Today in Politics, Bulletin 234. 10/23/25

… Trump has now demolished the entire East Wing of the WH. NYT: “The scope of the demolition, and Trump’s repeated promises that the WH itself would not be affected by the work, were in many ways symbolic of how he has conducted his presidency. On a variety of issues, Trump has blown past norms and traditions, often moving so quickly that it can be too late for courts, Congress or the public to catch up.”

… “The ballroom is only the latest renovation plan that Trump has undertaken since he took office for the second time. He is also leaving his mark on the Oval Office, which now features many gilded flourishes. He also paved over the Rose Garden; erected huge flag poles on the WH grounds; and is planning to build an arch in front of Arlington National Cemetery in the style of the Arc de Triomphe.”

… Trump: “After really a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world, we determined that really knocking it down, trying to use a little section. The East Wing was not much. There was not much left from the original.”

… Trump on July 31 when he was first asked about the ballroom: “It won’t interfere with the current building. It will 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 favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”

… Reporter: “Many people were surprised the entire East Wing is being demolished, because you had said initially that the ballroom would just touch… Trump interrupting: It was a very small building, so we did it rather than allowing that to hurt a very expensive, beautiful building that frankly they’ve been after for years. I decided it will be one of the great ballrooms of the world.”

… Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about it today: Q - “The president initially said that this project wouldn’t interfere with or touch the current structure. Leavitt: If you look at the renderings, it’s very clear the east wing was going to be modernized. Reporter: But modernizing and tearing down are two different things.”

… Q - “Can the President tear down anything he wants without oversight? Can he demolish this building or the Jefferson Memorial? Leavitt: There have been many presidents in the past who have made their mark on this beautiful WH complex. Reporter: So it sounds like the answer is yes, he can tear down whatever he wants.”

… Rep. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on MSNBC: “What we have seen around the world is that democracies no longer die because men with guns go in and take it over. Instead, it’s electeds who erode the separation of power, checks and balances. If you have a rubber-stamp Congress, if you have a court that delivers more power to the executive, suddenly you have lost your democracy and you have an authoritarian state structure. It’s here now.”

… Leavitt concluded with this: “At this moment in time, the ballroom is really the president’s main priority.”

… House Dem Leader Hakeem Jeffries immediately released Leavitt’s statement as part of an ad: “Millions of Americans will see their health insurance costs skyrocket in just over a week. But Trump’s spokesperson says the White House ballroom is the President’s top priority.”

… Sen. Chuck Schumer responded to Leavitt’s comment: “Honestly, you can’t make this shit up.”

… Gavin Newsom: “Good to know.”

… Honestly, it was a stupid (but truthful) comment with horrendous timing (shutdown) that would get most Press Secretaries fired. But, as Trump likes to say, she never will be because “those lips move like a machine gun.”

… Don Jr on Fox: “A construction guy, a guy that’s known for building luxury, is actually improving the WH with private funding. To be able to do the deals around the world that are needed, to create more jobs and trade deals you need something like this. This is for the betterment of the property.”

… Trump was asked today about the money he has raised for it from corporate donors (full list at the end of the Bulletin): Q - “Have you raised the full $300 million to fund your ballroom? Trump: Yeah. Actually, we raised I think $350 million.”

… First he said it would cost $200 million. Then he went to $250 million. Then it was $300 million. Now it is $350 million.

… When he was asked how much he personally was going to contribute (he originally said he was going to pay for all of it himself), he refused to give a specific numbers and just said, “we’ll see.”

… Trump also commented on No Kings again today: “That garbage deal they had this weekend, which was embarrassing to them. And the crowds were not big at all. But when you look at signs and they’re all made beautifully, they’re all made professionally in a printing shop. Some guy is paying for all that stuff - they’re going crazy because they’re getting paid”

… Speaker Mike Johnson held his daily shutdown press conference: “We’re in the middle of the height of the football season. So football fans if you are stuck in the airport this weekend while your favorite team is about to kick off, blame the Democrats for that.”

… Tweet from the House Republicans account on Sept 28, 2021: “Last time we checked the Democrats controlled the House, Senate, and White House. If there is a government shutdown it’s because of Democrats.”

… Q - “You said yesterday you were still trying to get the details of this $230 million the president wants from the DOJ. Now that you’ve had some time, are you ok with taxpayers potentially being on the hook for that kind of money? Johnson: I’m not trying to dodge the question. I haven’t had time to get the details. That’s still on my list of things to do. Yesterday was literally a 21-hour work day.”

… Q - “If it’s so important to pay the air traffic controllers, why wouldn’t you just say right now ‘we’re gonna have the House back in session, we’re gonna vote’? Johnson: We passed the CR to get everybody paid. If I brought everybody back right now and we voted on a measure to pay essential workers, it would be a waste of our times and it would take the pressure off Schumer.”

… Dem House Whip Katherine Clark: “So you’d rather play politics than pay hardworking Americans. Got it.”

… Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI): “Republicans are now openly admitting to playing political games that cut Americans’ health care and their paychecks.”

… Johnson has now had the House adjourned for 80 of the last 92 days.

… Forbes: “First Lady Melania Trump’s $MELANIA memecoin is now under legal scrutiny, as a court filing this week alleges the cryptocurrency is part of a broader fraudulent ‘pump-and-dump’ scheme meant to enrich a small number of insiders. The cryptocurrency token that describes itself as being ‘official’ and has been publicized by the first lady, launched in Jan around the same time as her husband’s inauguration.”

