Donald Trump will be back on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Senate Republicans about legislative priorities — specifically how to get them through Congress in one massive bill.
The president-elect’s visit comes as he is lambasted by congressional Democrats and the leaders of allied nations over his fantasies regarding US territorial expansion. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested he might instead want to focus on lowering the cost of living, which he was elected to do.
In an alarming speech at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump doubled down on his wish to make Canada a state, occupy Greenland, and seize the Panama Canal, not ruling out the use of the military in the latter two instances.
He also said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, drawing a rebuke from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum who retorted that Texas and California should revert to their former name: America Mexicana.
Meanwhile, Trump has asked the Supreme Court to halt his hush money sentencing, scheduled for Friday after lower appeals courts refused to. Further, the Justice Department says it will release Special Counsel Jack Smith’s findings on Trump’s January 6 probe but not the classified documents case.
Key Points
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Trump set to meet with GOP senators to talk legislative priorities
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Mexico’s president suggests parts of US revert to their former Mexican names
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Donald Trump threatens military action in Greenland and Panama
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Trump asks Supreme Court to intervene in hush money sentencing
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Merrick Garland plans to release Jack Smith’s January 6 report — here’s how Trump is trying to stop him
Watch: GOP lawmaker already calling Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’ after Trump speech
20:55 , Oliver O’Connell
Republican already calling Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’ after Trump speech
Was Maria Bartiromo almost a heartbeat from the presidency?
20:40 , Oliver O’Connell
The symbiotic relationship between Fox News and President-elect Donald Trump nearly reached new levels during the most recent presidential campaign, according to a new book by Politico political reporter Alex Isenstadt.
While the president-elect has already appointed or nominated at least a dozen Fox News personalities to his upcoming administration, Isenstadt reports in his forthcoming book Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power that Trump seriously considered making one his favorite hosts his running mate.
Justin Barangoa reports.
Trump ‘seriously’ considered choosing Maria Bartiromo as his VP, new book claims
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski quickly issues legal note after guest calls Trump a ‘rapist’
20:25 , Oliver O’Connell
MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski offered up a legal disclaimer on Wednesday following a Morning Joe interview with Scott Galloway that featured the entrepreneur referring to President-elect Donald Trump as a “rapist.”
Perhaps sensing that her network could face a similar situation as ABC News, which recently settled a defamation suit with the famously litigious incoming president, Brzezinski was quick to issue a clarification, as Justin Barangoa reports.
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski quickly issues legal note after guest calls Trump a ‘rapist’
Trump claims insurers won’t be able to cover damage of LA fires
20:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump is claiming that insurance companies may not be able to cover the damage caused by the wildfires burning in the suburbs of Los Angeles.
In his latest Truth Social post, the president-elect said the catastrophe was “emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo.”
He added: “January 20th cannot come fast enough!”
Trump has still not expressed any sympathy for those who have lost their homes or for the loved ones of the two people who died.
The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe. Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!
Biden admits ‘who the hell knows’ if he could’ve actually served another four-year term
20:10 , Oliver O’Connell
When his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump forced him to withdraw from the 2024 election last July, President Joe Biden told Americans he’d decided that the “best way forward” for the country was for him to “pass the torch to a new generation” by standing down and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Now, with fewer than two weeks remaining until he leaves the White House for the final time as president, Biden says he’s not sure if he’d have been able to make it through the second term he had sought for so long.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.
Biden admits ‘who the hell knows’ if he could’ve served another four-year term
Trump set to meet with GOP senators to talk legislative priorities
20:01 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump will meet with Republican senators later today, as the president-elect urges his party to combine his priorities into one massive bill.
Republicans have been weighing a complex legislative strategy that could allow them to bypass Democratic opposition to boost border spending and extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are due to expire this year.
The president-elect will be in Washington for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. Senate Republican leaders extended an invite to meet him on Wednesday, Punchbowl News reported earlier.
Trump on Sunday urged his fellow Republicans in Congress to combine his priorities into one massive bill that would cut taxes, bolster border security, and increase domestic energy production. He said Republicans could cover the cost — which could amount to trillions of dollars — by raising tariffs on imported goods.
Republicans in Congress were at odds over how to proceed with Trump’s agenda, with some warning of potential failure, even as Trump himself called for quick action to pass his priorities.
With reporting from Reuters
19:55 , Oliver O’Connell
Hard to argue with this.
Trump rants at Biden and ‘Newscum’ about LA wildfires — fails to mention those impacted
19:50 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump is using the wildfires ravaging suburban Los Angeles to attack President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom — while completely failing to mention those who have lost their homes and businesses, or even that two people lost their lives.
In addition to an earlier post, blaming Newsom for the catastrophe, the president-elect wrote: “As of this moment, Gavin Newscum and his Los Angeles crew have contained exactly ZERO percent of the fire. It is burning at levels that even surpass last night. This is not Government. I can’t wait till January 20th!”
He then followed that with a trademark all-caps tirade: “NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!”
Sarah McBride slams Republicans for attempted trans sports ban
19:40 , Oliver O’Connell
Newly-elected Rep Sarah McBride, the first openly-transgender member of Congress, criticized Republican efforts to restrict transgender youth from competing in women’s sports, saying that she is “mystified that this is a priority”.
Last Friday the House voted on its rules package, which determines how the House of Representatives will conduct itself in terms of procedure, and also outlined a series of legislation considered priority.
At the top of the list is legislation that would change the determination for compliance with Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal dollars.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, D.C.
