Wall Street Journal: “During a meeting with GOP lawmakers at the White House over the summer, Trump berated House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris for raising concerns about the president’s signature tax-and-spending legislation. Trump demanded that Harris fall in line—then the president abruptly left the room, according to people who attended the meeting.”

“With Trump gone, Harris turned his ire to James Blair, one of the president’s top advisers. Harris accused Blair of wanting to find a Republican primary challenger to unseat him.”

Said Blair: “I just work for the president, sir.”

President Trump, on Truth Social:

“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly. We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement…”

Jonathan Lemire: “His party has been battered in recent elections. His poll numbers on even his signature issues—the economy, immigration—have tumbled. He’s seemingly lost touch with what got him elected, instead focusing on projects both petty and self-aggrandizing. As Americans worry about affordability, Trump and his family have profited wildly from his time in office. Republicans have begun to openly and repeatedly defy him. Democrats have started to outmaneuver him. Today, the Jeffrey Epstein scandal once more erupted with embarrassing revelations and unanswered questions. And every now and then, Trump seems to have a hard time even staying awake.”

“Every president is inherently a lame duck the moment he takes the oath of office for the second time. But many presidents have been at least able to delay their diminishment until after the midterm elections, at which point—political capital largely exhausted, the political world turning to the race to pick a successor—they tend to focus on things over which they still have control, such as foreign policy and legacy building. Remarkably, Trump, not even a full year into his second term, seems to have already gotten there.”

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow President Trump to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops in the Chicago area over the objection of Illinois officials, casting doubt on the viability of similar deployments in other American cities,” the New York Times reports.

New York Times: “It’s not unusual for presidents to decorate the space to their own tastes. They often choose art or items meant to evoke meaning and a historical connection to past political eras.”

“But in his second term, Mr. Trump has placed a connection to his lavish decorating style above all else. His tastes veer toward the gilded, triumphal style of Louis XIV, a theme that shows up in his own properties.”

“About a third of the walls are now covered in gold — appliqués, frames or other decorations.”