Today in Politics, Bulletin 378. 5/12/26
… As he was leaving the WH for China today, Trump was asked about Iran: “To what extent are Americans’ financial situation motivating you to make a deal?
“Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters is that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody. I only think about one thing - we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
… That clip should be in every Democratic ad for every candidate in every race all over the country in the midterms.
“We have a ballroom that’s under budget. I’ve doubled the size of it because we obviously need that. And we’re right now on budget, under budget and ahead of schedule. Reporter: But the price doubled. Trump exploded in a rage: I DOUBLED THE SIZE OF IT YOU DUMB PERSON! You are not a smart person!”
… Yes, you guessed it. He berated, attacked and insulted a female reporter. Again. The fact that he hates female reporters so much actually causes him to give even worse answers to their questions - which is only one reason why they are so effective.
Q: “Inflation is now at its highest level in 3 years. Are your policies not working?
Trump: My policies are working incredibly. If you go back to just before the war, inflation was at 1.7%. If you want to let these lunatics have a nuclear weapon, then you're a stupid person, and you happen to be.”
… Female reporter.
"President Xi will be coming here toward the end of the year. I only wish we had the ballroom finished. The ballroom is right on budget and ahead of schedule. He may want to go see the reflecting pool."
Q: “Would you send the National Guard or ICE to voting locations in November?
Trump: You know what? I'll do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.”Q: “To African Americans concerned this is going to draw Black members of Congress off the map, what do you say? Trump: I think it's been a wonderful process. The Democrats have been cheating on elections for many years.”
Q - “What is more broken, NATO or OPEC? Trump: OPEC is having some difficulty right now, but that has nothing to do with me. NATO was very disappointing to me. NATO was not there when we wanted them. We don’t need NATO.”
… He also looked like he slathered 3 layers of that orange shit on his face today with a big paint brush.
… NBC: “Inflation surged to 3.8% in April, its highest level in nearly 3 years, as the war in Iran causes a ripple effect across the economy and energy prices surge. As inflation continues to accelerate, it’s eating into Americans’ wages at a rapid clip. April’s inflation rate means that prices are now rising faster than wages for the first time since 2023, which could exacerbate the affordability crisis that has already been gripping consumers.”
… As of Tuesday morning, the price of oil had risen more than 70% since the start of the year and the average price of a gallon of gas was $4.50. BLS: “The index for energy rose 3.8% in April, accounting for over 40% of the monthly all items increase.”
… “The BLS also noted that other energy market-linked prices rose in the month, including airfares and apparel. Airfares alone rose 20% from a year ago. The price of jet fuel has surged 60% since the war with Iran started.”
… Barron’s editor Josh Schafer on Fox Business: “The expectation is for inflation to not really get much better throughout 2026. That’s the story you’re seeing in this report. There’s going to be some tariff inflation. Now you have energy prices impacting services. It probably just isn’t going to get that much better from here.”
… Citigroup warned clients in a letter that things are only going to worse: “Energy costs likely would not start to feed through to core goods prices for at least a few more months.”
… Trump one month before the 2024 election at the Detroit Economic Club: “Think of it - within one year you’re gonna have electric bills and energy bills and gasoline for your cars is going to be 50% cheaper than it is right now. That’s a big thing.”
… Price changes over last year (April CPI report):
Fuel Oil: +54.3%
Gasoline: +28.4%
Electricity: +6.1%
Transportation: +4.3%
Apparel: +4.2%
Overall CPI: +3.8%
Food away from home: +3.6%
Shelter: +3.3%
Medical Care: +3.2%
Gas Utilities: +3.0%
Food at home: +2.9%
New Cars: +0.2%
Used Cars: -2.7%
… Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about gas prices by Politico: “Yeah it’s a concern for everybody, for real, hardworking American families. But I’m confident we’ll be able to bring those prices down as soon as we get the Strait of Hormuz straightened out. And we’re bullish about that.”
… Bloomberg’s Javier Blas: “Yes, gasoline; but also beef. (And both are politically toxic in America ahead of the summer). The cost of a pound of ground chuck has risen to near $7. (Red meat inflation in the US is out of control, with prices up 91% since Trump’s 1st inauguration).”
… Politico: “House Republicans are bracing for the WH to starting leaning in *heavily* to get Hill Republicans to approve $1 billion in a GOP bill that can be used on WH ballroom security. It’s going to be ‘ugly,’ one House Republican said.”
… Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on the $1 billion bill for the ballroom: “If I’m in the Democratic marketing department, I’m probably thinking of a lot of ways I would use this to target senators that vote for it. Even if you can get past the policy and justify it, the timing and optics are really bad.”
… Punchbowl: “The Senate is now in play for Democrats in Nov, and the most vulnerable Republicans - Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Dan Sullivan (AK) and Jon Husted (OH) - are being forced to answer questions over Trump’s ballroom. Dems are salivating at the chance to put them on the record. To vulnerable House and Senate Rs, the funding is a political disaster. To them, this is all part of Trump spending too much time on vanity projects and foreign wars and not enough on economic issues.”
… “Trump is trying to shell out cash to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Bldg and resurface the Reflecting Pool by the Lincoln Memorial. Trump plans to host thousands of spectators on the WH lawn for a UFC fight. There will be an IndyCar race down Penn. Ave. Trump is talking about building a giant arch near Arlington National Cemetery and turning DC’s humble public golf courses into championship resorts.”
… “None of this helps with soaring electricity bills or gas prices. Vulnerable Republicans are sick of voting for reconciliation bills that Democrats can easily use against them.”
… On the flight to China, Trump raged on Truth Social about media coverage of the war: “When the Fake News says that the Iranian enemy is doing well, Militarily, against us, it’s virtual TREASON in that it is such a false, and even preposterous, statement. They are aiding and abetting the enemy! All it does is give Iran false hope when none should exist. These are American cowards that are rooting against our Country. Only Losers, Ingrates, and Fools are able to make a case against America!”
… Trump’s disapproval rating on the economy has hit an all-time low with a whopping 70% of Americans saying they disapprove of his handling of the economy with only 30% approving. In his first term, Trump’s disapproval rating on the economy never got as high as 50%:
75% say Iran war has made their personal financial situation worse.
65% say tariffs have made their personal financial situation worse.
26% said they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
… How have Trump’s policies affected the cost of living?
Increased it - 77%
Had no effect - 16%
Decreased it - 8%.
… How have Trump’s policies affected the economy?
Made it worse - 65%
Made it better - 22%
Had no effect - 12%
… Gas market analyst Patrick De Haan: “At the current rate Americans are spending more on gasoline due to the Iran war, the daily savings from suspending the federal gas tax of 18.4c/gal would be erased in just 2 hours and 49 minutes if it was implemented today.”
… Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) on Newsmax: “What do you say to constituents who say they can't afford gas and food and have kids to feed? Stutzman: We have a strong, steady economy. We're actually seeing tremendous growth from the work that Trump has done with tariffs and trade policy.”
… These people are so delusional and out of touch. Worshipping the cult leader is the only thing that matters - not their constituents. As they make clear with their own words every day.
… Trump had a completely deranged meltdown on Truth Social last night which lasted until after 1:00 AM when he made his final post. He posted 55 times in 3 hours. Harry Sisson compiled this accurate summary:
10:15 PM - Accuses Obama of attempting a coup in 2016
10:15 PM - Says Obama worked with CIA to overthrow Trump
10:15 PM - Reposts tweet saying Obama is a “traitor” and that he should be arrested
10:22 PM - Attacks dominion voting systems for 2020 election saying they switched votes
10:22 PM - Says Fulton County, GA had their 2020 fraud exposed (there was none)
10:23 PM - Accuses Obama of personally making $120 million from Obamacare (wtf?)
