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'Dangerous paradox': Trump losses 'piling up' as list of allies bucking White House grows

17 hours agoLeft

President Donald Trump is now on a losing streak, and it's coming as a result of his own party members. Speaker Mike Johnson met with the president at the White House on Monday, and, not long after, it was revealed Trump would no longer fight to establish a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund to pay out alleged victims of government overreach.Punchbowl News reported that the GOP is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Trump's political endorsement can boost or sink primary candidates, but his brand is so toxic in the general election that more and more lawmakers are making it past their primaries and pivoting against Trump. Trump's ballroom has also become a political sticking point for Republican lawmakers. The unpopular $1 billion funding demand from Trump came after he said he would fully fund the ballroom himself with sponsors and donors. The third potential Trump failure is about his new "golden fleet" of 20 to 25 battleships that Trump demanded the U.S. Navy build. Trump initially requested 34 ships. The Trump fleet of ships won't be finished before the end of Trump's term. The House Armed Services Committee is beginning the markup for the 2027 defense reauthorization budget this week. Trump initially asked for $66 billion for the fund, but the full program is expected to cost $1.5 trillion. Republicans also still haven't delivered funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CPB). Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told Punchbowl that he can't pass ICE and CPB funding with the weaponization fund in the budget. Outside of his GOP allies in Congress, Trump is also fighting with longtime ally with Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Axios, Trump reportedly yelled at the embattled prime minister, calling him "f—— crazy" for bombing Lebanon at a time when he's desperately trying to end their war against Iran. Trump's Iran war bungle continues to haunt him as he struggles with a humiliating failure. One of Iran's major sticking points in negotiations is that Netanyahu stop bombing Lebanon. These failures all come amid a slew of legal battles Trump keeps losing over the Kennedy Center, the slush fund and his ballroom.

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Trump's legal nemesis goes back to court to put final nail in coffin of $1.6B slush fund

Raw Story

43 minutes ago

Trump's legal nemesis goes back to court to put final nail in coffin of $1.6B slush fund

Norman Eisen, the former White House ethics czar who has become one of the most aggressive legal thorns in Donald Trump's side, filed a new lawsuit Monday on behalf of former January 6 prosecutors, refusing to accept media reports suggesting the administration's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund has been quietly shelved."We are NOT accepting media reports as proof that the $1.8B slush fund and 'settlements' associated with it are dead," Eisen wrote on X, announcing the filing. "That's why we have just filed a new lawsuit to make sure this ENDS."The complaint for injunctive and declaratory relief was filed in federal court Monday, Case 1:26-cv-01907, on behalf of two former prosecutors who handled January 6 cases. It names Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano as defendants, along with the Justice Department and the Treasury Department.According to language visible in the filing, the lawsuit argues that the fund's creation, along with its assertion that January 6 prosecutors acted for improper political reasons, has harmed the plaintiffs. The complaint notes that January 6 insurrectionists have already been "hailing the creation of the Fund," underscoring why the legal fight cannot be considered over based on press reports alone.The filing was made in partnership with Platkin LLP, Washington Litigation Group, and Heaphy Smith.The post was quickly reposted by Barbara Comstock, the former Republican congresswoman from Virginia who has become a vocal Trump critic.BREAKING: we are NOT accepting media reports as proof that the $1.8B slush fund & "settlements" associated with it are deadThat's why we @DDFund_ have just filed a new lawsuit to make sure this ENDS --on behalf of former J6 prosecutors with Platkin LLP, WLG & Heaphy Smith pic.twitter.com/lT49UzKs3H— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) June 1, 2026

Far Left

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Trump drops $1.776 billion ‘weaponization’ fund, Charlie Kirk murder case opens up to cameras

New York Post

55 minutes ago

Trump drops $1.776 billion ‘weaponization’ fund, Charlie Kirk murder case opens up to cameras

President Trump is abandoning his controversial $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund after bipartisan opposition, court challenges, and pressure from Senate Republicans. Questions now remain about whether the rest of Trump’s massive IRS settlement will survive intact. Meanwhile, a Utah judge has handed down a major ruling in the Charlie Kirk murder case, allowing cameras in court...

