Digby's Hullabaloo Posts

Nah. Not even Trump can control him.

Trump: "Elon, one of the people he happens to hate, but I have certain hatreds of people too." pic.twitter.com/wGKNnnn01y

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 23, 2025

The staff is “furious” about it:

A White House official said Musk “very much” got over his skis when the tech tycoon launched a daylong screed against the AI project. One Trump ally said Musk abused his closeness to the president. Another Republican close to the White House went further, saying Trump’s staff is “furious” over Musk using his massive social media platform to pour cold water on the infrastructure deal that Trump called “tremendous” and “monumental” just a day prior.

“It’s clear he has abused the proximity to the president,” said the Trump ally. “The problem is the president doesn’t have any leverage over him and Elon gives zero fucks.”

What’s this all about?

Musk, who owns his own AI startup, was not at Trump’s unveiling of “Stargate,” an effort to supercharge the country’s AI infrastructure featuring the tech giants OpenAI, Softbank and Oracle. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI, has long been critical of its CEO Sam Altman and spent much of Wednesday trolling him online. “They don’t actually have the money,” he said. Softbank, meanwhile, “has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”

But Trump, when asked by reporters about Musk blasting the deal said, “The government’s not putting up anything. They’re putting up money. They’re very rich people, so I hope they do. And, I mean, Elon doesn’t like one of those people.”

Trump said it did not bother him that Musk criticized the deal, saying, “No, it doesn’t. He hates one of the people in the deal.”

Right. The two little geniuses battled it out on Twitter like real men:

Musk seems to favor another AI investor, saying Microsoft’s Satya Nadella “definitely does have the money.” Musk even reposted a joke that suggested Altman and his team smoked crack “to come up with their $500 billion number for Stargate.” Altman shot back at Musk on X: “i realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you’ll mostly put 🇺🇸 first.”

This is exactly how you would assume the president of the United States would run the country. I’m just glad he isn’t old. Oh wait. He is.

This is a ridiculous story and a ridiculous situation. I’m not sure that there’s any reason to even care about at this point. But there is one thing in the article that caught my eye that might just be important. The staffer said, ” the president doesn’t have any leverage over him and Elon gives zero fucks.” What are we to make of this except that Musk has Trump by the cojones?

I expect it has something to do with $$$$, perhaps the Bitcoin scam or the rumors that he plans to buy Truth Social for big bucks. Whatever it is, Elon’s obviously not afraid of Trump and will say and do whatever he wants. He already demonstrated that during the near government shutdown battle before Christmas.

Trump can’t control him and we have no idea what that means for the country.

So far the Democrats are all over the place but there are a few who have found their voices. I wrote about Chris Murphy’s excellent twitter videos the other day. But no one does it like AOC.

The following is from Evan Hurst at Wonkette:

This week AOC, as she is known in the world of initials, hopped on Insta Live, and it sounds like she’s going to do it every week in this new era, maybe more. We watched every bit of it, and we think it may be our first weekly assignment of the era of Stupid Hitler, to help keep us connected, to keep us focused, and to keep us sane.

This is part of what she said:

This is the United States of America. And I don’t care what Elon Musk is doing behind a presidential seal. In this country, we hate Nazis. Kind of like a foundational, defining thing.

Two of probably the most foundational, defining things about American history is that we beat the Confederates and we beat the Nazis. And I don’t know what side people may be on today, but I still am not rocking with anyone sympathetic to Nazis. And I will do that until I am six feet in the ground. Like, kind of foundational to me as a human being. And so if you’re cool and want to defend the Sieg Heils and the Nazi salutes, all the, you know, whatever you want to do, that’s on you. I’m on the opposite side of that. I’m not with the Nazis. How about that?

Yesterday we had an Episcopal bishop speak to the president about having mercy on the vulnerable (and being mercilessly attacked for it.) AOC has to go on social media to explain that a presidential surrogate flashing Nazi salutes at the inauguration isn’t ok.

These are not things I would have ever thought anyone would have to say. Budde’s message was something we grew up with in Sunday School or lived with as part of our social contract as long as we could remember. AOC’s is the simplest political message you can imagine: “we’re against Nazis.”

