Today in Politics, Bulletin 340. 3/31/26.

… Trump melted down today after US District Judge Richard Leon ordered a halt to construction of his beloved ballroom. Since he cares more about his ballroom than anything else in the world, he took time away from his war and golf to lose his mind over it. From the judge’s order:

“The plaintiff, the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US, claims the President has no such authority under existing statutes and that a preliminary injunction is necessary to avoid irreparable harm. I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have. As such, I must therefore GRANT the National Trust's Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, and the ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion.”

… Trump responded with a Truth Social post: “The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World. I then get sued by them over the renovation of the dilapidated and structurally unsound former Kennedy Center, now, The Trump Kennedy Center (A show of Bipartisan Unity, a Republican and Democrat President!), where all I am doing is fixing, cleaning, running, and "sprucing up" a terribly maintained, for many years, Building, but a Building of potentially great importance.”

… “Yet, The National Trust, a Radical Left Group of Lunatics whose funding was stopped by Congress in 2005, is not suing the Federal Reserve for a Building which has been decimated and destroyed, inside and out, by an incompetent and possibly corrupt Fed Chairman. The once magnificent Building is BILLIONS over budget, may never be completed, and may never open. All of the beautiful walls inside have been ripped down, never to be built again, but the National "Trust" for Historic Preservation never did anything about it!

… “Or, have they sued on Gavin Newscum's "RAILROAD TO NOWHERE" in California that is BILLIONS over Budget and, probably, will never open or be used. So, the White House Ballroom, and The Trump Kennedy Center, which are under budget, ahead of schedule, and will be among the most magnificent Buildings of their kind anywhere in the World, gets sued by a group that was cut off by Government years ago, but all of the many DISASTERS in our Country are left alone to die. Doesn't make much sense, does it?”

… Daily Caller: “Trump will sign an executive order at 5:00 PM today cracking down on mail-in voting across the country. The executive order will require the federal govt to compile a list of US citizens who are eligible to vote in each state. It will mandate that ballots only be sent to those on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. States who disobey the order will lose federal funding.”

… Punchbowl’s John Bresnahan: “Just a stunning executive order from Trump on voting by mail. The US Postal Service will monitor who gets mail-in ballots for federal elections and who mails them in.”

… As the polls increasingly indicate an electoral armageddon for Republicans in the midterms, Trump is going to increase his efforts to steal the election with illegal and unconstitutional orders. This will be challenged by states immediately - most likely even Republican states like Utah will join the lawsuit.

… Kristi Noem says she is “devastated” by details of her husband’s double life that were published in a blockbuster Daily Mail story this morning that set social media on fire all day. Statement from Noem’s representatives to the NY Post: “Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time.”

… Right-wing podcaster Ryan Girdusky says Noem is lying: “I mentioned on my podcast months ago that one of Trump’s cabinet members was telling reporters off the record that her husband was gay. I didn’t name Noem by name out of respect for privacy but to say she had no idea really flies in the face of what she was saying.”

… Daily Mail: “Kristi Noem’s husband is today revealed as a secret crossdresser who dons gigantic fake breasts and pink hotpants to chat with online fetish models. While his wife has operated at the highest echelons of govt, handling matters of national security, Bryon Noem has been dressing up and paying adult entertainers to talk dirty.”

… “DM has reviewed hundreds of messages involving 3 women from the ‘bimbofication’ scene – where porn performers transform themselves into real-life Barbie dolls by pumping colossal amounts of saline into their breasts. Bryon has lavished praise on their surgically-enhanced bodies, confessed his lust for ‘huge, huge ridiculous boobs,’ and even made indiscreet remarks about his 34-year marriage to Kristi.”

… National Security experts say his brazen behavior could have left the former DHS Secretary vulnerable to blackmail. Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropouos: “If a media organization can find this out, you can assume with a high degree of confidence that a hostile intelligence service knows this as well.”