Right

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Senate GOP leader 'practically begging' Trump to dump his 'toxic fixation': report

Raw Story

1 hour ago

Senate GOP leader 'practically begging' Trump to dump his 'toxic fixation': report

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is “practically begging” the White House to abandon President Donald Trump’s “fixation on personal projects,” with one in particular “growing more toxic” and potentially jeopardizing a key priority for Republicans as the midterm elections draw near, Punchbowl News reported Tuesday.Republican lawmakers are hoping to pass a reconciliation bill this week to fully fund federal immigration enforcement agencies, but Trump’s continued support for his $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded “anti-weaponization fund” – established to award payouts to his supporters who claim to have been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration’s Justice Department, including violent Jan. 6 Capitol rioters – risks sinking the legislation entirely.“Trump and Hill Republicans are trapped in a dangerous paradox,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “Trump’s political endorsement is worth more than ever in GOP primaries, yet his legislative agenda and fixation on personal projects are growing more toxic heading into the fall campaign season. As more Republicans move past their primaries, they’re suddenly finding it advantageous to oppose him.”Thune "acknowledged” that Republicans in the Senate “weren’t satisfied” with the White House’s continued support of the anti-weaponization fund – which a federal judge has temporarily halted from awarding payouts – and on Monday, urged the administration to issue “more public assurances,” Punchbowl News reported.“The South Dakota Republican is practically begging the administration to act on its own to shut down the fund entirely and make clear it won’t be resurrected,” the outlet’s report reads. “Thune believes this remains the best way to un-stick the reconciliation bill and prevent a handful of GOP senators from voting for Democratic amendments during an upcoming vote-a-rama. But the White House seems unwilling to make this easy for Republicans.”

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Trump ‘suddenly taking losses’ from ‘own friends’ as key leverage crumbles: report

Raw Story

2 hours ago

Trump ‘suddenly taking losses’ from ‘own friends’ as key leverage crumbles: report

President Donald Trump has increasingly faced pushback from his “own friends and allies” in recent weeks leading to a series of “losses,” Punchbowl News reported on Tuesday, a dynamic that the outlet attributed to the president’s most powerful point of leverage crumbling in real time.“President Donald Trump is suddenly taking losses from his own friends and allies, especially on Capitol Hill,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.For instance, Trump’s White House ballroom project is in “serious jeopardy” as GOP senators sour at the $1 billion ask for ballroom security. Trump’s proposal for the creation of a new battleship fleet named after himself also hit a speedbump as Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee expressed a “wave of skepticism,” Punchbowl News reported on Monday.Trump’s $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has also sparked fierce pushback from GOP lawmakers, and this week, House Republicans may end up supporting a bill to provide $600 million in aid to Ukraine, a bill that Punchbowl News reported “Trump is certain to oppose.”The cause for the recent uptick in GOP defiance, Punchbowl News argued, was the primary election season wrapping up around the nation. Trump’s endorsements – “worth more than ever in GOP primaries,” Punchbowl News’ report reads – are no longer a threat for lawmakers who’ve made it past their primaries unscathed. As such, GOP lawmakers are “suddenly finding it advantageous to oppose” the president.Punchbowl News flagged the wave of GOP opposition to Trump’s $1.7 billion fund – established to award payouts to his supporters who claim to have been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration’s Justice Department – as a key example of Trump’s leverage on his own party having waned. “At least a dozen GOP senators said Monday that the White House’s attempt to quell the uproar over Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund wasn’t enough to win their support for advancing the immigration-centric package – something that should unify them,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Expects Trump to Attend NATO Summit

Bloomberg Politics

2 hours ago

Turkish Foreign Minister Expects Trump to Attend NATO Summit

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tells Bloomberg that he expects US President Donald Trump to attend the NATO summit in Ankara next month. “As far as we know he's going to attend,” Fidan says during an interview with Haslinda Amin in Singapore. He also discusses the US-Iran war and the prospects for a peace agreement. (Source: Bloomberg)

Center

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Hell officially freezes: Axelrod accidentally sides with Trump

BizPac Review

2 hours ago

Hell officially freezes: Axelrod accidentally sides with Trump

Someone check to see if pigs have sprouted wings. Democratic strategist David Axelrod actually agreed with President Donald Trump on something. That “something” is the president’s reported […]

