Chad Gayer

I was told I needed twitter. So here I am.

[Dave Hale - Concerned Republican @CountryFirstRep]

It is legitimately a tragedy that the 250th anniversary of this country's birth will be presided over by a president who is EVERYTHING the founders warned us against -- a partisan demagogue who fundamentally loathes the separation of powers and denies election results he dislikes

[Ryan Grim @ryangrim]

Trump, with one rash decision, egged on by Netanyahu, has severely diminished American power abroad, dealt a blow to Israel, and dramatically ramped up the clean energy transition.

China and Iran emerge empowered and Trump’s own approval rating is in the low 30s.

Now the same people who urged him to get into this mess are urging him to keep it going.

[Mike Levin @MikeLevin]

This New York Times piece is worth your time. Here’s what is happening, as simply as I can put it.

Back in January, Trump sued the IRS, an agency he controls, demanding $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns a number of years ago.

IRS lawyers did their jobs. They wrote a memo laying out the defenses that could beat the suit, including the fact that Trump filed too late. His own lawyer was in court when the leaker pleaded guilty in October 2023, more than two years before Trump sued.

The Justice Department never showed up to court. Never argued back. Never used the defenses sitting on their desk.

The judge got suspicious and ordered both sides to explain whether they were actually opposing each other or just colluding. The day before that brief was due, Trump dropped the suit.

Same day, his Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded “anti-weaponization fund.” 

Trump gets a formal apology. The IRS agrees to drop any audits of him and his family, even though a 2024 Times report found a loss in an ongoing audit could cost him over $100 million.

The acting Attorney General, Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, picks the five commissioners who decide who gets paid. Trump can fire any of them. Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are not ruled out.

This is the most corrupt thing I’ve ever seen from an American president.

Where in the hell are my Republican colleagues?

https://t.co/La0nlLuz1r

[Matt Stoller @matthewstoller]

Of course it does. The superrich are the problem! If you neutralize their power, we can start building a good society again.

[Rutger Bregman @rcbregman]

This sounds nice, but it's a great way to undermine the welfare state.

The strongest welfare states in the world (the Nordics) tax everyone, including nurses. And they give everyone universal healthcare, childcare, pensions, education in return.

When the middle class has skin in the game, they defend the system. When welfare is 'just for the poor', it becomes a poor program: stigmatized, underfunded, easy to gut.

That's why billionaires keep pushing this idea. The real scandal isn't that this nurse pays $12k.

It's that Jeff Bezos pays $0.

[Acyn @Acyn]

Maddow: So in January, Trump buys hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in Nvidia. Then a week later, his commerce department approves the sale of Nvidia chips to China. 

Also in January, Trump buys between 50,000 and $100,000 worth of stock in AMD. One week after he buys it, his commerce department approves AMD doing business in China as well. 

The following month, in February, Trump buys millions of dollars worth of stock in Dell. Nine days after he buys millions of dollars worth of stock in Dell, Trump veers off script in a speech in Georgia to tell the crowd literally, quote, go out and buy a Dell computer. 

Then in March, Judd Legum at Popular Information reports that Trump repeatedly buys up Thermo Fisher stock, and then he goes and visits Thermo Fisher on a presidential visit and praises the company.

That same day, Trump bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in Apple. And then that same day he bought the stock, he did another event where he singled out Apple and Apple CEO Tim cook for praise. Apple a great company.

Then after that, Trump buys Micron stock. The very next day, he calls into the Fox News channel and tells them Micron is one of the hottest companies.

CNBC reporting Trump makes seven separate purchases of Palantir stock. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Palantir stock. Then he gets on truth social and praises Palantir.

[Patrick Heizer @PatrickHeizer]

The president purchasing Nvidia shares a week before his own Commerce Department allows them to sell one of our most valuable assets to our main geopolitical opponent is unfathomably more corrupt than anything on Hilary Clinton's email server.

[Elizabeth Warren @SenWarren]

An insane level of corruption—even for Trump.

A $1.7 BILLION slush fund for Trump’s hand-picked stooges to hand money to January 6th insurrectionists and his political allies.

