Trump Pulls a Sudden 180 on Releasing Boat Strike Video

Five days after he promised the American public that they would be able to see drone footage from the September 2 airstrike in the Caribbean, Donald Trump has decided to walk it all back.

The president scolded a reporter during a White House roundtable Monday, berating her for quoting comments he made on less than a week prior in which he stated that any video of the merciless double tap would be released.

“Mr. President, you said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2nd off the coast of Venezuela,” a reporter asked. “Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has—”

“I didn’t say that,” Trump interjected. “You said that. I didn’t say that. This is ABC fake news.”

“You said you would have no problem releasing the full vid—well, okay,” the reporter flustered.

Unfortunately for Trump, it’s not so easy to rewrite history when it exists in recent memory on tape, video, and in print. On December 3, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “whatever” footage the government had in its possession of the attack, it would “certainly release.”

That, however, was apparently no longer the case come Monday.

“Whatever Hegseth wants to do is okay with me,” Trump said.

“He now says it’s under review. Are you ordering the secretary to release that full video?” the reporter pressed.

“Whatever he decides is okay with me,” Trump repeated. “So every boat we knock out of the water, every boat, we save 25,000 American lives. That was a boat loaded up with drugs.”

Since early September, the U.S. has conducted at least 22 strikes on small boats traversing the Caribbean that Trump administration officials have deemed—without an investigation or interdiction—were smuggling drugs. At least 86 people have been killed in the attacks. The White House has defended the violence, chalking it up to allegedly necessary efforts to thwart the pipeline of fentanyl into the country.

“Are you committed to releasing the full video?” the ABC News reporter asked for clarification—a move that seemingly really got under the president’s skin.

“Didn’t I just tell you that?” Trump said.

“You said it was up to Secretary Hegseth,” she responded.

“You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place. Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious—actually, a terrible reporter, and it’s always the same with you,” Trump said.

It could be that Trump’s sudden reluctance to release the footage is because the tapes make his administration look cruel, callous, and careless. Lawmakers that were briefed on the September 2 double tap left the meeting appalled by the country’s actions, relaying to members of the media that they were “deeply disturbed” by footage of the killings.

President Donald Trump revealed Monday just how clueless he is about his own tariff policies, and appeared to improvise new rice tariffs on the fly after speaking with one rice farmer.

During a roundtable to unveil a $12 billion bailout package for American farmers, Meryl Kennedy, CEO of Louisiana-based Kennedy Rice Mill, told Trump that she believed other countries were “dumping” rice into the United States.

“Which countries?” Trump asked.

“India, Thailand, even China into Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico used to be one of the largest markets for rice, we haven’t shipped rice into Puerto Rico for years,” Kennedy said, adding that the president needed to “double down” on his tariffs.

“You want more?” Trump asked incredulously, and Kennedy replied that other countries were “cheating” by subsidizing their rice production.

Trump seemed to have no idea whether other countries were “dumping” rice, and asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent if India had a tariff exemption for rice.

“No sir, we’re still working on their trade deal,” Bessent replied. As of August, India is facing steep 50 percent tariffs on all exports, with exceptions for certain agricultural products such as tea, coffee, and spices—not rice. In October, exports from India to the United States rose for the first time in months as trade negotiations were underway.

As Kennedy tried to explain how India might be illegally subsidizing its rice production, Trump interrupted her. “Give me the countries if you could? Go ahead. India, who else? Mark it down, Scott,” the president said.

Kennedy repeated the “main culprits” of India, Thailand, and China, adding, “But there’s others too and we can get you a full list.” Trump promised he’d “take care” of the problem quickly.

U.S. rice production is small compared to that of other grains, such as soybean or corn. Across the six states that produce rice, there are only an estimated 5,500 farmers for that crop. In 2025, rice production in the U.S. reportedly suffered from adverse weather, while rice production in South American countries surged.

During the same roundtable, Trump also floated placing “very severe” tariffs on fertilizer imported from Canada—the largest supplier to the United States—which could boost domestic production but risks further hurting farmers.

President Trump on Monday lashed out at a reporter who asked about impending GOP House resignations.

“There’s at least 20 House Republicans who have either said they’re going to retire or not run again—”

“And Democrats, and Democrats also. And Democrats also,” Trump chimed in. “Why don’t you mention them? How many Democrats have retired? How many Democrats?”

“Well that’s what I was gonna ask—”

“Well, why don’t you tell me the number of Democrats too?”

“Well, are you concerned about the narrow margins?”

“No, I’m not concerned, I think we’re gonna do well,” Trump said, talking over the reporter. “We’re gonna have the greatest economy.... We’re gonna have the greatest economy in history. How many Democrats are retiring? How come you only know the Republicans and not the Democrats?”

