Today in Politics, Bulletin 262. 12/2/25

Ron Filipkowski Dec 2 ∙

… After posting a blizzard of deranged QAnon content, threats, and conspiracies on Truth Social past midnight last night, Trump  was back at it again starting at 5:48 AM. Then he held another “Cabinet meeting” in front of the press and TV cameras where his sycophants praised his greatness as he continued to fall asleep. The last hour, his eyes were closed 80% of the time as he sat there with two Band-Aids on his hand.

… Mediate: “Trump unleashed a frenetic, late-night posting binge, flooding Truth Social with more than 160 posts in less than 5 hours, in a wild spectacle that saw him teeing off on political opponents and policies. The president reposted an endless stream of clips, some of which were duplicated in what appeared to be an automatic loop, amplifying MAGA-friendly pundits and conspiracy theories.”

… “The torrent swung between nostalgia – including a ‘Make Christmas Great Again’ video featuring Trump’s cameo in Home Alone 2 – and a parade of attacks on his usual Democratic targets, from Gavin Newsom and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and former President Barack Obama.

… “Among them was a clip of Alex Jones, featuring Bed, Bath and Beyond founder Patrick Byrne, whose video carried the bizarre caption: “Michelle Obama may have used Biden’s autopen in the final days of his disastrous administration to pardon key individuals.” Other posts lauded his vow to nullify all of Biden’s Autopen orders.

… “He also posted what appeared to be an AI-generated video of Elon Musk discussing Trump’s vow to ‘immediately’ revoke temporary protections for Somali migrants. Despite the late night, the president was awake by 5:48 a.m. Thursday to proclaim: ‘TRUTH SOCIAL IS THE BEST! There is nothing even close!!!’”

… Then Trump held his Cabinet meeting. These were some of his quotes before he fell asleep:

• “There’s this fake narrative that the Democrats talk about - ‘affordability.’ They just say the word. It doesn’t mean anything to anybody. They just say it. ‘Affordability.’ The word ‘affordability’ is a con job by the Democrats. The word ‘affordability’ is a Democrat scam.”

• “The fat drug. F-A-T for fat people. Anybody use it at the table? Don’t answer. We have it down to $150 or something, right Bobby? A pretty low number.”

• “I believe that at some point in the not too distant future you won’t even have income tax to pay, because they money we’re taking in from tariffs is so great.”

• “Is Trump in good health? I sit here, I do 4 news conferences a day. I ask questions from very intelligent lunatics - you people. I give the right answers. There’s never a scandal. There’s never a problem.”

• “But right now, I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago. I took my physical. I got all As. Everything. But they said to me, ‘would you like to take a cognitive test?’ I said, ‘Is it hard?’ They said, ‘yes.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m a very smart person. Who was the last president to take one?’ ‘No president has ever agreed to take one.’ I aced it.”

• On Somali immigrants in MN: “They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you.”

• “I just want to wish everybody a great holiday week.”

• “Pete didn’t know about the second attack having to do with 2 people. I guess Pete would have to speak to it. I can say this. I want those boats taken out. And if we have to, we’ll attack on land also. As far as the attack is concerned, I still haven’t gotten a lot of info because I rely on Pete. I didn’t know about the second strike. I wasn’t involved in it.”

… Pete Hegseth then also denied having any involvement or knowledge of the second strike that killed survivors in the water, throwing his military commanders under the bus:

• “I watched that first strike live. At the Dept of War, we got a lot of things to do so I did not stick around. A couple of hours later, I learned that commander had made - which he had the complete authority to do, he made the correct decision to sink the boat and eliminated the threat. And it was the right call. We have his back.”

• Q - “So you did not see the survivors after that first strike? Hegseth: I did not personally see survivors. The thing was on fire. This is what is called the fog of war. This is what you in the press don’t understand. You sit in your air conditioned offices and you plant fake stories in WaPo not based in any truth at all.”

… Long-time CNN national security correspondent Barbara Starr: “Sit in our air conditioned offices? Finally I have to say it. How dare you sir. Close to every member of the press corps you despise has made multiple reporting trips to combat zones, been under fire, some reporters wounded, some killed. Some today still with PTS. Mr. Hegseth should we indeed finally accept it’s just not possible for you to show any basic respect? I guess it in fact is not possible.”

• “We’ve only just begun striking narco boats and putting narcoterrorists at the bottom of the ocean. President Trump said we’re taking the gloves off. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We have had a bit of a pause because it’s hard to find boats to strike right now.”