Far Right

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Trump endorses mysteriously absent ‘ghost’ congressman: ‘Never seen anything like this’

Raw Story

2 hours ago

Trump endorses mysteriously absent ‘ghost’ congressman: ‘Never seen anything like this’

Republican House Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for his endorsement ahead of the GOP primary election on Tuesday, but critics – including his Democratic opponent – were quick to remind the lawmaker that he’s not been seen on the House floor for nearly 90 days.“Kean hasn’t voted in the House or appeared in public in months, yet he’s being endorsed for re-election by Trump,” wrote John Bresnahan, co-founder of Punchbowl News, in a social media post on X Monday night.Kean’s most recent appearance on the House floor was on March 5, and in the months since, his extended absence has become a growing “concern” for GOP leaders given the competitiveness of the district he represents. Kean has said his absence was due to a “personal medical issue” without providing further detail, with Time labeling Kean as a “ghost” in its report last week.Trump’s endorsement of Kean was issued on Monday via a statement on social media, in which the president claimed Kean was “working tirelessly” to support his agenda. Rebecca Bennett, Kean’s Democratic opponent in the race, flagged Trump’s endorsement of a lawmaker who’s been absent for nearly three months in her pitch to voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election.“Here’s the difference between us: I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Kean swore an oath of loyalty to Trump and his MAGA allies in DC,” Bennett wrote in a social media post on X. “This November, we’ll send him packing and start holding the Trump Administration accountable.”Paul Kane, a longtime Capitol Hill reporter, said he’d “never seen anything like this,” particularly given Kean’s district being among the most competitive districts this election cycle.“Kean was last seen March 5. Today was the 88th [day] since his disappearance,” Kane wrote in a social media post on X. “He’s in a critical swing seat that [Republicans] desperately need to hold. Never seen anything like this.”So @KeanForCongress was last seen March 5. Today was the 88th since day his disappearance. He’s in a critical swing seat that Rs desperately need to hold. Never seen anything like this. https://t.co/RPVxP1DcTT— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) June 2, 2026

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Trump attacks 'corrupt and irrelevant' foes in raving late-night posting spree

Raw Story

3 hours ago

Trump attacks 'corrupt and irrelevant' foes in raving late-night posting spree

President Donald Trump attacked several of his political foes, whom he called "corrupt and irrelevant," in a raving late-night posting spree on Truth Social. Trump is routinely up late at night posting images of himself or firing off long-winded attacks against his political enemies. In the past, he's posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick man in bed, threatened to wipe out the Iranian civilization, and reposted multiple conspiracy theories about how the 2020 general election was allegedly stolen from him, even though his lawyers couldn't prove that point in more than 60 cases. The president continued that streak on Monday night, posting more than two dozen times on Truth Social. Some of the posts were standard endorsements of MAGA candidates while others seemed to come from a darker place in Trump's mind. In one post, Trump lashed out at the way the media has covered his war in Iran. "If Iran surrenders ... the Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close. The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!" Trump wrote. He also attacked several Republican congressmen who lost their primary races to people who are more closely aligned with Trump. "In the last two weeks I've taken out many bad Political 'Leaders' and Pundits including Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lightweight 'Congressman' Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, REALLY DUMB Stephen Colbert of CBS, and others," Trump wrote in one post. "My score, for two weeks, is 38-0, with three more limping Late Night Talk Show Hosts, including Low Ratings Bill Maher and his Fake "Laughing Machine," to go. It is my Honor to be working so hard for our Country!"Trump also attacked New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who successfully prosecuted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment he gave to adult actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair he had with her before the 2016 general election. "Alvin Bragg created a new crime just for 'Donald Trump.' He took misdemeanors that didn’t exist, and turned them into felonies that never existed," Trump wrote. "They have a “charge” for Donald Trump that nobody has ever been charged with in the History of Manhattan, and they didn’t charge Hillary Clinton’s lawyer who became the Chief Prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, and the Judge’s Daughter was the Chief Fundraiser for Kamala Harris and Sleepy Joe Biden. Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians!"If all of that wasn't enough, Trump also called for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state in a post where he shared an article about the country falling into a recession.

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