Today in Politics, Bulletin 273. 12/18/25

… When Dan Bongino gave up his podcast to take over as Dep. Director of the FBI, he pledged with much bombast and fanfare that he was going to take down the Deep State, expose the Epstein clients, and arrest the Antifa libs who allegedly stole the 2020 election. But after just 9 months, he is quitting after he accomplished nothing except to expose himself as just another MAGA fraud with a big mouth.

… Bongino was widely mocked by his former MAGA fans on social media, who considered his tenure a letdown and complete failure. Fox host Laura Ingraham: “After only 9 months on the job, Dan Bongino is stepping aside. This is not surprising. He loved his lucrative media life and he wants to get back to it.”

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): “If the 2020 elections involved widespread coordinated fraud and conspiracy, why hasn’t this admin arrested or indicted anyone yet?”

… WaPo: “Trump crammed his usual 90-minute rally routine into 18 minutes of prime-time broadcast TV on Wed, perplexing ‘Survivor’ finale viewers and his own allies alike. He spoke more than 2,600 words in that time, markedly faster than his usual plodding pace at the teleprompter. The president spoke directly into the camera rather than following his usual method of shifting conversationally between teleprompter screens to either side.”

… “He stood alone in the Diplomatic Reception Room, starved of any audience to interact with or live reaction to gauge. His tone was continuously loud and sharp, without any of his usual playful riffs and digressions. the broadcast networks gave Trump only about 15 minutes. But they didn’t cut away once the president exceeded that limit.”

… Trump supporter Trisha Hope posted: “Trump is speaking so fast he seems panicked. I’ve never seen him like this, and I have attended 42 of his rallies.”

… Conservative talk radio host Erick Erickson: “Why is he yelling at us?”

… Right-wing podcaster and former Alex Jones show co-host Owen Shroyer: “He was not his usual confident self. He seemed to be speed-reading. The charisma was gone. The aura was gone. The swagger was gone. And the message was stale. There was nothing new.”

… Delusional former Speaker Newt Gingrich on Fox after the speech: “I believe President Trump showed tonight that he’s prepared to be disciplined. If I were a Democrat, tonight would leave me very unnerved.”

… Tom Nichols in The Atlantic: “This was not a holiday address from the leader of a great democracy to its citizens. This was a desperate tin-pot leader yelling into a microphone while cornered in his palace redoubt. The president has been unraveling for weeks, and his speech tonight, like Trump himself, was unworthy of America and its people.”

… Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ): “What we just watched was a desperate plea from a delusional man obsessed with his own image watching his popularity crater. Any American can see his terrible domestic and economic policies have wreaked havoc on our country and instead of changing course, the President is trying to change reality. The American people know the Trump economy isn’t working for them. No amount of shouting or blustering from Trump will change that.”

… Fox Business host: “The truth is that many people aren’t feeling a strong economy. He’s getting record low numbers, around 36% approval, when it comes to the economy. I’d like to see some semblance of compassion for everyday Americans. He’s giving himself an A+++. I’m not sure many Americans would feel the same.”

… Trump: “I am also proud to announce that more than 1,450,000 military service members will receive a special ‘warrior dividend’ before Christmas, We’re sending every soldier $1,776 dollars. And the checks are already on the way.”

… Defense One: “Trump’s $1,776 checks for more than a million troops come from Congressionally-allocated reconciliation funds intended to subsidize housing allowances for service members, a senior admin official confirmed. Pete Hegseth directed the Pentagon to ‘disburse $2.6 billion as a one-time basic allowance for housing supplement’ to all eligible service members.”

… Trump admin official: “Congress appropriated $2.9 billion to the Dept of War to supplement the Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement within The One Big Beautiful Bill. Approximately 1.28 million active component military members and 174,000 Reserve component military members will receive this supplement.”

… The $2.9 billion was appropriated by Congress to subsidize the basic allowance for housing, the monthly payment to cover troops’ off-base expenses such as rent, mortgage, and utilities known as BAH. This was done due to the rising cost of housing for troops. So Trump just took money that Congress appropriated for that and moved it over into a “bonus” so he could take credit for it.

… A shell game by the ultimate con man.

… IL Gov JB Pritzker: “Our veterans and active duty service members absolutely deserve relief. So why exactly is his admin cutting thousands of jobs from VA clinics across the country and taking healthcare away from those who have served our country?”

… NYT: “For nearly a quarter-century, Trump and his representatives have offered shifting, often contradictory accounts of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, one sporadically captured by society photographers and in news clips before they fell out sometime in the mid-2000s. Closely scrutinized since Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell during Trump’s first term, their friendship - and questions about what the president knew of Epstein’s abuses - now threatens to consume his second one.”