“Because I came prepared to ask you a question—”

“No no, you’re unprepared. Because you should know the Democrats. You’re totally unprepared.”

This weekend, Puck News reported that 20 House Republicans will announce their retirement in the coming weeks, in addition to the 23 who’ve already said they’re leaving Congress.

The reporter at the roundtable Monday, who was from Newsday, was likely asking President Trump a question about the Republican resignations because he is the Republican president. But the question—coming in the wake of months of reporting on internal rifts within the GOP—clearly struck a nerve with President Trump.

Donald Trump’s latest attempt to appeal to American farmers involves imagining that he’s ever operated a piece of farm equipment.

The country’s agriculture industry is in the toilet—largely thanks to the president’s volatile tariff plan, which has destabilized relationships with some of the industry’s biggest foreign markets. In the middle of announcing a $12 billion bailout package to offset the damage he caused to America’s farmers on Monday, Trump claimed that lawn mowers (of all things) had become so difficult to operate that you’d need to be a certified genius in order to turn on the ignition.

“Farming equipment has gotten too expensive, and a lot of the reason is because they put these environmental excesses on the equipment which don’t do a damn thing except make it complicated, make it impractical,” Trump said. “In many cases, you need about 185 IQ to turn on a lawn mower now.”

This is coming from the same very down-to-earth billionaire real estate mogul who claimed in 2017 that he didn’t want a “poor person” in his presidential Cabinet, and earlier this year threw a Great Gatsby-themed party at Mar-a-Lago during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, as well as paved over the White House’s rose garden and repeated that he believes the term groceries is “an old-fashioned word.”

“We have a term, groceries,” Trump told the leaders of the United Arab Emirates in May. “It’s an old term, but it means basically what you’re buying, food, it’s a pretty accurate term but it’s an old-fashioned sound but groceries are down.”

Trump’s tariffs have devastated the American farming industry from both ends, hurting both supply and demand by raising costs on equipment and fertilizer while nixing key international markets such as China.

When the bailout was initially pitched in September, Trump said he intended to use the country’s supposedly surplus tariff money to subsidize American soybean farmers, though his concept of how much cash could be infused to America’s food producers was not coherent. Speaking with reporters, Trump mixed up “billions” and “millions,” apparently confused on the specifics of what government funds could amount to actual aid. Meanwhile, the Trump administration moved forward with a plan to send $40 billion in aid to Argentina.

Protesters packed the Indiana Statehouse Monday to fight against Republican plans to redraw the state’s congressional maps to give their party an extra advantage and eliminate the state’s two Democratic congressional seats.

President Trump has pushed for the redistricting, which passed Indiana’s House of Representatives last week. Republicans in the state Senate have warned that there aren’t enough votes for new maps to pass, which Trump has met with insults and threats.

Monday is the last day for public testimony on the bills, and the past week has been full of dueling pro- and anti-redistricting rallies. Loud chants of “Stop the steal” filled the statehouse as lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Elections began their session Monday afternoon, with many protesters bringing homemade signs.

When public testimony began, pro-redistricting speakers were booed and heckled. One person yelled that Republicans were stacking the deck with redistricting supporters, which may be true considering those who signed up to testify on the bill stated their position on the form. Committee chairs often group speakers by position, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Cate Charron.

CNN’s Eric Bradner said that Monday’s anti-redistricting rally was much larger than the pro-redistricting rallies at the Statehouse, including one last week organized by Turning Point USA. The reason for that, CNN reports, is that there isn’t much enthusiasm among Indiana Republicans, with much of the pro-redistricting pressure coming from national groups such as TPUSA and the Club for Growth.

Trump likely sees redistricting as the only way to protect his presidency from a hostile Democratic Congress, and is threatening to support primary challengers to Republican senators who oppose redistricting and calling them names on his Truth Social account. At least 11 elected Indiana Republicans have faced swatting threats, including state Senator Greg Goode, who hadn’t even made any public comments about redistricting.

But in spite of the pressure campaign, Indiana Republicans are not coming out in droves to support the idea.

“It’s ridiculous to bring the whole thing up to begin with, but it’s what the president wants,” Debbie Myers, a Republican small-business owner in Martinsville, Indiana, told CNN about redistricting. “It’s wrong, and it’s a waste of money and a waste of these people’s time, and I don’t think it should have happened.”

President Trump’s former lawyer and interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba is stepping down from her role in the wake of a 3–0 appeals court ruling that found she was “unlawfully” serving in the position.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit  agreed with a lower court’s ruling that Habba was given the U.S. attorney position through a “novel series of legal and personnel moves” and was not legally able to take the job. 

