Taking Trump down a notch.
August 13, 2025
Although Trump remains a clear and present danger to democracy, the tone of media coverage and political reaction is beginning to shift. On Wednesday, the usual false equivalency and both-siderism gave way to mocking undertones, trolling, and brutal fact-checking. Still, the Trump-world state media and the inhabitants of the parallel universe of political sycophants who swear undying love to a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual abuser, insurrectionist, and political extortionist pretend as if “There’s nothing to see here, move along.”
There are many important stories to cover on Wednesday, with the most important being Trump's threat to invade several large US metropolitan areas led by Black mayors. I save that important story for last because Trump has provided us with the perfect metaphor for his steroid-fueled, faux Gilded Age administration that survives in large part because of its ability to distract the people with “bread and circuses.”
As Trump’s struggles with the Epstein scandal cause him to sink lower into the quicksand of truth, he is planning to stage a UFC event at the White House. See Associated Press, A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening as part of deal with Paramount.
Per the AP story, the UFC fight will take place at the White House on the Fourth of July 2026, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Yes, Trump will mark one of the most consequential days in American history with an event at the White House that has all the class of a strip club in an industrial park.1
According to AP,
Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
“It’s absolutely going to happen," White told The Associated Press. “Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.”
What is a UFC fight? It is, essentially, two men in a cage trying to kill one another, almost. It is currently banned in Afghanistan and Norway. Senator John McCain once called it “human cockfighting.” It is like a bar fight in the street at 2:30 a.m., without the broken beer bottles serving as ad hoc daggers.
Hosting such a fight at the White House is an insult to a historical landmark that serves as the symbol of the United States across the world. Such a match best belongs at a tacky casino in Atlantic City, like the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal Casino. Oh, wait! Trump did host UFC fights at the Taj Mahal Casino more than two decades ago, a sponsorship credited with saving the so-called “sport.” See ABC News (Australia), Athletes expose the reality of fighting for survival in the UFC.
Per ABC,
Even with new owners, the UFC was struggling to find venues willing to host the sport — until businessman Donald Trump took a gamble and hosted two events at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City in 2001.
White has often credited the now-US president with playing a pivotal role in saving the sports company, which transformed into an entertainment powerhouse that sold for a staggering $US4 billion in 2016.
Trump is single-handedly trying to destroy arts and education, science and medicine, and culture and truth. As he makes plans to sully the White House, he has ordered the Smithsonian Institution museums to begin removing any references to America’s history of divisiveness, slavery and racial exploitation, genocide of indigenous peoples, imprisonment of innocent Americans of Japanese descent, and discrimination against women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. See CNN, White House orders review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to ensure alignment with Trump directive.
Trump is disgracing the White House—and America—with his belligerent ignorance and narcissism. Try as he might, there is no way to make a UFC blood match an acceptable celebration for the declaration of independence that brought America into being—imperfections and all.
Has Ghislaine Maxwell been released from prison on work furlough?
Allison Gill has been investigating the events surrounding the transfer of convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security facility in Texas. See The Breakdown | Allison Gill | Substack, Exclusive: I Have Ghislaine Maxwell's Security Score, Custody Level, Transfer Code, and Sex Offender Waiver.
Gill’s article includes a screenshot of Maxwell’s “custody status,” which is flagged as “OUT.”
Gill writes,
What stands out here is the custody level “OUT”, which allows her to leave the minimum security campus for work assignments; much like Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to leave prison as part of the sweetheart deal he got from Alex Acosta that was penned by Alan Dershowitz. I do not have any confirmation that she has worked outside the facility. Sex offenders are not allowed to take assignments outside the facility, just as they are not supposed to be moved to a minimum security camp.
In short, it is not clear whether Maxwell has been allowed out of prison, or whether she is merely eligible to leave prison on a regular basis for “work assignments.”
If true, Trump has effectively commuted the sentence of a convicted sex offender while concealing that fact from the public. Other media outlets should follow Allison Gill’s lead and work diligently to discover the truth. This could be an explosive scandal that would compound Trump's already compromised standing with his conspiracy-theory base.
[Update: HuffPo has reported on Allison Gill’s Substack article. See HuffPo, Child Sex Trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell May Be Eligible For Work Release.]
Trump's hand-picked chief statistician says he may cancel monthly jobs report.
As Trump tries to deny reality to conceal the truth of his failing tariff-driven agenda, his hand-picked chief of labor statistics suggested canceling the monthly jobs report. See Talking Points Memo, BLS Commissioner Nominee’s Suggestion to Suspend Monthly Jobs Report Is ‘Like Gouging Our Eyes Out.’
Per TPM,
On Tuesday, Fox Business published an interview with the nominee, E.J. Antoni, during which Antoni suggested halting the release of the monthly jobs report and echoed Trump’s unfounded claims that the reports included misleading information.
[Antoni said that] [u]ntil it is corrected, the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly job reports but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely, quarterly data.”
The reaction to Antoni’s suggestion was savage. Aaron Sojourner, a senior researcher at the non-partisan W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, said,
The fact that [the monthly report] moves markets tells you that it’s valuable information, it’s credible information, it’s the best available information at the time that it’s released, and suppressing that information is like gouging out our eyes.
No business owner in America would say, “Oh, let’s skip our monthly reports and just check in on a quarterly basis.” The same is true for the American economy. Sitting on economic news for three months simply creates opportunities for market manipulation and insider trading. And the delay will undermine confidence in the quarterly reports.