• “I will just end by saying as President Trump always has our back, we always have the back of our commanders who are making decisions in difficult situations. All these strikes, they’re making judgement calls ensuring they defend the American people. They’ve done the right things. We’ll keep doing that.”

… Then it was time for his Cabinet officials to take turns glazing Dear Leader while he slept through most of it:

• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: “This is the greatest Cabinet ever for the greatest president ever. I can’t be more proud of how you did it, sir. You created the greatest Cabinet. It is a joy to be at this table.”

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy: “We’ve asked Americans to bring their better selves, to bring the civility back to travel. To say please and thank you, and maybe not wear pajamas or slippers on the airplane.”

• VP JD Vance: “Why did homes get so unaffordable? Because we had 20 million illegal aliens in this country taking homes that ought by right go to American citizens.”

• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: “Sir, you made it through hurricane season without a hurricane. You kept the hurricanes away. We appreciate that.”

• Noem: “You have saved hundreds of millions of lives with the cocaine you’ve blown up in the Caribbean.

(Approximately 187 million people combined have died in all the wars on planet earth since the year 1900. But Trump apparently saved more than that by blowing up the boats).

• EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin: “President Trump is willing to take a bullet for all of you tuning in at home. I’m grateful this holiday season for you.”

• HUD Sec Scott Turner: “When I played in the NFL, we had this thing called game film. You know all about film. We had a saying that said, the film don’t lie. The film tells a real story. And I hope that the American people when they watch the film that’s going on now, they will see America is greater today than it ever has been.”

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “Even as we sit here right now, Steve Witkoff is in Moscow trying to save lives. The war never would’ve happened if you had been president.”

• AG Secretary Brooke Rollins: “Joe Biden increased food stamp program funding by 40%. Now, we continue to roll that back. Just gratitude and joy for this work. So, so grateful to you, President Trump.”

• AG Pam Bondi: “Our attorneys are working on terrorism, TDA, Antifa. We have charged more than 500 defendants with assault on federal officers thanks to your directive. And also we have dropped countless cases against Americans that were prosecuted under the Biden admin.”

… Yes, while our Secretary of State stayed home to kiss Trump’s ass, the US was represented at the meeting with Putin today at the Kremlin by the brilliant and seasoned diplomats Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

… Gavin Newsom: “Donald Trump has fallen asleep in his own Cabinet meeting.”

… Hegseth posted this on X: “Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made - on the Sept 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this Dept of War says we have the back of our warriors - we mean it.”

… Bradley better hire a good lawyer.

… Conservative columnist George Will wrote an OpEd in WaPo titled, ‘A Sickening Moral Slum of an Administration’. This is a quote from it: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.”

… WaPo: “Officials in Congress and the Pentagon said they are increasingly concerned that the Trump admin intends to scapegoat the military officer who directed US forces to kill two survivors of a targeted strike on suspected drug smugglers in Latin America, as lawmakers made initial moves to investigate whether the attack constituted a war crime.”

… Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Hegseth had authorized Bradley to conduct the strikes. Adm Frank Bradley, she added, “worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed.”

… “Her scripted remarks at a news briefing elicited a furious backlash within DOD, where officials described feeling angry at the uncertainty over whether Hegseth would take responsibility for his alleged role in the operation - or leave the military and civilian staff under him to face the consequences.”

… One military official: “This is ‘protect Pete’ bullshit!”

… Another: “It’s throwing us, the service members, under the bus.”

… Another on Adm. Bradley: “Whether he takes the blame or not, his reputation has been marred by this forever, just by that statement.”

… “Another person said some of Hegseth’s top civilian staff appeared deeply alarmed about the revelations and were contemplating whether to leave the admin. The Pentagon has declined WaPo’s request to interview Hegseth about his role in the strikes.”

… Sen Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) said he spoke to Hegseth and the Joint Chiefs chair, Gen. Dan Caine, and that he expects to speak with Bradley also. Wicker, whose committee opened an inquiry into the Sept. 2 operation, said he is seeking video and audio recordings of the strikes, and that once those materials are received he will decide how to proceed: “We’re going to find out what the true facts are.”

… Sen. Maj Leader John Thune to Punchbowl on Hegseth’s leadership at DOD: “I don’t have, at this point, I guess, an evaluation of the secretary. Others can make those evaluations.”

