Trump promised to bring down the deep state. To MAGA loyalists, he's joined it

3 days ago

'I can take chicken fertiliser and sell it to 'em for caviar,' he crows, grinning.
Trump's Truth Social posts backing up Pam Bondi's claim that the Epstein files were much ado about nothing showed that same brutal disregard for his devout fans. They had taken him seriously? What fools!
He tried to subdue his MAGAcolytes – his 'boys' and 'gals' – by ordering them not to 'waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.' He said that those who are focused on the 'Jeffrey Epstein hoax' are 'selfish people,' 'PAST supporters' and 'weaklings' who had been 'conned by the Lunatic Left.'
If his fans couldn't focus on how great he was, better than 'perhaps any President in our Country's history,' Trump pouted in a post, 'I don't want their support anymore!'
One 'gal,' a Texan named Rosie, said she was brokenhearted. She replied on Truth Social that she has four daughters and 'can't even begin to comprehend the flipped narrative that 'it was so long ago' 'why are we still talking about this' and 'nobody should care.' These victims were some ones daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughter. Someone's child. Please reconsider, sir.'
He has lost some of his base's trust by refusing to deliver the goods, or to acknowledge that he used people such as Kash Patel and Dan Bongino to whip up the frenzy against the paedophile who gave rides to Trump and Bill Clinton on his plane dubbed by some the Lolita Express.
Trump bonded with Epstein years ago, although it's not clear if Trump knew the extent of Epstein's predations. He told New York Magazine in 2002 that Epstein 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.'
This past week was the first time Trump had such a dramatic rift with his supporters, who are often compared to a cult.
Trump, who rose to power with the help of Fox News, threatened Emma Tucker, editor of Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal, trying to stop its story about a bawdy letter and drawing he allegedly contributed to a 50th birthday book that Ghislaine Maxwell compiled for Epstein.
'I'm gonna sue The Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else,' he said in a call Tuesday with the Journal. (He filed the suit on Friday.) He denied that he ever drew an outline of a naked woman with his name scribbled in a salacious spot, along with writing an insinuating wish to Epstein that 'every day be another wonderful secret.' (What had to be kept secret, Donald?)
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'I don't draw pictures,' he wrote on Truth Social, denouncing the 'FAKE letter' in the 'Fake Story.'
But Trump's lies – such as the one about his uncle at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Unabomber – are falling apart almost instantaneously. It immediately came out that he was a 'high-profile doodler,' as Tyler Pager put it in The New York Times, and that he donated drawings to charity in the early 2000s.
On Thursday, Trump posted that he had asked Bondi to produce 'any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.' But judges usually keep such testimony secret. It was hilarious to see Trump hiding behind the judiciary he has tried to sideline.
The president, hoping to redirect the ire of the base back to its favourite chew toy, the mainstream media, posted that the Journal is a 'Disgusting and Filthy Rag.'
Natalie Winters, a reporter for Steve Bannon's War Room podcast, told Bannon that the Journal story made her feel 'gaslit' by the administration. 'I thought the DOJ had nothing related to Epstein,' she said. 'Well, this story sort of contradicts that. So why don't we release it? It's maddening.'
Twisting conspiracy theories into a Gordian knot of hate, Trump is claiming some Epstein files were 'made up' by Barack Obama, James Comey, 'Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration' and 'Crooked Hillary.'
It's tough to blame the deep state when you are the deep state.

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‘First Lady Melania Trump Opera House' proposed as new name for John F. Kennedy Centre opera house

West Australian

13 minutes ago

West Australian

‘First Lady Melania Trump Opera House' proposed as new name for John F. Kennedy Centre opera house

House Republicans have voted to rename the opera house at Washington's John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in honour of First Lady Melania Trump. The newly proposed name, the First Lady Melania Trump Opera House, was included as an amendment to a spending bill for the Interior Department. The House Appropriations Committee adopted the amendment by a 33-25 vote. The move comes after lawmakers approved $US256.7 million ($AU390m) for improvements to the Kennedy Centre, highlighting the growing influence of US President Donald Trump over the institution. Since taking office, Mr Trump fired several Kennedy Centre board members and appointed himself chairman. During a tour of the facility in March 2025, he pledged to 'make it great again'. 'I'm very disappointed when I look around. The bottom line: It has tremendous potential,' Mr Trump said. While the change has passed this committee vote, the name switch for the 2364-seat opera house still faces hurdles as it must be approved by both the full House and the Senate before becoming official. With Republicans holding 53 Senate seats but needing 60 votes to pass spending bills, the measure's future remains uncertain. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, who introduced the amendment, said renaming the venue is an 'excellent way to recognise her support and commitment to promoting the arts'. Critics argue the proposal is a politicised gesture inserted into essential funding legislation. The Kennedy Centre has yet to comment on the renaming initiative, which is part of broader efforts by Republicans to cement US President Donald Trump's legacy through symbolic moves, including attempts to rename Dulles International Airport and place Trump's likeness on Mount Rushmore.

