LetMyPeopleVote
LetMyPeopleVote's JournalMaddowBlog-In a weird move, Trump taps Louisiana's Landry to serve as a special envoy to Greenland
The governor already has a full-time job, but the Republican has apparently accepted a new and unexpected side gig.
Why does Trump want Greenland? “National security.â€
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-23T15:43:40.829Z
Why should Trump’s ballroom vanity project proceed? “National security.â€
Why is Trump killing the wind energy industry? “National security.â€
Why does Trump hate the New York Times? “National security.â€
The pattern is ... not subtle.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/in-a-weird-move-trump-taps-louisianas-landry-to-serve-as-a-special-envoy-to-greenland
President Donald Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island. […]
Landry, in a post on X, thanked Trump: ‘It’s an honor to serve … in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!’
Late last year, when Trump was still in his post-election transition period, he announced plans to try to annex Greenland for reasons he struggled to explain. In the weeks and months that followed, the Republican suggested he was quite serious about his imperialistic ambitions — in March, he refused to take the possible use of force off the table — and as 2025 comes to an end, the president has tapped Landry as a special envoy because, as he put it, the governor “understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security.”
Everything about this story remains quite odd, in part because the White House continues to infuriate Denmark, a longtime NATO ally, and in part because Greenland clearly has no interest in becoming part of the United States.....
Indeed, despite the fact that special envoys have tended to be used for areas facing international crises, Trump tapped others for envoy roles, leading to inevitable diplomatic confusion about who, exactly, speaks on behalf of the administration.
With the addition of Landry to the diplomatic team, the problem is suddenly worse for reasons the White House has yet to explain
MaddowBlog-Trump names battleship class after himself, advancing his personalization crusade
Sticking his name on everything is especially difficult to defend as it so plainly does little to meet the nation’s needs.
The personalization of government is advancing at ridiculous speeds:
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-23T14:04:44.654Z
- Trump-class battleships
- Trump’s name added to Kennedy Center, Institute for Peace
- legal-tender coin featuring Trump’s face (on both sides)
- Trump Gold Cards
- Trump Accounts
- F-47 fighter jets
- 47-day ICE training
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-names-battleship-class-after-himself-advancing-his-personalization-crusade
Once in a great while, though, the Republican finds a way to check both boxes simultaneously. My MS NOW colleague Erum Salam reported:
The United States will build new ‘Trump-class’ battleships as part of a ‘Golden Fleet,’ President Donald Trump announced Monday. […]
‘They’ll be the fastest, the biggest and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,’ Trump said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
So, on the one hand, we’re talking about a fleet that joins the president’s “golden” list while, on the other, Trump is also naming a class of battleships after himself. The White House promoted illustrations of the unbuilt ships featuring an emblem that centers Trump with a raised fist — a detail that reinforces concerns that this is less about national security and more about self-aggrandizement and self-glorification on the part of the president.
Trump Class battleship illustration, as released by the White House.
— Steve Herman (@newsguy.bsky.social) 2025-12-22T22:55:14.884Z
For those keeping score, Trump and his allies have now applied his name to the Kennedy Center and the Institute of Peace, unveiled a commemorative legal-tender coin that that will feature his face on both sides and launched “Trump Gold Cards” and “Trump Accounts.” By some accounts, the president wants the upcoming White House ballroom to be named after him, too.
But wait, there’s more. Trump wants a football stadium in the nation’s capital to be named after him; the nation’s next-generation fighter jet will have an F-47 designation in honor of him (he is the nation’s 47th president); and training for incoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was reduced from 50 days to 47 days for the same reason.
We are witnessing the personalization of the American government in real time, and it’s advancing at ridiculous speeds (and in ridiculous directions).....
Montgomery said the new frigate has “zero tactical use” and that officials appear to be “focused on the president’s visual that a battleship is a cool-looking ship.”
This isn’t how a global superpower is supposed to function. The administration’s plan is moving forward anyway.
MaddowBlog-White House is still trying to rewrite recent history about the Biden-era economy
Instead of smearing Biden, Trump owes his Democratic predecessor a thank-you note.
Late 2024: Trump says the economy is in great shape, and he demands credit for Biden-era progress.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-19T18:20:50.509Z
Late 2025: Trump pleads with Americans to forget how much better things were a year ago. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
JD Vance lies that Biden "gave us the worst economy in the world"
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-12-16T16:52:38.073Z
Evidently, they don’t know exactly what they were left with.
The basic elements of this are familiar. Trump and his team have spent far too much time and energy lying to the public about a great many things, including their Democratic predecessor and the state of the U.S. economy — then and now......
There was more where that came from. A month before Election Day 2024, The New York Times reported that the U.S. job market was “as healthy as it has ever been” — as in, in the history of the U.S. — and described economic growth as “robust.” A few days later, The Washington Post’s Heather Long explained in a column, “We are living through one of the best economic years of many people’s lifetimes.” The same day, Politico described the status quo as “a dream economy.”
The Economist, a leading British publication, also described the U.S. economy as “the envy of the world,” adding that the American economy “has left other rich countries in the dust.”
Or put another way, when Trump told the nation, “One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead,” he was lying. When Vance insisted that Biden “gave us the worst economy in the world,” that turned reality on its head.....
Stepping back, it’s worth appreciating the recent pattern of events: In 2017, Trump inherited a healthy economy from a Democratic president and falsely told the public, “I inherited a mess.” In 2021, Trump bequeathed an actual mess for his Democratic successor and falsely told the public the conditions were “perfect.”
And in 2025, after Trump inherited an economy with low unemployment, shrinking inflation and steady growth, the Republican is keeping this going, smearing a president to whom he owes a thank-you note.
Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to deploy National Guard in Illinois
The Trump administration says troops are needed to protect immigration agents in the Chicago area, a move that local officials strongly object to.
https://x.com/CagedChef457/status/2003563554595643630
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-deploy-national-guard-illinois-rcna238630
The court in an unsigned order turned away an emergency request made by the administration, which said the troops are needed to protect federal agents involved in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.
In doing so, the court at least provisionally rejected the Trump administration’s view that the situation on the ground is so chaotic that it justifies invoking a federal law that allows the president to call National Guard troops into federal service in extreme situations.
Those circumstances can include when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” or “the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
Among the issues in the case is what the term “regular forces” means, something the Supreme Court focused on in an order issued on Oct. 29 asking for additional briefing. The question is whether the law only allows for the National Guard to be called up if regular military forces are unable to restore order, or whether the phrase refers to law enforcement.
Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to deploy National Guard in Illinois
Source: NBC
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed the Trump administration over its plan to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois over the strenuous objections of local officials.
The court in an unsigned order turned away an emergency request made by the administration, which said the troops are needed to protect federal agents involved in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.
In doing so, the court at least provisionally rejected the Trump administration’s view that the situation on the ground is so chaotic that it justifies invoking a federal law that allows the president to call National Guard troops into federal service in extreme situations.
Those circumstances can include when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” or “the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
Among the issues in the case is what the term “regular forces” means, something the Supreme Court focused on in an order issued on Oct. 29 asking for additional briefing. The question is whether the law only allows for the National Guard to be called up if regular military forces are unable to restore order, or whether the phrase refers to law enforcement.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-deploy-national-guard-illinois-rcna238630
Epstein survivors are condemning the Trump Justice Department as having "violated the law"
https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/2003209003082613110
Former President Bill Clinton is demanding full transparency from the Epstein files and accuses trump of coverup
trump is trying to use President Clinton to distract. This will not work
https://x.com/MAGALieTracker/status/2003189166595866681
MaddowBlog-Republicans confirm Trump's controversial choice for U.S. ambassador to South Africa
With GOP senators sending L. Brent Bozell III to Pretoria, it’s hard not to wonder whether the U.S. relationship with South Africa is poised to get worse.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-confirm-trumps-controversial-choice-for-u-s-ambassador-to-south-africa
The Senate [on Thursday night] voted along party lines, 53-43, to confirm a third batch of Trump nominees all at one time using a new procedural tool it unlocked by nuking the Senate rules so it can confirm nominees en bloc instead of one by one.
Tonight’s batch consisted of 97 nominees, including former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York to be inspector general of the Labor Department and Media Research Center founder Brent Bozell III to be U.S. ambassador to South Africa.
....There’s reason to believe they made the wrong choice. TPM reported in March that Bozell, in the 1980s, was critical of Black activists in South Africa who fought against their country’s racist apartheid government, and Media Matters has highlighted the conservative activist’s rhetorical record, which does not lend itself to a career in international diplomacy.
In recent months, the U.S.’ relationship with South Africa has deteriorated to levels unseen in recent memory, due in large part to Trump’s sustained offensive. With Senate Republicans sending Bozell to Pretoria, it’s hard not to wonder whether the relationship is poised to get worse.
What everyone wants for Christmas
https://x.com/lowtempo/status/2000317035553915370
: What do I want for Christmas?
— The Disaster Autist (@disaster-autist.bsky.social) 2024-12-14T19:20:43.720Z
For everyone in and associated with the incoming second Trump administration to suffer catastrophic aneurisms.
That includes all donors, lawyers, campaign advisers, and members of the press, too.
Take care of it all in one.
Maddowblog-Trump flubs what 'separation of church and state' means in targeting Raphael Warnock
“Mr. President, my faith is not a weapon, it’s a bridge, and I invite you to Bible study,” the Georgia Democrat replied.
Trump’s attack on Raphael Warnock was tiresome and forgettable, except for one thing:
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-18T22:27:17.976Z
It showed Trump doesn’t understand the separation of church and state at a basic level. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-flubs-what-separation-of-church-and-state-means-in-targeting-raphael-warnock
Raphael Warnock was on Meet the Fake Press with a one sided and very biased Kristen Welker as the Host(ess!). Warnock spent the entire show using Religion to try and divide the Country! If a Republican, in particular ME, made those statements, it would be FRONT PAGE NEWS. He ended by saying that he was going to his Church to preach now, and while I think that’s fine, I do say, ‘What ever happened to separation of Church and State?’
As part of the same online harangue, the Republican went on to smear the senator and attack NBC, before concluding, “The Public airwaves, which these Networks are using at no charge, should not be allowed to get away with this any longer!”
For now, let’s put aside the obvious fact that Warnock’s on-air message wasn’t the least bit divisive. What instead stuck me as notable is that the incumbent president, after nearly five years in the White House, still doesn’t appear to understand the basics of the constitutional principle of church-state separation......
If, however, Trump is looking for actual examples of officials crossing the church-state line that he’s suddenly taken an interest in, I’d refer him to the recent Christian prayer services sponsored by the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Defense Department, each of which reflected an unsettling break with government neutrality on matters of faith.
As for Warnock, the Georgia Democrat apparently saw Trump’s online rant and took the time to respond.
“He’s got a lot of nerve,” the senator said in a statement. “Remember, this is the same president who literally had peaceful protesters gassed and beaten so he could stand in front of a church holding a Bible up. He ought to read that Bible that he was holding up on that day. That Bible says that Jesus came to preach good news to the poor. He came to heal the sick. He never billed them for his services. He stood up for the weak, the marginalized, average, ordinary people.”
Warnock concluded, “Mr. President, my faith is not a weapon, it’s a bridge, and I invite you to Bible study. Maybe you can meet the Jesus I know. In the meantime, I’m going to keep fighting for the people.”
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