… Mike Johnson was asked if the House was going to hold any hearings on it and whether they would request the full video and audio of the incident: “I’m sure Congress has a right to look at it. I don’t know how much of the tape should be released, because I’m not sure how much is sensitive with regard to national security and all that. I haven’t had a chance to review it. So I’m not going to prejudge it.”

… It’s Epstein files all over again.

… Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) on Fox: “If there was a second strike, it wouldn’t be to just simply take out the survivors. It’s because there was still a threat or opportunity for them to run.”

… Maybe get away by swimming to Jamaica?

… CNN’s Manu Raju to Mike Johnson: “If defenseless survivors were killed, would that constitute a violation of the laws of war? Johnson: I’m not going to prejudge any of that. I was pretty busy yesterday. I didn’t follow a lot of the news.”

… After stating yesterday that he thought the story about a second strike must be fake news because Hegseth would never do something like that, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) was back on CNN today changing his tune a little: Q - “If there were survivors clinging for their lives on that boat, was it legal to go ahead and kill them? Gimenez: If the mission was just to have a second strike to kill the survivors, that’s questionable.”

… Very courageous.

… Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) requested records from the Coast Guard on their boat interdictions for a 12 months period before the Trump/Hegseth policy went into effect. He posted a letter he received from the Guard in response, which was stunning: “Coast Guard records show that prior to the reign of ‘blow-them-to-smithereens’ 21% of boats stopped off the coast of Venezuela possessed NO drugs! Of the 212 total vessels interdicted in the year prior to the new policy who were suspected of trafficking drugs, only 55 had drugs on board.”

… Politico: “The publisher of children’s book series ‘Franklin the Turtle’ hit out at ‘unauthorized’ depictions of its main character after Pete Hegseth posted a mock cover of Franklin shooting at drug traffickers. Hegseth shared an image of a children’s book, titled ‘Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists,’ showing the eponymous turtle dressed in military gear, standing in a helicopter and firing a weapon at boats loaded with cargo and men with guns. ‘For your Christmas wish list,’ Hegseth captioned the picture.”

… Statement from publisher Kids Can Press: “Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”

… Grammy-award winning recording artist Sabrina Carpenter was fuming after the WH posted a video montage of ICE agents making arrests while using her music as a soundtrack: “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”

… At the time this Bulletin was published at 6 PM ET, Carpenter’s post had received 24 million views on X in just 7 hours.

… Statement from WH Spokesperson Abigail Jackson to Axios: “Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”

… These people pick the most unnecessary fights with celebrities and piss off millions of their fans in the process. Many of their fans don’t watch news, aren’t into politics, and may not even vote. But these fools sure do try and motivate them to start paying attention.

… Trump officially pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez today and he was released from federal prison while serving a 45 year sentence for drug trafficking and conspiracy to traffic weapons into the US. He served less than 2 years of his sentence.

… Manu Raju asked Mike Johnson about the pardon: “I don’t know anything about that. I don’t have an opinion on it.”

… Immigration attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “Juan Orlando Hernandez isn’t just a drug lord, he’s a murderous drug lord. Among the things he was accused of doing was having a former ally hacked to death with a machete while in prison, because he was afraid the man would rat him out. Trump just freed him.”

Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered on Wednesdays where we do a deep dive into the top stories of the week. I also do Ask the Editor where I asked 5 questions from you and we post the video here. If you have a question or would just like me to comment more on a subject, post it in a reply to this Bulletin below.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… CNN on the big election tonight: “Democrats have beaten their 2024 margins in US House special elections this year by an average of 16 points. A Democratic victory on Tues or even outperforming last year’s results would further embolden Trump’s opponents heading into the midterms.”

… Former VP and Sen. Al Gore campaigning for Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn last night: “Having had the privilege of representing TN in years past, I want to tell you that I have never seen the political tides shift as far and as fast as we’re seeing them move in this election.”

… Mike Johnson was campaigning for Republican Matt Van Epps: “Right now, every single seat matters, and this special election will fill an important one for us.”

… Johnson then put his phone on speaker for Trump to speak: “The whole world is watching TN right now, and they’re watching your district. It’s a big vote, and it’s gonna show something. It’s got to show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”

… Politico: “NRCC Chair Richard Hudson told House Republicans in their closed-door meeting Tues morning that Van Epps will win the race. National Republicans have had to intervene to attempt to rescue Van Epps from a potential defeat in TN’s 7th District, a conservative stronghold Trump won by more than 20 points. ‘It was not overly comforting,’ one House Republican who attended the meeting said, noting that some GOP members quietly glanced over at each other as the NC congressman argued a win is a win.”