Sarah McBride slams GOP for attempted trans sports ban: ‘Defies understanding’
Watch: MAGA rep hails Trump’s expansionist fantasies as America’s ‘manifest destiny’
19:25 , Oliver O’Connell
Mexico’s president suggests parts of US revert to their former Mexican names
19:18 , Oliver O’Connell
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggests parts of the US should revert to their former names in response to Donald Trump’s desire to rename the Gulf of Mexico (EPA)
Per Bloomberg:
Mexico’s president responded in kind to Donald Trump’s latest jibes, suggesting part of the US be renamed instead of the Gulf of Mexico.
A day after the incoming US president said the body of water between his country, Mexico and the Caribbean should be called the “Gulf of America,” Claudia Sheinbaum presented early maps of the Americas at her daily press briefing.
The Gulf of Mexico’s name has held since the early 17th century and is recognized by the United Nations, she said. Sheinbaum also joked that states including California and Texas could revert to their former name, “America Mexicana.”
“It sounds good, doesn’t it?” Sheinbaum quipped to reporters Wednesday in Mexico City.
Report: Trump to declare national economic emergency in order to push through tariffs
19:10 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency in order to create the legal grounds for introducing his program of steep tariffs against rival nations, according to CNN.
Even before taking office, the president-elect has threatened tariffs of as much as 10 percent on global imports and 60 percent on Chinese goods, plus a 25 percent import surcharge on Canadian and Mexican products.
Such duties are intended to provide a boost to American manufacturing but experts have warned that, in practice, they could backfire by upending trade flows, raising costs, and inviting harmful retaliatory measures.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Trump could declare national economic emergency to push through tariffs, reports says
Watch: Sen. Scott says taking over Greenland and Panama Canal ‘would be pretty exciting’
18:50 , Oliver O’Connell
Full story: Merrick Garland plans to release Jack Smith’s January 6 report — here’s how Trump is trying to stop him
18:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Attorney General Merrick Garland will publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s highly anticipated final report from his investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Smith delivered his completed report to Garland on Tuesday, according to lawyers with the Department of Justice. But it remains unclear when, exactly, a report can see the light of day, with just 12 days remaining before the president-elect returns to the White House.
Alex Woodward has the details…
Merrick Garland plans to release Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 report. Trump wants to stop him
Schumer says renaming Gulf of Mexico ‘isn’t going to help people save money at the grocery store’
18:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is on the same page as Hakeem Jeffries his counterpart in the House of Representatives.
Speaking about Donald Trump’s agenda, he said: “Donald Trump is in over his head. So he’s doing what he always does in times like this, distract America with crazy ideas. Renaming the Gulf of Mexico may be a zany new idea, but it isn’t going to help people save money at the grocery store.”
“If Donald Trump wants to rename a gulf to sound more patriotic, I’d say we will help him on one condition and only one condition: let’s come up w/a real plan first — not a concept of a plan — to lower prices for Americans,” Schumer continued.
“Let’s do that first. Then, Donald Trump can have his fun.”
Tuberville likens Trump’s Greenland and Canada to Hawaii
18:10 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump co-defendants given until 5pm to respond to Justice Dept over release of Jack Smith report
18:05 , Oliver O’Connell
The United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has rejected a request by Donald Trump’s codefendants in the classified documents case — Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira — to respond to the ruling that will release Jack Smith’s report by tomorrow morning.
Instead, they must answer the Department of Justice by 5 p.m. today.
Confused?
Alex Woodward breaks it down:
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On Tuesday, Nauta and De Oliveira filed a motion in the appeals court to block the Justice Department from releasing Smith’s “slanted, one-sided report.”
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Separately, they went to Judge Aileen Cannon. Trump also filed an amicus to intervene in that court. Then Cannon ruled in their favor.
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DOJ responded to the appeals court motion this morning, saying they plan to submit only a limited version of the classified documents report but the Jan. 6 report is coming because it doesn’t have anything to do with them.
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The appeals court is giving Nauta and De Oliveira until 5 p.m. today to reply.
Watch: Trump tells Greenlanders: ‘We’ll treat you well’
18:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump appears to call son to tell Greenlanders ‘we’ll treat you well’
Top Senate Republicans not sure what to make of Trump’s expansionist dreams
17:58 , Oliver O’Connell
Jeffries spells out how he sees difference between parties in Congress
17:52 , Oliver O’Connell
Democratic Leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries spelled out how he sees the differences between his conference and Republicans in the House of Representatives.
He told reporters: “The Republican Conference is filled with marauding bands of individuals who can’t stand each other. And Democrats, as far as I can tell, are unified in our determination to make life better for the American people.”
Full story: Trump’s team was fed questions prior to Fox News town hall in 2024, new book says
17:44 , Oliver O’Connell
The Trump campaign team was handed questions in advance of a Fox News town hall in Iowa in January last year, according to a new book.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Donald Trump’s team was fed questions prior to Fox News town hall in 2024: book
House Foreign Affairs Republicans double-down on Trump’s North American vision
17:32 , Oliver O’Connell
The Republican majority in the House Foreign Affairs Committee has doubles-down on its support for Donald Trump’s “vision” for North America reposting and then editing today’s front page of The New York Post.
It seems the Post’s reference to the Monroe Doctrine — President James Monroe’s 1823 warning to European powers that the western hemisphere was the US’s sphere of interest — may have either been too obscure or not deferential enough to the president-elect.
Blinken on Greenland says US is stronger working with allies, not alienating them
17:22 , Oliver O’Connell
Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked about Donald Trump’s desire to buy Greenland and not ruling out taking the territory of a NATO ally by force.
