Alcatraz, taco bowls and foreign films are on Trump's mind
President Donald Trump's feed on his Truth Social platform, like his Twitter feed of yore, is a real-time window into the mind of the most powerful man in the world.
Who does he want to offend? Who has offended him? What are his most out-there ideas? When is the right time to buy stocks?
It's where you can find him reminiscing on his infamous post about the taco bowls in Trump Tower to commemorate, or troll, Cinco de Mayo.
'I love Hispanics!' he wrote back in 2016. Now he has resurfaced the post on Truth Social at a time when cities like Chicago have canceled celebrations out of concern they would become targets for immigration authorities ramping up deportations on Trump's orders.
There's no doubt he was trolling with the AI-generated image of himself as the pope, but it's not clear who is the target as the Catholic Church, still officially in mourning, begins the process of picking its next leader.
On Sunday, Trump posted video of his appearance on 'Meet the Press' where he compares himself to a notorious gangster.
'I've been investigated more than the late, great — as they say at my rallies — Alphonse Capone,' he told NBC News. 'Alphonse Capone was a nasty man. He was a — the highest-level gangster. And I have been investigated more than Al Capone.'
Capone served part of his federal sentence for tax evasion as inmate #85 at Alcatraz. Who knows if that bit of trivia helped inspire Trump's latest outrageous policy proposal, announced on Truth Social.
Trump wants to close Alcatraz as one of the country's most popular tourist destinations and reopen it as a prison. 'The Rock' is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the most-visited US national park in 2024.
'The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,' he wrote after complaining about judges who don't want him to remove undocumented immigrants without a hearing.
Then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy announced the closure of the prison in 1962 because it was too expensive, too impractical and too small.
A group of American Indians occupied Alcatraz in the late 1960s, but were removed after 19 months. The ordeal helped push Congress to make the Rock a national park in the 1970s under President Richard Nixon, who visited San Francisco for a campaign stop in September 1972 before winning California in his landslide reelection victory.
Ronald Reagan, a former California governor, briefly considered housing Cuban refugees on Alcatraz in the early 1980s, but it was later given some protection as a National Historic Landmark during Reagan's second term.
Trump's idea — which seems not fully baked quite yet — was described by former House speaker and longtime California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, whose district includes most of San Francisco, as 'not a serious one.'
But aggravating San Franciscans might be a side benefit of the idea for Trump, who has also tried to eliminate a special trust Congress set up to oversee another park, the Presidio of San Francisco.
Perhaps his idea about Alcatraz got Trump thinking about movies like 'The Rock,' which could have inspired his subsequent Truth to declare the foreign production of films as a national security risk and threaten 100% tariffs 'on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!'
Later he encouraged people, again, to buy the $Trump meme coin. Those who hold the largest quantities of the coins, which are described as an expression of support for Trump, will be invited to a gala dinner, he said. Inflating the value of the coin could also enrich Trump. The White House has said there is no conflict of interest since Trump's children control his assets in a trust.
Trump's Truth Social feed can also have valuable information, such as when he tipped off supporters that 'THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT' just before he hit pause on some tariffs for 90 days and sent markets soaring in early April.
Hawk-eyed crypto traders might have been able to profit when Trump announced intentions to stockpile cryptocurrency back in March and included what CNN's report referred to as relatively obscure tokens: Solana, XRP and Cardano.
Trump frequently retweets bits of video in which he or his policies are praised, but he will also single out critics.
Republican strategist and Fox News analyst Karl Rove was in Trump's sights over the weekend after Rove criticized the Trump-as-pope post.
'Things like tweeting out a picture of you as the pope is deeply offensive to a great many people,' Rove said on Fox News. He also criticized Trump's tariff policies, saying they will drive up prices and make Trump 'Mr. Scrooge.'
Rove said Trump should give a White House address to explain tariffs to Americans and reach deals to drive them down.
Trump was apparently watching, because he responded on Truth Social.
'I don't need to have Karl Rove of Fox News to tell me what to do,' Trump wrote. 'The guy's a total Loser who's been wrong about almost everything!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Abuse of power' or necessary protection? Swift fallout over National Guard troops in L.A.
