Today in Politics, Bulletin 152. 6/16/25

… Trump removed the bust of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Oval Office of the White House. When asked where it went by Black Press USA, a WH spokesperson claimed it was moved to the dining room. When asked for a photo showing it in the dining room, the spokesperson refused to provide one.

… Eric Trump announced the latest family grift today with a free infomercial on Fox - Trump Mobile: “More and more we are using technology as a company to correct problems. Truth Social was to correct freedom of speech. Crypto - we’ve got the biggest projects in crypto, which was to correct another problem, which is that they were debanking conservatives. I was the most canceled person in the country. Trump Mobile is going to revolutionize cell phones. We’re going to do it better and safer. You’re going to have phones made in America and it’s going to be cheaper. We’re really excited to get into this space.”

… When asked when they would be made in the US, Eric said “eventually all the phones will be built in the US.”

… Which means never.

… The Verge: “It seems utterly unfathomable that you could build a phone with this set of specs, at this price, to be delivered in September. Either Trump Mobile has done something truly remarkable here (and I’d bet you a T1 Phone 8002 that it hasn’t), or the phone it ends up shipping will not be the one buyers are expecting. Like we always say here at The Verge, it’s vaporware until it ships. And the Trump Mobile T1 Phone 8002 is as vapor-y as it gets.”

… “Trump Mobile’s inflated price is bolstered by some unique perks. It includes roadside assistance through Drive America Motor Club with a $100 credit toward towing. It also includes device protection through Omega Mobile Care. This could be a good value, but with service plans like these, what matters is how well they actually work in practice. And it’s hard to ascertain how reliable Omega Mobile Care is when it only seems to exist on the Trump Mobile website.”

… Trump was in Canada today representing Vladimir Putin at the G7 Summit. He said this to the press in his appearance with host PM Mark Carney: “Putin speaks to me, he doesn’t speak to anybody else because he doesn’t want to talk to them because he was very insulted when he got thrown out of the G8, as I would be. He was thrown out by Trudeau who convinced one or two people along with Obama, and he’s not happy about it I can tell you that.”

… Former Rep. Tom Malinowski: “Not that facts matter in this person's head, but Putin spoke to Obama multiple times after Russia was (justifiably) kicked out of the G-8, and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke and met with the Russians scores of times about Ukraine, Syria, Iran, etc.”

… NAFO Director Jurgen Nauditt: “To clarify Trump's lies: Russia was expelled from the G8 in 2014 for annexing Crimea and supporting military action in eastern Ukraine. The G7 states (the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, UK and Italy) viewed this as a violation of intl law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Following the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the G7 members suspended Russia's participation, and the meeting in Sochi was canceled. Instead, the G7 met in Brussels without Russia.”

… Trudeau was also not Canada’s PM when Russia was kicked out.

… Pete Hegseth’s DOD put two Russian flags in their Flag Day social media post:

… Trump also trashed American cities on foreign soil again after praising Putin: "I want ICE to focus on the cities. Most of those people are in the cities. All blue cities. All Democrat-run cities. And they think they're going to use them to vote. It's not gonna happen."

… That was a follow-up to Trump’s post on Truth Social that he wants ICE to target cities run by Democrats: “Every day, the Brave Men and Women of ICE are subjected to violence, harassment, and even threats from Radical Democrat Politicians, but nothing will stop us from executing our mission, and fulfilling our Mandate to the American People. ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History. In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as LA, Chicago, and NY, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside. These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens. These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it! There is something wrong with them.”

… NBC: “Two of the three states with the largest population of people in the US illegally are the red states of Texas and Florida. Trump, notably, does not name their cities when calling on ICE to execute more aggressive immigration raids.”

… Trump was then asked in front of Carney why he hasn’t been able to make a trade deal with Canada yet: “I think we have different concepts. I have a tariff concept. Mark has a different concept - which is something that some people like. But I’m a tariff person, I’ve always been a tariff person. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s precise and it goes very quickly. Mark has a very complex idea.”

… Trump also promised there will be peace between Israel and Iran soon because of him: “Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”

… In two weeks.

… But Trump giving a blank check repeatedly to Netanyahu in the region while pledging that he will end all wars around the globe and keep the US out of conflicts has split his base with the various MAGA factions attacking each other over it - and him. You have the “no wars” isolationists in the movement versus the “Trump can do no wrong” cultists, and it has gotten pretty ugly between them - far worse than it was during the few days of the Musk-Trump feud.

… Tucker Carlson on Steve Bannon’s show today: “I believe this is going to end Trump’s presidency - effectively end it” by breaking his coalition apart.

… Tucker then trashed Fox for pushing war with Iran 24/7 on their network: “What they’re doing is what they always do - which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast and just trying to knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them pro-war.”

… Tucker thinks Fox is a propaganda network that manipulates their largely senior citizen audience. Imagine that.

… Trump was asked today about Tucker’s comments: “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a job with a TV network so people can hear what he’s saying.”