“While I was focused on delivering real results, judges in my state took advantage of a flawed blue slip tradition and became weapons for the politicized left.... They joined New Jersey senators, who care more about fighting President Trump than the well being of residents which they serve,” Habba wrote in her resignation letter, posted on X. “As a result of the Third Circuit’s ruling, and to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love, I have decided to step down in my role as the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. But do not mistake compliance for surrender. This decision will not weaken the Justice Department and it will not weaken me.”

Habba was originally meant to leave her interim position over the summer, as New Jersey federal judges refused to extend her 120-day appointment as U.S. attorney. But the Trump administration fired Desiree Grace, the U.S. attorney first assistant and Habba’s planned successor, prior to the end of Habba’s appointment, purposefully leaving the role unfilled. It then made Habba first assistant, allowing her to take the role of acting U.S. attorney without a Senate confirmation—which she may have likely failed. 

“My fight will now stretch across the country. As we wait for further review of the court’s ruling, I will continue to serve the Department of Justice as the Senior Advisor to the Attorney General for U.S. Attorneys,” Habba’s statement concluded. “Make no mistake, you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take New Jersey out of the girl.”

It’s not looking so good for former Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter—or any Democratic appointees at federal agencies.

While hearing arguments Monday in a case challenging Slaughter’s removal earlier this year, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed primed to overturn Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a 1935 case that established Congress can pass laws limiting the president’s ability to fire executive officials of independent federal agencies.

The court’s six conservative justices voiced concerns that agencies wielding executive power weren’t really accountable to the executive, Bloomberg Law reported. “Tomorrow we could have the Labor Commission, the Education Commission, the Environmental Commission, rather than Departments of Interior and so forth,” warned Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The court’s liberal justices weren’t convinced. Justice Elena Kagan said allowing Slaughter’s removal would place “massive, uncontrolled, unchecked power in the hands of the president.”

Only Justice Brett Kavanaugh voiced “concerns” about handing over the Federal Reserve, which is meant to set monetary policy without political interference.

The Supreme Court previously approved Donald Trump’s emergency request to remove Slaughter, despite the rulings of two lower courts and a law stating that presidents may only legally remove FTC commissioners for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” At the time, Kagan torched her colleagues for empowering Trump to remove “any member he wishes, for any reason or no reason at all.”

“And he may thereby extinguish the agencies’ bipartisanship and independence,” Kagan wrote in her opinion. Slaughter was the only Democrat left on the FTC board.

Breaking with precedent on Humphrey will allow Trump to continue his unfettered firing campaign against Democratic appointees, but it would also grant the president unprecedented control over agencies that regulate the economy, the stock market, as well as federal campaign finance and communication rules.

The Supreme Court previously allowed Trump to oust Gwynne Wilcox at the National Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris at the Merit Systems Protection Board—whose terms weren’t due to expire until 2029—as well as three Democratic appointees on the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

President Trump has been quite upset over six Democratic legislators telling members of the military that they have to refuse illegal orders, calling the lawmakers seditious and saying their statements are “punishable by DEATH.”

But as it turns out, Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the same thing.

Last year, as a lawyer for the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, Bondi filed a brief with the Supreme Court writing, “Military officers are required not to carry out unlawful orders.”

“The military would not carry out a patently unlawful order from the president to kill nonmilitary targets. Indeed, service members are required not to do so,” Bondi wrote in the brief, filed to support Trump in his effort to convince the Supreme Court to grant him immunity from prosecution on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Bondi was in fact trying to cover for one of Trump’s lawyers in January 2024, who was asked by Judge Florence Y. Pan in federal appeals court, “Could a president who ordered SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival, who was not impeached, would he be subject to criminal prosecution?”

D. John Sauer, who is now Trump’s solicitor general, said no, seeming to hurt his case. Bondi’s friend-of-the-court-brief was meant to cover for Sauer by arguing that Pan’s hypothetical question wasn’t realistic because military officers would disobey such an order.

“A president cannot order an elite military unit to kill a political rival, and the members of the military are required not to carry out such an unlawful order,” Bondi wrote in her brief. “It would be a crime to do so.”

When the case reached the Supreme Court, conservative Justice Samuel Alito agreed.

“I don’t want to slander SEAL Team 6,” Alito said to laughter in the courtroom. “Because they’re—no, seriously, they’re honorable. They’re honorable officers, and they are bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice not to obey unlawful orders.”

While the president won his immunity case, the six Democrats have been targeted by Trump’s supporters with violent threats and unrelenting attacks from the White House. And Bondi is not the only administration official who has affirmed that the military should disobey illegal orders—Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is on video saying the same thing in 2016. But to this administration, Trump can’t break the law, only the people who disobey him do.