Shock move to rename famed Kennedy Centre after Melania

Perth Now

13 minutes ago

Perth Now

Shock move to rename famed Kennedy Centre after Melania

Trump strikes trade deal with Japan to cut tariffs

The Advertiser

41 minutes ago

The Advertiser

Trump strikes trade deal with Japan to cut tariffs

The United States and Japan have struck a deal to lower the hefty tariffs President Donald Trump threatened to impose on goods from its Asian ally that includes a pledge by Japan to invest $550 billion ($A842 billion) in the United States. The agreement - including a 15 per cent tariff on all imported Japanese goods, down from a proposed 25 per cent - is the most significant of the string of trade deals the White House has reached ahead of an approaching August 1 deadline for higher levies to kick in. In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that Japan will open to trade for cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products, among other items. "I just signed the largest TRADE DEAL in history with Japan," Trump said. "This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan," he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is facing political pressure after a bruising election defeat on Sunday, hailed the deal as "the lowest figure among countries that have a trade surplus with the US". The two sides also agreed to cut tariff 25 per cent tariffs already imposed on Japanese autos to 15 per cent, Ishiba said. Auto exports account for more than a quarter of Japan's exports to the US. The announcement ignited a rally in Japanese stocks, with the benchmark Nikkei climbing 2.6 per cent to its highest in a year. Shares of automakers surged in particular, with Toyota up more than 11 per cent, and Honda and Nissan both up more than eight per cent. The exuberance extended to shares of South Korean carmakers as well, as the Japan deal stoked optimism that South Korea could strike a comparable deal. The yen firmed slightly against the dollar, and US equity index futures edged upward. But US automakers signalled their unhappiness with the deal, raising concerns about a trade regime that could cut tariffs on auto imports from Japan to 15 per cent while leaving tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico at 25 per cent. Matt Blunt, who heads the American Automotive Policy Council which represents General Motors Ford and Chrysler-parent Stellantis, said "any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles with high US content is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers". Autos are a huge part of US-Japan trade, but almost all of it is one way to the US from Japan, a fact that has long irked Trump. In 2024, the US imported more than $US55 billion ($A84 billion) of vehicles and automotive parts while just over $US2 billion ($A3.1 billion) were sold into the Japanese market from the US Two-way trade between the two countries totaled nearly $US230 billion ($A352 billion) in 2024, with Japan running a trade surplus of nearly $US70 billion ($A107 billion). Japan is the fifth-largest US trading partner in goods, US Census Bureau data show. The United States and Japan have struck a deal to lower the hefty tariffs President Donald Trump threatened to impose on goods from its Asian ally that includes a pledge by Japan to invest $550 billion ($A842 billion) in the United States. The agreement - including a 15 per cent tariff on all imported Japanese goods, down from a proposed 25 per cent - is the most significant of the string of trade deals the White House has reached ahead of an approaching August 1 deadline for higher levies to kick in. In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that Japan will open to trade for cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products, among other items. "I just signed the largest TRADE DEAL in history with Japan," Trump said. "This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan," he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is facing political pressure after a bruising election defeat on Sunday, hailed the deal as "the lowest figure among countries that have a trade surplus with the US". The two sides also agreed to cut tariff 25 per cent tariffs already imposed on Japanese autos to 15 per cent, Ishiba said. Auto exports account for more than a quarter of Japan's exports to the US. The announcement ignited a rally in Japanese stocks, with the benchmark Nikkei climbing 2.6 per cent to its highest in a year. Shares of automakers surged in particular, with Toyota up more than 11 per cent, and Honda and Nissan both up more than eight per cent. The exuberance extended to shares of South Korean carmakers as well, as the Japan deal stoked optimism that South Korea could strike a comparable deal. The yen firmed slightly against the dollar, and US equity index futures edged upward. But US automakers signalled their unhappiness with the deal, raising concerns about a trade regime that could cut tariffs on auto imports from Japan to 15 per cent while leaving tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico at 25 per cent. Matt Blunt, who heads the American Automotive Policy Council which represents General Motors Ford and Chrysler-parent Stellantis, said "any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles with high US content is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers". Autos are a huge part of US-Japan trade, but almost all of it is one way to the US from Japan, a fact that has long irked Trump. In 2024, the US imported more than $US55 billion ($A84 billion) of vehicles and automotive parts while just over $US2 billion ($A3.1 billion) were sold into the Japanese market from the US Two-way trade between the two countries totaled nearly $US230 billion ($A352 billion) in 2024, with