… “The two men’s relationship was both far closer and far more complex than the president now admits. To shed light on their friendship, The Times interviewed more than 30 former Epstein employees, victims of his abuse and others who crossed paths with the two men over the years. The Times also obtained new documents that illuminate their relationship and scoured court documents and other public records.”

… “Beginning in the late 1980s, the two men forged a bond intense enough to leave others who knew them with the impression that they were each other’s closest friend. Epstein was then a little-known financier who cultivated mystery around the scope and source of his self-made wealth. Trump, 6 years older, was a real estate scion who relished publicity and exaggerated his successes. Neither man drank or did drugs. They pursued women in a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.”

… “Over nearly two decades, as Trump cut a swath through the party circuits of NY and FL, Epstein was perhaps his most reliable wingman. During the 1990s and early 2000s, they prowled Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and Trump’s Plaza Hotel, at least one of Trump’s Atlantic City casinos and both their Palm Beach homes. They visited each other’s offices and spoke often by phone, according to other former Epstein employees and women who spent time in his homes.”

… “With other men, Epstein might discuss tax shelters, international affairs or neuroscience. With Trump, he talked about sex.”

… AOC: “Reminder that the Epstein Files are supposed to be released on Friday and every political development that you see between now until then should be viewed with that in mind.”

… NPR: “Toward the end of his first year in office this term, just 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. It’s his worst mark in the 6 years that Marist has been asking the question. In addition to Trump’s low approval for his handling of the economy, his overall job approval rating stands at a meager 38%. That’s the lowest of his second term and the lowest number he’s seen in Marist’s surveys since April 2018.”

… “That year, his approval rating did not go much higher. It sat at 41% in the last Marist poll before the 2018 midterm elections. Republicans lost 40 seats in the House that year.”

… Reason: “Trump revisited his $18 trillion claim while speaking to reporters at the WH: ‘Because of the tariffs, we’ve taken in more than 18—think of this—more than $18 trillion. There’s never been anything like it,’ Trump said. Moments later, he repeated the claim, stating that ‘we took in more than $18 trillion in 10 months.’”

… “First, it is necessary to swat aside the most outlandish interpretation of this claim—one that is being made by some of the president’s supporters, including some prominent conservative media personalities. They seem to believe that Trump is saying the govt has collected $18 trillion in tariff revenue this year. That is both factually wrong and logically absurd.”

… “Over the first 11 months of this year, the govt collected $236 billion in tariffs. When Trump says ‘we took in,’ he seems to be referring not to tax revenue from the tariffs but a combination of tax revenue and various investment deals that have been promised by private businesses and foreign govts. Those investments are not being ‘took in’ by the govt in any way. They are fully private.”

… “One might also wonder if they will actually materialize, when the money will actually be spent, or whether such investments would have occurred even without Trump’s tariff threats. For the president, however, such distinctions and considerations are not a factor. Still, after accounting all of that, Trump’s $18 trillion figure seems to be wildly exaggerated, even when compared to the Trump admin’s own numbers posted online.”

… CNBC host Andrew Sorkin to Trump official Jamieson Greer: “The American public wants to understand the math behind that, because $18 trillion is an extraordinary amount of money. You look at some of the countries that have made these pledges, it’s close to their entire GDP!”

… USA Today: “Trump took personal swipes at his top presidential foes in new plaques installed in the WH, the latest Trump makeover of the mansion. The WH this week added plaques featuring brief biographical write-ups below photos of the former presidents on the Trump’s ‘Walk of Fame,’ which was installed along the West Wing’s colonnade.”

… “Some of the biographies read like standard historical summaries, only with slight Trump twists. JFK’s plaque refers to his ‘painful setback’ from the ‘failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.’ The plaque for Harry Truman calls his domestic agenda, known as the Fair Deal, a ‘so-called Fair Deal.’”

… “But the plaques of Trump’s top Democratic foes read much like the attacks Trump often posts on Truth Social - even down to the capitalization of certain words for emphasis: ‘Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American history,’ reads Biden’s plaque, which is situated below a photo of an autopen in place of Biden.

… “Barack Obama’s plaque refers to ‘Barack Hussein Obama’ and calls him ‘one of the most divisive political figures in American History.’ It goes on to say Obama passed ‘the highly ineffectual Unaffordable Care Act,’ while also taking a shot on Obama’s foreign policy with Iran.”

… The plaque for Bill Clinton concludes with the line “In 2016, President Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump!”

… Trump’s plaque on Andrew Jackson: “Jackson was often called The Peoples President for championing the common man but was unjustifably treated unfairly by the Press, but not as viciously and unfairly as President Abraham Lincoln and President Donald J Trump.”

… Karoline Leavitt: “The plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind. As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself.”

… NBC: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to NBC: “These are individuals who served who were elected by people around this country whether I supported them or not, they were the country’s president. Let’s not have Trump trying to redefine the contributions or lack of contributions of each, that’s inappropriate.”

