Donald Trump continues to make every day a little more unpredictable.
Whether it’s leaning on people to go easy on an alleged human trafficker, doing laps of a speedway track, or firing hundreds of aviation safety workers, there’s always something that makes you go… wait what?
Even while he’s sunning himself in Florida (which he is today – a Tuesday, a normal working day for most people) – all eyes are on the talks he set up between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia.
Here’s all the bizarre things Donald Trump has gifted the universe in the last 24 or so hours, and why you need to know about them.
1. He could be planning another little gift for Putin
Donald Trump has already boosted Vladimir Putin’s legitimacy in an unprecedented way – taking him from international pariah to a seat at the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia.
And here’s a little icing on the cake – he’s reportedly considering withdrawing all US troops from the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania – you know, the ones right next to Russia.
According to the FT, European officials believe Trump is willing to agree to taking American troops out of the Baltic states.
This would absolutely delight Putin, and make Europe vulnerable to Russian invasion.
2. Nobody knows who’s actually in charge of DOGE, but apparently it’s NOT Elon Musk…
Elon Musk’s job title has officially been revealed in government legal documents. He’s a “senior advisor” to the President – which is not unusual, he has loads of those.
What the document reveals that is unusual is that despite all evidence to the contrary, he is not actually in charge of DOGE – his youthful bully squad who have both wide-ranging access to government departments and data – and real struggles comprehending basic spreadsheets.
“The US DOGE service is a component of the Executive Office of the President,” the document, written by Joshua Fisher – effectively the US government’s top HR officer – reads. “The US DOGE Temporary Organisation is within the US DOGE service. Both are separate from the White House Office. Mr Musk is an Employee of the White House Office. He is not an employee of the US DOGE service or US DOGE Temporary Organisation.
“Mr Musk is not the US DOGE Service Administration.”
It, obviously, doesn’t say who *is* the US DOGE Service Administrator.
3. Pressured Romania to lift restrictions on Andrew Tate
Apparently pardoning cop-assaulting rioters and putting himself on the same side as Vladimir Putin just isn’t toxic enough for Donald Trump.
So he’s leaned on Romania to ease off a bit on admitted misogynist Andrew Tate, who is facing allegations of trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, and money laundering, alongside his brother Tristan. Both have strongly denied the charges.
According to the Financial Times, the case was brought up by US officials in a phone call with the Romanian government last week, and followed up by special envoy Rick Grenell at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.
4. Fired hundreds of aviation workers weeks after fatal plane crash
What’s a good thing to do in the weeks following a fatal plane crash? Indiscriminately fire hundreds of people at the aviation safety agency? Sure, why not.
Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.
Surely these were all back office staff with no direct responsibility for flight safety though, right?
Nah. The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance.
The Department of Transportation insists no “critical” safety staff were let go, to the relief of absolutely nobody about to get on a flight.
The emails firing staff didn’t even come from government addresses – but from a Microsoft outlook address.
5. Appeared to confirm a 20% tariff on all UK imports because VAT
While everyone is understandably captivated by Ukraine, Russia and Trump’s handling of the “peace process” …the President quietly returned to an earlier storyline last night.
He used a lengthy social media post to announce that he will be slapping “reciprocal” tariffs on every country that charges VAT. Which, yes, is mad, but stay with me.
“On Trade, I have decided, for purposes of Fairness, that I will charge a RECIPROCAL Tariff meaning, whatever Countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them – No more, no less!” He wrote.
“For purposes of this United States Policy, we will consider Countries that use the VAT System, which is far more punitive than a Tariff, to be similar to that of a Tariff.”
So yeah, unless anything changes, that’s a 20% tariff on all UK goods.
6. Got this North Korea-style praise for doing laps at Daytona
We all saw Trump achieving every Sega Saturn owner’s dream of doing a lap of Daytona Raceway in “The Beast” the other day.
What you might not have seen is this drippingly obsequious elegy made to him by by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
“Watching President Trump in the beast, leading the pace car, leading the field of the most talented drivers in the world, kicking off the entire Nascar season for America, when he was doing that it reminded me of how he’s actually leading the world right now,” he gushed. “He was courageous during his first term, but this time he’s fearless. He’s operating at a next level. He’s at a different gear … His ideas are brilliant, and they’re powerful, and they’re simple.”
Calm down, Doug.