Author Michael Wolff told the Daily Beast that President Trump has a less-than-flattering nickname for Stephen Miller, his White House deputy chief of staff: “Weird Stephen.”
Said Wolff: “There is an awareness that Stephen Miller is a problem. And even Trump calls him ‘Weird Stephen.’ Because he is weird, by the way. I mean, you can’t spend a moment with him and not say, ‘Oh, something’s off here.’”
A Trump administration official to Playbook: “The movement right now is away from diplomacy and toward U.S. involvement. We are moving toward taking out Iranian nuclear facilities.”
“If confirmed, it would mark a seismic moment in Trump’s presidency.”
“The White House firmly believes U.S. involvement can be restricted to a series of tactical strikes against specific facilities, without descending into an extended war.”
For members: A Few Thoughts on Trump’s Saber Rattling
President Trump said he “has no plans to discontinue Starlink at the White House but might move his Tesla off-site, following his announcement over the weekend that his relationship with Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of both companies, was over,” CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “I may move the Tesla around a little bit, but I don’t think we’ll be doing that with Starlink. It’s a good service.”
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism,” Politico reports.
Said Newsom: “It’s just an extraordinary moment, and I don’t want to overstate it, but these are the words of an authoritarian. Whether he acts on it or not, the chill that creates is real, and it’s a serious moment, very serious.”
He added: “He is unhinged, and he’s acting recklessly, and the threat of the Marines coming in the United States, this is a very serious and sober moment. We are going to stand firm.”
Andrew Egger: “In one sense, it’s no surprise that the Big Beautiful Bill, which the House passed this morning by a 215–214 vote, slashes taxes primarily for the wealthy while cutting spending on entitlement programs geared toward the poor. That’s been GOP SOP for ages.”
“But even as the package was being hammered out, MAGA’s populist wing was clanging a bell asking Donald Trump to intervene. After all, many of the Americans who stand to be harmed by this bill were the very voters who had migrated into the GOP in recent years. Was Donald Trump really going to let GOP lawmakers slip back into their old plutocratic ways?”
“Answer: You bet he was.”
For members: A Few Thoughts on the Bill Republicans Just Passed
New York Times: “The powerful Rules Committee began meeting after midnight on Wednesday morning and continued debating the measure as morning broke, while Republicans worked behind the scenes to hammer out enough concessions to cobble together the votes in their fractious ranks to push it through the House.”
“But as the session dragged into its eighth hour, they had yet to release any new language and the panel had yet to vote to send the legislation to the floor.”
For members: Rules Committee Debates Bill That’s Not Even Finished
President Trump is pressing for a “major investigation” into why some Hollywood celebrities lined up to support former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, questioning whether megastars Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Bono were illegally paid for their endorsements under the guise of performance fees, The Hill reports.
“Radar screens at Newark Liberty International Airport went black early Friday morning, raising more air traffic safety concerns at one of the region’s busiest hubs,” NBC News reports.
President Donald Trump told NBC News he plans to hold several events to celebrate U.S. military victories this year, including a “big, beautiful” military parade in Washington, D.C., to commemorate Flag Day, which also happens to fall on his birthday.
Said Trump: “My birthday happens to be on Flag Day. I view it for Flag Day, not necessarily my birthday. Somebody put it together. But no, I think we’re going to do something on June 14 maybe or somewhere around there. But I think June 14. It’s a very important day.”
And he defended the projected $45 million cost: “Peanuts compared to the value of doing it. We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”
President Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had “called” him, despite denials from Beijing that talks to ease trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies had started, the Financial Times reports.
Trump also said he had sealed “200 deals” on trade, even though no such pacts have been announced.
Said Trump: “You have to understand, I’m dealing with all the companies, very friendly countries. We’re meeting with China. We’re doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I’ve made all the deals.”
“Voters are starting 2025 sour on the state of the economy and President Donald Trump’s handling of it so far, even as his election to a second term sparked an upswing in positive feelings about the direction of the nation,” according to a new national NBC News poll.
“Majorities of voters disapprove of Trump’s early job performance on the economy (54% disapprove, 44% approve) and how he’s handling inflation and the cost of living (55% disapprove, 42% approve).”
President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed “father of IVF,” on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization, NOTUS reports.
The order specifically “directs” recommendations to protect IVF access that the White House said would “aggressively” reduce costs for patients seeking the treatment.
New internal Democratic polling finds Elon Musk’s approval rating is upside down, 43% to 51%, and his favorability is even worse, 42% to 51%.
President Donald Trump says he has opened the letter former President Joe Biden left for him in Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, calling it “very nice” and suggesting he might make it public, ABC News reports.
New York Times: “The dozens of major donors who are coming to Washington for inauguration weekend include some who paid big money to get seats for the swearing-in on Monday. The Rotunda at the Capitol is much smaller than the National Mall, of course, and so some of them tell me they’re expecting to be shuffled instead over to a watch party at Capital One Arena.”
“A select group of the very biggest donors most likely will make it into the Capitol; others may end up in the arena’s suites. Expect there to be a lot of angling over the next 72 hours as donors try and get their money’s worth.”
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. ticked up this week to slightly above 7%, the highest level in eight months, the AP reports.
President-elect Donald Trump said Republicans would push to eliminate daylight saving time, calling it “inconvenient” and “costly,” The Hill reports.
Jonathan Bernstein: “United States Senators are really, really, old. There’s nothing wrong with some aging Senators; there’s something very out of whack when the more than half of them have reached 65.”
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.