… Former WH correspondent Brian Karem: “It’s really beyond me at this point. The pettiness is beyond comparison. The grammar is horrible. But this is the type of graffiti you find scrawled on the walls at an interstate bathroom rest stop.”

… Leavitt made another announcement today: “The highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, have just voted unanimously to rename it to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Congratulations to President Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”

… The Board who voted for this change includes: Maria Bartiromo, Pam Bondi, Sergio Gor, Laura Ingraham, Lee Greenwood, Dan Scavino, Usha Vance, and Susie Wiles.

… Joseph Kennedy III: “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”

… Maria Shriver: “Some things leave you speechless, and enraged, and in a state of disbelief. At times such as that, it’s better to be quiet. For how long, I can’t say.”

… Reuters reported that 21% of criminal complaints in DC over the past 2 months have been dismissed under US Attorney and former Fox host Jeanine Pirro, compared to 0.5% over the past decade.

… After Mike Johnson suffered a humiliating defeat when 4 Republicans signed Hakeem Jeffries’ discharge petition to extend ACA subsidies for 3 years, he decided to adjourn the House early again to avoid having a vote on it within the time frame that is required. CNN’s Manu Raju: “Johnson just told us no vote on the 3-year ACA extension until Jan - meaning the subsidies are certain to lapse. House scrapped votes Fri and leaving town on Thur. Johnson also defended his handling of the issue.”

… Under the rules, a discharge petition must be brought to the floor for a vote in 7 days, but that is 7 House working days - days the House in actually in session. So Johnson is going to delay this as long as he can just like he did with Epstein - this time by keeping the House out of session.

… NOTUS: “The year is not ending well for the House Republican Conference. Yesterday, 4 moderates incensed over Johnson’s refusal to allow a vote on extending ACA subsidies before they expire at the end of the month signed on to a Democratic-led discharge petition to force that vote. This resulted in a new low point for conference infighting.”

… Freedom caucus member Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) was asked what his message was to Republicans who sided with Dems: “The message I’m going to send to them is: Don’t even think about asking me for help politically, period. Because why would I? You basically just stabbed us in the back.”

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) on CNN: “The speaker, he loves to run when things get tough. That’s not leadership. That’s cowardice. And so that is what he’s decided to do. We saw this happen when it came down to the Epstein files. He decided to send Congress out. Right now, we are supposed to be in till Fri. He has decided that our last day is going to be tomorrow, because he does not want to deal with the fact that we have a ripe, discharge petition that is sitting in front of him.”

… Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) was one of the defectors who sided with Dems. On MS NOW: “I can tell you my colleagues from very conservative districts have quietly been coming up to me on the floor saying, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing. We want leadership to head in this direction.’ They feel politically they can’t do it for whatever reason. And you would be shocked at who those people are”

… Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY): “In my district, if you make $130,000 and you’re a family of 4, you now pay 8.5% of your income for health insurance - $10,000 to $11,000 a year. That’s gonna go up to $30,000 a year, which means your premium is going to increase $1,500 a month. That’s crazy. People are not gonna buy the insurance. When you get people losing their insurance, you reduce the size of the pool and that causes everybody’s insurance to go up. So it’s really awful.”

… By the way, this was a massive win for Jeffries who deserves credit where credit is due. He stuck to his guns and refused to budge on a 3-year extension when most thought it wasn’t going to happen - but he got Republicans to surrender. Now on to the Senate. Eventually.

… The playbook is there for Jeffries, which has now been demonstrated by this and the Epstein bill - he can essentially become a shadow Speaker using discharge petitions since the number of Republicans worried about hanging on to their seats continues to grow and he only needs 4 each time.

… When Marge Greene leaves at the end of the month he will only need 3.

… Jeffries on CNBC: “Every single House Democrat and at least 4 House Republicans support a straightforward extension of the ACA tax credits. Time has run out. Republicans have had all year to deal with this issue and have chosen not to do it because they were focused on passing their big ugly bill, which they enacted with great urgency months ago - the largest cut to Medicaid in American history.”

On Uncovered yesterday we did a deep dive into the ACA win for Dems, Ukraine, the Venezuela video and war, Kash and his girlfriend’s pathetic podcast interview and his stupidity on the Brown Univ shooting investigation, fallout from the Susie Wiles interview, reaction to Trump’s post on Reiner, CBS’s town hall with Kirk, Trump’s ballroom, and a lot more. If you missed it you can find it here.

… Trump has completely given up trying to claim he wants to invade Venezuela because of drugs. It’s a war for oil, which benefits nobody except for oil company oligarchs: “Getting land, oil rights, whatever we had - they took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn’t watching. But they’re not gonna do that. We want it back. They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw