Today’s notice: A kid got an honorary badge, a teenager got into college, an old guy got booted. Speaking of raucous crowds, a GOP leader is suggesting no more town halls for a while.
The Actual Trump Effect
For some, the past month or so of Donald Trump has been like looking in a fun-house mirror: there’s something familiar about the policies, but it’s been distorted into a nearly unrecognizable form.
It’s not hard to find NGOs deeply skeptical of Biden-era foreign aid programs for example, or a rip-roaring discussion among professors about the bureaucratic failings around research grants or a Republican wanting an audit of the Pentagon. All of these groups were ready for a conversation about reform with the White House, and many have been shocked by DOGE’s go-it-alone methods that have left them with no other choice but to defend the institutions they see as flawed.
Trump allies say the critics are hypocrites; Trump and Elon Musk are simply doing what so many voters have wanted done for so long. “They’re basically writing the ads for us for the midterms,” a strategist close to the White House told NOTUS. It’s not like anyone’s sure defending institutions is a good political idea.
And so a fascinating political dynamic is forming among some of those horrified by this presidency: a belief that Trump’s approach could be used for other political aims. This fun-house mirror works both ways. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson got booed by his fellow Never Trumpers at the recent Principles First summit when he said that Trump “has set a higher standard for the first 100 days of being in office as a newly elected president.” He may not love everything that’s being done, but he respects how it’s being done.
Some Democratic activists, too, have longed for a F-around-and-find-out style president for years. Trump is ruining just about everything, they say, but he’s got at least one good idea: “If you’re delivering good outcomes, I’d be a fan of the tactics,” one told us.
But as Hutchinson and other critics have pointed out, those actions leave a very big question mark over the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.
—Evan McMorris-Santoro | Read the story with Jasmine Wright.
ICYMI: Trump Basked, Democrats Balked
Trump’s fifth joint address was in front of the most MAGA-friendly Congress yet. So like any great showman, the president gave the room what they wanted.
Throughout his nearly two-hour speech, Trump went after Democrats for not applauding him, talked about how he had done more in his first 43 days in office than most presidents do in four years and bragged about the size of his electoral win, NOTUS’ Daniella Diaz reported from inside the chamber.
The Democratic resistance, meanwhile, was scattershot. Rep. Al Green protested Medicaid cuts so persistently that he was escorted from the chamber. Some Democratic women wore pink. Several lawmakers held up signs with phrases like “False” and “Save Medicaid.” A chunk of members — but not so many as was immediately perceptible — did not show up at all. No one applauded, except Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who ironically clapped when Trump hurled a derogatory nickname at her.
Front Page
- Oklahoma’s Governor Wants More Say in What Federal Funding Gets Cut: Lawmakers in Congress say he shouldn’t hold his breath.
- Donald Trump Told the Country and Congress He Is Pushing On, No Matter What: The president doubled down on his executive power during his joint address.
Town Halls, But With a Mute Button
Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, offered a solution for his colleagues facing angry constituents at town halls: just stop holding these events, at least in person. Trump has dismissed voters expressing concerns about DOGE as “paid troublemakers,” and Speaker Mike Johnson claimed similar, asserting that “Democrats” were going to events early to fill up seats.
Staff for Missouri Rep. Mark Alford, who faced a coffee shop full of frustrated voters last week, told local reporters that he wouldn’t shy away from holding future events. But Alford seems to have changed his tune, telling NOTUS on Tuesday that his next town hall will probably be virtual.
—Emily Kennard | Read the story.
Exclusive: Trump Critics Play the 1776 Card in The Wall Street Journal
More than 60 former members of Congress are the public face of a new campaign by Issue One, urging the legislative branch to push back on Trump. “They didn’t want kings,” reads a full-page ad running in tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal featuring John Trumbull’s Capitol mural of the Declaration of Independence being signed. Around 20 of the former members who are on the campaign are Republicans, many of whom have been critical of Trump for a while.
“The challenges we face today are not partisan — they are constitutional,” the group writes in a letter to be sent to Congress today.
New Jersey v. Trump
A legal fight is brewing between New Jersey and Trump over the administration’s threat to strip federal funds from states and schools that allow transgender athletes to play on teams that match their gender identity.
New Jersey officials and advocates don’t seem keen on complying with the new directive. The state has among the lowest per-pupil federal education spending, but still stands to lose a lot if Trump cuts off federal funding; the money mostly goes to support English-language learners and students with disabilities.
New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver, who worked for a public school system before running for Congress, told NOTUS’ Shifra Dayak that she’s “very worried” about schools losing funding, but that she also hopes her state’s attorney general keeps “fighting back against these hateful policies.”
Getting Trump’s Buy-In on IVF
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking Trump to throw his support behind a bill that would require some private insurers to cover IVF treatments.
One of the bill’s proponents, Republican Rep. Zachary Nunn, told NOTUS’ Oriana González that the White House “has been very engaged and helpful.” And IVF advocates are also excited about the prospect of Trump’s support getting the bill to the House floor this time.
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by … not us.
- RFK’s Flip-Flop on the Measles Shot Is Ripping the Anti-Vax World Apart by Anna Merlan and Kiera Butler at Mother Jones
- Ethical Concerns Surround Sen. Joni Ernst’s Relationships With Top Military Officials Who Lobbied Her Committee by Robert Faturechi at ProPublica
- People Are Paying Millions to Dine With Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago by Leah Feiger, Louise Matsakis and Jake Lahut at Wired
Be Social…
…with us!
Our event on covering Trump 2.0 is today at 9 a.m. The event is at capacity but you can watch our livestream here. Fresh off of Trump’s joint address, we’ll get reactions from a great slate of speakers, including our own Jasmine Wright along with Bret Baier, Dasha Burns, Josh Dawsey, Major Garrett, Jonathan Karl and Ali Vitali.
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