“I think it’s a Godfather reference.”
— Donald Trump Jr., quoted by the New York Times, when asked about his text using the phrase “go to the mattresses” as he told Mark Meadows to get his father to condemn the violence on January 6.


“I think it’s a Godfather reference.”
— Donald Trump Jr., quoted by the New York Times, when asked about his text using the phrase “go to the mattresses” as he told Mark Meadows to get his father to condemn the violence on January 6.
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“Americans turned much more pessimistic about the economy in April as President Trump’s trade war gained steam, according to a closely watched survey of consumer sentiment,” the Wall Street Journal…
“The bedrock of the financial system trembled on Friday, with government bond yields rising sharply as the chaotic rollout of tariffs shook investors’ faith in the pivotal role played by…
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“An immigration judge in Louisiana found on Friday that the Trump administration could deport Mahmoud Khalil, granting the government an early victory in its efforts to crack down on pro-Palestinian…
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“A federal judge in Maryland, temporarily defusing a showdown with the White House, ordered the Trump administration on Friday to provide daily updates about its progress toward returning a man…
“U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said the Trump administration’s ‘red line’ with Iran is to stop it from being able to produce a nuclear weapon, a potential overture to Tehran…
“A painting of an iconic scene of President Donald Trump surviving an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last summer now hangs in the Grand Foyer of the White House, after an…
We’re on our way back from a week in Cuba — a country just 100 miles off the Florida coast but one that feels like it exists in an entirely…
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) is “weeks away” from deciding whether to jump into the U.S. Senate race, and she’s planning a town hall tour of Republican districts in the meantime…
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that “by September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic,” Roll Call reports. Save to Favorites
A new Third Way poll conducted before the latest round of tariff news found 62% of respondents said the word “chaotic” described President Trump. Wall Street Journal: “Democrats see tariff…
New York Times: “Four or five firms could soon agree to deals that would be unveiled as a package, in an escalation of the president’s crackdown on an industry that…
Playbook: “In pausing the tariffs for 90 days, Trump effectively acknowledged that there was some degree of economic and political pain that was simply intolerable for him to bear.” “That…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is now indisputably at the helm of the administration’s trade team, Politico reports. Peter Navarro has been “relegated to the sidelines” and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick…
The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live for members. Due to poor internet connections on our recent travels, we answer some listener questions on proxy voting, Chuck Schumer, Teslas……
Playbook: “It’s clear now that the bond market freakout that inspired Trump’s 90-day pause in the tariffs isn’t over.” “Also clear: All of this presents an enormous political opening for…
“Federal spending is higher since President Trump took office even as the Department of Government Efficiency slashes contracts, cuts jobs and ends diversity programs,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Save…
“Beijing punched back with its own tariffs of 125 percent on all U.S. goods on Friday in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff increases, sharply escalating the spiraling trade tensions…
“President Donald Trump suggested at a Cabinet meeting Thursday that undocumented people working on farms and in hotels would be allowed to leave the country and return as legal workers…
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.
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