… “Texts and WhatsApp messages reveal that Bryon was being repeatedly asked for money during the 14 months Noem led the nation’s largest federal law enforcement agency. He sent his secret roster of online acquaintances at least $25,000 via Cash App and PayPal. Jack Barsky, a former Soviet spy turned US counterintelligence asset, said the potential for blackmail was alarming.”

… Daily Mail spoke to Trump about it: “I feel badly for the family. That’s too bad. I haven’t seen anything. I don’t know anything about it. That’s too bad, but I just don’t know anything about it.”

… Laura Loomer: “This has been known by Trump world since the campaign. It’s not a secret that Kristi Noem’s husband is a gay man. That’s why nobody reprimanded her for her very open and public affair with Corey Lewandowski. They felt bad for her because her husband is gay, which is why he never divorced her for the affair. I’m shocked it took this long for it to come out. It’s been known for a long time.”

… Reuters national security correspondent Phil Stewart: “A US official tells me the Army has suspended the aircrew of the Apache helicopters that flew near Kid Rock's house.”

… Trump was asked about it today: Q - “There was a viral video this week of army helicopters near Kid Rock's house. Trump: I’m sure they had a good time. Q - They said the crews of the helicopters had been suspended. What do you think of that?
Trump: They probably should not have been doing it. I will take a look at it. If they like Kid Rock, I like Kid Rock. Maybe they were trying to defend him.”

… Pete Hegseth then announced on social media that he was reversing the Army’s suspension: “Thank you Kid Rock. US Army pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”

… CNN pollster Harry Enten:” A steady fall into the abyss for Trump's net approval, as it falls into Death Valley. He's now at a term 2 low: -18 pts. Big reason why: Independents. Trump's at -45 pts with independents. That is the worst for any president at this point in term 2. Worse than Nixon at the height of Watergate!

… New Gallup poll on which party voters identify with shows Democrats with their largest lead since the company began polling this metric in 2015. It is the first time ever that Republicans are under 40%.

• 2025 Q3: Democrats 48-41%

• 2025 Q4: Democrats 48-40%

• 2026 Q1: Democrats 49-39%

… The shock poll in Maine last week that showed Graham Platner with a huge lead over Janet Mills in the Democratic primary for senate. It was such a dramatic shift that I wrote here at the time that the poll was either an outlier or the barrage of negative ads run by Mills the week before backfired on her. A second poll out today from Impact Research seems to confirm that Maine Dems didn’t like the ads:

• Platner: 66% Mills: 28%.

… Two new polls in the NC senate race from respected firms show Democrat Roy Cooper with a significant lead over former RNC Chair Michael Whatley in the US senate race there:

• Nexus strategies: Cooper - 50-32%

• Catawba College: Cooper - 47-31%

… Right-wing podcaster Alex Jones, who is against the war, went after Trump on his show today: “When your ankles swell up 3 times the size they were before, that means heart failure. And he does look sick. And he does babble. Sound like the brain's not doing too hot. This is not good. He's gone. And that's it."

… CNBC: “US gas prices have surged above $4 per gallon for the first time in more than 3 years, as the oil supply shock triggered by the Middle East war rapidly drives up costs for families. Prices at the pump hit a nationwide average of $4.018, the highest level since Aug 2022 when Russia’s war against Ukraine shook energy markets. Gas prices have soared more than 30% since the US and Israel attacked Iran.”

… Iranian Parliament speaker MB Ghalibaf: “I just read in CNN about Sarah and others in the US skipping meals because gas prices keep climbing. Sad, but this is what happens when your leaders put others ahead of hard-working and ordinary Americans. It's not America First anymore… it's Israel First.”

… Fox: “Jet fuel prices in the US have more than doubled in a matter of weeks as Middle East tensions squeeze supply, fueling concerns airlines could run short of fuel. Prices jumped from about $2.17 to $4.57 per gallon by March 27. Airlines warn inventories could run dry within weeks, raising the risk of higher airfares and flight cancellations.”