… Another senior House Republican predicted the GOP conference would spend some time reeling from the fallout of the race, given that it shouldn’t have been competitive in the first place: “If our victory margin is single digits, the conference may come unhinged. A loss would be catastrophic and the conference would explode.”

… Dan Bongino responded to the NY Post story yesterday which torched him and his boss Kash Patel: “Deep-state Devine strikes again. Miranda loves attacking our reform agenda with gossipy anecdotes from disgruntled former employees because she’s upset that her ‘reporting’ keeps falling apart under scrutiny. You can always count on Miranda for a timed hit piece when the Director and I make big changes.
Miranda prefers the old-guard. I don’t. Full steam ahead.”

… First, Miranda Devine is a right-winger who is a Trump supporter. Second, she writes for Rupert Murdoch’s NY Post. Third, the group of a over two-dozen current and former senior FBI agents and analysts who wrote the report that was the basis of her story ENDORSED TRUMP for president in 2024.

… Devine responded: “Dan, the FBI deserves honest scrutiny. You should take the Alliance’s criticism on board instead of lashing out at the messenger.”

… Devine also went on Fox: “This isn’t a cabal. It’s an alliance of FBI professionals alarmed by weaponization under Christopher Wray. They endorsed Trump - and 80% of their report card on Patel and Bongino was negative.”

… MAGA lawyer Joseph McBride to Bongino: “Are you out of your damn mind? You are the Dep Director of the FBI. You are supposed to defend the Constitution, not run to social media crying because a reporter criticized you. In this country, the people get to question the govt. That is the American way. Weak men in power fold at the first sign of challenge. That is exactly how you sound.”

… McBride: “You sit in one of the most powerful chairs in the federal system, and instead of carrying yourself like a man who understands that power invites scrutiny, you showed everyone that you cannot handle it. You acted like you think your position puts you above being questioned. It does not. You work for the American people. They do not work for you. If you cannot grasp that simple truth, you have no business holding the power you do.”

… Kash Patel posted about the part of the report that said he refused to attend the Kirk press conference without an FBI jacket, so they brought him a medium size jacket to wear from a female agent: “I was looking for a Youth Large. Domestic terrorism arrests are UP 30% this year.”

… Kristi Noem posted: “I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies. Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom - not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”

… Financial Times war correspondent Christopher Miller compared videos of Witkoff’s meeting last week with Ukrainians versus his meeting today with Putin: “Steve Witkoff sitting across from the Ukrainians in Miami: Unshaven and scruffy. Serious, avoiding eye contact and unsmiling. Witkoff sitting across from Putin: Grinning with teeth, clean shaven, attentive. He says he had a ‘beautiful walk’ through Moscow, which he told Putin is ‘a magnificent city.’”

… NBC: “At least 11 elected Republicans in Indiana have been the targets of swatting attacks and other threats in the weeks since Trump publicly pressured state lawmakers to approve a new congressional map that would benefit Republicans. In a lengthy social media tirade on Nov. 16, Trump blasted IN state Senate Republicans for not supporting the effort, naming two state senators and Gov. Mike Braun. The next day, Trump said he would ‘strongly’ endorse against anyone who opposes the push.”

… IN House lawmakers formally introduced the new map yesterday. The state Senate is expected to do the same next week. Republican state Sen. Mike Bohacek, who opposes redistricting, said in a statement that he was the target of a bomb threat last week: “This recent pattern of threatening behavior and intimidation attempts are not only concerning, but also illegal. I hope to see justice for this type of behavior.”

… Bohacek then went on CNN to talk about Trump continuing to use the word ‘retard’: “When it seems quite clear that we’re isolating a population by use of a slur, at some point you have to speak out. It’s a word used to denigrate the intellectually disabled community. You can’t validate slurs like that - it goes to a matter of character.”

… CNBC: “Costco sued the Trump admin to get a full refund of new tariffs it paid so far this year, and to block those import duties from continuing to be collected from the retail warehouse club giant as a Supreme Court case plays out. Costco said that it risks losing the money it has already paid to satisfy the tariffs even if the Supreme Court eventually upholds earlier lower court rulings that found Trump did not have the legal power to impose those duties.”

… “The company noted a looming Dec. 15 deadline that could prevent the tariffs that it has already paid on an estimated basis from being refunded. Costco did not say how much money it believes should be refunded to the company. Dozens of other companies have filed similar lawsuits to protect their right to potential refunds in case the Supreme Court rules against the so-called reciprocal tariffs that Trump imposed on imports from many US trading partners.”

… Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was raging at Mike Johnson all morning: “I just walked out of a briefing on this issue this morning CONFIRMING everything I posted yesterday. That yes, in fact, the Speaker is blocking my provision to root out the illegal weaponization that led to Crossfire Hurricane, Arctic Frost, and more. He is siding with Jamie Raskin against Trump Republicans to block this provision to protect the deep state. This bill is DOA unless this provision gets added in as it was passed out of committee.”

… Punchbowl asked Johnson about Stefanik’s post: “All of that is false. I don’t exactly know why Elise won’t just call me. I texted her yesterday. She’s upset one of her provisions is not being made, I think, into the NDAA. As soon as I heard this yesterday, I was campaigning in TN, and I wrote her and said, ‘What are you talking about?’ This hasn’t even made it to my level.”

… Stefanik responded: “Just more lies from the Speaker. And in true to form, the Speaker texted me yesterday claiming he ‘knew nothing about it.’ Yeah right. This is his preferred tactic to tell Members when he gets caught torpedoing the Republican agenda. It wasn’t on your radar? Regular order is a Members’ provision that passed out of committee should be heard on the floor and not struck down by a Democrat minority member in a closed door meeting. You torpedoed this siding with Jamie Raskin.”

… Rep. Marge Greene then chimed in: “No surprises here. As usual from the Speaker, promises made promises broken. We all know it.”

… Ranking member of the House Budget Committee Brendan Boyle: “Trump will claim that he’s brought in $17 trillion - sometimes it’s even $18 trillion. As Lead Democrat on the House Budget Committee, I haven’t seen a dime come in, especially not for working families. It’s all a con. The only people benefiting under Trump are billionaires.”

… Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein on one of Trump’s deranged posts from last night of a poll showing his endorsed candidate for GA governor up big: “Trump is promoting a poll by Cooper Jacks, second-vice chair of the Walker County GOP and former state teen GOP chair. He told me it was ‘by no means a ‘professional’ poll.’ It involved 369 voters, most involved in Republican groups.”

… Trump’s Republican primary poll had his endorsed pick Bert Jones at 47% and his enemy Brad Raffensperger at 7%.

… Bluestein: “A November AJC poll conducted by UGA is the most recent legit survey. Trump-backed Burt Jones was at 22% among likely primary voters. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was at 15% and AG Chris Carr at 7%. Some 55% were still undecided.”

… Manu Raju: “Rep. Darrell Issa took off from me just now when I tried to ask him about reports he’s considering running for House in Texas. He represents House in CA.
His staffer attempted to close the door of stairwell to block our access. He walked very quickly up steps to avoid any questions.”

… Right-wing podcaster Candace Owens continued her crusade against the people who have taken over Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA org: “I received info last night that put the final pieces together for me. I now can say with full confidence that I believe Charlie was betrayed by the leadership of Turning Point and some of the very people who eulogized him on stage. Yes I will be naming names and providing evidence for my claims. And I am making a personal plea to every well-meaning person who donated to this Godforsaken organization to request a refund. You were lied to. And leadership knew.”

… Dr. Vin Gupta to Meidas on the letter put out by Trump’s doctor: “I had a chance to speak to a lot of radiology colleagues at the best academic institutions in the country over the last 24 hours. Trump’s doctor justified getting an MRI of the torso for primary screening of some sort of medical process because he’s older, and that doesn’t exist. I’m not aware, and my colleagues across the spectrum in radiology are not aware, of that type of screening process. You just don’t do it.”

… “The fact that they reported only the cardiovascular and abdominal findings is odd. Did he get a full-body MRI because that’s in vogue among a certain subsegment of society, and they just reported the cardiac and the abdominal finding? Then why? Did they leave out everything else? Did they just get a torso MRI? Why?”

… “These are the most credentialed radiologists in the country. I challenge anybody to find a group of people more credentialed and more accomplished and who know what to do and when to do MRIs than the folks I’ve spoken with. No one is aware of any type of screening guideline that says as you age you should get an MRI of the heart and abdomen.”

… “And nobody takes a Montreal Cognitive Assessment with this type of frequency. Doing it as frequently as he’s doing makes no sense. I don’t know any neurologist who would recommend doing a MoCA with that type of frequency. It’s not the flex that I think he believes it is.”