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Trump Promises Announcement ‘as Big as It Gets’

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President Trump repeatedly talked up a future announcement, “one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject,” the New York Times reports.

He never said what he could be talking about, or what “very important” subject he is referring to, only suggesting it would be made before he leaves for a trip to the Middle East next week.

But even the timing of the big announcement wandered, with Mr. Trump saying it “will be made either Thursday or Friday or Monday.”


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Ohio Candidate Turned Down Appointment to Save Face

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“When Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s poll numbers started plummeting in the Ohio governor’s race earlier this year, he started looking for an offramp,” NOTUS reports.

“Yost didn’t just want to drop out; he wanted an appointment in the Trump administration that would allow him to save face as he ended his gubernatorial bid.”

“After months of angling for an appointment, he got one. In April, the Trump administration offered Yost the position of ambassador to Cyprus.”

“But Yost didn’t want it… He rejected the appointment, apparently seeking a more prominent position than an ambassadorship to a small island nation in the Mediterranean.”

Justices Let Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops Stand

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“The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration may start enforcing a ban on transgender troops serving in the military that had been blocked by lower courts,” the New York Times reports.

“The ruling was brief, unsigned and gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. It will remain in place while challenges to the ban move forward.”

Could Republicans Blow It Again?

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Charlie Cook: “While Democrats’ odds of taking back the Senate are long, an announcement Monday afternoon should remind us why we can’t dismiss the possibility entirely.”

“Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s declaration that he would not challenge freshman Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff next year means more than the GOP not having its strongest horse. It means greater chances that Georgia Republican primary voters will nominate the kind of candidate that I describe as ‘exotic and potentially problematic…'”

“Don’t forget that Republicans managed to punt away as many as four Senate seats over the last two election cycles by nominating candidates in swing and near-swing states who might have been able to win in deeply red states but not purple states.”

Bernie Sanders Says Resistance Isn’t Enough

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told the HuffPost that resisting President Trump is “not good enough.”

Said Sanders: “The American people, I think, not only want resistance to Trump, but I think they want what the Democratic Party in the last many years has not given them, and that is an agenda that speaks to the needs of the working class, because it’s not good enough.”

He added: “Oh, well, you know, Trump is a terrible guy. Fine. You know, the majority of American people understand that. What’s your alternative?”

DeWine Moves to Block Ramaswamy Endorsement

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“President Donald Trump endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy on the night Ramaswamy kicked off his campaign to be Ohio’s next governor,” NBC News reports.

“More than two months later, term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine is scrambling behind the scenes to keep the Ohio Republican Party from following Trump’s lead.”

“DeWine and his advisers are working to deny Ramaswamy an endorsement when the state party meets Friday.”

Trump Announces U.S. Will Stop Bombing Houthis

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President Trump announced that the U.S. will stop its intense bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen after almost two months, saying the rebels had told Washington they “don’t want to fight anymore,” Politico reports.

Said Trump: “We will stop the bombings and they have capitulated.”

However, earlier today the New York Times reports the Houthis said something quite different: “Our military capabilities are advancing with each aggression, and our operations will continue.”

Trump Says U.S. Needs Nothing from Canada

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President Trump wrote on social media just before meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that he wanted to work with Carney but didn’t want to “subsidize” his country.

Wrote Trump: “We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their energy, we don’t need their lumber, we don’t need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain. They, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us!”

The reality is that Canada is the single biggest purchaser of American products.

Mark Carney Says Canada Will Never Be for Sale

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney clearly stated that President Trump’s aspiration for taking control of Canada is a nonstarter, the New York Times reports.

Said Carney: “It’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale, ever.”

Trump’s response was also notable in that he didn’t interrupt or debate Carney. He just responded: “Never say never. I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable.”

Democrats Work to Overcome a Daunting Senate Map

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“Senator Chuck Schumer and his allies are working aggressively to stretch a Senate map that offers precious few opportunities for Democrats to reclaim a majority in 2026, recruiting deep into the country’s most conservative corners to find viable candidates in red states,” the New York Times reports.

“Democrats have grown more bullish about their midterm prospects as President Trump’s approval rating has sagged.”

“But Democrats also confront the brutal reality of a map where all but two of the 22 Republican seats up for election are in states that Mr. Trump carried by at least 10 percentage points in 2024.”

White House Social Media Is a Total Cringe Fest

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Fast Company: “Ever since the inauguration in January, the White House’s X account has served up a cosmic gumbo of horn-tooting and antagonistic trolling. Reflecting the president’s relentless command of the attention economy, it often retweets various characters from the Trump Cinematic Universe—JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Kristi Noem, for instance—in between provocative posts designed to reach maximum eyeballs.”

“The account codified its house style for the latter early on with an exhibition of mirthful hostility. Viral entries in this genre included an ‘ASMR’ video about deportations, a Valentine’s Day card about deportations, and a Studio Ghibli–style AI rendering of, well, more deportations.”

“Last weekend, however, the account went into overdrive.”

Thom Tillis Won’t Back Ed Martin for U.S. Attorney

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“Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a key vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he will not support Ed Martin’s nomination to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, citing his concerns over Martin’s advocacy for people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” The Hill reports.

Politico: “Tillis is a member of the Judiciary Committee, and his opposition means the panel would likely deadlock on Martin’s nomination, 11-11, with several other Judiciary Republicans still uncommitted.”

“Senate Republicans could try to advance him out of committee without a recommendation, but Martin would face bigger headaches on the floor.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan 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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