“Greenland. First, I think one of the basic propositions we brought to our work over the last four years is that, we’re stronger, we’re more effective, we get better results when we’re working closely with our allies. Not, saying or doing things that may alienate them. Having said that it’s …the idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one. But maybe more important, it’s obviously one that’s not going to happen. So we probably shouldn’t waste a lot of time talking about it.”
Watch: Trump roasts journalist when asked about Iran military strategy
17:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Angry Trump roasts journalist when asked about Iran military strategy
‘We are not sent to Washington to invade Greenland, rename the Gulf of Mexico or seize the Panama Canal by force’
17:03 , Oliver O’Connell
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the House Democrats, made a point of noting this morning that perhaps American voters weren’t sending elected officials to Congress to pursue the wild expansionist dreams of the president-elect — after all, wasn’t the election supposed to be about inflation and the economy?
“House Democrats believe that we are not sent to Washington to invade Greenland, rename the Gulf of Mexico, or seize the Panama Canal by force,” said Jeffries. “We were sent to Washington to lower the high cost of living in America.”
Watch below:
Trump breaks silence on Los Angeles fires; blames ‘Newscum’ for wanting to protect ‘essentially worthless fish’
16:52 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump has broken his silence on the apocalyptic fires devastating parts of Los Angeles.
The president-elect wrote on Truth Social:
Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way. He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!
Trump has not yet filed appeal with New York’s highest court, despite claiming it was done
16:49 , Oliver O’Connell
Frank G Runyeon of @Law360 reports that Donald Trump has not yet filed an appeal with New York’s high court, despite his legal team claiming in its US Supreme Court brief that he “simultaneously” filed with the Court of Appeals and listed it as the lower court.
“The Court of Appeals has received no filings about Trump’s sentencing from his legal team so far,” the court told @Law360.
Fox News star insists it’s a ‘privilege’ to be taken over by US
16:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Fox News star Jesse Watters said on Tuesday night that Canadians should see it as “a privilege to be taken over” by the United States, especially since “everybody in the world wants” to be an American citizen.
While the MAGA-boosting host also declared that he wanted to “quench my imperialist thirst” by annexing America’s neighbor to the north, Canadian leaders were firing back at President-elect Donald Trump’s expansionist threats with some jokes of their own.
Justin Barangoa reports.
Fox News star tells Canadians it should be a ‘privilege’ to be taken over by US
Watch: Trump’s odd fascination with windmills continues
16:15 , Oliver O’Connell
An unfortunate typo has been spotted in Trump’s Supreme Court appeal
16:05 , Oliver O’Connell
[It’s on page 22]
Watch: Will Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ include provisions to takeover Greenland or Panama Canal?
15:58 , Oliver O’Connell
Not a sentence anyone could have predicted writing or reading.
Nevertheless, here’s CNBC this morning:
Panama’s president meets with Venezuelan opposition leader as Trump reiterates canal threats
15:45 , Oliver O’Connell
A day after Donald Trump reiterated his threats to take back the Panama Canal, Panamanian President Jose Raul continued business as usual, meeting Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia at the presidential palace in Panama City.
Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to have won Venezuela’s July election in a landslide, is on an international tour to ramp up pressure on his country’s President Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power.
Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third six-year term on January 10.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino (L) shakes hands with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia (R) (AFP via Getty Images)
DOJ says it will release special counsel’s findings on Trump’s Jan. 6 probe but withhold rest of report
15:31 , Oliver O’Connell
The Department of Justice is releasing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference on Friday, as planned.
However, it is withholding the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case report for now. Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon halted its release in a decision earlier this week.
Smith’s office handed the report to Attorney General Merrick Garland last night.
After Judge Cannon’s decision on Tuesday, Garland will not make the second volume of the report on Trump’s classified documents case available to the public, while the cases against his co-defendants — Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira — remain open.
“But in light of congressional interest in the work” of the special counsel, a redacted version of Volume Two will be made available to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate judiciary committees, according to federal prosecutors.
Volume One, relating Trump’s role in January 6, will be released publicly and made available to Congress.
Read the full decision here.
Trump’s lawyers will likely contest the decision. They view Judge Cannon’s ruling as covering both volumes of the report.
Explained: Who owns the Gulf of Mexico and can Trump rename it?
15:30 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump is once again mulling a major, long-shot global grab — like pondering the “absolute neccessity” of America’s purchase of Greenland — ahead of his upcoming administration.
Now Trump is tossing around the idea of changing the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Gustaf Kilander takes a look.
Who owns the Gulf of Mexico and can Trump rename it?
Trump team fed Iowa town hall questions by person inside Fox News, new book claims
15:20 , Oliver O’Connell
According to excerpts shared with CNN of the forthcoming book by Alex Isenstadt Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power, Donald Trump’s team was given questions in advance by someone at Fox News ahead of an Iowa town hall in January 2024.
That would constitute a serious breach of journalistic ethics. CNN, which exclusively received two excerpts of the book, reports that Fox plans to investigate.
Isenstadt, a national political reporter at Politico, reports that Trump’s attendance at the town hall of Iowa voters was discouraged by some of the now president-elect’s advisers. The event was moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Per CNN:
They “were still peeved at Fox, whose coverage they continued to find antagonistic, and did not want the former president to do the prime time event,” Isenstadt writes. “But Trump had a good relationship with Baier—they were golf buddies—and wanted to do a sit-down.”
Given that Baier and MacCallum were known for tougher questioning of the former president compared to some of their colleagues, Trump’s aides warned they would ask about disavowing political violence and if he planned political retribution.