Japan running a trade surplus of nearly $US70 billion ($A107 billion). Japan is the fifth-largest US trading partner in goods, US Census Bureau data show. The United States and Japan have struck a deal to lower the hefty tariffs President Donald Trump threatened to impose on goods from its Asian ally that includes a pledge by Japan to invest $550 billion ($A842 billion) in the United States. The agreement - including a 15 per cent tariff on all imported Japanese goods, down from a proposed 25 per cent - is the most significant of the string of trade deals the White House has reached ahead of an approaching August 1 deadline for higher levies to kick in. In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that Japan will open to trade for cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products, among other items. "I just signed the largest TRADE DEAL in history with Japan," Trump said. "This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan," he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is facing political pressure after a bruising election defeat on Sunday, hailed the deal as "the lowest figure among countries that have a trade surplus with the US". The two sides also agreed to cut tariff 25 per cent tariffs already imposed on Japanese autos to 15 per cent, Ishiba said. Auto exports account for more than a quarter of Japan's exports to the US. The announcement ignited a rally in Japanese stocks, with the benchmark Nikkei climbing 2.6 per cent to its highest in a year. Shares of automakers surged in particular, with Toyota up more than 11 per cent, and Honda and Nissan both up more than eight per cent. The exuberance extended to shares of South Korean carmakers as well, as the Japan deal stoked optimism that South Korea could strike a comparable deal. The yen firmed slightly against the dollar, and US equity index futures edged upward. But US automakers signalled their unhappiness with the deal, raising concerns about a trade regime that could cut tariffs on auto imports from Japan to 15 per cent while leaving tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico at 25 per cent. Matt Blunt, who heads the American Automotive Policy Council which represents General Motors Ford and Chrysler-parent Stellantis, said "any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles with high US content is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers". Autos are a huge part of US-Japan trade, but almost all of it is one way to the US from Japan, a fact that has long irked Trump. In 2024, the US imported more than $US55 billion ($A84 billion) of vehicles and automotive parts while just over $US2 billion ($A3.1 billion) were sold into the Japanese market from the US Two-way trade between the two countries totaled nearly $US230 billion ($A352 billion) in 2024, with Japan running a trade surplus of nearly $US70 billion ($A107 billion). Japan is the fifth-largest US trading partner in goods, US Census Bureau data show. The United States and Japan have struck a deal to lower the hefty tariffs President Donald Trump threatened to impose on goods from its Asian ally that includes a pledge by Japan to invest $550 billion ($A842 billion) in the United States. The agreement - including a 15 per cent tariff on all imported Japanese goods, down from a proposed 25 per cent - is the most significant of the string of trade deals the White House has reached ahead of an approaching August 1 deadline for higher levies to kick in. In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that Japan will open to trade for cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products, among other items. "I just signed the largest TRADE DEAL in history with Japan," Trump said. "This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan," he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is facing political pressure after a bruising election defeat on Sunday, hailed the deal as "the lowest figure among countries that have a trade surplus with the US". The two sides also agreed to cut tariff 25 per cent tariffs already imposed on Japanese autos to 15 per cent, Ishiba said. Auto exports account for more than a quarter of Japan's exports to the US. The announcement ignited a rally in Japanese stocks, with the benchmark Nikkei climbing 2.6 per cent to its highest in a year. Shares of automakers surged in particular, with Toyota up more than 11 per cent, and Honda and Nissan both up more than eight per cent. The exuberance extended to shares of South Korean carmakers as well, as the Japan deal stoked optimism that South Korea could strike a comparable deal. The yen firmed slightly against the dollar, and US equity index futures edged upward. But US automakers signalled their unhappiness with the deal, raising concerns about a trade regime that could cut tariffs on auto imports from Japan to 15 per cent while leaving tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico at 25 per cent. Matt Blunt, who heads the American Automotive Policy Council which represents General Motors Ford and Chrysler-parent Stellantis, said "any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles with high US content is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers". Autos are a huge part of US-Japan trade, but almost all of it is one way to the US from Japan, a fact that has long irked Trump. In 2024, the US imported more than $US55 billion ($A84 billion) of vehicles and automotive parts while just over $US2 billion ($A3.1 billion) were sold into the Japanese market from the US Two-way trade between the two countries totaled nearly $US230 billion ($A352 billion) in 2024, with Japan running a trade surplus of nearly $US70 billion ($A107 billion). Japan is the fifth-largest US trading partner in goods, US Census Bureau data show.