And yet they have to say these things out loud now because a large number of Americans have either forgotten these simple, children’s lessons or never learned them in the first place.

Mike Pompeo was one of Trump’s most aggressive loyalists during his tenure in the first term. Now he’s on the hit list.

No good deed goes unpunished:

President Trump revoked security protection for his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and a former top aide, Brian Hook, despite warnings from the Biden administration that both men faced ongoing threats from Iran because of actions they took on Mr. Trump’s behalf, four people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook had been part of an aggressive posture against Iran during the first Trump presidency, most notably the drone strike that killed the powerful Iranian general Qassim Suleimani in early 2020.

Mr. Trump also remains under threat because of that action, and his advisers have regularly stressed the seriousness of the situation in the years between his two terms in office.

Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook had their security details, which were believed to be provided by the State Department, pulled on Tuesday, one of the people briefed on the matter said. A day before, Mr. Trump pulled the U.S. Secret Service detail of John R. Bolton, who was Mr. Trump’s third national security adviser and also faces threats.

Other than former presidents and their spouses, senior U.S. officials are not automatically granted ongoing protection. But the threat assessments from the intelligence community that the risk level remained for Mr. Pompeo, Mr. Hook and Mr. Bolton had been the basis for the Biden administration granting it to them. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had his aides warn the Iranians that assassinating a former U.S. government official would be considered an act of war, a former senior administration official said.

[…]

Mr. Trump has told people he does not want anyone working for him who worked under Mr. Pompeo in his first term. He removed Mr. Hook as a presidential appointee to the Wilson Center for Scholars via a social media post days ago.

Trump had gone out of his way to announce that Pompeo would not be considered for a position in the new administration (along with Nikki Haley) which I thought was weird at the time. It’s unclear specifically what he has against him but this is a good bet:

2/ Reminder: Mike Pompeo and Mark Milley's private discussions following the 2020 election.From Bob Woodward and Robert Costa's book Peril:"We've got to stand shoulder to shoulder""The crazies are taking over" (referring to Giuliani, Powell, Flynn, Lindell)

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T16:16:44.934Z

He is so petty that he is putting the lives of his “disloyal” former followers at risk, even though the threats are inspired by comments made on his behalf during his presidency. Wow. Just wow.

Pompeo was a very, very good soldier during his tenure at the CIA and the State Department during Trump’s first term. This is a shot across the bow at Trump’s most loyal henchmen that he will throw them to the wolves no matter what if they make even the slightest move against him. If any of these men are killed by Iranian assassins that warning will be even more powerful.

Biden wanted to lower them so naturally he’s doing the opposite.

I think Democrats would be wise to make this a bigger story. Whether it materially affects people’s current prescription drug bill or not, the intention is obvious and people need to know about it:

The Trump administration’s first drug pricing action — rescinding a Biden executive order encouraging Medicare to help lower prescription costs — is befuddling drug pricing experts.

“It is perplexing why Trump would have included receding this drug cost executive order on Day One,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF. “It at least sends a signal that Trump may not be serious about addressing drug costs.”

He’s joking, right? Trump not serious about addressing drug costs? Why, that would mean he doesn’t really care about the American people after all. That can’t be right.

This expert says that it’s unclear if this will actually impact the “models” which are in various stages of development:

In October 2022, former President Joe Biden issued an order directing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to create several payment models to lower prescription drug costs. The agency announced three models in February 2023.

One model encouraged Medicare prescription drug plans to offer a co-payment for certain inexpensive generic drugs capped at $2 a month per drug. Another called on state Medicaid agencies to jointly create outcome-based agreements with manufacturers for pricey cell and gene therapies. The model is intended to ensure the price that states pay is based on the drug having its desired effect on improving patient health.

A third model would reduce Medicare funding on drugs cleared by the FDA under accelerated approval, which speeds up the endorsement of medications that fill an unmet need.

CMMI is taking applications for the cell and gene therapy model until Feb. 28. The center has yet to implement either of the other models.