Isenstadt reports that Trump wasn’t “taking prep for the telecast seriously. He’d basically be winging it.”
“About thirty minutes before the town hall was due to start, a senior aide started getting text messages from a person on the inside at Fox. Holy s–t, the team thought. They were images of all the questions Trump would be asked and the planned follow-ups, down to the exact wording. Jackpot. This was like a student getting a peek at the test before the exam started,” Isenstadt writes.
Sure enough, the questions covered whether he would divest from his businesses; if the GOP was taking a risk nominating him because of his indictments; as well as the topics of political violence and retribution.
“Trump was pissed,” Isenstadt writes, as he felt the questions were “like attacks designed to put him on the defensive.”
But “with the questions in hand” ahead of the telecast, the team “workshopped answers.”
Isenstadt told CNN the anecdote was based on “multiple people with direct knowledge” of the event and that he was fully confident in the reporting.
Fox News provided the following statement: “While we do not have any evidence of this occurring, and Alex Isenstadt has conveniently refused to release the images for fact-checking, we take these matters very seriously and plan to investigate should there prove to be a breach within the network.”
A source familiar with the inner workings of the network relayed: “If there was a breach, it was not from Bret or Martha or the top editorial levels of the network and there is a sophisticated and extensive digital footprint of all editorial material.”
French Foreign Minister welcomes Blinken to Paris
15:12 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump’s dark hints of military action in Greenland have already inspired an angry reaction from France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot regarding the sovereignty of the territory of Denmark, a member of the European Union.
He told French radio on Wednesday morning: “There is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are. We are a strong continent.”
By coincidence, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Paris for a meeting with Barrot today.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrive for a meeting, in Paris, France (via REUTERS)
There are just twelve days left of the Biden administration before Donald Trump takes office (AP)
Why is Trump so determined to buy Greenland?
15:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s Sean O’Grady for Indy Premium with a look at why the Trumps have US expansion on their minds.
What does Donald Trump want with Greenland?
While Trump promises to ‘drill baby, drill,’ when he takes office, US energy production is already at record high
14:50 , Oliver O’Connell
Here’s Morning Joe economic analyst and former Obama administration official with the data:
Trump appeal to one court in the land ‘corrupt and complicit enough to give him hope’
14:36 , Oliver O’Connell
Norman Eisen, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution and a CNN legal analyst, had this to say after Donald Trump appealed to the US Supreme Court to halt the sentencing in his criminal hush money trial in New York, currently scheduled for Friday.
“Having lost at every level in his effort to forestall sentencing on his 34 criminal counts, Trump has gone to the one appellate court in the land that is corrupt and complicit enough to give him hope. Unfortunately, it is the United States Supreme Court. They must not yet again, as they did with the immunity decision, aid and abet his evasion of justice. There’s no legal basis for it. Trump’s sentencing on his 34 criminal convictions should proceed as scheduled on Friday.”
‘Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald,’ insider says
14:35 , Joe Sommerlad
The past and future first lady is reportedly one person who is delighted by her husband’s new friendship with billionaire troll Elon Musk – because it takes him off her hands!
Here’s more from Michelle Del Rey.
‘Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald’: Report
Supreme Court asks Manhattan DA to respond to Trump petition by tomorrow
14:26 , Oliver O’Connell
The US Supreme Court has asked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the hush money case against Donald Trump, to respond to the president-elect’s petition to stay his sentencing by tomorrow — 10 a.m. January 9.
Trump’s sentencing is currently set for 9:30 a.m. on Friday, January 10.
Full story: Trump demands Supreme Court block his hush-money sentencing set for Friday
14:10 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court, on Wednesday, to pause proceedings in his New York criminal trial, including sentencing which is set to take place on Friday.
After two failed attempts to block sentencing from occurring, Trump’s lawyers have turned to the highest court in the United States for help.
Ariana Baio has the details.
Trump demands Supreme Court block his hush-money sentencing set for Friday
Don Jr accuses Denmark of ‘fake news’ during Greenland visit
14:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said yesterday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen moved this morning to downplay the tensions with the United States by declaring: “I have no experience that we are in a foreign policy crisis.”
However, Don Jr’s flying visit to Nuuk on Tuesday was not entirely harmonious, with the president’s son rebuking Denmark for refusing to give up the autonomous Arctic territory.
Here’s more from Graig Graziosi.
Don Jr accuses Denmark of ‘fake news’ during Greenland visit
Panama tells Trump sovereignty over Canal will remain in its hands
13:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha has told the US president-elect in no uncertain terms that his country’s control over the canal is “non-negotiable” in the latest reality check for Trump’s dreams of global expansion.
The American used his news conference at Mar-a-Lago yesterday to threaten military intervention to reclaim the Panama Canal after falsely stating it was being operated by Chinese soldiers.
While the US managed the canal for decades it was signed over to Panama by the late Jimmy Carter in 1977 before the nation took full control in 1999, a move Trump bemoaned as “a big mistake”.
Martinez-Acha has now responded by saying that “the only hands operating the canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay”.
If you don’t speak Spanish, you’ll have to click on the “Translate Post” option for this one.
Breaking: Trump asks US Supreme Court to block hush money sentencing on Friday
13:21 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect has reached out to the highest court in the land to try to stop New York’s Judge Juan Merchan sentencing him over his hush money conviction at the end of this week after his numerous appeals were rejected.
Biden still believes he could have beaten Trump and says successor ‘very complimentary’ in private
13:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Joe Biden has said that he still believes he could have beaten Republican rival Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election had he not been persuaded to stand down to make way for Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket, only for her to lose the vote.