… “Airlines are already adjusting. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier will cut about 5% of planned flights in the near term as fuel costs surge, warning that if prices persist, jet fuel alone could add $11 billion in annual expenses. United is also scaling back service during off-peak periods and suspending select international routes.”

… “Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the jet fuel spike added as much as $400 million in costs in March alone. He said the airline is moving quickly to pass those higher costs on through fare increases. American Airlines also expects fuel to add about $400 million to its first-quarter expenses. The impact is also spreading beyond US carriers.”

… Pete Hegseth gave another “press conference” today where he once again came across as a parody character from a bad 1980s action movie that went straight to video:

• On his trip to US bases in the Middle East: “I witnessed lethality. I met a junior airman as the sun was going down and a chill was setting on the tarmac, who, when asked what they needed, she simply looked up at me with a sly smile on her face and said, more bombs, sir, and bigger bombs. We will happily oblige her.”

… Tom Nichols with The Atlantic: “It is impossible to overstate how juvenile this is, or how unqualified this man is for his job.”

• Q - “How long until the objectives are achieved? Hegseth: It’s sort of Military 101. Don’t tell your enemy what you’re willing to do or not do, and don’t tell your enemy when you’re willing to stop. So that’s not a question I’m going to answer. The president said 4-6 weeks, 6-8 weeks, 3 weeks - it could by any particular number.”

• On MAGA turning on Trump if there is a ground invasion: “I don’t understand why the base wouldn’t have faith in his ability to execute on this.”

… Ben Hodges, Former Commanding General, US Army Europe: “‘The base’? Aren’t you the Secretary of Defense for all of America?”

• On Russia and China helping Iran: “Russia and China - we know exactly what they’re doing, what they are or are not doing. We don’t have to air publicly what all of that is, but where necessary, we’re addressing it, we’re mitigating it and or we’re confronting it head on.”

… Combat vet and congressional candidate Fred Wellman: “No they aren’t. They are ignoring it, denying it, and letting them carry on.”

• Hegseth closed with this: “May his almighty and eternal arms of Providence stretch over them and protect them and bring them peace in the name of Jesus Christ and amen.”

… Fox host Laura Ingraham suggested that Trump’s staff is to blame for the Iran War: “Was the president fully briefed on the risks of all of this from the beginning? And was he able to take it all in and understand how complex it could actually get - including the potential for casualties or other damage? Or was he told this would be relatively quick—an in-and-out operation?”

… Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL): “If by ‘fully briefed’ you mean did he (a) look at a map (b) read a book or (c) hire staff at DOE, CIA or DoD with relevant experience, then no.”

… Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) said Trump is playing 4-D chess in Iran: “This is one of the amazing things about President Trump - you don’t know what he’s going to do. As you know, he’s announced probably several plans. Host: We are quite aware that he’s offered several plans. Sometimes they conflict each other.”

… Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) on Fox: “We started this, we’re gonna finish it. We’ll finish the war. Yes, is it gonna have an impact on the midterm elections? Potentially, if inflation does move up - probably. But it’s something that had to be done.”

… US lifted sanctions on Russian cargo ships and high-profile narcotics figures today. The Treasury Dept removed dozens of designations from Specially Designated Nationals list, including vessels linked to major Russian arms dealers and alleged members of Mexican and Colombian drug rings.

Reminder that there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered where we do a deeper dive into the top stories of the week. This was a wild news day with more crazy things to come in the rest of this Bulletin. I expected it to be a busy week, but that was because of the war. I certainly did not anticipate a lot of this insanity.

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

… Financial Times: Pete Hegseth’s broker attempted to make a big investment in major defense companies in the weeks leading up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Hegseth’s broker at Morgan Stanley approached BlackRock in Feb, days before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, about making a multimillion-dollar investment in the asset