He says that he doesn’t think rescinding the EO would necessarily stop these from continuing. I think that is extremely optimistic. They will want to stop it. However, he adds:

The really big question is what Trump will do with the Inflation Reduction Act and government negotiation of drug costs.

I don’t think there’s even the slightest doubt what he will do with both of those things.

I happened to mention this to a couple of people who haven’t been following politics lately and they were truly shocked and appalled to hear it. I think this is a very salient political issue and I hope that Democrats will jump on it and work it hard. So far, I haven’t heard a peep.

One of the greats. He had our number a long time ago:

Mike Johnson is an extreme Bible thumping super-Christian who talks about it at every opportunity. When he was first elected speaker he said this:

During an interview Thursday evening with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Johnson said he has been asked by members of the media for his positions on myriad issues. In response, he has told them to turn to Scripture to truly understand his perspective on the matters of the day.

“Someone asked me today in the media, they said, ‘It’s curious, people are curious: what does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’” he explained. “I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it — that’s my worldview.’ That’s what I believe, and so I make no apologies for it.”

Maybe he hasn’t gotten to the Jesus part yet. If he had, what Budde said would have been very familiar.

Hannity: Would you want the Attorney General to investigate it?

Trump: I went through four years of hell by this scum we had to deal with… It’s really hard to say they shouldn’t have to go through it also. pic.twitter.com/1XzGkuqVgc

— Acyn (@Acyn) January 23, 2025

As I have been saying for months, now that Trump has received (in his mind) vindication and restoration — and stayed out of jail — there are only two things he really wants: vengeance and money. Nothing else interests him.

I think it’s clear he plans to leave office a vastly wealthier man than he enters it. He’s well on his way. And then there’s this from Axios. Did they think he was joking?

President Trump’s threats of retribution are rapidly materializing in policies across the U.S. government, an early warning to Trump critics that bygones will not be bygones.

 Trump is flexing his vast new powers to target what he’s described as “the enemies from within” — enforcing loyalty tests, purging career officials and attempting to rewrite the history of the last eight years.

• Trump has at times downplayed his thirst for revenge — but his first moves back in office suggest resentment against Democrats, former allies, prosecutors and the media will be a driving force in his second term.
• “For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution,” the president promised supporters on the campaign trail.

 Some of Trump’s acts of vengeance this week have been petty and personal.

• On Day 1 as president, he revoked the security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials who signed a letter in 2020 saying the Hunter Biden laptop scandal carried “classic earmarks” of a Russian disinformation campaign.
• On Day 2, he publicly fired thousands of Biden presidential council appointees, including former Joints Chief of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Biden-supporting celebrity chef José Andrés.
• The Pentagon also removed a portrait of Milley — who Trump once suggested should be executed for treason — just hours after inauguration.

Other Trump moves have been far more serious.

• Within hours of taking office, Trump revoked Secret Service protection for his former national security adviser John Bolton, who has been targeted for assassination by Iran.
• He pardoned about 1,500 supporters convicted or charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, including hundreds who violently attacked the police officers protecting the building.
• Trump’s new FCC chair plans to reinstate complaints against ABC, CBS and NBC for allegedly biased coverage, which the former Democratic chair had dismissed as a partisan attempt to “curtail freedom of the press.”

 In his 2023 book, Trump’s ultra loyalist nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, compiled a list of “government gangsters” he said should be targeted for sabotaging Trump’s first presidency.

• Even with Patel’s confirmation in flux, there are clear indications that the second Trump administration will channel his aggressive approach to rooting out the so-called “Deep State.”
• On Day 1, Trump moved to strip thousands of civil servants of their employment protections. Roughly 160 National Security Council career officials already have been sidelined amid loyalty screenings.

• At least 15 senior Justice Department officials have been removed or reassigned, including one who played a key role in the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 as prosecutors sought evidence that Trump had mishandled classified documents.

Between the lines: In his final days in office, Biden pardoned Milley, Anthony Fauci, former Rep. Liz Cheney and members of his own family as a precautionary measure against the retribution Trump had telegraphed.