Speaking to USA Today, the outgoing president, 82, was asked whether he believed he could have succeeded where Harris failed had he pressed on, rather than bowing to pressure to step aside in July following his disastrous CNN debate performance.
“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes, based on the polling,” Biden answered, without citing which poll he was referring to and despite his having lagged behind Trump throughout the campaign in both national and battleground state surveys.
Here’s more.
Biden still believes he could have beaten Trump had he stayed in 2024 election race
Watch: Angry Trump roasts journalist when asked about Iran
12:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s another interesting exchange from yesterday, when the president-elect was angered by a reporter asking him about US military strategy, saying “only a stupid person” would respond to such a question.
Angry Trump roasts journalist when asked about Iran military strategy
Watch: Trump says he will rename ‘Gulf of Mexico’ as ‘Gulf of America’
12:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s a look at one of the president-elect’s more left-field pronouncements yesterday.
Donald Trump says he will rename ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’
Trump rants about Biden’s offshore 625 million-acre drilling ban: ‘That’s like the whole ocean!’
11:35 , Joe Sommerlad
It’s, er, actually just two percent sir.
Here’s more from Mike Bedigan on the president-elect’s fury over Biden’s coastal oil and gas drilling ban.
Trump claims Biden’s offshore 625 million acre drilling ban covers ‘the whole ocean’
EU will defend any attack on sovereign borders, French minister warns Trump
11:05 , Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s dark hints of military action overseas has already inspired an angry reaction from France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
He told French radio on Wednesday morning: “There is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are. We are a strong continent.”
Here’s more from Maddy Sherratt.
EU will defend any attack on sovereign borders says French minister
Recap: Trump kicks off 2025 with attacks on Biden – then threatens military action in Greenland and Panama
10:36 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump gave his first rambling press conference of the new year at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, bafflingly leaping from one topic to another.
Ostensibly arranged to announce new foreign investment in the US, the president-elect took the opportunity to attack Joe Biden over the transition process and refused to rule out using military or economic coercion to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Trump further railed against windmills, electric heaters, water pressure, soap, dishwashers, Canada and the legal cases brought against him in 2023.
At one point, he said he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and then claimed Hezbollah might have been at the US Capitol on January 6 2021.
Here’s Andrew Feinberg with a full report on Trump’s alarming performance.
Trump kicks off 2025 with attacks on Biden — then threatens U.S. allies
Trump posts Canada memes but silent on devastating Los Angeles wildfires
10:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
The president-elect may not be inaugurated for another 12 days but he has been pretty outspoken on world events throughout the transition period, yesterday shockingly hinting that he could send in the US military to annex Greenland and reclaim the Panama Canal.
For all that he has, so far, still not said a single word about the wildfires currently raging through the suburbs of Los Angeles, endangering American lives.
You may recall Trump dismissing a major California wildfire during his last term in the White House as the result of poor “forest management” rather than climate change.
What has he been doing? Posting memes about his fantasy of incorporating Canada into the United States, of course.
If you are interested in the environmental disaster currently tearing through California, you can follow live coverage in our dedicated liveblog below.
Palisades fire live updates: Nearly 3,000 acres burn as 30,000 forced to evacuate
Judge Aileen Cannon blocks Merrick Garland from releasing Jack Smith’s Trump report
09:45 , Oliver O’Connell
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case is blocking Attorney General Merrick Garland from releasing a report prepared by the prosecutor who led the federal criminal cases against the president-elect.
A stunning order from District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday arrived hours after the former president and his co-defendants urged the courts to prevent special counsel Jack Smith from publishing a report that is expected to detail his investigations, which he effectively drew to a close following his presidential election victory.
Cannon — who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020 — is effectively ordering the Department of Justice to reject guidelines that put decisions about special counsel reports in the hands of the attorney general.
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump-appointed judge blocks Merrick Garland from releasing Jack Smith report
Trump kicks off rambling press conference by airing grievances — then starts threatening U.S. allies
09:15 , Oliver O’Connell
With less than two weeks until he’s once again ensconced in the Oval Office, Donald Trump opened his first press conference of 2025 in his usual style — with a laundry list of grievances against his political nemesis Joe Biden.
The former president turned president-elect had ostensibly called a small group of reporters from a hand-picked selection of news outlets to his Mar-a-Lago residence to announce a new $20 billion investment in American data centers by an Emirati billionaire, Hussain Sajwani, with whom his eponymous real estate and hospitality firm has partnered on several Trump-branded projects in the Persian Gulf region.
Things then took a turn as Andrew Feinberg reports.
Trump kicks off 2025 with attacks on Biden — then threatens U.S. allies
‘That’s like the whole ocean!’: Trump rants about Biden’s offshore 625 million acre drilling ban,
08:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump ranted about Joe Biden’s 625 million acre offshore drilling ban in the Atlantic and wrongly claimed it covered almost “the whole ocean.”
“Take an acre, you have a house on a half-acre or a quarter-acre, or an acre, you have a big deal,” the President-elect exclaimed during a wild press conference on Tuesday. “Now you multiply that by 625 million acres. That’s like… it feels like the whole ocean!”
However, Trump’s math was off by some margin, as Mike Bedigan reports.
Trump claims Biden’s offshore 625 million acre drilling ban covers ‘the whole ocean’
Elon Musk finds a friend in first lady Melania Trump
08:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Melania Trump is glad to have found a “babysitter” for her husband in Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to a new report.
