself in. Now one judge is making that feat a lot harder for the MAGA DOJ. "JUST IN: Surprise order from Judge Carl Nichols (Trump/DC) putting up some resistance to DOJ motion to wipe out Bannon's jury convictions for contempt of Congress," Politico's Josh Gerstein reported on X on Wednesday . In his ruling, Nichols made it clear that the Trump Justice Department had failed to provide any concrete reason why Bannon should not be investigated for contempt of Congress. "The Government's motion does not explain its motivations for seeking dismissal of the indictment and thus fails to meet Rule 48(a)...

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) won her South Carolina Senate primary campaign against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), officially winning a full term in the seat once held by her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). During the campaign she was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who she vowed to staunchly support in a full Senate term throughout the campaign. She overcome harsh criticisms: Graham was often accused of overreaching due to her complete lack of previous political experience. That inexperience was highlighted during her debate against Norman when she admitted that she did not know anything about America's relationship with its close ally, Taiwan. The United States has repeatedly pledged to protect Taiwan if it is invaded by China, which claims the nation to be part of its own territory. After being asked about Taiwan during the debate with Norman, Graham admitted "national security is not my thing" and "I'm not that informed on national security....

Mediaite reports Fox News token liberal Jessica Tarlov said the nation would be a better place if Covid had not derailed Trump’s second term. The confession might have come as a shock in her New Yorker podcast considering the enmity Tarlov has for the president, but that at least would have spared the nation from life under a deteriorating president with no guardrails. “Without Covid Trump would have won re-election, and I wish that he had. I wish because we would be done now. Because he, like [Disney’s] Ursula, got stronger,” Tarlov told the podcast host of The New Yorker Radio Hour. “He established a cadre of advisors that understood the challenge. Russ Vought wasn’t as powerful in Round One. Stephen Miller certainly wasn’t as powerful. Project 2025, not a thing. And so, I hate that we gave them four years to take a sledgehammer to the country. We haven’t found a way to deliver our vision for the future outside of slogans.” The average conservative voter is mad at tariffs, the wa...

Justice Clarence Thomas does not do podcasts, or, really, much media of any kind, said Above the Law journalist and litigator Kathryn Rubino . So, it clearly took something serious to turn up on Sen. Ted. Cruz’ podcast “ Verdict with Ted Cruz .” Sure, the sit down was timed with a book launch, but Rubino said it was also fueled by the fact that Thomas is still hurting from getting caught engaging in what looks like horrendous corruption. “If you’ve followed Supreme Court scandals over the last few years you know, it’s the reporting that revealed Thomas spent two decades accepting luxury travel and other largesse from GOP megadonors and declining to tell anyone about it,” reported Rubino, adding that Thomas marched straight into Cruz’ podcast for some self-soothing over getting busted. “You’re one of the people who actually stands up, particularly at times when others seem to wither, and I appreciate it,” Thomas told Cruz. “And more personally, when we, my wife and I, were under attack...

President Donald Trump is terrified of being impeached , according to a recent report — and that helps explain the recent meeting between his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “But Kushner’s meeting with Democrats signals that Trump is afraid of losing, [political strategist David] Rothkopf argued,” reported The Daily Beast's Vic Verbalaitis on Monday . Rothkopf added that “of course, Trump has been going around... saying if the Democrats get elected, they will impeach me. And I think part of what he’s trying to do here is, he says to Jared, ‘Go reach out to them.’” He added that Trump “really doesn’t want to be impeached again. There are a lot of Democrats who are like, what’s the point? But I think Trump sees the point. He knows how devastating that would be to his administration, to his reputation.” Rothkopf continued, “And there’s no assurances that the next impeachment turns out the way the last did, where the Senate defends him. ...

The Supreme Court, which is 6 to 3 Republican, has gone out of its way to help President Donald Trump, from permitting him to construct his illegal ballroom and gutting the Voting Rights Act to allowing him to unilaterally fire federal employees who were previously protected by civil service laws . Now the Supreme Court has stayed an injunction to stop Trump from forcing the Postal Service to not count mail-in ballots submitted by any voter Trump disapproves of — and experts are warning it will wreak havoc on American elections. "A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with plans to restrict mail-in voting before the midterm elections," reported The New York Times' Abbie VanSickle and Ann E. Marimow on Monday . "In an emergency order, the justices said President Trump could proceed with implementing an executive order he had signed, which directed the U.S. Postal Service to help decide which voters should receive mail-in ...

President Donald Trump continues to struggle in polls because of America’s failing economy, but according to a prominent White House correspondent , he finds economic issues boring. “Let's talk about how the White House could physically look different in the next few years,” CNN correspondent Bianna Golodryga asked Maggie Haberman, a journalist from The New York Times who co-authored a book on Trump’s White House called “Regime Change.” “Before we go, President Trump had this to say about his White House ballroom project, during a White House event on school choice.” Golodryga then said Trump “spends about 70 percent of his time on construction projects. The Washington Post appears to undercut the president's argument that the White House needs a secure structure, noting that federal officials built a highly protected underground bunker more than a decade ago that can shelter the president and his top aides in a national security emergency, according to three former officials....