… “A lawsuit brought by cryptocurrency traders was initially filed in April, which argues a coalition of cryptocurrency developers behind a number of memecoins—including $M3M3, $LIBRA, $ENRON and $TRUST—carried out a fraudulent ‘pump-and-dump’ scheme using the tokens, in which they allegedly manipulated the coins’ launches in order to personally enrich themselves while causing others who bought the coins to lose their investments.”

… “Plaintiffs just filed an updated version of their lawsuit, which alleges $MELANIA was also part of the fraud scheme.”

… Biographer Michael Wolff is now suing Melania, alleging that her threats to sue him for $1 billion after he said on the MeidasTouch podcast and in a Daily Beast article that she played an extensive role in WH efforts to minimize Epstein’s relationship with herself and her husband. Wolff: “To be perfectly honest, I’d like nothing better than to get Donald and Melania under oath in front of a court reporter, and actually find out all of the details of their relationship with Epstein.”

… From the lawsuit: “Mrs. Trump’s claims are made for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, punishing, or otherwise maliciously inhibiting Mr. Wolff s free exercise of speech. Mrs. Trump and her ‘unitary executive’ husband along with their MAGA myrmidons have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them with costly SLAPP actions in order to silence their speech, to intimidate their critics generally, and to extract unjustified payments and North Korean-style confessions and apologies.”

… WSJ: Trump today pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the crypto exchange Binance, following months of efforts by Zhao to boost the Trump family’s own crypto company.

… CBS: “In its sentencing memo against now-pardoned Zhao, DOJ argued his company ‘critically undermined the effectiveness of US sanctions against Iran by providing its Iranian customers the ability to transact with the US customers.’”

… NYT: “To spearhead his clemency push, Zhao hired Teresa Guillen, who also represents Zach Witkoff, son of special envoy Steve Witkoff. Guillen’s co-counsel was Ches McDowell, a longtime hunting companion of Donald Trump, Jr.”

… Trump was asked about it today: Q - “Today you pardoned the founded of Binance. Can you explain why you did that? Trump: Which one was that? Q - The founder of Binance. Trump: I pardon a lot of people. I don’t know. He was recommended by a lot of people.”

… Leavitt was asked about it today: Q - On the pardon, Binance has significant business interests with the President’s family’s crypto company. How do you respond to allegations that this is a corrupt act? Leavitt: The President is exercising his constitutional authority to grant clemency requests. This was an overly prosecuted case by the Biden admin.”

… FBI Director Kash Patel announced indictments today of NBA players and coaches in a gambling ring: “This is an operation that showcases to you that under Trump’s admin, there is no room for any type of criminal behavior, be in on the world’s largest stage or in the back rooms of tiny parlors where card games were being played.”

… Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins was asked about the frustration of cattle ranchers that Trump is importing beef from Argentina. She said Trump is upset at them for being ungrateful: “There is frustration on both sides. I was with the president yesterday and he is very very frustrated because everything he’s done to cut taxes, bring down costs. The last admin worked to get cattle off the lands. They were worried about climate change. And this president has worked so hard.”

… Sen. Maj. Leader John Thune told Semafor that Trump’s efforts to bring down beef prices this way is misguided: ““This isn’t the way to do it. It’s created a lot of uncertainty in that market. So I’m hoping that the White House has gotten the message.”

… “Thune hails from SD, a major beef-producing state, and he’s joined by a long line of fellow cattle-conscious Republicans in warning the president and his admin against the import plan. GOP senators have raised the issue to the Dept of Ag, WH advisers, and Trump himself - but so far, the president is digging in despite the red-state concerns.”

… NPR: “The president of the American Farm Bureau warned the WH last week that more than half of US farms are losing money, threatening small towns and rural economies. Court records show farm bankruptcies in the 12 months ending in June were up 56% from the previous year. And that ominous trend has continued.”

… Joseph Peiffer, an attorney who handles bankruptcy cases for farmers in IL, IA, and MO: “We had five new farm cases in two weeks. That’s astonishing. Shocking. And we’re getting additional calls all the time.”

… Rep. Marge Greene on Tucker Carlson’s podcast: “This $40B bailout for Argentina-- that’s one of the grossest things I have ever seen. I have no idea who is telling the president that this is a good idea. It’s a punch in the gut to all our American cattle ranchers. I don’t know how that’s America First.”

… Greene continued: “People are hurting here at home. Food prices are high. Rent is high. Home prices are ridiculously high. Cars are high. Auto insurance, home insurance, health insurance is insane. Energy prices are high. My own electric bills - they are much more expensive than they were a year ago.”

Today was a wild day with news coming in fast nonstop. I will give Trump this: despite talking about running for president for decades, he was cunning enough to wait until a time in American history when a big percentage of the population couldn’t care less about naked, blatant and obscene corruption and criminality on a daily basis.

When I first got into politics, it was a major scandal if a candidate admitted smoking marijuana in college. Seems like a thousand years ago.

… A Christian music star who was recruited to sing the national anthem at a Trump rally in 2022 and posed for photos with Trump after has been arrested on charges of possessing and producing child pornography. Jon Sheptock served as the worship minister at the First Montgomery Baptist Church in Texas. Detectives first tried to arrest the singer at his home in Sept but were unable to find him. They eventually caught up with him while he was working at a local women’s prison where he served