Musk has become one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest confidantes and has spent nearly “every single day” (including New Year’s Eve) at Mar-a-Lago, which has become Trump’s transition headquarters.
Michelle Del Rey has the story.
‘Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald’: Report
Trump loses last-ditch attempt to stop hush money sentencing
07:45 , Oliver O’Connell
An appeals court judge has rejected Donald Trump’s last-ditch attempt to stop this week’s sentencing hearing in his hush money trial.
The president-elect has desperately fought to return to the White House with a clear record. But after his latest courtroom failures to overturn his conviction and sentence, Trump is set to enter office as the first criminally convicted president in U.S. history.
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump loses last-ditch attempt to stop hush money sentencing
Why does Trump want to buy Greenland?
06:45 , Oliver O’Connell
It’s a question for the ages. Why is this a thing?
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Why does Donald Trump want to buy Greenland?
Enrique Tarrio, former Proud Boys ringleader, begs Trump for Jan. 6 pardon
05:45 , Oliver O’Connell
The former leader of the Proud Boys has asked President-elect Donald Trump for a pardon.
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio once served as the national chairman of the far-right group, which federal prosecutors said played a “central role” in the breach of the Capitol building four years ago.
More than a year after he was sentenced to 22 years in prison and 36 months behind bars for his role in the Capitol riot, Tarrio has asked to be pardoned by Trump, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Former Proud Boys ringleader Enrique Tarrio begs Trump for Jan. 6 pardon
Trump wants to change the name of Gulf of Mexico
04:45 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to something more American.
Trump was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago when he made the remark.
Rhian Lubin watched the unbelievable moment.
Trump wants to change the name of Gulf of Mexico to something more American
Trump’s transition team wanted to bring on 2,000 staff — but they’re falling short
03:45 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is falling short of its goal to have 2,000 political appointees on board by Inauguration Day, a new report reveals.
Trump’s team sent out several employment offers to political appointees on Monday in an effort to meet the goal — but they’re still falling short, CBS News reports, citing two sources familiar with the situation.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
Trump’s transition team wanted to bring on 2,000 staff. They’re falling short
Biden administration finalizes clean electricity tax credits, says Trump should keep in place
03:15 , AP
New tax credits are available for companies that generate clean electricity, the Biden administration announced Tuesday, while arguing it would be a mistake for President-elect Donald Trump to try to undo them.
The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service released final rules for the clean electricity investment and production tax credits, less than two weeks before Trump is inaugurated. The credits are among roughly two dozen tax provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act,passed in 2022 with only Democrat support. The credits are designed to save families money on their energy bills and accelerate the deployment of clean energy, electric vehicles, energy efficient buildings and low-carbon manufacturing.
The U.S. currently gets more than 40% of its power from clean energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower and nuclear.
Continue reading…
Biden administration finalizes clean electricity tax credits, says Trump should keep in place
Donald Trump Jr visits Greenland as father calls acquisition ‘a deal that must happen’
02:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump has dispatched his eldest son Donald Trump Jr on a visit to Greenland as the president-elect continues to express an interest in acquiring the autonomous Arctic territory from Denmark.
Joe Sommerlad reports on Don Jr’s trip.
Donald Trump Jr visits Greenland as father calls purchase ‘a deal that must happen’
Warren presses Hegseth to answer questions about his past actions and statements
02:15 , AP
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pressing Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump‘s pick for defense secretary, to answer additional questions about his past actions and statements before next Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.
In a letter to Hegseth sent Monday, the Massachusetts Democrat asked the former Fox News host and Army veteran to respond no later than Friday to questions on allegations of past drinking, sexual assault and mismanagement of veterans organization finances — all of which he denies. She also wants to know about statements he’s made concerning minorities, women and LGBTQ people serving in the military.
Hegseth has the support of some veterans groups that believe the military has overemphasized diversity at the cost of troop readiness. A group of former Navy SEALs is planning a rally in support of Hegseth in Washington next week.
“One of the biggest flaws in current leadership in the military and in the Pentagon is when you become more focused on things that don’t matter,” said Bill Brown, a former SEAL who is organizing Tuesday’s rally. “The military is not a social justice project.”
Hegseth’s supporters have stressed that many of the questions about his past behavior arose from reports based on anonymous sources. But some relate to things he’s said in interviews or written in his books.
In “War on Warriors,” Hegseth wrote that Gen. CQ Brown’s promotion to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff meant that “with the Pentagon now run by, and fully staffed by, so-called ‘leaders’ like CQ Brown, we can assume that 17 percent of all black officers in the Air Force are simply promoted because of how they look — and not how they lead.”
Hegseth also has openly criticized the role of women in combat, although in meetings with senators he seemed to walk back some of those views.
Warren questioned if Hegseth would be able to lead, saying she was “deeply concerned by the many ways in which your past behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense.”
A spokesperson for the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
OPINION: The last time I came to the Capitol I was tear-gassed in the lobby. This time was even worse
01:45 , Oliver O’Connell
The Independent’s Richard Hall returned to the US Capitol on Monday for the first time since the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress.
The last time I came to the Capitol I was tear-gassed. This time was even worse
Musk will do ‘all sorts of bad s***,’ OpenAI boss claims
01:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, doesn’t think too highly of his scorned former collaborator Elon Musk, saying he will do “all sorts” of bad things – but won’t use his newfound political influence to take down competitors.
Despite years of feuding and Musk leveling a dramatic lawsuit containing allegations of ethical violations against Altman and OpenAI, Altman defended Musk when asked if he thought Musk would use his political power and friendship with President-elect Donald Trump to target his rivals.
