Donald Trump chimed in again on 60 Minutes, CBS and Paramount, this time complaining that the newsmagazine has treated him “far worse” since the David Ellison-led takeover of the company, Deadline reports.
Said Trump: “For those people that think I am close with the new owners of CBS, please understand that 60 Minutes has treated me far worse since the so-called ‘takeover,’ than they have ever treated me before. If they are friends, I’d hate to see my enemies!”
President Trump on Tuesday called for a “total and complete blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers that enter or depart Venezuela, as the administration heaps pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at sea — and leaves the door open for land strikes, CBS News reports.
Axios reports Trump also designated Venezuela a “foreign terrorist organization.”
CBS News: “Measles outbreaks are growing along the Utah-Arizona border and in South Carolina, where hundreds are in quarantine.”
“White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett is a frontrunner to be President Donald Trump’s choice to chair the Federal Reserve, but some in the administration are questioning whether he’s up to the job,” Politico reports.
“Hassett’s detractors believe he has not been effective as head of the National Economic Council other than as a public messenger for the president’s agenda, playing little part in driving policies.”
“A federal judge on Tuesday suggested he would allow the Trump administration to continue work on its controversial ballroom addition, but gave the White House two weeks to file its still-unfinished ballroom plans,” the Washington Post reports.
Affinity Partners, the fund tied to President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has backed out of Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Axios reports.
Bloomberg: “The president moved to impose full restrictions and entry limitations on Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as ‘individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents.’ That’s in addition to the 12 nations with full restrictions and seven others with partial curbs.”
Jonathan Chait: “In a normal presidency, the interviews that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles gave to Vanity Fair would trigger her resignation, maybe even the president’s impeachment. She admitted that President Donald Trump employs prosecutorial power for ‘score settling,’ called Budget Director Russell Vought ‘a right-wing absolute zealot,’ described Vice President J. D. Vance as ‘a conspiracy theorist for a decade,’ and attributed Elon Musk’s erratic style in gutting federal agencies to his ‘avowed ketamine’ use.”
“Yet no one on the right is calling for anyone to resign, or even for a congressional investigation into these allegations. That is not because Wiles—who is credited with largely masterminding Trump’s victorious presidential campaign—lacks credibility, nor is it because she has denied these comments (she has accused the magazine of taking her words out of context, which is what people say when they know they were recorded).”
“It is simply because these quotes, while dire, are also unsurprising. Wiles did not say anything that Republicans didn’t already know. Her error lay in the breach between what Trump’s supporters understand and what they are permitted to say.”
Peter Wehner: “When a man with the president’s personality feels besieged and abandoned, he becomes more desperate and more dangerous.”
Just published: Trump vs. Jesus: The Unparallel Sayings by Keith Giles.
The eye-opening contrast between the teachings of Jesus Christ and the public statements of Donald J. Trump.
A traveler who posted a photo of his first class boarding pass to brag that he could afford it “because of Trump” ended up finding out someone used this information to cancel his flight reservation.
President Trump defended White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in an exclusive interview with the New York Post, saying she was right to tell Vanity Fair he has an “alcoholic’s personality” and that he has full faith in Wiles to continue in her role.
Said Trump: “I don’t drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality.”
He added: “I’ve said that many times about myself.”
“Speaking in Pennsylvania, Vice President JD Vance told a story about a meeting with Donald Trump a week ago in the Oval Office, where Trump told Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “You guys have terrible shoes.”
“Trump got out his shoe catalogue and ordered four pairs of his favorite shoes for Vance and Rubio.”
Vance continued: “Then we went back to talking about whatever major international issue we were talking about.”
A new NBC News poll finds 55% of Americans say they will spend less on holiday gifts this year compared with last year.
President Trump announced via Truth Social that he’ll be giving an address to the nation tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET from the White House.
Said Trump: “I look forward to ‘seeing’ you then. It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
“The White House on Tuesday sought to recast a dour November jobs report as a sign of economic progress, shrugging off an uptick in the nation’s unemployment rate and other potential hints of weakness now looming over the economy,” the New York Times reports.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
