Latest news with #MAGAs
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Epstein Conspiracies Split Trump, Musk and the MAGAsphere
The president is learning the consequences of courting outlandish theories. Save Trouble is brewing among the MAGAs. 'How many of you are satisfied with the results of the Epstein investigation?' Fox pundit Laura Ingraham asked attendees at a Friday summit of young conservatives sponsored by Turning Point USA, an influential far-right activist group close to the Trump administration. The answer, according to the Washington Post, was a crescendo of boos.
The Hill
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Trump's mega-bill will hurt the health of his own voters
Even a Trump critic has to agree that Medicaid does have problems with fraud and abuse. But the problem with Medicaid isn't due to people cheating or failing to fill out the paperwork to prove they qualify as the working poor. No, the problem is health care 'providers' gaming the system, overbilling and pocketing profit, knowing they'll rarely face real consequences. These corporate bad guys draining Medicaid are labeled by critics as the health care 'crime families.' But those cheats are avoiding penalties as President Trump targets middle-class and poor people who rely on Medicaid. And a lot of them are his own voters. Trump promised not to cut into their Medicaid benefits. He said this explicitly, pledging that 'we're not going to do anything with that, other than if we can find some abuse or waste … but the people won't be affected.' Yet under Trump-backed legislation there will be cuts to federal funding to help with the cost of doctor visits and nursing homes. That hurts the large segment of Trump voters who get medical attention thanks to Medicaid. But hold on. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a fierce defender of GOP political interests as the former Senate Majority Leader and often a Trump critic, voted for the bill. 'I know a lot of us are hearing from people back home about Medicaid,' McConnell reportedly told his Senate GOP colleagues at a closed-door luncheon. 'But they'll get over it.' Get over it, senator? McConnell is not alone in his judgment that voters will look the other way, ignoring the withdrawal of medical treatment now provided by Medicaid. Vice President JD Vance said last week that cuts to Medicaid are 'immaterial.' Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) dismissed concern about Medicaid by telling a townhall that 'we're all going to die.' There is dissent among some Republicans aware that Trump built a working-class, populist base that includes a lot of people on Medicaid. Listen to Steve Bannon, the former Trump aide and far-right podcaster: 'A lot of MAGAs are on Medicaid. If you don't think so, you're dead wrong. You can't just take a meat axe to it.' The numbers indicate that Bannon is right. More than 20 million Republicans are on Medicaid. In recent focus groups with Trump voters in states such as Kentucky, Ohio and North Carolina, many said they never expected Trump to back such deep Medicaid cuts — and they're worried about what it means. Another famed Trump supporter, Elon Musk, is also making the point that Trump is harming his political base while failing to effectively cut government spending. 'Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!' Musk wrote. 'And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this earth.' Polling by Fox News backs these GOP critics. A June poll found that 59 percent of voters oppose the Trump bill, and 45 percent of people who say they understand the bill said it will 'hurt' their family. As NPR reported last week, 'The Senate plan to slash Medicaid and ACA marketplace funding could lead to nearly 12 million more people without insurance by 2034 … That in turn would harm the finances of hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers, which would have to absorb more of the cost of treating uninsured people, and may force them to reduce services and employees, as well as close facilities.' The high number of Trump supporters who rely on rural hospitals and health centers will specifically feel the impact. As Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) noted, the bill will result in cuts to substance abuse treatment, which includes opioid and addiction care as well as combating fentanyl use. Those programs are funded by Medicaid. 'It's shameful,' said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, warning 'people will die' and calling the bill an 'all-out Republican assault on health care.' He declared the House floor a 'crime scene' shortly before the GOP majority voted to pass it. That rhetoric is not fearmongering. Consider just a few problems already being pointed out by critics of Trump's bill. According to AIDS United, 40 percent of American adults living with HIV rely on Medicaid. A Brown University analysis finds that 579 U.S. nursing homes are now at high risk of closure. As the Kaiser Family Foundation reported, Medicaid pays for over 40 percent of births nationally and nearly half of births in rural areas. It is the largest payer of pregnancy-related services. Cuts will be especially devastating in states like Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Halting abortion has been a mainstay of GOP policy, and now many babies and their mothers will suffer as a result of cuts passed by Republican lawmakers who built their careers as opponents of abortion. Abortion rights advocates are sure to make the case that Republicans who voted for these cuts may end up with more deaths on their hands than any abortion provider. So, will voters 'get over it' as McConnell suggests? We'll see. The first test comes in four months in gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey — where a combined 3.2 million people rely on Medicaid. Juan Williams is senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a prize-winning civil rights historian. He is the author of the new book 'New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America's Second Civil Rights Movement.'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump's latest grift leaves us with one question: What does a Trump fragrance smell like?