GOP Representative Brian Fitzpatrick sat down with CNN’s Manu Raju on Sunday and directly criticized the recent policy decisions of President Trump and the Republican Party in general, further emphasizing the various internal rifts on the right.

The Pennsylvania representative first came for what he sees as his party’s steerless criticism of the Affordable Care Act.

“On health care, you’ve been pushing very hard to deal with these expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, pushing your own plan for this,” Raju said to Fitzpatrick. “But you’re encountering a lot of resistance from within your own party.... What do you say to them?”

“If you don’t have a better plan, then get on board with ours. But doing nothing is not an option,” the representative replied. “I’ve heard so many people in the Republican conference rail against the Affordable Care Act, rail on Obamacare, rail on the premium tax credits.... If you wanna criticize something that’s OK, as long as you have a better alternative. They have never offered a better alternative.”

Fitzpatrick also stressed the affordability issue.

“Everybody’s gotta have an answer to rising costs across the board, whether it be health care or anything. This is what people voted on,” he said. “This is what led to Donald Trump’s election in ’24, I believe it’s what led to Mamdani’s election in ’25. I think affordability is the issue, that’s what trumps everything else.”

“The president himself called affordability a Democratic scam,” Raju replied.

“I don’t believe that to be true. At all.”

“Do you find those comments problematic?”

“I don’t know what he was intending, I’ve heard him say the opposite of that, that he wants to focus on affordability,” Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t know where he’s going with that.... I can just tell you from my standpoint, affordability is the most important issue. Issue number one.”

Fitzpatrick reserved some of his harshest criticism for how Trump has handled Russia’s war on Ukraine, as the president has pushed what many have referred to as a 28-point pro-Putin peace plan.

“I have not liked the way either this or the prior administration has handled this.... We need a lot more moral clarity out of the administration,” he said. “Vladimir Putin invaded a peace-loving democracy. Volodymyr Zelenskiy is a legitimately elected president, Vladimir Putin is an unelected dictator. Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia has kidnapped close to 20,000 Ukrainian children. It is genocide, it is war crimes, and we have to call that out for what it is.”

“Has Trump been too deferential to Putin?”

“I believe so.”

This interview comes as narratives of GOP disharmony are peaking, sparked by MAGA Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s criticism of Trump’s disdain for anything but his own agenda, and her subsequent resignation announcement.

“I think emotions are really high… A lot of our colleagues are frustrated that their legislation has not been brought to the floor.… It’s a lack of priorities.”

While other Republicans recently criticizing Trump plan on retiring, Fitzpatrick has confirmed his intention to run for reelection in 2026.

There could be a major switch-up at the Department of Homeland Security “really soon.”

In a drastic turn of events, Donald Trump is reportedly considering replacing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with outbound Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. That could make Noem the first person to be pushed out of Trump’s second-term Cabinet.

Noem has unquestioningly carried out practically every element of the president’s immigration agenda and endlessly fawned over his leadership. Last week, Noem nonsensically thanked Trump for keeping hurricanes at bay since he returned to office. Yet none of that has been enough to keep her in the administration’s good graces, because even while Trump may be satisfied with her performance, top White House officials have become increasingly frustrated with Noem’s sphere of influence—specifically, the tenure of her chief adviser, Corey Lewandowski, reported The Bulwark.

Three former DHS officials with ties to the current staff told the digital publication that the changeover could happen “really soon,” giving the term-limited Youngkin a future in Washington.

CNN reported in late November that Youngkin has “expressed more interest in an economic or business portfolio, rather than one focused on immigration” but would still be “excited by the prospect of joining the Cabinet.”

Lewandowski denied The Bulwark’s report, commenting to the outlet that “none of that is true.”

Exactly what a Noem exit means for DHS—or the president’s immigration agenda—is not clear, though political analysts predict that Youngkin could be less abrasive than his predecessor, a woman who bragged about killing her dog in order to curry favor with the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

“If he gets the gig, he probably won’t be as flashily cruel as Noem has been,” argued The New Republic’s editor, Michael Tomasky. “But there’s every reason to think that he’ll do just what Stephen Miller tells him to do—if only because he’s leaving Richmond with his political future in shambles and needs to revive his career. If the Trump Cabinet is his meal ticket, he’ll follow orders.”

DHS staffers, meanwhile, are reportedly looking forward to the leadership change.

“Things are fucked” at the department, a former staffer relayed on behalf of a current DHS official to The Bulwark. “It’s horrible.”

“‘They’re going to destroy this place. I’m just hoping the new secretary gets here in time.’”