Trump Makes Clear No One Can Rule Against Him as He Threatens Enemies

Trump has once again called for anyone who ever investigated him to be politically attacked, referencing his power as “chief law enforcement officer.”

“I’m the one that had to suffer through [investigations] and ultimately win. But what they did was criminal. Deranged Jack Smith, in my opinion, is a criminal. And I noticed his interviewer, I think that was [former federal prosecutor Andrew] Weissman. And I hope they’re gonna look into Weissman too, Weissman’s a bad guy, and he had somebody in [former Deputy Attorney General] Lisa [Monaco] who was his puppet, worked in the office really as the top person,” Trump said during a press conference Wednesday with FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi. “I think that she should be looked at very strongly. It was tremendous criminal activity.”  

He then went on to ramble about how fair elections, fair press, and borders are the most important issues in America right now, before moving back to his political enemies. 

“They have committed massive political crime. I hope they’re looking at Shifty [Adam] Schiff, I hope they’re looking at all these people. And I’m allowed to find out, I’m allowed, in theory, the ‘chief law enforcement officer.’ … I hope they’re looking at political crime, because there’s never been so much political crime against a political opponent as what I had to go through.” 

These so-called “criminals” Trump is referring to—Jack Smith, Lisa Monaco, Andrew Weissman, and Adam Schiff—are all people who rightfully and legally investigated a variety of alleged crimes, including Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, Trump’s role in instigating January 6 insurrection, and Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

And for what it’s worth, Trump is very much not the chief law enforcement officer of the United States—the attorney general is (although Bondi has proven willing to agree with the president). Not only is Trump continuing to attack people on baseless accusations of crime, he is misrepresenting the power he has to do so.  

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gave a strong interview on Fox News Wednesday—but the same can’t be said for the host, Martha MacCallum.

During the interview on Fox’s The Story, MacCallum posed a variety of questions echoing far-right talking points. But if MacCallum was hoping to catch Mamdani out on his leftist policies, she got something else entirely. 

While asking Mamdani whether his socialist politics were at odds with New York City’s reputation as the finance capital of the world, MacCallum revealed that she’d gotten a little help with her interview prep from AI. 

“Last night, I ChatGPT’d, ‘Where is the capitalist and global finance center of the world?’ and it said New York City, which made me feel good as someone who loves New York City,” MacCallum said. “Is that a moniker you’re proud of, and one that you want to continue for this city?”

“Well, you should be proud of it. And, that is one thing you have in common with Andrew Cuomo, because he also uses ChatGPT to answer many questions, including how to actually resolve the housing crisis in this city,” Mamdani said, referring to Cuomo’s April housing plan that had clearly been made with the help of a large language model.  

He added that he hoped to make NYC the capital of “where working people could afford to live in this city.”

MacCallum then noted that Mamdani had no experience as a businessperson—though why that would be necessary for a civil servant is unclear—and asked him what experience gave him the “confidence” to run for mayor. 

Mamdani cited his nearly six years as a New York state assemblymember, representing 130,000 residents in Queens. “I’ve not only delivered more than $100 million in increased bus and subway service, I’ve also secured half a billion dollars in debt relief for working-class taxi drivers,” he said.

MacCallum’s condescending question seems to echo President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday had criticized Mamdani, claiming he had “never worked a day in his life.”

The Fox News host appeared uncomfortable while pressing Mamdani on his view on law enforcement, and when she challenged him to publicly apologize for calling the New York City Police Department racist and corrupt, he launched into an apology—which MacCallum quickly interrupted. In fact, she interrupted Mamdani several times throughout the interview.

The interview also opened with a lengthy segment where McCallum probed Mamdani for his opinions about Hamas, following the tenuous peace agreement with Israel. Mamdani, whose potential position has little to do with foreign affairs, refused to take the bait.

Mamdani has previously faced wildly racist comments from right-wing media and lawmakers, including Trump, who accused Mamdani of being in the country “illegally” and promised to have the local lawmaker arrested if he should follow through on defying ICE.

President Donald Trump has secretly escalated his already hawkish policy toward Venezuela, reveals a new report from The New York Times.

On Wednesday, the Times reported—and the president seemed to confirm—that Trump has signed what’s called a “presidential finding,” or a classified directive authorizing covert action, against the regime of Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro.

This would allow the CIA to conduct “lethal operations in Venezuela” as well as “a range of operations in the Caribbean,” according to the Times. Covert action could be taken “either unilaterally or in conjunction with a larger military operation.” It’s unclear whether the CIA has specific operations planned in the country, or if the finding is simply to serve as a “contingency.”

After being asked at a press conference why he authorized the CIA to go into Venezuela, Trump told reporters that the country has sent drugs as well as “thousands of prisoners” and “people from mental institutions” into the United States. Referring to his administration’s recent lethal strikes on Venezuelan boats, which he has claimed were all trafficking narcotics, Trump vowed “to stop them by land also.”