Here’s the President’s priority as Americans sell their plasma to afford gas and groceries:

[Holden Culotta @Holden_Culotta]

Thomas Massie: “There’s a reason I’m their number one target.”

“It’s because I’m effective.”

“I used a discharge petition to get the Epstein files bill passed.”

“I stopped a bill two weeks ago that would’ve allowed data centers to bypass the environmental and judicial process for getting permits.”

“I got my signature legislation, the PRIME Act, in the … Farm Bill.”

“The PRIME Act would allow local farmers to sell to local consumers using the local health department instead of the USDA getting involved.”

“They don’t spend nearly $10 million against somebody who’s a backbencher.”

@RepThomasMassie @MassieforKY @Local12

[MM  @adgirlMM]

Let me get this straight.

Trump, the only president since Nixon not to release his tax returns, and who promised he would release his tax returns when he was president, is suing the government for $10 billion dollars in "damages" for leaked tax returns which reveal his corruption.

And his DOJ, which is run by his personal lawyer who he appointed as "Acting AG," is going to settle.

So the American people are now gong to personally pay a corrupt president $10 billion of our hard earned tax dollars, because his feelings got hurt when his shady tax returns were leaked?

Got it. 👌

[Tommy Vietor @TVietor08]

Spread this lame ass video everywhere. I want every voter to know that Trump has requested a $1.5 TRILLION Pentagon budget. Shut up if you want better health care or for social security to remain solvent. All you get is more bombs to drop on Iranian schools.

[Adam Mockler @adammocklerr]

I’m sorry, but I’m not gonna be nicer about this. Neocon boomers are mortgaging my generations future by amassing trillions in debt, turning America into a pariah on the global stage, and getting our troops killed for another failing war.

I have to watch these neocons lie about the state of this war on TV every single day. Then, the moment I push back and assertively ask, “hey, what’s the actual goal here?” I have a legion of neocon boomers telling me I should know my place. Or I should wait my turn to talk with the grown ups.

Fuck that, genuinely.

I’m not claiming to have all of the answers or be all knowing. But young people deserve a seat at the table to fight for our interests as well. 95% of media is made up of boomers in suits who created these problems, and being nicer isn’t going to fix them.

[Chris Alvino @ChrisAlvino]

This is my issue with conservatives explained in a single video: They are COMPLETELY unable to practice any kind of empathy (neither cognitive nor emotional) with any out-group. Until they have first-hand experience with an issue, they cannot fathom that it even exists

[Matt Stoller @matthewstoller]

This Iran fiasco will likely wipe out huge amounts of American prestige and treasure, and reduce our standards of living. We will need a genuine accounting for the leaders across every institution - politics, law, business, banking, academia - who allowed it to happen.

[JEFF @jeffisrael25]

let me get this straight

a team will not be playing in the FIFA World Cup because they are currently being bombed by the FIFA Peace Prize winner

[Ro Khanna @RoKhanna]

The common thread with this administration is elite impunity.

The Epstein class who raped working class girls face no consequences.

Fraudsters being granted pardons for political contributions.

Now, rogue ICE agents are killing working class Americans with impunity.

The lack of accountability is destroying the trust that is the fabric of our republic.

The Democratic Party must unify to hold this administration accountable.

[Chris Murphy 🟧 @ChrisMurphyCT]

This is bone chilling. We are watching a Censorship Regime forming.

Everyone in America - citizens and green card holders - has the protection of free speech.

[Ryan Grim @ryangrim]

So @elonmusk says he’s looking for waste and fraud but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau costs less than $1B/year and has returned $20B and counting to consumers in roughly a decade.

[City of Wichita @CityofWichita]

Ope. Sorry. We’re too busy enjoying our abundant jobs, low cost of living and lack of pollution to establish a brand. Gonna scootch on past this comment.

[Lee Fang @lhfang]

The teenage/adolescent urge to see family relationships as a battleground for politics should be avoided at all costs. The personal is absolutely not political. Family and friends do not have to agree on partisan or ideological bullshit to be close. Happy thanksgiving.