• Trump and his allies have harshly criticized Biden, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested Wednesday that House Republicans may investigate the circumstances of the pardons.
• Johnson also announced a new subcommittee that would continue investigating “the false narratives peddled by” the Jan. 6 committee — a sign Trump will have allies on Capitol Hill as he pursues his revenge tour.
• “I went through four years of hell by this scum we had to deal with,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity when asked if the attorney general should investigate his enemies. “It’s really hard to say they shouldn’t have to go through it also.”

By the way, the revenge tour is not just aimed at DC politicians. He is seeking revenge in various ways against all of blue America. None of us are exempt.

And get a whole lot louder in the right spaces

It’s going to be a long several years until the nation collapses. Or Trump does and VP Elegy takes over. Or the world somehow survives.

A couple of posts to flag.

Rude Pundit (Lee Papa) notes that hardcore MAGA types are beyond reaching. “Most,” anyway. Democrats trying to placate them, policy-wise, will win no points with them.

Most Trump supporters would be happy to die in a ditch as long as they feel free to use the n-word again and liberals are mad. The sooner Democrats get their head around that, the better they will be able to oppose Republicans.

— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T12:54:14.042Z

Democrats need to do they best they can policy-wise to pursue their own agenda without compromising in the mistaken belief it will help their electoral prospects in Trump country. They cannot oppose Trump by trying to play nice with him and prove they are the adults in the room. It only makes the weak appear weaker. Nobody wants to vote for that. And even if they do, they won’t turn out to vote for that.

Will Stancil has sharper words on pushing back visibly.

If you work with elite journalists or top Democrats, you have a moral obligation to shout at them to stop hiding what's going on and start reacting appropriately. They're failing the country right now with consequences that will reverberate through generations

— Will Stancil (@whstancil.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T12:54:05.846Z

For all their experience, the Democrats’ gerontocracy is bringing 20th-century knives to a 21st-century gun fight. Too many learned politics in the 1980s. Even if they could learn new tricks, they’re not the ones to bring it now. The Trump-oligarch alliance is not your grandfather’s country-club Republican Party. That’s gone.

Younger Dermocratic leaders were born into this media and political melieu. Senior Democrats should be learning from the young-uns, but not trying to lead with half-learned skills they picked up last week. Remember your cringe when Joe Biden tried his hand at TikTok?

I’m not saying they are all reacting inappropriately. Some Dem senators brought real heat to questioning Trump nominees. But who sees that besides geeks like us, Dear Reader? Not the general public and not Trumpists with their eyes wide shut. That’s what Stancil’s responding to.

It’s what Jordan Klepper’s demonstrating here, especially in the last half of the clip:

Trump’s biggest fans fully support his decision to pardon insurrectionists — just don’t get into the details. @jordanklepper pic.twitter.com/rWKuc3m13t

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 22, 2025

It’s Everything Everywhere All at Once time. Democrats who can’t chew the leather anymore need to step back and let their junior members with the right skills stand in front.

In Trump 2.0, suffering is a directive

Digby covered this guy on Wednesday, but Russell Vought, Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, merits (I use that term loosely) more time in disinfecting sunshine.

Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, has a lot of federal employees living in his state. People with families, Americans trying to do a good job and make ends meet. Kaine questioned Vought, an architect of Project 2025, about his authorship of a budget proposal titled “A Commitment to End Woke and Weaponized Government” that Vought produced for the Center for Renewing America where Vought was its president.

Vought, an avowed Christian nationalist, proposed deep cuts to the SNAP program (food stamps) and Medicaid. Quoting from the Bible, Kaine had questions for Vought about that and about what programs he considers “woke” during his Senate confirmation hearing.

Hafiz Rashid writes at The New Republic:

“Is providing nutrition assistance to low-income kids ‘woke and weaponized’? Kaine asked Vought, who refused to answer, replying that he “wasn’t here to talk about the budget that center put out.”

Kaine pressed further, but Vought claimed he was only there on behalf of the president. The Virginia senator then pointed out that in the same document, Vought proposed deep cuts to Medicaid for low-income families, tenant-based rental assistance, and low-income housing energy assistance.

