Buck Banks, Author at Pensito

A new Quinnipiac poll finds just 37% of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 56% disapprove. On Trump’s handling of the economy, just 39% of voters approve, while 56% disapprove. On Trump’s handling of immigration issues, just 38% of voters approve, while 59% disapprove.

It’s Twilight for the Washington Post

February 5, 2026 Buck Banks

“It would be nice if some other billionaire would buy the Post from Bezos. But that’s not going to happen as long as we live in an authoritarian context, because owning a media company is not safe unless you are a supplicant to the regime. … All of which leaves us in a bad place. The free market will not save the Post, because its owner is immune to market signals. Politics will not save the Post, because so long as Republican voters demand authoritarianism, no one can own a media outlet without taking on outsized risk. As sad as it is to admit, the Washington Post is beyond help.”

Bannon Wants ICE to ‘Surround the Polls” to Thwart Midterms

February 5, 2026 Buck Banks

“We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again.”

— Steve Bannon said that he wants to see ICE officers “surround the polls” during November’s midterm elections, The Hill reports.

Lobbying Spending Hits New High

February 3, 2026 Buck Banks

$5.24 billion

Federal lobbying spending hit $5.24 billion in 2025, reaching the highest level ever recorded by a wide margin, Legistorm reports. This was a $768 million increase from 2024 and the largest year-over-year jump on record.

No Credit, Please

February 2, 2026February 2, 2026 Buck Banks

Perhaps we shouldn’t judge “Melania” on its artistic merits,
Just because the first lady approved every one of its edits.
Despite all the hype and bluster,
It’s no box office blockbuster,
And most of the crew had their names removed from the credits.

Trump’s Presidential Grift Tops $4 Billion

January 31, 2026 Buck Banks

$4 billion

David Kirkpatrick: “In August, I reported that the President and his family had made $3.4 billion by leveraging his position. After his first year back in office, the number has ballooned.”

Most Unpopular President Ever?

January 31, 2026 Buck Banks

-24

A new Pew Research Center survey released yesterday underscores how deeply unpopular Donald Trump is with the American public. The topline number is brutal. Trump’s net approval stands at –24, with fully half of the country saying they strongly disapprove of his job performance.

The White Trashy House

January 30, 2026 Buck Banks

We thought that Donald Trump was going to make America greater,
But instead we get the dumbed-down frippery of a low-brow dictator.
Thus, with UFC fights and IndyCar races,
And a Kennedy Center bereft of famous faces,
It looks like Trump is pulling us down to our lowest common denominator.

DOJ Releases 3 Million More Epstein Files

January 30, 2026 Buck Banks

3 million

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department was releasing more than 3 million pages of documents in the latest Epstein disclosure, as well as more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, the Associated Press reported. The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.

Trump’s Approval Reaches New Floor

January 30, 2026 Buck Banks

37%

A new Pew Research poll finds President Trump’s approval rating stands at 37%, down from 40% in the fall. By more than two-to one — 50% to 21% — Americans say the administration’s actions have been worse than they expected, rather than better. Today, only 27% of Americans say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans – down from 35% when he took office last year. That change has come entirely from Republicans.

Author: Buck Banks

Trump’s Approval Down to 37%

37%

It’s Twilight for the Washington Post

— Jonathan Last

Bannon Wants ICE to ‘Surround the Polls” to Thwart Midterms

“We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again.”

— Steve Bannon said that he wants to see ICE officers “surround the polls” during November’s midterm elections, The Hill reports.

Lobbying Spending Hits New High

$5.24 billion

Federal lobbying spending hit $5.24 billion in 2025, reaching the highest level ever recorded by a wide margin, Legistorm reports. This was a $768 million increase from 2024 and the largest year-over-year jump on record.

No Credit, Please

Trump’s Presidential Grift Tops $4 Billion

$4 billion

David Kirkpatrick: “In August, I reported that the President and his family had made $3.4 billion by leveraging his position. After his first year back in office, the number has ballooned.”

Most Unpopular President Ever?

-24

A new Pew Research Center survey released yesterday underscores how deeply unpopular Donald Trump is with the American public. The topline number is brutal. Trump’s net approval stands at –24, with fully half of the country saying they strongly disapprove of his job performance.

The White Trashy House

DOJ Releases 3 Million More Epstein Files

3 million

Trump’s Approval Reaches New Floor

37%

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”