Trump Goes on a Charm Offensive as He Woos Holdout Republicans President Trump worked the phones and welcomed Republicans to the White House to cajole them into supporting his megabill. They left with signed merchandise and photos of the Oval Office. A conga line of angsty Republican lawmakers filed through the West Wing on Wednesday, hemming and hawing about the big domestic policy bill that President Trump wants them to pass by Friday. They walked out with signed merchandise, photos in the Oval Office and, by some accounts, a newfound appreciation for the bill — targets all of a blunt-force charm offensive waged with precision by the president. One White House official said Mr. Trump had a line he used on many of his phone calls and meetings with wobbly Republicans: “Don’t give the Democrats a win. Don’t play into their hands.” He got the Senate to pass a version of the bill on Tuesday. So Wednesday was spent cajoling, wheedling and coaxing Republican members of the House. It’s not as though there were just a few holdouts. He needed to convince different kinds of factions with all sorts of demands, fiscal hawks and moderates alike. By the day’s end, it was still unclear whether the bill was going to make it through, but there was some evidence that his methods were proving effective. A clique of House Freedom Caucus members walked out of the White House in the early afternoon, their attitudes seemingly adjusted. Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, was one of them. He posted a video on social media gushing about the two-hour experience he’d just had with his president. “The president was wonderful, as always,” Mr. Burchett said in the video. “Informative, funny, he told me he likes seeing me on TV, which was kind of cool.” Representative Byron Donalds, Republican of Florida, is shown in the video, too. “Did you show them what he signed for you?” Mr. Donalds asks Mr. Burchett. “Yeah, he signed a bunch of stuff,” Mr. Burchett said. “It’s cool.” Mr. Burchett told The New York Times later on that his name had been misspelled on the placard placed in front of his chair for the Cabinet Room meeting (it was missing an “r”) so the president scribbled in the letter, signed both sides of the card and gave it to him as a souvenir. Mr. Burchett said the president also loaded up the son of Representative Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, with souvenirs. Mr. Trump has many ways of making members do what he wants. The all-powerful party boss can be frightfully vindictive. Republicans live in constant fear of being struck by one of his thunderbolts on social media. (After Mr. Trump fired one at Thom Tillis over the weekend, the Republican senator from North Carolina said he would no longer seek re-election.) But Mr. Trump can also turn on the charm with ease. This is a man who spent his entire professional life working in hospitality and show business. It is background that has served him well in Washington. Mr. Trump knows how to make lowly lawmakers feel special. He sends them handwritten attaboys. He takes their phone calls at all hours of the day, even interrupting high-level West Wing meetings so as not to miss them. He brings them to Ultimate Fighting Championship fights and sits them ringside with his entourage. He invites them into the social whirl at Mar-a-Lago. All of which can feel incredibly heady for small-time members of Congress who lead unglamorous, workaday lives. Even the more prominent ones find it can be rather seductive. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said that when he golfs or dines with the president at one his clubs, Mr. Trump asks: “Can I get you something? Would you like anything other than wings?” Over the weekend, before the Senate passed the bill, Mr. Trump played golf with Mr. Graham; Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky; Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri; and John Ratcliffe, the director of the C.I.A. He later met with two more Republican senators, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida, at the club in Virginia. “He likes hosting people,” Mr. Graham said. “It relaxes him.” He said that Mr. Trump told him he could go to the pro shop and pick out a shirt. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/...e_code=1.Tk8.y8Nj.4RJx1p2-aptw&smid=url-share
In the 70s my hair was wild curls flying everywhere. Still long, still curly, but less thick and not as much curl... Old age. And color now art, not nature.
He's speaking in code, thinking that the only people who know the code he's speaking are those who agree with him (etc), and not those who it is about. And that is because A: he's a fucking moron B: the people who the code words are spoken for are fucking morons and C: they're so brazen now they don't care who knows that their white hoods are at the cleaners.
Trump Kicks Off Celebration of America by Declaring His Hatred for Democrats President Donald Trump declared his hatred for his political opponents during a supposedly bipartisan celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. Taking to the lectern behind thick bulletproof glass in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, Trump immediately started firing off political potshots. “They wouldn’t vote only because they hate Trump, but I hate them, too, you know?” Trump said, referring to Democrats who voted against his “Big Beautiful Bill,” which the House sent to the president’s desk after a tight vote. “I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country.” His tone was strange given that the event, on the eve of July 4, was organized as a non-political celebration. Trump’s liaison to the organizing group, America250, said that it was designed to bring Americans together. https://dnyuz.com/2025/07/04/trump-...merica-by-declaring-his-hatred-for-democrats/
There is no such thing as celebration or unity for Trump. Everything is about aggrandizing him and airing grievances. He is not only greatest, he is most persecuted. In same speech he said 2 billion family farms will be exempt from estate tax. Two billion farms in country of 330 million. Men are not very good at math. I doubt there are 2 billion family farms on the planet.
Divide everyone, and either put in fear or buy off the minority that can make your plans reach fruition against a bunch of small clans that can't come together against their vulnerable common enemy. Trump would have been a great Byzantine emperor. All he needs to do is start blinding his opponents to complete the analogy.
While I agree with most of what you wrote, men are good at math. I've made a career out of it and so has my neighbor. Dunno why that was thrown into your points.