“This was all in your document about ending woke and weaponized government. OK, let’s see, we want to traumatize federal employees and then we want to take all of these programs that help everyday people who are struggling and cut them because they’re ‘woke and weaponized.’ Those are your words, not mine,” Kaine concluded. “From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

You may remember Vought from undercover video shot by two reporters from the nonprofit Centre for Climate Reporting.

The New Republic noted when the video posted in August:

Vought revealed his group plans to create “shadow” agencies to implement its draconian vision to solidify the “Judeo-Christian worldview value system.”

“We’ve been too focused on religious liberty, which we all support, but we’ve lacked the ability to argue we are a Christian nation,” said Vought.

“I want to make sure that we can say we are a Christian nation,” he said. “And my viewpoint is mostly that I would probably be Christian nation-ism. That’s pretty close to Christian nationalism because I also believe in nationalism.”

Vought means to “rehabilitate Christian nationalism.” Perhaps that’s just in his off-the-clock spare time, but he seems quite committed to it.

As Digby noted, “Trump is too stupid and narcissistic to even vaguely understand or care what this man is up to.” He’s too obsessed with wreaking vengeance on anyone and everyone he thinks done him wrong. “I don’t care,” Trump told Sean Hannity when the Fox News celebrity tried to turn their conversation to the economy. Vought can have at the rest of us for all Trump cares.

Have you heard about $Barron?

In a whirlwind of speculation and misinformation, a memecoin supposedly linked to Barron Trump, the youngest son of former President Donald Trump, ascended to a staggering $460 million market cap before crashing down by 95%, leaving investors in the lurch. This event serves as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in the volatile world of meme cryptocurrencies.

The Rise of the Fake Barron Token

The memecoin, simply dubbed “BARRON,” captured the imagination of the crypto community with its rapid ascent. Within hours of its launch, it had amassed a market capitalization of $460 million, driven by rampant speculation and two misleading posts from CoinTelegraph. These posts suggested, without evidence, that Barron Trump was behind this new digital asset. The allure of being associated with the Trump brand, especially in the politically charged environment of cryptocurrency, was enough to draw investors into a frenzy of buying.

The Fall: When Reality Strikes

The excitement was short-lived. It quickly came to light that there was no official connection between the BARRON memecoin and the Trump family. The token was the creation of a group known for launching unauthorized celebrity-themed cryptocurrencies, essentially cashing in on the fame of notable figures without their endorsement or involvement.

Once this revelation spread, the memecoin’s value plummeted. The market cap, which had skyrocketed based on hype and unfounded rumors, dropped by 95%, wiping out millions in investor capital. The sudden realization that the coin was based on “fake news” led to a mass sell-off, showcasing the fragility and speculative nature of memecoins.

The Misleading Blue Checkmark

Adding to the confusion was the memecoin’s account on social media platforms, which bore a blue verification checkmark. This verification badge often implies authenticity and credibility. However, in this case, it was a deceptive signal; there was no indication that the account was genuinely connected to Barron Trump. This incident highlights the limitations and potential for abuse of verification systems on social media, where a blue checkmark can be misleading.

Lessons from the Crash

This episode with the BARRON memecoin is a cautionary tale for the cryptocurrency market, particularly the memecoin sector. It underscores several key points:

• Due Diligence is Crucial: Investors must perform thorough research before diving into any cryptocurrency, especially meme coins, which often ride on speculation rather than substance.
• The Power of Social Media: The rapid spread of misinformation through platforms like X (formerly Twitter) can significantly influence market behavior, often irrationally.
• Volatility of Memecoins: Memecoins are particularly susceptible to dramatic rises and falls, driven more by hype and social media trends than by fundamental value.
• Celebrity Endorsement Risks: The use of celebrity names, even in jest or without endorsement, can lead to significant financial consequences for unsuspecting investors.

I’m sorry. If people actually bought this and lost their shirts I have a hard time feeling too sorry for them. The whole “memecoin” market is a scam in the first place but the Trump version is the worst of all. It’s hard for me to understand why this coin was more fake than the $Trump or $Melania one was. They’re all bullshit.