… Rep. Marge Greene: “Everyone is finding out who are real America First/MAGA and who were fake and just said it because it was popular. Unfortunately the list of fakes are becoming quite long and exposed themselves quickly. Anyone slobbering for the US to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA. We are sick and tired of foreign wars. All of them. And this one will quickly engulf the Middle East, BRICS, and NATO as countries are required to take a side. Real America First/MAGA wants world peace for all people and doesn’t want our military killed and forever injured physically and mentally.”

… “We have spent TRILLIONS in the Middle East and we have dealt with the aftermath of death, blown apart bodies, never ending suicides, and disabling PTSD. All because they told us propaganda as to why we must sacrifice our own to defend some other country’s borders and some other country’s borders. I don’t want to see Israel bombed or Iran bombed or Gaza bombed. I don’t want to see Ukraine bombed or Russia bombed. And we do NOT want to be involved or required to pay for ANY OF IT!!!”

… Podcaster, comedian, Joe Rogan pal and frequent guest Dave Smith: “Trump, I supported him this past year and I apologize for doing so. It was a bad calculation. He should be impeached and removed for this. All of his supporters should turn on him. It’s an absolute betrayal of everything that he campaigned on. I know Trump supporters have been labeled a cult following, and that certainly is true for a percentage of them, but he’s going to lose his coalition over this.”

… Trump’s former NSA Michael Flynn is on the other side of the argument with the Fox hosts and establishment Republicans like Ted Cruz, John Thune and Lindsey Graham: “We have to let Israel finish the job, which will allow the US to fully focus on the Chinese Communist Party. An Israeli victory would establish regional dominance for Israel and strengthen American dominance globally.”

… Trump then dumped all the papers on the ground from his “trade agreement” with the UK. He claimed it was windy. It wasn’t.

… MAGA is also furious about Trump and Ag Sec Brooke Rollins announcing that ICE will not target migrants working farming or the hospitality industry. Rollins got over 4,600 angry replies to this from Trump supporters: “Ignore the noise from the fake news media and the grifters trying to divide us. The President and I have consistently advanced a ‘Farmers First’ approach, recognizing that American households depend upon a stable and LEGAL agricultural workforce. Severe disruptions to our food supply would harm Americans. It took us decades to get into this mess and we are prioritizing deportations in a way that will get us out.”

… That’s not what Trump said during the campaign. That’s not what Stephen Miller said last week. That’s not what Tom Homan has been saying. TACO Trump is caving to some of his big donors who employ migrants.

… Journalist Mickey Kaus: “Trump 1.0 had Paul Ryan, who conned him on the wall. Trump 2.0 has Rollins, who's already done huge damage to his deportation efforts, sabotaging them at the worst moment (when they're starting and under attack by the press and the left).”

… Right-winger Charlie Kirk conducted a poll asking his followers if they agreed with Trump’s policy to exempt certain migrants from deportations. He got over 140,000 MAGA votes. 79% said they disagree with Trump on this. 21% agreed.

… During the parade on his birthday, which was really supposedly all about honoring the US Army and not about Trump, he appeared on screen 101 separate times during the Fox broadcast.

… Trump says the fact that it didn’t rain proves that scientists are wrong about climate change: “They gave it a 100% chance it was going to rain like crazy, and it didn’t rain at all. So how can they predict 100 years out, 50 years out, 200 years out? They didn’t do too well - the weather people.”

… Nancy Wilson, singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist for the band Heart, was upset that Trump used her song ‘Barracuda’ at his parade, although the fact that it is an anthem about sleazy men made it somewhat appropriate. She posted on IG while wearing a No Kings hat: “Barracuda was played without permission or authorization from us. The song is a powerful piece of music that was never intended for political use.”

… “As daughters of a US Marine Corps major, we hold a deep and abiding respect for the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. On a day meant to honor that service, it’s important that music used in such settings reflects not only the tone of the event but also the wishes of the artists who created it.”

… Aside from being a great person, Nancy is one of the greatest guitar players of all time who has never gotten the recognition she deserved for that. She is just brilliant.

… HuffPost: “The Army festival started at 11 AM, and the parade didn’t begin until 6:30 PM. Thousands of people and families of all ages stood in long, slow-moving lines on the National Mall to get through security for the festival in oppressively humid heat. And then did it again for the parade, except this time the line went on for blocks. The result? While Trump and other VIPs sat in relative comfort, the parade attendees were thrown into an environment seemingly designed to drain their energy before the headlining events.”

… “As the day wore on, they were increasingly surrounded by boisterous anti-Trump protesters. People could get water once inside the festival, but food was scant, save a couple of ice cream vendors and some free lollipops tossed on a table. There was barely any shade. When it got closer to the time to head over to the parade, it wasn’t clear where to go. There weren’t many signs. Hours in the sun, kids were starting to melt down, and streets barricaded off to traffic were filled with thousands of out-of-towners wandering around, asking police officers for directions to a security checkpoint that was blocks away.”

I had to sort through hundreds of great entries in my Top Signs contest for the No King protest - there were so many good ones. I am only able to include so many before you get to the Substack space limit, and these were my favorite if you haven’t already seen them. Thanks to all who support my work!

… Doug Landry, who did advance work for 4 presidential campaigns including Harris and Clinton: “I just got back from the Trump parade and I have to say it was legitimately the worst executed mass attendance event I’ve ever seen. One