Asked whether the CIA has the authority to “take out” Maduro, Trump refused to answer, saying it would be a “ridiculous question for me to answer”—though, he ominously added, “not really a ridiculous question” per se.

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive posture toward the Maduro regime, primarily under the guise of a war on drugs. This includes the legally dubious strikes on Venezuelan vessels, a military buildup in the Caribbean, the posting of a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, and a recent halt on diplomatic talks.

The U.S. has an extensive history of interventions and destabilization campaigns in Latin America, often via covert CIA operations. The new report shows that Trump, despite having campaigned in 2024 on minimizing foreign entanglements, is open to continuing this sordid tradition.

The first order of business in Fox News’s sit-down interview Wednesday with New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: trying to goad the Muslim assemblyman into opining on the Middle East.

Rather than ask the mayoral front-runner to explain his stances as they relate to the city he’s running to govern, host Martha MacCallum opted to grill Mamdani on a series of issues not related to Gracie Mansion at all.

First, MacCallum wanted to know if Mamdani would give “credit” to Donald Trump for arranging a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, to which Mamdani responded it was “too early to do so.”

“But if it proves to be something that is lasting, something that is durable, then that’s where you give credit,” Mamdani said.

The next critical query: the mayoral candidate’s thoughts on Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the undelivered hostage remains.

“What is your response to what Hamas is doing now?” MacCallum asked.

“I think those are bodies and remains that should absolutely be returned,” Mamdani said. “And I have no issue with critiquing Hamas or the Israeli government, because my critiques all come from a place of universal human rights.”

Mamdani tried to squeeze details actually pertaining to New York City into this answer, acknowledging the city’s rampant affordability crisis. But MacCallum had no interest.

“Do you believe that Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza?” she said, steamrolling past the detail.

“I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure is affordable for all. And as it pertains to Israel and Palestine, that we have to ensure that there is peace, and that is the future we have to fight for,” Mamdani said.

“But you won’t say that Hamas should lay down their arms and give up leadership in Gaza?” MacCallum reiterated.

“I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety,” Mamdani laughed. “And that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military, it applies to anyone you could ask me about.”

Mamdani has taken the Big Apple by storm. After a tight Democratic primary (and stunning upset victory) this summer, the Ugandan-born New Yorker has gained citywide appeal. He is leading the mayoral race by double digits, garnering 46 percent support in the wake of Mayor Eric Adams’s withdrawal, according to a Quinnipiac poll published Thursday.

The 33-year-old has also caught the eye and ire of the White House. Trump has spent months openly browbeating Mamdani, accusing the local lawmaker of being in the country “illegally,” while promising to arrest him if the mayoral hopeful follows through on defying ICE.

The president has also posed direct threats to the denizens of New York, claiming that he would leverage the power of the executive branch to choke funding from the country’s wealthiest metropolis unless it rejects Mamdani’s bid come Election Day, next month.

Donald Trump has reportedly become consumed by his large-scale remodeling at the White House, wandering away from his presidential duties to survey renovations.  

The president has repeatedly derailed visits from foreign dignitaries to give lengthy tours of his new digs, Axios reported Wednesday. Following a joint press conference two weeks ago to tout his tenuous peace plan between Israel and Hamas, Trump led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a 40-minute walk-through of his latest renovations. And Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb was given a similar tour last week. 

Trump also interrupted a meeting with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg last month to show off his sound system being installed outside. 

In September, GOP lawmakers from Florida were trapped with the president for well over an hour as he showed off the new marble tiles he’d selected for the floors in the washroom of the Lincoln Bedroom—where DOGE czar Elon Musk once stayed at Trump’s behest. Trump led the lawmakers through the iconic Rose Garden, which he had partially paved over with stones, and asked them for their opinions. “He asked me to pick a tile,” one lawmaker told Axios.

One Trump adviser proudly admitted that the president raised exterior decorations with everyone who passed through his office. “He asks everyone for a vote on everything,” the adviser told Axios. “We vote. Anybody that walks through gets a vote. He cares so deeply about perfection that this is what he does.”

Trump’s changes have been extensive. First it was filling the Oval Office, which was refitted with ornate crown molding and gaudy golden decor, including a golden Trump crest above the door and golden cherub statues straight from Mar-a-Lago. The president also added a copy of the Declaration of Independence, though later revealed he had no idea what it said. 

Then it was the massive $200 million ballroom that looks like it will dwarf the White House; the demolished Rose Garden, where Trump will host MAGA elites; and the infamous autopen photograph Trump used to replace a portrait of former President Joe Biden. Now it seems the president has turned his attention to an “Arc de Trump” monument. 

One White House aide said the sweeping renovations were Trump’s “artistic outlet.”

“President [George W.] Bush liked to paint. Trump likes to build and design,” they said. 

While Trump explores his creative side, his White House has directed hundreds of federal workers to be fired amid an ongoing government shutdown with no end in sight. Meanwhile, federal forces are waging war on Democratic cities, and immigration authorities are scouring the land for undocumented immigrants to rip out of their communities.