Ariana Baio reports.
Elon Musk will do ‘all sorts of bad s***,’ OpenAI boss claims
Corporations ditch diversity goals amid anti-woke backlash in new Trump era
00:45 , Oliver O’Connell
McDonald’s announced on Monday it’s pulling pack on certain aspects of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, the latest high-profile corporation to move away from such programs amid changing legal precedent and a cultural backlash against “woke” agendas that’s only set to grow in the coming Trump administration.
Executives wrote in an open letter to employees that it was still committed to inclusion, but that the fast-food giant would retire specific diversity goals for senior leadership and end a program encouraging suppliers to increase minority leadership.
Josh Marcus reports.
Corporations like McDonald’s ditch diversity amid anti-woke backlash in new Trump era
Elon Musk finds a friend in the first lady: ‘Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald’
00:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Melania Trump is glad to have found a “babysitter” for her husband in Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to a new report.
Musk has become one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest confidantes and has spent nearly “every single day” (including New Year’s Eve) at Mar-a-Lago, which has become Trump’s transition headquarters.
Melania Trump, who is not likely to return to Washington, D.C., full-time, doesn’t mind Musk’s closeness to her husband.
Michelle Del Rey has the story.
‘Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald’: Report
Will Trump really pardon nearly 1,600 January 6 rioters?
Tuesday 7 January 2025 23:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump has said pardoning his supporters who took part in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol four years ago will be one of the top priorities as he starts his new administration.
But how quickly will the pardons begin, and how far will Trump go?
Josh Marcus reports.
Trump could pardon nearly 1,600 January 6 rioters. Will he really do it?
Watch: Trump returns to one of his pet peeves — household appliances
Tuesday 7 January 2025 23:30 , Oliver O’Connell
First heaters…
Then faucets and water generally…
And dishwashers and washing machines.
Laura Loomer pushes Meta to put her on advisory board
Tuesday 7 January 2025 23:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump ally Laura Loomer suggested Meta should put her on its advisory board hours after the social media giant’s CEO announced it was scrapping fact-checkers.
Meta plans to ditch its fact-checkers and start using Community Notes, similar to X’s system, Mark Zuckerberg announced in a video Tuesday morning, citing the recent election, “politically biased” fact-checkers,” and “too much censorship” on social platforms.
Hours later, Loomer, a notorious far-right conspiracy theorist and vocal supporter of Trump, said she wants to be added to the tech company’s advisory board.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Laura Loomer pushes Meta to put her on board to prove it’s ‘serious’ about censorship
Watch: Trump ducks question on pardoning Jan 6 rioters who attacked police
Tuesday 7 January 2025 23:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Shark Tank star says he wants to buy TikTok
Tuesday 7 January 2025 22:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary said he wants to buy TikTok but he needs President-elect Donald Trump’s help to pull off the deal.
O’Leary, dubbed the reality TV show’s “Mr Wonderful,” said he has joined with the People’s Bid for TikTok project’s Frank McCourt in the potential multi-billion dollar deal as the Chinese company behind the app awaits its fate in the U.S. later this month. The People’s Bid for TikTok is a group looking to purchase the popular platform and save it from a ban.
Rhian Lubin has the details.
Shark Tank star says he wants to buy TikTok – but needs Trump’s help
Watch: Trump says people don’t know if Denmark has any legal right to Greenland
Tuesday 7 January 2025 22:30 , Oliver O’Connell
New Melania documentary directed by disgraced Brett Ratner costing Amazon $40m
Tuesday 7 January 2025 22:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Amazon is paying a whopping $40 million to license an upcoming documentary about Melania Trump, directed by Brett Ratner, to stream on Prime Video in addition to a several-episode follow-up docuseries, according to a report.
On Sunday, Amazon confirmed the “behind the scenes” film on the incoming First Lady had started filming in December and is expected to be released in theaters and on Prime Video later this year.
Ratner, a director who retreated from Hollywood in 2018 amid the #MeToo movement after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, is directing the film. Melania is set to serve as an executive producer.
Ariana Baio has the details.
Amazon is paying $40 million to license Melania Trump film directed by Brett Ratner
Marjorie Taylor Greene publishes ‘Gulf of America’ bill
Tuesday 7 January 2025 22:03 , Oliver O’Connell
Here it is…
ANALYSIS: Trump has a narrow window to advance his aggressive agenda — here’s who he’ll need on side
Tuesday 7 January 2025 21:45 , Oliver O’Connell
John Bowden writes:
We’re less than two weeks out from the initial sprint of the second Trump administration — and the incoming president is now seeking to push aside one of his biggest hurdles.
In the clearest sign yet that Donald Trump is serious about pursuing an aggressive legislative agenda in his first year in office, he is taking an active role in managing the future of the House Republican Conference. Where once he was at arm’s length of Republican congressional leadership, Trump has leaned into his role as leader of the GOP and now casts a long shadow over the House and Senate Republican conferences.
Read on…
Trump tries to wrangle right-wing hardliners to advance his aggressive agenda
Why does Trump want to buy Greenland?
Tuesday 7 January 2025 21:15 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump has argued that the U.S. should buy Greenland since his first term in the White House.
The island, with 56,000 inhabitants, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, and both the Danish government and local authorities have repeatedly said that the island is not for sale.
But that hasn’t deterred the president-elect, as Gustaf Kilander reports.
Why does Donald Trump want to buy Greenland?
