Donald Trump
July 11, 2026 — John Hinderaker
President Trump says the Iranian government may try to assassinate him: “1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” Trump wrote on Truth
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July 2, 2026 — John Hinderaker
If you follow Democrat news sources, you would think that the entire country had turned against President Trump. There are headlines about Trump’s “record low” approval ratings and stories about Trump voters who regret their votes. But not everyone has turned against Trump. This week he went to Medora, North Dakota to open the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The library is an impressive project, and a point of pride in
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June 15, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Last night President Trump hosted the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the White House lawn for a series of seven mixed martial arts bouts. The event was spectacular and went off without a hitch, after a delay for a possible rain shower. I watched the first six fights, then went to bed, probably missing the best match. Here are some thoughts: * I am a boxing fan, but not an MMA
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June 15, 2026 — Scott Johnson
President Trump has announced the completion of an interim deal with Iran. The deal is reflected in a memorandum of understanding that has yet to be made public by the White House. Perhaps that is because the deal will not be signed until Friday (in Switzerland). Perhaps that is because a wrinkle or two remain to be “ironed out,” as the Wall Street Journal puts it in paragraph six of
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June 14, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Lee Smith has written three books supporting President Trump against his attackers: The Plot Against the President (2019), The Permanent Coup (2020), and Disappearing the President (2024). His most recent book is The China Matrix: The Epic Story of How Donald Trump Shattered a Deadly Pact (2025). Trump himself has praised Smith’s work: “Lee Smith is a great American patriot who has understood, from the very beginning, that the radical
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June 13, 2026 — Scott Johnson
We interrupt this program to report that President Trump has more or less announced peace for our time on Truth Social: “The deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow.” Below is a screeshot of Trump’s text posted to Truth Social. President Trump is fluent in hyperbole. We will want to take a close like at the terms — the commitments and the mechanisms of enforcement — when they are made
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June 8, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Last night I was on the Rita Panahi Show, with Caroline Marcus filling in for Rita. It was a good interview, covering the latest from Iran, NBC’s claim that Israel is spying on the Trump administration, Trump’s walkout on the Welker interview, drama queen Scott Pelley and his alleged foxhole experiences, Graham Platner’s complaint that his enemies are using his past against him, and California’s lax election processes. You shouldn’t
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June 7, 2026 — John Hinderaker
President Trump was on Meet the Press this morning, and his interview with Kristen Welker turned incendiary when Welker attacked Trump over the proposed fund to compensate victims of government weaponization. Welker, of course, wanted to talk about the January 6, 2021 protest, the most over-hyped news story on record. But Trump wasn’t having it, and the conversation turned to election integrity. Welker insisted that there is no evidence of
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June 5, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Democrats are outraged over the news that the administration is considering issuing a $250 bill in commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, with President Trump’s picture on it. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent displayed a mockup of the hypothetical bill: I think this is a marvelous troll on the part of President Trump. Trump has a sense of humor, and his critics generally don’t. Thus, they often fail to understand when
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May 20, 2026 — Scott Johnson
RealClearPolitics has collected yesterday’s primary results here. I focused on the race featuring Ed Gallrein against incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie in the Kentucky Fourth Congressional District primary. Massie lost by ten points, 55 percent to 45 percent, or about 10,000 votes. Massie has turned massively erratic in a Tucker Carlson sort of way. He gave a hint of his post-congressional career in his graceless remarks conceding defeat by…well, you
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May 11, 2026 — Scott Johnson
President Trump waited 10 days for the response of the powers-that-be in Iran, whoever they are, to the proposed one-page memorandum setting forth terms acceptable to the United States. It looked like fool’s gold to me, but the Iranians rejected it in a letter that Trump has declared “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Now what? "I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called 'Representatives.' I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! Thank
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May 4, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Chuck Chalberg is the retired history professor who taught at Normandale Community College in the Twin Cities. He has written for us several time, usually when the Star Tribune finds his latest thoughts unfit to print. Chuck goes devilishly where angels fear to tread in the Star Tribune op-ed colum “Once a Trump voter, now a TDS sufferer,” published over the weekend. This must be the best op-ed column the
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May 2, 2026 — Scott Johnson
In an epigraph to the novel The Case History of Comrade V. (1972), James Park Sloan quotes someone writing that the surest sign of ________ is the lack of a sense of humor. I wish I could fill in the blank. I don’t remember the quote exactly and I lost my copy of the novel somewhere along the way. However, it comes to mind in connection with President Trump’s comments
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April 29, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Last night on the Rita Panahi Show we did something of a world tour, touching on Cole Allen’s manifesto, Donald Trump’s sense of humor, King Charles’s visit, the IRGC in Iran, the indictment of James Comey, likely Democratic presidential candidates for 2028, and more. This is Rita’s Lefties Losing It segment–believe me, they lost it this week–and I come on at 7:10. My segment goes until 18:26. With the next
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April 29, 2026 — Scott Johnson
We haven’t gotten around to Norah O’Donnell’s recitation of the gripes articulated by President Trump’s attempted assassin in his “manifesto” in support of his efforts this past Saturday evening. Trump did not take kindly to O’Donnell’s recitation of the wannabe killer’s grips in the course of the 60 Minutes interview the following day. The third of this morning’s three takes in the daily newsleter of Pirate Wires is Riley Nork’s
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April 29, 2026 — Scott Johnson
I have declared President Trump the King of Comedy. The White house goes one step beyond to take up the stupid taunt of No Kings. Trump or someone working on his behalf is working to become King of Trolls or King of Pain. I’m filing this under Laughter Is the Best Medicine. After the attempted assassination and late night press conference this past weekend, Trump continues to prove himself indefatigable,
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April 27, 2026 — Scott Johnson
President Trump appeared last night for an interview by correspondent Norah O’Donnell on 60 Minutes. O’Donnell seems to me a vile partisan hack along with the rest of the 60 Minutes crew. CBS News has posted the transcript of her interview online here. In the course of the interview O’Donnell inadvertently provided Trump the opportunity to refute the ridiculous No Kings protest movement that has found such popularity among Trump
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