State and national leaders responded swiftly after President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in an effort to quell protests of immigration raids. Soldiers arrived early Sunday and were reported to be gathering at the Edward Roybal federal building near the Metropolitan Detention Center, several Los Angeles news outlets reported. Trump had thanked them for their efforts Saturday night via a Truth Social post before they arrived. 'Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,' he wrote at 11:41 p.m. Saturday, adding that it was a 'job well done.' Less than an hour later, just after midnight, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asserted that the National Guard had not yet been deployed in the city. She also thanked the Los Angeles Police Department and local law enforcement for their efforts on X. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also pointed out Trump's discrepancy Sunday morning. The White House announced Trump's plan to quell the widespread protests, which erupted in response to a series of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests, with 2,000 National Guard troops Saturday, citing that protest activity or violence that interfered with the work of immigration officials served as 'a form of rebellion' against the government. 'This federalization is benign done under 10 U.S.C. § 12406, which means the Guard troops will still be subject to the prohibitions in the Posse Comitatus Act,' Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Ca. wrote on X Saturday as part of a post condemning Trump's actions. The Posse Comitatus Act prevents federal troops from interfering with civilian law enforcement activities. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement Saturday about the situation. Penned by Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project, described the deployment of the National Guard as 'an abuse of power' that is 'recklessly undermining our foundational democratic principle that the military should not police civilians.' Others have deemed the decision as a brave response to chaos. 'President Trump is stepping up to provide safety while L.A. leaders hide from reality,' Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, wrote X Sunday morning. On the official X account for the House Committee on the Judiciary, Republicans shared a news clip of a man circling a burning car on a bike in Los Angeles while waving a Mexican flag with the caption 'Democrat-run Los Angeles.' Several other state and national political leaders, however, said sending in the National Guard was overreach. 'That move is purposely inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,' Newsom wrote on X, noting that local law enforcement had a handle on the situation. 'This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.' Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of San Diego, where an ICE raid at a local Italian restaurant led to several arrests and sparked community outrage last week, similarly deemed Trump's intervention an 'unnecessary escalation' on X. She warned that the move 'raises the potential for people to get hurt and erodes public trust.' Protests erupted in Los Angeles after a series of ICE arrests in the area Friday and Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that 118 immigrants were arrested in Los Angeles in the past week, though it was not specified how many were in the country illegally. The city of Paramount, where the Los Angeles Times reported that a protester and Border Patrol agent were injured Saturday, has become a major hub for protests. Many news outlets in Los Angeles have reported tense confrontations between both sides, with law enforcement deploying rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas against protesters, and demonstrators hurling rocks, fireworks and bottles in return. Dozens of protesters, including David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, have been arrested by federal agents and Los Angeles police. 'The Trump administration has repeatedly broken the law while deporting American citizens, including children, without the due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution,' wrote Jeffries, D-N.Y. 'Across the country, the American people are exercising their First Amendment right to lawfully and peacefully demonstrate against these actions. Observing law enforcement activity is not a crime and the administration's deployment of the National Guard in response is inflammatory and provocative.' The National Guard is typically tasked with responding to domestic emergencies, including civil unrest, and can be summoned by any state governor or the president. Usually, presidents activate troops at the request of state leaders. The decision is rarely made by a president independently. 'Calling in the National Guard when the Governor has not requested assistance is an intentional move by the Trump Administration to unnecessarily escalate the situation in Los Angeles County,' Rep. Nanette D. Barragán, D-Carson (Los Angeles County), wrote Saturday on X. 'This is an abuse of power and what dictators do. It's unnecessary and not needed.'
Hamilton Spectator
40 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Mike Johnson downplays Musk's influence and says Republicans will pass Trump's tax and budget bill
With an uncharacteristically feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson took clear sides Sunday in President Donald Trump's breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk. The Republican House leader and staunch Trump ally said Musk's criticism of the GOP's massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure, and he downplayed Musk's influence over the GOP-controlled Congress. 'I didn't go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world,' Johnson said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'What we're trying to do is help hardworking Americans who are trying to provide for their families and make ends meet,' Johnson insisted. Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill. Musk called it an 'abomination' that would add to U.S. debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House. His criticism sparked an angry social media back-and-forth with Trump, who told reporters over the weekend that he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. The speaker was dismissive of Musk's threats to finance opponents — even Democrats — of Republican members who back Trump's bill. 'We've got almost no calls to the offices, any Republican member of Congress,' Johnson said. 