As if we needed a new absurdity to toss onto the ever-growing pile of products being peddled using the president's name, we now have a new line of President Trump's Official Fragrances. The announcement came Monday in the same way so many announcements from Trump do — via Truth Social. "Trump Fragrances are here. They're called 'Victory 45-47' because they're all about Winning, Strength, and Success — For men and women," the President of the United States wrote. "Get yourself a bottle, and don't forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!" The 3.3 fl oz bottle retails for $249 on the official website. The image suggests that each perfume/cologne bottle has an image of a man in a suit on top. It's unclear whether that's supposed to represent Trump himself or not, even though the physique certainly bears no resemblance to the man himself. The description further suggests that the fragrance is "inspired by President Trump's history win," with the perfume claiming to capture "confidence, beauty, and unstoppable determination" and the cologne blending "rich, masculine notes with a refined, lasting finish." In other words, we have no idea what the scents actually are. — (@) It's a good bet that the official site didn't bother describing the fragrances because the sort of people who would jump at the chance to drop $249+ on Trump-themed perfume or cologne are unlikely to actually care about anything beyond proving their MAGA loyalty anyway. But where there are gaps, others are more than happy to fill in the blanks, and it didn't take long for people on social media to start theorizing as to what these pricy fragrances actually smell like. Here are some of our favorites: — (@) From the man who's always full of shit! — (@) The idea that this scent is perfectly formulated to mask the "evil, rotting soul" underneath is 10/10, no notes. — (@) Don't sniff too much of it. — (@) You know, because the Commander-in-Chief has a tendency To Always Chicken Out. — (@) Specifically, the smell of the US Constitution set on fire. — (@) Do grifts even have a scent? Well, they do now! It's just too bad MAGAs still couldn't smell them, even right under their noses. This article originally appeared on Pride: Trump's latest grift leaves us with one question: What does a Trump fragrance smell like? This buff candle smells like 'the sexiest NFL player's jockstrap' and we're VERY interested Amandla Stenberg Stars in Dreamy New Stella McCartney Fragrance Film Gucci Enlists Elliot Page For His First-Ever Fragrance Campaign
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sound Off: July 8, 2025
Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics. Now that Elon Musk and President Trump have divorced, who gets custody of the country? Will they split custody of Sec. Hegseth, or will he go back to living with his friends at FOX News? Our government needs to be run by the people, not a concentrated group of billionaires whose petty arguments, such as between President Trump and Elon Musk, affect our national objectives, like the space station or our international communications. Their childish behavior is putting personal interests before those of our country. What else can you make of Elon's comment, 'Go ahead, make my day,' in response to Trump's disparaging remarks? Guess all the MAGAs who were frothing at the mouth about the Epstein List will quiet down now that Rocket Boy has pointed the finger at President Taco. Before President Trump, Elon Musk was a guy getting government handouts, blowing up rockets and running Twitter into the ground. Sad that he would turn on our president like that. Guess we found out who is really concerned about the country. The second Elon Musk's wealth was remotely at risk, he turned on the president. It's President Trump who is concerned about our country, not Elon Musk. Since it doesn't have anything to do with tariffs, can we be confident that President Trump is going to hold his $25-million (at least) parade? Or is he going to chicken out on that, too? Democrats circle the wagons, remain silent and loyal, even when ghosting the nation over