The right's anti-DEI push masks an underlying prejudice
Many of those who summarily attack DEI have found a way to splash across news and social media an impersonal-sounding target, which often cloaks an underlying and blatant racism, misogyny, or homophobia that stands to affect the well-being of millions of lives. Neither the president nor the ruling party in Congress is inclined to transparently define the driving force for attacking DEI, which leaves it to the judicial system and to our free press to challenge those who attack DEI-related policies to explicitly define what they mean.
Karl Kuban
Plymouth
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an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump Issues Jaw-Dropping Authoritarian Threat to Elon Musk
As President Donald Trump works through the seven stages of grief that come with a big break-up, he's embracing anger—and directing at it his former ally Elon Musk. After two days of snapping at each other online, a historic public feud that pitted two of the world's most powerful men against each other, Trump decided to turn up the heat Saturday. Speaking with NBC News' Kristen Welker, he promised 'serious consequences' if Tesla billionaire Musk were to fund Democratic candidates in attempts to sabotage Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' The threat came after Musk begged Congress to vote down the legislation, which is estimated to add some $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit, calling it 'ugly' and 'pork filled.' 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News in a phone interview. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences.' Musk, the world's richest man, claimed Thursday that he was the reason for Trump's re-election, having donating $288 million to his presidential campaign. He called the president out for 'such ingratitude.' The intense clash escalated so much that the former 'First Buddy' dropped a bombshell alleging that Trump 'is in the Epstein files.' He has since scrubbed the post from his page, although it originally told readers: 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' (Trump dismissed the allegations about his connection with the now-deceased Jeffrey Epstein. 'That's called 'old news,' that's been old news, that has been talked about for years,' Trump said on Saturday. 'Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news.') But while Musk's move to delete the post could be a sign that he'd consider backing off, Trump has decided instead to launch a new assault. Trump told NBC that he had no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' he said, adding, 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' And when asked if the four-month bromance was completely over, a sullen Trump said: 'I would assume so, yeah.' Trump had previously suggested that his once-close adviser had developed 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' 'I'm very disappointed with Elon. I've helped him a lot,' he said at the time. 'He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it.' On Saturday Trump told NBC that Musk was 'disrespectful to the office of the President.' 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,' he added. Trump's ominous suggestion of 'serious consequences' isn't the first threat he's launched against Musk. On Thursday he warned that he was contemplating cutting the SpaceX CEO's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' he posted on Truth Social. 'I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' On Saturday, he said that the move was still on the table: 'I'd be allowed to do that,' he said, 'but I have, I haven't given it any thought.' Trump also suggested that it was Musk who was reeling from the toxic breakup. 'I think Elon, really, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken,' he said.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Don't underestimate Donald Trump — he and his goals will survive without Elon Musk
Among other things last week, President Trump played host to Germany's chancellor in the Oval Office, issued a travel ban against 12 countries whose citizens routinely violate their visas, had a 'very positive' conversation about tariffs with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and twisted arms to push his 'one big beautiful bill' across the congressional finish line. Meanwhile, a stream of good economic news sent stock markets higher, with a jobs report beating expectations while inflation fell and wages rose. Oh, and Trump also had a brutal falling out with Elon Musk. Advertisement 3 Elon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. AP No need to guess which of the above dominated the news. Bad news travels fast and predictions of calamity win eyeballs, but I've learned a few things knowing and covering Trump for a decade. Rule No. 1 is always to remember to take a deep breath when it feels as if the end of his days is near. Advertisement Whatever the sensational event of the moment, the smart play has been to realize that this too shall pass — and to feel sorry for cats because they only have nine lives. Rule No. 2 is to be prepared for the next big end of days event, which is coming soon, and to expect another one after that. The 47th president is a human machine full of pride and plans, but only rookies still attempt to define him by a single event. If a stream of nasty Democrat prosecutions and threats of jail didn't derail him, the end of a partnership with the world's