'And I think that indicates that people are taking a wait and see attitude. Some who may be convinced by some of his arguments, but the rest understand: this is a very exciting piece of legislation.' Johnson argued that Musk still believes 'that our policies are better for human flourishing. They're better for the US economy. They're better for everything that he's involved in with his innovation and job creation and entrepreneurship.' The speaker and other Republicans, including Trump's White House budget chief, continued their push back Sunday against forecasts that their tax and budget plans will add to annual deficits and thus balloon a national debt already climbing toward $40 trillion. Johnson insisted that Musk has bad information, and the speaker disputed the forecasts of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that scores budget legislation. The bill would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, cut spending and reduce some other levies but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade , according to the CBO's analysis. The speaker countered with arguments Republicans have made for decades : That lower taxes and spending cuts would spur economic growth that ensure deficits fall. Annual deficits and the overall debt actually climbed during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and during Trump's first presidency , even after sweeping tax cuts. Russell Vought, who leads the White House Office of Budget and Management, said on Fox News Sunday that CBO analysts base their models of 'artificial baselines.' Because the 2017 tax law set the lower rates to expire, CBO's cost estimates, Vought argued, presuming a return to the higher rates before that law went into effect. Vought acknowledged CBO's charge from Congress is to analyze legislation and current law as it is written. But he said the office could issue additional analyses, implying it would be friendlier to GOP goals. Asked whether the White House would ask for alternative estimates, Vought again put the burden on CBO, repeating that congressional rules allow the office to publish more analysis. Other Republicans, meanwhile, approached the Trump-Musk battle cautiously. 'As a former professional fighter, I learned a long time ago, don't get between two fighters,' said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin on CNN's 'State of the Union.' He even compared the two billionaire businessmen to a married couple. 'President Trump is a friend of mine but I don't need to get, I can have friends that have disagreements,' Mullin said. 'My wife and I dearly love each other and every now and then, well actually quite often, sometimes she disagrees with me, but that doesn't mean that we can't stay focused on what's best for our family. Right now, there may be a disagreement but we're laser focused on what is best for the American people.' —- Associated Press journalist Gary Fields contributed from Washington. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
News Analysis: A political lesson for L.A. from an unrestrained president
When racial justice protests roiled cities across America at the depths of the pandemic, President Trump, then in his first term, demonstrated restraint. Threats to invoke the Insurrection Act and to federalize the National Guard never materialized. This time, it took less than 24 hours of isolated protests in Los Angeles County before Trump, more aggressive than ever in his use of executive power, to issue a historic order. 'The federal government will step in and solve the problem,' he said on social media Saturday night, issuing executive action not seen since civil unrest gripped the nation in the 1960s. It was the latest expression of a president unleashed from conventional parameters on his power, unconcerned with states' rights or the proportionality of his actions. And the targeting of a Democratic city in a Democratic state was, according to the vice president, an intentional ploy to make a political lesson out of Los Angeles. The pace of the escalation, and the federal government's unwillingness to defer to cooperative local law enforcement authorities, raise questions about the administration's intentions as it responds to protesters. The administration skipped several steps in an established ladder of response options, such as enhancing U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service personnel to protect federal prisons and property, before asking the state whether a National Guard deployment might be warranted. Read more: Chabria: ICE arrested a California union leader. Does Trump understand what that means? Local officials were clear that they did not want, or need, federal assistance. And they are concerned that Trump's heavy-handed response risks escalating what was a series of isolated, heated clashes consisting of a few hundred people into a larger law enforcement challenge that could roil the city. The president's historic deployment prompted fury among local Democratic officials who warned of an infringement on states' rights. Trump's takeover of the California National Guard, Gov. Gavin Newsom said, was prompted 'not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.' 'Don't give them one,' he said. Vice President JD Vance, calling the anti-ICE protesters 'insurrectionists,' welcomed the political pushback, stating on X that 'one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil.' Protests against ICE agents on Friday and Saturday were limited in scale and location. Several dozen people protested the flash raids on Friday afternoon outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, with some clashing with agents and vandalizing the building. The LAPD authorized so-called less-lethal munitions against a small group of 'violent protesters' after concrete was thrown at an officer. The protest disbursed by midnight. On Saturday, outside a Home Depot, demonstrators chanted 'ICE go home' and 'No justice, no peace.' Some protesters yelled at deputies, and a series of flash-bang grenades was deployed. Read more: Photos: A fierce pushback on ICE raids in L.A. from protesters, officials 'What are you doing!' one man screamed out. Times reporters witnessed federal agents lobbing multiple rounds of flash-bangs and pepper balls at protesters. Despite the limited scale of the violence, by Saturday evening, the Trump administration embraced the visuals of a city in chaos compelling federal enforcement of law and order. 'The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday night. 'These criminals will be arrested and swiftly brought to justice. The commander-in-chief will ensure the laws of the United States are executed fully and completely.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement Saturday, said the administration is prepared to go further, deploying active-duty U.S. Marines to the nation's second-largest city. 'This is deranged behavior,' responded California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. Trump's decision Saturday to call in the National Guard, using a rarely used authority called Title 10, has no clear historic precedent. President Lyndon Johnson cited Title 10 in 1965 to protect civil rights marchers during protests in Selma, Ala., but did so out of concern that local law enforcement would decline to do so themselves. Read more: 2,000 National Guard troops will be sent to L.A. amid clashes over immigration raids By contrast, this weekend, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said it was fully cooperating with federal law enforcement. 'We are planning for long-term civil unrest and collaborating with our law enforcement partners,' the department said in a statement. The 2,000 Guardsmen called up for duty is double the number that were assigned by local authorities to respond to much wider protests that erupted throughout Los Angeles in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in 2020. Tom Homan, the president's so-called border czar, told Fox News on Saturday evening that the administration was 'already ahead of the game' in its planning for a National Guard deployment. 'This is about enforcing the law, and again, we're not going to apologize for doing it,' he said. 'We're stepping up.' National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, deploying around federal buildings in L.A. County. "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs," Trump wrote on Truth, his social media platform, "then the federal government will step in and solve the problem." Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
