Trump threatened to send troops into Gaza, demolished part of the White House, and nearly got in a scrap with an Ambassador. Here’s everything you need to know
Donald Trump is having Republican congressmen over for lunch on his newly paved over Rose Garden Patio this afternoon. And later he’s hosting more of them for a dinner on the same patio. The soirees are expected to involve pep talks from the President, urging them to hold their nerve during the ongoing government shutdown. But Republicans are said to be becoming increasingly nervous about their numbers tanking once the freeze on spending starts to affect essential government benefits – not to mention the salaries of airport security staff and air traffic controllers.
Meanwhile in Trumpworld
- Trump threatens to invade Gaza
- He demolished part of the White House
- Hungary might be off
- There are more ‘Nazi’ text messages
- Trump dumping poo on Americans was to ‘make a point’
- He nearly got in a scrap with an ambassador
- Comey asked a judge to toss out the case against him
Everything you need to know can be found below…
The ‘President of Peace’
1. Trump threatens to go into Gaza with ‘heavy force’ to ‘straighten out Hamas’
If you’re wondering how Donald Trump’s peace deal is working out, he just posted a direct threat to invade Gaza on Truth Social, saying it would be “FAST, FURIOUS AND BRUTAL”. He wrote: “Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and “straighten our Hamas” if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, “NOT YET!” There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. Also, I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the U.S.A. TO EVERYONE”
2. No thanks, not Hungary…
The summit between Trump and Putin in Hungary might be off. The two leaders had agreed to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks, at a summit hosted by Hungary’s far-right leader Viktor Orban. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to meet his Russian Counterpart Sergey Lavrov ahead of the summit to agree details of a potential peace deal. But that meeting has reportedly been axed. The Kremlin described a call between the two advisors on Monday a “constructive discussion” that dealt with “possible concrete steps to implement the understandings” between Trump and Putin. But hours after the call, it seemed plans for a face to face meeting had changed, and they wouldn’t be meeting in person soon. The White House did not give a reason for the change.
The Gold House
3. Trump demolishes the East Wing of the White House
The world woke up this morning to a visual metaphor so on the nose that even Charlie Brooker would have rolled his eyes and said “alright, calm down.” Images began to emerge of backhoes rolling around on the White House grounds, literally tearing the walls of the East Wing to the ground, as part of the construction of Trump’s ballroom. It’s the latest tacky defilement of the people’s house since Trump retuned to power.
- He tore up the world famous Rose Garden and paved it over so he can have dinner parties on it with Republicans and various flunkies, just like he has at Mar A Lago
- Tearing out the bathroom of the Lincoln Bedroom, which was redone in the 1940s in art deco style, and which he’s replaced with …white marble, just like he has at Mar A Lago
- He tore up part of the North and South Lawns, installing huge novelty flagpoles at both sides of the White House, identical to the one he has at Mar A Lago
- He superglued a range of gold coloured trinkets to the walls and fireplaces in the Oval Office, as well as a bunch of full length mirrors, just like he has at Mar A Lago
- And he hung pictures of himself and previous presidents along the wall of the colonnade between the Oval and the Rose Garden. Joe Biden is represented by a picture of an autopen.
4. Here’s a reminder of when he promised he wouldn’t do exactly this
In July, Trump said: “It won’t interfere with the current building. It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it – and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favourite. It’s my favourite place. I love it.”
Trump is said to have branded the White House a “dump” during his first Presidency, and decamped to Mar A Lago whenever he could. He has not done that this time around, instead deciding to remake it in Mar A Lago’s image.
5. Is demolishing the White House something he’s allowed to do?
The White House insists it definitely is. They’re even sending round a list of renovations that have been undertaken since it was first built in 1792. The most significant of these was in the early 1950s, when the building was pretty dilapidated and on the verge of collapse after 150 years of rushed renovations, wartime reconstruction, a shonkily added third floor and flimsy foundations. The building was completely gutted and rebuilt from the inside out.
But most of the changes made since the 1960s have been minor – Nixon changing the swimming pool into a press briefing room, Obama changing the tennis court in to a basketball court. And the reason they’ve been minor is because it was designated a historical site in 1960.
Trump is allowed to do whatever he likes to the living quarters, within reason. But if he wants to physically change the historic guest suites – such as the Lincoln bedroom – or the public spaces on the ground and first floors – such as demolishing the East Wing – he’s supposed to consult the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.
As it stands, it remains unclear whether the Committee, which works with the White House Historical Association has provided recommendations or raised concerns about Trump’s demolition project. In fact, it’s unclear whether the Committee currently exists. The terms of the 13 people who Joe Biden appointed to it in 2023 expired when Trump took office, according to the New York Times.
