Today in Politics, Bulletin 237. 10/27/25

… Trump was asked on Air Force One on the way to South Korea whether he would do what Steve Bannon suggested and try to run for a 3rd term by running as a VP with a puppet candidate on the top of the ticket: “I would be allowed to do that, but I wouldn’t do that. I think it would be too cute.”

… Q - “Did you get an MRI? Trump: I did. I got an MRI. The machine. You know the whole thing. It was perfect. I think the doctors gave you a report. Nobody has ever given you reports like I have given you. The doctors said some of the best reports they have ever seen.”

… All the best MRIs. Nobody has ever had a better MRI. All the doctors agree.

… Trump: “AOC is low IQ. If you give her an IQ test, have her pass like the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed. Those are very hard. They’re really aptitude tests, in a certain way, but they’re cognitive tests.”

… He took a dementia exam. Person, woman, man, camera, TV.

… AOC responded: “Hello Mr. President! Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too? Asking for 340 million people.”

… He was asked about the ICE raid on the Hyundai battery factory: Q - “Did I hear you right that you said you were opposed to the way that raid in Georgia was handled? Trump: I was opposed to getting them out and before they got out they were pretty well set but before they got out, I said they could stay. They’re going to be coming back.”

… The South Korean workers were all arrested and detained for deportation while working at the factory as trainers and supervisors for American workers. After it caused a major international incident, Trump urged them to stay and promised to release them. They all chose to go home. When they got home, they told Korean media that none of them would ever go back to the US.

… Trump was asked about his relationship with Elon Musk after he went after Trump about Epstein several months ago because he was upset about tariffs, and elimination of EV credits and solar projects: “He had a bad spell. He had a bad period. He had a bad moment. It was a stupid moment in his life. Very stupid. But I like Elon and I suspect I’ll always like him.”

… The demented lunatic then posted this: “Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN 5 SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS!”

… Status: “As Trump tore down the East Wing to build his ballroom, the WH had a visitor who raised eyebrows across Washington. CNN chief Mark Thompson made a rare appearance at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The meeting was ostensibly about introducing to the admin the network’s new direct-to-consumer streaming product launching next week, laying the groundwork for officials to appear on CNN.”

… “But given the swirl of speculation surrounding the cable network, with parent company Warner Bros. Discovery having publicly put itself up for auction, the question of Trump’s animosity toward CNN, and how that might manifest itself in the process, is very much on people’s minds.”

… “Staffers were taken aback the next morning, when Thompson suggested during the daily network editorial call that it should ease up on covering Trump’s East Wing demolition, claiming that their viewership isn’t all that interested in the story. The comment struck many as bizarre coming from Thompson, who despite carrying the editor in chief title generally tends not to wade too much into the minutia of the network’s editorial process.”

… “The guidance suggested Thompson was trying to soften CNN’s coverage of Trump on an issue the admin has sought to keep out of public view as polls show most Americans disapprove of the action. Whether or not the East Wing project was among the topics of conversation during Thompson’s WH meeting, the timing felt suspicious, with staffers wondering what coverage might be discouraged next.”

… Mike Johnson held his daily shutdown press conference, where he insisted that Republicans have been working very hard in their districts to justify their full pay and benefits during the shutdown, despite the fact that he has kept the House adjourned for weeks: “We’re evaluating this day by day. House Republicans are doing some of the most meaningful work of their careers in their districts.”

… Johnson has kept the House adjourned for the 84 out of the last 96 days. 12 days of work in over 3 months. With full pay and benefits. The senate has been working, so this is not about the shutdown. It is about avoiding a vote to release the Epstein files.

… Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) was asked on CNBC why he won’t negotiate an end to the shutdown: “How can I negotiate? The president is in Asia for 5 days. Johnson is basically keeping the House out until January to protect pedophiles. So who am I negotiating with right now?”

… Johnson: “When we say the Republican party is the only party that has any chance at fixing health care, we have demonstrated it with the one big beautiful bill—we strengthened the Medicaid program. The next thing is to fix all the other components of healthcare.”

… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “Republicans CUT Medicaid. Republicans CUT Medicare. Republicans are refusing to extend ACA tax credits. This is not ‘fixing’ healthcare. This is a full-on ASSAULT on healthcare.”

… Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO): “Let’s get the facts straight: Republicans created a health care crisis. Trump cut Medicaid. Premiums are skyrocketing. Instead of holding a daily press conference, how about Speaker Johnson opens Congress and gets back to work?”

… Pete Buttigieg to CNN: “How in the world could you be focused on building literally gilded ballroom for fancy parties for your rich friends, at the exact moment when disproportionately working Americans who voted for you are getting screwed by your healthcare policy?”

… NBC: “The country’s largest union representing federal workers is calling for lawmakers to pass a short-term spending measure to immediately end the govt shutdown, urging Democrats to abandon their current position and join Republicans in supporting a stopgap solution. The statement could increase pressure on Democrats to budge from their stance.”

… Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Govt Employees: “Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight. It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.”

… Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was asked if the AFGE statement changed his position: “I’m committed to immediately reopening the govt in a responsible way that prevents the illegal budget actions Trump has taken - including against our federal workers - and stops Americans’ health care costs from exploding. In the meantime, I’m also working to immediately pay all our federal employees and prevent this Admin’s mass firings.”

… “Federal employees did not cause the shutdown, and they should not have to bear the brunt of it. Trump should spend less time traveling around the world, and more time negotiating an end to his shutdown.”

… There is an emergency fund with $5 billion in it that was specifically created to provide food and other essentials to vulnerable people during a shutdown, but MAGA Mike doesn’t agree: “I got a summary of the whole legal analysis and it certainly looks legitimate to me. The contingency funds are not legally available to cover the benefits right now.”

… This is another lie. Trump and Republicans find every conceivable way to plunder funds and redirect them to things they weren’t appropriated for, but money specifically set aside to feed people in a shutdown situation is now untouchable. DIDN’T JESUS SPEAK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.

… Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ): “So Republicans can find $40 billion to bail out Argentina, but can’t find a dime to make sure 42 million Americans don’t go hungry next month?”

… Johnson: “Democrats are required to open the government. They keep saying, ‘Republicans are in charge of government.’ We aren’t!”

… Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): “Wow. Big news to me!”

… CNN: “Air traffic controller staffing shortages worsened over the weekend as the nation’s govt shutdown hit its fourth week, leading to delays and anxiety, and experts say it won’t get better until air traffic controllers get paid. More than 50 staffing shortages have been reported since Friday morning, causing delays from LA to DC. Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the shutdown, but are not being paid.”

… “Flights for LA Intl Airport were temporarily halted Sunday because of a staffing shortage at TRACON, which handles flights arriving or departing. At Reagan National Airport in VA, staffing issues caused a ground delay Sunday that was expected to last until midnight.”

… Transportation Sec and interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy is so desperate to hang on to his space gig that he posted on social media that Trump should get credit now for Japan’s space program: “A milestone to advance President Trump’s vision for global space leadership! Japan’s HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft successfully launched aboard an H-3 rocket from Tanegashima carrying vital supplies for our Space Station crew.”

… Duffy’s post was hit with this fact-check community note: “HTV-X is a Japanese spacecraft, built by a Japanese company, launched on a Japanese rocket, from Japan, to be captured by a Japanese astronaut driving a Canadian robotic arm. Trump is President of the USA, not Japan, and had no influence over the HTV-X, as Duffy implies.”

… This is my take. Transportation secretaries get the blame when things go wrong and little to no credit when things go smoothly. It is a whole lot more fun to be in charge of NASA during a race to the moon against China - especially when the US has a healthy lead. I think Duffy would trade the Transportation job for NASA in a heartbeat, but I don’t think he will get the chance. My prediction is that Trump will renominate Jared Isaacman as an olive branch to Musk, who he wants to get fully back on board before the midterms so he will open up his checkbook again.

I’m torn on amplifying Trump’s 3rd term stuff, which everyone in media seems to be doing. I tend to lean not to, but … Part of me thinks he’s doing it just me mess with everyone because he gets a thrill out of it and it keeps the media and us worrying about nothing instead of serious things that are happening now for real.

On the other hand … I remember J6. I also see the people surrounding him now and the Supreme Court creating an imperial presidency. So I think we should pay attention, not freak out about it every time he floats it, watch how Fox and Republicans in Congress react to it, and remain very vigilant.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Snowflake Trump was crying on Truth Social about another ad that is running which is apparently giving him the sads. He vowed vengence: “The Radical Left Losers are taking fake ads, not showing REAL Polls, but rather saying that I’m Polling at low