“For the last time, this is all part of the plan. Getting himself impeached is actually a strategic triumph for President Trump, and anyone who thinks otherwise is just not playing chess in enough dimensions. Consider what is the greater mark of strategic genius: to mire yourself and your administration in an endless series of idiotic and pointless controversies, often rife with misspellings, damaging your standing at home and abroad, or to NOT do that? If you say the second, you are a fool. This is all part of the plan. Actually, this is good. Actually, this is great. … I repeat, every move that Trump makes, has made or is making, currently, with the president of Finland sitting helplessly by his side, wearing an expression of alarm, is planned. It is a genius plan. It might look like the random, haphazard flailing of a cat that has gotten its head stuck in a bucket. But actually he is in total control.”
He spreads lies and invective from there to here,
And his presidency is founded on retribution and fear.
He’s unethical and amoral,
Despicable and dishonorable,
So of course Donald Trump is Time’s Person of the Year.
“We’re in a very, very dangerous world right now, reminiscent of before world war two. Even the slogan is the same. ‘America First.’ That was what they said in the ’30s.”
–Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an interview with the Financial Times.
“By all accounts, the incoming administration is determined to return the country to another round of trickle-down economics. On top of that, he seems determined to impose steep, universal tariffs on all important goods brought into this country on the mistaken belief that foreign countries will bear the cost of those tariffs, rather than the American consumer.”
— “President Joe Biden on Tuesday took direct aim at President-elect Donald Trump’s economic agenda, denigrating his plan to impose sweeping tariffs and cut taxes as a ‘major mistake’ that will weaken the economy,” Politico reports.
“We are a country that stands on the precipice, just six weeks away from swearing in, for the second time, a wannabe ‘dictator’ with ambitions to wildly reshape our democracy. There is a desire to tune out. … I get it. And while, as a member of the media, I feel a little sheepish making the case to keep reading columns (like this one!), watching the news, and listening to podcasts, it’s a perilous moment for America, and it only serves Donald Trump and his allies to look the other way.”
“I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in-depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!.”
— President-elect Donald Trump mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, referring to him as “Governor” of “the Great State of Canada.”
“Everybody knows that, in Wisconsin, undocumented folks are a really important part of our economy, whether it’s dairy, whether it’s agriculture. The idea of deporting folks that are keeping our economy one of the best in the country is irrational. Trying to move them all over the country is irrational. So, we’ll do whatever we can do avoid that.”
— Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) “has pushed back on President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge for mass deportations, casting doubt on whether the plans will be carried out,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Amazon is donating $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund and the company will air the event on its Prime Video service, reports USA Today. The Prime Video represents an in-kind donation worth another $1 million, the spokesperson said. The donations were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Meta donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s fund for his presidential inauguration, a sign the social media giant is taking steps to improve relations with the president-elect, reports MSN. The donation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which reported Meta had confirmed the donation. It’s the latest sign that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump’s relations are mending, a far cry from Trump’s first term, when the then-president was kicked off Meta platforms.
President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history, reports the Associated Press.
Only 22% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he would do no such thing, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
“Consumer prices rose at a faster annual pace in November, a reminder that inflation remains an issue both for households and policymakers,” CNBC reports. “The consumer price index showed a 12-month inflation rate of 2.7% after increasing 0.3% on the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.”