richest man won't either. Advertisement While Trump often appears to be courting disaster, reports of his imminent political demise still remain premature. That's not to say he is impervious, only that he is the closest thing to it on the American scene today. The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on. Advertisement So long, Elon, it was nice knowing ya. Need for speed Another thing to remember about Trump is that he's in a hurry to get big things done and is determined not to get sidetracked by anything. He's well aware of how Dems used the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax to win the House in the middle of the first term and showed no compunction about impeaching him over a nothing-burger phone call. He's not going to squander his second chance with a GOP-controlled Congress to engage in wild goose chases or pout over setbacks, even when they involve an important ally such as Musk. The clock in his head is always ticking. 3 The Musk-Trump feud sparked the day after the DOGE head left the White House. NY Post Despite his occasional talk of a possible third term, he knows that's not going to happen. Besides the constitutional prohibition, the reality is that he turns 79 next Saturday, and the last thing Trump wants to do is stay too long at the party and repeat Joe Biden's decrepit decline in office. Thus, Trump's need for speed is what makes the Musk divorce important. It ends, or at least interrupts, an iconic alliance that was good for both men and was paying big dividends to America. Whether Musk is right that his support and his extensive financial contributions made the difference in last year's campaign is impossible to know. But there is no doubt that the addition of Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to the Trump train broadened his appeal well beyond traditional GOP circles and MAGA diehards. Advertisement Consider, for example, that Kamala Harris foolishly tried to counter Trump's moves by adding former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz Cheney to her team and claiming they were evidence she had bipartisan appeal. The advantage to Trump wasn't a close call. As for Musk, most critical was his commitment to DOGE and to the idea that spending cuts are not only possible but essential to the nation's future. He used his soapbox to set a new standard for Washington, even if the results fell short of the promise. Advertisement Whatever started his break with Trump, it was complete when he attacked the tax cut and spending legislation the president helped to craft, saying at one point, 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both.' No damage to agenda The oddity is that the break came after Musk officially left his temporary DOGE post, complete with a happy sendoff in the Oval Office where Trump praised him and gave him a ceremonial key to the White House. Given the nasty nature of the rupture, attempts by others to forge a reconciliation are not likely to succeed. Yet even if the break is final, I don't believe it will do serious damage to the president's agenda, despite the hopes of media doomsayers. As even The New York Times ruefully conceded in a Saturday headline, 'Elon Musk May Be Out. But DOGE Is Just Getting Started.' Advertisement 3 President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. AP Another mistake many Trump observers are making is seeing him through the eyes of his chaotic first term. As I have noted before, Trump 2.0 is a very different person. Being on the sideline for four years served him well in that he better understood Washington, and was smarter about what he wanted to achieve and who could help him do that. Advertisement In raw political terms, Biden's spending-palooza that drove inflation to 40-year highs and the inexplicable decision to open the southern border were gifts that helped pave the way to a Trump return. And then came the brush with death from a would-be assassin's bullet in Pennsylvania. 'God spared me' I had previously arranged to interview Trump the next day on his flight to the GOP convention in Milwaukee, and to my everlasting surprise, he kept his schedule. It was during that interview that he first raised the idea of divine intervention, saying, 'I'm not supposed to be here . . . I'm supposed to be dead.' His wry sense of humor remained intact, as he noted that people were already calling the photo of him standing up, pumping his fist and shouting 'fight, fight, fight,' with his face streaked with his own blood, an 'iconic' scene. 'They're right and I didn't die,' Trump said. 'Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.' Although he was never an especially religious man, Trump began to embrace the idea that 'God spared me for a purpose, and that purpose is to restore America to greatness.' It's a fat target for haters, but the important thing is that Trump himself believes it to be true. One result is that he is a much calmer and more gracious president. Even his demeanor last week reflected a 'what, me worry?' approach, as he demonstrated in a series of quick phone interviews with media outlets, including The Post, where he insisted he was not rattled by the blowup. His explanation was simple: Musk suffers from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' Woof, woof, and the caravan moves on.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rep. Adam Smith: The President is 'doing this parade so people can kiss up to him'
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