a decrepit, declining President Biden for four years. Republicans will degenerate into nitpicking and infighting over important legislation, personalities, egos and side issues, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They've done so over decades. It's stupid, wearisome and self-defeating. For the Mississippi GOP delegation of lawmakers on the Hill, please demand of your GOP colleagues and the White House a cease and desist before you ignorantly lose the remit voters gave you last fall. If you squander these four years, you'll be forever getting a similar chance again. I favor lower taxes for all, and not just those in certain jobs that receive a portion of their wage base in tips.. Because the welder and the plumber and the fireman's wages are not tips, we tax all their wages. Some GOP Representatives have admitted that they hadn't read all the contents in the budget bill they just passed. They just signed it because the House Speaker and President Trump told them to. Now they are using ignorance as an excuse for supporting specific measures that hurt their constituents. Sadly, it's apparently too much to ask of our lawmakers to actually read the bills they vote on. You or I would be fired for not doing our work. Our children would receive failing grades for such effort. But let's keep electing them. Hugh Keating's first thoughts and words after ostensibly winning Tuesday night were, 'this energized the conservatives point of view.' In a red city, in a red county, in a red state, Gulfport had less than 25% of registered voters vote. But the roughly 13K votes were statistically split between the 2 parties. So, let the notion of a mandate quickly fade. Good luck to Keating, but he has been part of the problems Gulfport has, and has not fixed, for at least the last decade and a half. And his campaign's caustic rhetoric, ads, mailings and homer-mouthpieces did nothing whatsoever to show anything will change. Still, Let's hope good ol' boy Gulfport politics die a much-needed death. Guess the next Gulfport candidate will have to offer something more than a free lunch. Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
"Don't Ever Say What You Said!": Trump Just Had A Complete Meltdown After Finding Out The Nickname Wall Street Has For His Tariffs
President Donald Trump threw a fit on Wednesday after a reporter asked him about an insulting acronym being bandied about on Wall Street. It's called TACO, or 'Trump Always Chickens Out,' and refers to how Trump often announces massive tariffs, which cause stocks to sink, then backs off, causing them to rise again. Savvy investors say they've figured out how to make a bundle via 'TACO' trades. A reporter asked Trump about it on Wednesday, and the president did not like the question at all. 'I chicken out? I've never heard that,' Trump fired back, then defended his tariff strategy, which was rejected by a federal trade court later in the day. Trump ultimately attacked the reporter for even asking the question. 'But don't ever say what you said,' Trump said. 'That's a nasty question. To me, that's the nastiest question.' That got Trump's critics talking about TACO: @mattmfm / Via Related: 18 Major Global Events That American Media Is Ignoring Right Now, And Why They Actually Matter To Us @quadcarl_carl / Via @keithedwards / Via @maddenifico / Fox / Via Related: "MAGAs Are The Dumbest People On This Planet": 26 Tweets About The Sad State Of Politics This Week @ReallyAmerican1 / Fox / Via @ClausWachmann / Fox / Via @ArbiterofCool / Fox / Via @dcperry / Fox / Via @JillianMHurley / Via @GoDucksnet / Fox / Via @TheStonehelm / Fox / Via @plantmath1 / Fox / Via This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: An Ad Against Far-Right Voters Is Going Viral For Being Both Terrifying And (Kinda) Accurate Also in In the News: This Republican Congressman Decided A Nap Was More Important Than Millions Of People Losing Their Medicaid, And The Photos Are Infuriating Also in In the News: A Clip Of Donald Trump Getting Angry After Being Fact-Checked Is Going Mega Viral, And It Sums Up His Entire Presidency In A Nutshell