10:23 PM - Cites quack lawyer Sidney Powell on the 2020 election
10:24 PM - Posts fake JFK Jr account that says Obama wiretapped Trump Tower
10:27 PM - Demands Senator Mark Kelly resign
10:29 PM - Claims neither Biden nor Harris were in charge of the Biden admin
10:29 PM - Attacks Fulton County, GA again
10:29 PM - Posts Fox News clip of Rep Ro Khanna
10:30 PM - Demands Jack Smith be arrested
10:30 PM - Accuses Obama, Clinton, and Comey of treason
10:39 PM - Reposts a tweet from a MAGA account saying they have secret intel proving Clinton and Obama committed crimes
10:39 PM - Reposts a MAGA tweet saying Hillary Clinton should be sent to Haiti
10:40 PM - Says the DOJ is “working hard” to arrest his enemies for treason
10:40 PM - Reposts a tweet attacking his own DOJ and Todd Blanche for no arrests of political enemies
10:40 PM - Posts a TikTok video of people stealing from a convenience store
10:41 PM - Posts a TikTok of someone taking a Door Dash order
10:41 PM - accuses Obama, John Brennan, and Clinton of sedition and treason again
10:42 PM - Posts a video of a man on CCTV footage knocking over food a waiter was carrying
10:47 PM - Calls Obama the “most DEMONIC FORCE” in American politics
10:47 PM - Posts a tweet from Mike Flynn saying 2020 election wasn’t fair
10:49 PM - Attacks Dominion again claiming they stole the 2020 election (it wasn’t)
10:51 PM - Reposts a fake Charlie Kirk account that claimed Obama blocked Hillary Clinton from being prosecuted
10:53 PM - Claims Obama was part of Hillary Clinton’s emails in some way
11:28 PM - Claims a senior Democrat just testified under oath that Senator Adam Schiff leaked classified information
1:13 AM - Attacks the New York Times for reporting on the reflecting pool
… CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale: “It’s hard to explain just how detached from reality Trump’s conspiracy-theory-filled social media posting spree last night and this morning was. One easy example: The president shared a completely made-up and frankly nonsensical ‘quote’ about former president Obama - the post attributed to GOP Sen. John Kennedy.”
… “The fake quote originated with a ‘satire’ website, basically a fakery factory, that invents stories to be shared by online conservatives; per the fact-check website Lead Stories, versions of this particular fake quote have been wrongly attributed to everyone from Kash Patel to Madonna.”
… Kash Patel melted down today at his senate hearing when he was asked about his branded bourbon, reports of being intoxicated on duty, traveling the world, providing FBI security details for his girlfriend, his various ‘K$sh’ products for sale, as well as his general overall buffoonery:
Sen. Patty Murray: “We need someone at this agency who is focused on solving criminal cases, not passing out branded bourbon or jetting around the globe. Your job is to be reachable. If you want to pass out liquor or pop bottles in a locker room, stick to podcasting. Leave law and order to the people who care about justice.”
Patel raged at Murray: “If people want to continue these baseless, fraudulent, false personal attacks on me, that’s great. Keep the target on me as I’ve always said. But the mission has never been better.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen: “So there have been no instances when your security detail had difficulty finding you and waking you up? Patel: Nope. It’s a total farce. I don’t even know where you get this stuff. The only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador and the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang-banging rapist was you. Van Hollen: This suggests to me the allegations are true.”
… Rolling Stone’s Nikki McCann Ramirez: “This is, once again, a blatant lie about Kilmar Abrego Garcia fabricated by the admin in order to retroactively justify the inhumane detention and torture of hundreds of migrants.”
… Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “The margarita thing is an example of modern information silos. Patel and everyone else in the biz knows the margarita thing was staged but assumes no penalty in saying it as fact.”
… Podcaster Jon Lovett: “It's all so pathetic and embarrassing. Kash Patel doing his version of Pam Bondi (worked out great for her!) petulantly interrupting with ‘what about you’ insults. And call me old fashioned, but the FBI director, as one of the top law enforcement officials in the country, should not call someone a ‘convicted rapist’ if they are not a convicted rapist!”
Today’s news alone is a devastating indictment of Trump and Republicans before the midterms. And these are not partisan attacks from Democrats - it is cold, hard facts and numbers along with words out of their own mouths. There has never been a greater disconnect between leaders of a political party and the people they are supposed to represent.
It is hard for me to believe that anyone other that the hardcore MAGA cultists could read just this Bulletin and still support Trump. And this is just the news from today. Unfortunately, too many people get their news from sources where they don’t hear any of this.
Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I have my weekly podcast Uncovered. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.
… Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine, and Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst testified before the senate today about their request for a massive increase in the military budget to an astonishing $1.5 trillion:
Hurst told the House today that the cost of the war in Iran is now up to $29 billion: “That’s because of updated repair and replacement of equipment costs, and also just general operational costs to keep people in theater,” he said.
Sen. Jack Reed: Q - “Can you give us some details on what the $29 billion includes? Have we counted everything? Hurst: We are not making an estimate for military construction at this time because we don’t know what our future costs