Antoni’s suggestion reflects the fact that he is not a serious economist. Indeed, apart from working for right-wing propaganda organizations, he has not held a serious job in the field of economics. See WSJ, Who Is E.J. Antoni? Trump’s Nominee to Lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Per the WSJ,
E.J. Antoni lacks the research record of previous commissioners of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but has a solid record of backing Trump’s narrative of the economy. [¶]
Past BLS commissioners have had extensive research experience, and many have climbed the ranks of the agency itself. Antoni doesn’t fit that profile. He doesn’t appear to have published any formal academic research since his dissertation . . . .
Much of his commentary on the Heritage website praises Trump’s policies and economic record. He frequently posts on X and appears on conservative podcasts such as former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s “War Room,” where he criticized the economy under President Joe Biden and lauds Trump’s economy.
In short, even the WSJ is aghast at Antoni’s lack of expertise and his partisan hackery. The financial press is poised to call “B.S.” the first time that Antoni fiddles with the numbers.
Governor Gavin Newsom attacks Trump using Trumpian language
California Governor Gavin Newsom is attacking Trump in the most Trumpian way possible—IN ALL CAPS THAT LACK NARRATIVE COHERENCE. See The Guardian, Newsom says California will draw new electoral maps after Trump ‘missed’ deadline.
Governor Newsom posted the following about California’s threat to redraw congressional districts in response to the Trump-ordered gerrymandering in Texas:
DONALD ‘TACO’ TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, ‘MISSED’ THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE ‘BEAUTIFUL MAPS,’ THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!)
BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR ‘MAGA.’ THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN
While it may seem unwise to stoop to Trump's tactics, Gavin Newsom is mocking Trump by simply using the same style, syntax, and font that Trump uses in his ludicrous pronouncements on Truth Social. When Gavin Newsom trolls Trump's style, it highlights the ludicrousness of Trump's positions and his deteriorating language skills.
Mocking Trump is an effective tactic (among many) for undermining his support. More politicians need to follow Gavin Newsom’s lead.
Tracking the reaction to Trump's performative federalization of D.C.
I have frequently criticized the NY Times headline writers for missing the point of major stories or normalizing outrageous actions. But on Wednesday, the NYTimes headline writers and journalists struck the right balance of fact-checking, moral outrage, and bemused disbelief.
The Times featured four front-page stories on Trump's “federalization” of D.C. Each of the stories highlighted a different aspect of the ludicrousness of Trump's actions.
The Times’ top headline was a deadpan “National Guard Begins Deploying in D.C.” But unlike other media outlets that featured photos of troops in armored personnel carriers, the Times featured this photo “above the fold” in its online edition on Wednesday:
The photo conveys the message that the National Guard troops are tourists enjoying a midday stroll on the National Mall with joggers, street vendors, and bicyclists. Hardly a photo portraying a violent city under siege by hardened criminals and gang members.
The second Times’ headline attacks the hypocrisy of Trump calling for a crackdown on violent gang members while saying that violent insurrectionists on January 6 were “very special people” who “we love.” See NYTimes, Trump Deploys National Guard for Local Crime After Calling Jan. 6 Rioters ‘Very Special’.
The third NYTimes headline fact-checked Trump's claim about a wave of violent crime in Washington, D.C. See NYTimes, Trump Misstates D.C. Crime Data to Justify Takeover.
The fourth New York Times headline highlighted the fact that the announcement of the federalization of DC was managed as a co-production between the White House and Fox News. See NYTimes, Rollout of Trump’s D.C. Crackdown Included Fox News Stars and Charts.
In the aggregate, the Times’ stories convey the correct impression that the federalization is a made-for-TV spectacle that is in equal measure a joke and a violation of the Constitution, that Trump is a hypocrite who did not call the National Guard during the insurrection on January 6, that the federalization is based on lies about crime statistics, and that entire announcement was a “made-for-Fox” TV spectacle. Those points fairly summarize Trump's federalization of D.C.
Good job, NYTimes! Let’s hope that the Times’ coverage of the federalization of the DC portends a broader shift in the media’s coverage of Trump.
Concluding Thoughts
I do not mean to make light of Trump’s attack on US cities. But mocking Trump is one weapon in our toolbag, and we should use humor, satire, and caricature whenever appropriate. Trump is deteriorating before our eyes. While mocking the aging process is usually insensitive and cruel, natural aging was enough to constitute a natural emergency under Joe Biden. Let’s treat Trump’s mental deterioration with equal dignity—i.e., none. After all, making fun of Trump’s incoherence is for a good cause and has the virtue of being true.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Daily Dose of Perspective
The Pleiades:
I do not mean to suggest that strip clubs in other locations are “classy.” I am commenting on the dreary reality of strip clubs among light manufacturing shops and
After reading HCR and Joyce Vance this morning I thought that I had taken in all the depressing takes on the deterioration of the US for the day, be it politically, culturally, socially or economically.
And then you proved me wrong, Robert. A UFC event in the White House (in the new ball room?) to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence?
Will 2026 come soon enough to avoid 1984? The US resembles a North Korea on steroids. Just with one difference: Kim Jong Un has more class.
After he builds the big, beautiful new ballroom he can construct a big, beautiful Coliseum, where we can have fights to the death, with our emperor putting thumbs up or down. The ticket price will go directly for privately-funded interment camps. The favored Supreme Court Justices can sit with their emperor. Won't America be great then?