Kinzinger knocks ‘weak scared boy’ Trump for only threatening US friends
Tuesday 7 January 2025 21:03 , Oliver O’Connell
Top Oversight Democrat says ‘public’s right to know is paramount’ regarding Trump classified documents report
Tuesday 7 January 2025 20:52 , Oliver O’Connell
Rep. Gerry Connolly, ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement after a judge temporarily blocked the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents:
“By blocking the release of the Special Counsel’s report on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents to the American public erodes the integrity of our justice system and unduly shields President-elect Trump from accountability.
“House Republicans complain about a so-called ‘two-tier system of justice,’ but it is not lost upon anyone that the Department of Justice released in full—for all to see—Special Counsel Hur’s report on the classified documents recovered from President Biden. In stark contrast to President-elect Trump, President Biden cooperated completely and unhesitatingly with DOJ. DOJ must release its report on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents by January 20 so that the American people can understand the full extent of the President-elect’s unlawful possession of hundreds of the government’s most sensitive documents. The public’s right to know is paramount.”
Full story: Trump kicks off rambling press conference by airing grievances — then starts threatening U.S. allies
Tuesday 7 January 2025 20:45 , Oliver O’Connell
With less than two weeks until he’s once again ensconced in the Oval Office, Donald Trump opened his first press conference of 2025 in his usual style — with a laundry list of grievances against his political nemesis Joe Biden.
The former president turned president-elect had ostensibly called a small group of reporters from a hand-picked selection of news outlets to his Mar-a-Lago residence to announce a new $20 billion investment in American data centers by an Emirati billionaire, Hussain Sajwani.
But then, before the assembled press, any sense of focus or discipline went out the window as Trump rambled and weaved his way through topic after topic.
Andrew Feinberg reports on what was said.
Trump kicks off 2025 with attacks on Biden — then threatens U.S. allies
Trump’s transition team wanted to bring on 2,000 staff. They’re falling short…
Tuesday 7 January 2025 20:30 , Oliver O’Connell
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is falling short of its goal to have 2,000 political appointees on board by Inauguration Day, a new report reveals.
Trump’s team sent out several employment offers to political appointees on Monday in an effort to meet the goal — but they’re still falling short, CBS News reports, citing two sources familiar with the situation.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
Trump’s transition team wanted to bring on 2,000 staff. They’re falling short
Full story: Trump loses last-ditch attempt to stop hush money sentencing
Tuesday 7 January 2025 20:10 , Oliver O’Connell
An appeals court judge has rejected Donald Trump’s last-ditch attempt to stop this week’s sentencing hearing in his hush money trial.
The president-elect has desperately fought to return to the White House with a clear record. But after his latest courtroom failures to overturn his conviction and sentence, Trump is set to enter office as the first criminally convicted president in U.S. history.
Moments after a brief hearing with Trump’s attorneys and Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday, a New York state appellate court judge issued a one-page denial of the president-elect’s latest attempt to avoid his imminent court date.
Alex Woodward reports from New York.
Trump loses last-ditch attempt to stop hush money sentencing
Harris will travel to Asia, Mideast and Europe during her final week in office
Tuesday 7 January 2025 20:00 , AP
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to close out her term with an around-the-world trip making stops in Singapore, Bahrain and Germany, her office said.
The trip, which is scheduled to last from Jan. 13 to Jan. 17, will be a final opportunity for Harris to address U.S. foreign policy challenges before Donald Trump takes office. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is expected to join the vice president.
Although she has not disclosed her next steps after losing the presidential election, the expansive travel suggests that Harris might want to continue playing a role on the global stage. There’s also speculation that Harris could run for governor of her home state of California.
Dean Lieberman, Harris’ deputy national security adviser, said in a written statement that “the vice president felt it important to spend some of her final days in office thanking and engaging directly with U.S. servicemembers deployed overseas, which as she has said, has been one of her greatest privileges as vice president.”
There are U.S. troops based at all three of Harris’ stops.
Read on for more details…
Harris will travel to Asia, Mideast and Europe during her final week in office
Watch: Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico
Tuesday 7 January 2025 19:55 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump says he will rename ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’
What you need to know as Biden admin moves to scrub medical debt from credit reports
Tuesday 7 January 2025 19:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Unpaid medical bills will no longer appear on credit reports, where they can block people from mortgages, car loans or small business loans, according to a final rule announced Tuesday by the Biden administration.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CSPB) rule will remove $49 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of more than 15 million Americans, according to the bureau, which means lenders will no longer be able to take that into consideration when deciding to issue a loan.
Andrew Georgeson reports.
Biden admin moves to scrub medical debt from credit reports. What you need to know
Trudeau says not a ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ Canada would become part of US
Tuesday 7 January 2025 19:36 , Oliver O’Connell
‘That’s like the whole ocean!’: Trump rants about Biden’s offshore 625 million acre drilling ban
Tuesday 7 January 2025 19:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump ranted about Joe Biden’s 625 million acre offshore drilling ban in the Atlantic and wrongly claimed it covered almost “the whole ocean.”
“Take an acre, you have a house on a half-acre or a quarter-acre, or an acre, you have a big deal,” the President-elect exclaimed during a wild press conference on Tuesday. “Now you multiply that by 625 million acres. That’s like… it feels like the whole ocean!”
However, Trump’s math was off by some margin, as Mike Bedigan reports.
Trump claims Biden’s offshore 625 million acre drilling ban covers ‘the whole ocean’
Watch: Aguilar says Trump ‘not entitled to his own set of facts’ regarding Jan 6
Tuesday 7 January 2025 19:28 , Oliver O’Connell