6. Staff told not to take or share photos of the demolition
The US Treasury is *right next* to the White House’s East Wing, and has a pretty good view of the demolition project underway. According to the Wall Street Journal, Treasury staff got an email on Monday warning them not to take or share photos the demolition “without prior approval from the Office of Public Affairs.”
And while it’s possible this is because, as the Treasury insists, they don’t want details of the White House’s security features broadcast to the world, it’s unclear why that would be a problem since the pictures are of a part of the building that’s literally being demolished.
Another possibility is that they didn’t want the image of the People’s House being bulldozed to get out there, because people would be furious about it. Which also might be why they did it *after* the No Kings march, lest it prompt even more to take part than the 7 million Americans in the streets on Saturday.
Racist texts scandal
7. One leak of ‘Nazi’ texts could be regarded as a misfortune…two looks like carelessness
Last week a cache of hugely offensive text messages from a Young Republicans group were dismissed by JD Vance as “what kids do”. The messages – which included youthful banter like “I love Hitler” – were sent by people aged between 24 and 35. You know, “kids.”
And last night, a second expose dropped, this time featuring texts from Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s 30-year-old nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. Ingrassia, who needs Congressional confirmation before he can take the post, is said to have text Republican colleagues things like: “MLK Jr was the 1960s George Floyd and his “holiday” should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.
He is also said to have written: “I do have a Nazi streak in me from tie to time, I will admit it” and “Never trust a chinaman or Indian. NEVER”.
Ingrassia’s lawyer told Politico: “Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis,’In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi.”
Diplomacy
8. Trump nearly got in a fight with the Ambassador from Australia
There was almost a Zelensky-style showdown in the Cabinet Room last night, when someone let slip that Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd (the former Australian Prime Minister), had said some mean things about him.
The room held its collective breath as current PM Anthony Albanese pointed him out across the table, and Trump looked him and said: “So you said bad?”
“Before I took this position, Mr President,” Rudd said. In 2020, Rudd wrote, accurately, on social media that he believed Trump was “the most destructive” president in US history. He deleted the post in November after Trump won the election. He also said Trump was “a village idiot’ and ‘not a leading intellectual force” in an interview. Trump pointed at him, and prompted nervous laughter by saying: “I don’t like you and I probably never will.”
It all calmed down a bit after that, and the two leaders signed a rare earths deal worth $8.5billion, as well as endorsing the AUKUS security partnership.
The Surge
9. House speaker defends video of Trump dumping poo on Americans
Mike Johnson, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, was asked why he insisted on calling the No Kings marches ‘Hate America Rallies’ – when the US President released a video of him dropping poo on the 7 million Americans who took part. Johnson replied: “The President uses social media to make a point. You could argue he’s the most effective person to ever use social media for that. He is using satire to make a point.” In case you missed it, here’s the video. It’s unclear what “point” Trump was trying to make with it, other than “I have nothing but contempt for the 167 million voting age Americans who didn’t vote for me last year.”
10. Portland ‘looks like Gaza’
Fox News’ Jesse Watters declared on air last night that “Portland looks like Gaza”. Which is only true if the handlebar moustache has really taken off in Gaza the last few months, and guys writing unicycles have opened a lot of coffee shops that only take Venmo, and turn into axe-throwing bars after dark.
11. ‘Fake riots?’
When looking at footage from Portland, it’s worth remembering this claim from Jeffrey Merkley, a senator from Oregon, who claims “fake riots” have been engineered in Portland in a bid to justify the use of the Insurrection Act.
“They marched peaceful protesters three blocks, then they had a line across the road, there were professional videographers behind them, then they threw pepper balls, flashbangs that sound like gunfire, and then they had tear gas,” he told reporters. “Of course when you put down tear gas everybody moves and it looks like you have a riot going on. Totally fake. This is the first time I know of, at least in my lifetime, that the government has faked a riot in order to try to justify the insurrection act being invoked.”
Weaponised justice
12. Pardoned capital rioter charged with threats to kill top Democrat
A January 6th rioter who was pardoned by Donald Trump when he took office, has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill Democrat House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to CBS. Christopher Moynihan allegedly wrote in text messages: “”Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live…Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future.”
13. Comey’s lawyers urge judge to dismiss case against him
Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge yesterday to dismiss the case against him, saying it was orchestrated by a White House determined to seek retribution against Trump’s political enemy. The lawyers separately called for the indictment’s dismissal because of what they said was the illegitimate appointment of the US. attorney who filed the case days after being hastily named to the job by Trump.
The two-prong attack on the indictment, which accuses Comey of lying to Congress five years ago, represents the opening salvo in what is expected to be a protracted court fight ahead of a trial currently set for Jan. 5. The motions challenge not only the substance of the allegations but also the unusual circumstances of the prosecution.