by Steve Benen | Aug 11, 2026 | Business, Maddowblog, White House
Four years ago, after Donald Trump launched his own social media platform he kept trying to convince people that it was succeeding. “TRUTH SOCIAL has become somewhat of a phenomena,” he wrote in 2022. “Last week it had bigger numbers than all other platforms, including TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and the rest.”
That wasn’t exactly true, though in the weeks and months that followed, he continued to try to hype the platform, assuring the public, “Truth Social is sooo HOT. Even the Fake & Disgusting News Media is in agreement on that!” Even after the Republican returned to the White House, he continued to try to convince people that things were great, writing last year, “TRUTH (Social) is on ‘FIRE’ (in a positive way, of course!). It is my Voice, and the Real Voice of America.”
Reality appears to be pointing in a very different direction. The platform’s parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group, reported a net loss of over $238 million in the second quarter — since going public more than two years ago, the company has never had a profitable quarter — which coincided with reporting from The New York Times that said traffic to Truth Social was down roughly 36% from a year ago, even as its more successful rivals show growth in monthly visitors.
The news, however, is not all bad for the president’s troubled venture. The Wall Street Journal reported:
President Trump’s media company Monday said more than 10 customers have signed up to a real-time feed of top Truth Social accounts, a product that has drawn criticism that the first family is mixing its business interests and White
by Stephanie Ruhle | Aug 5, 2026 | Business, elections, Opinion
This election is about the economy.
The rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, is about the economy.
President Donald Trump losing support because he was not honest with his base is not about integrity — it’s about the economy.
According to the latest CNBC All-America survey, 61% of Americans are pessimistic about the economy and where it is going. That is not a partisan read, it’s everyday Americans’ economic assessment. People feel they cannot get a leg up, and while there is much blame to place on Trump, frustration with the entire system is apparent in these primaries.
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‘Medicare for All’ being put to the test in Michigan Dem Senate primary
August 4, 2026 / 08:04
This election is also taking a close look at the definition of power — which is most often equated to money. In terms of campaign war chests, Republicans have the biggest one, and it is only growing.
The richest among us have grown significantly richer, while millions of Americans are struggling to support themselves. That divide and anger is growing — resulting in more big-dollar donations being funneled to Republican candidates. The Trump administration’s biggest wins have been regulatory relief, tax cuts and, of course, a stock market that keeps climbing. All of it is good for the C-suite and the investor class, and campaign dollars want to keep that party going.
However, Trump’s tanking poll numbers, along with the rise in anti-establishment candidates on the left, have everyone looking at a possible massive shift in power. These outlier candidates do not appeal to voters because of radical positions like “defund the police.” Rather, their draw comes from speaking
by The Associated Press | Aug 4, 2026 | Business, News, White House, World
Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.
The United States last month imposed double-digit tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor. The new tariffs took effect just as the clock ran out on temporary tariffs President Donald Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.
“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Joining New York in the lawsuit announced Monday are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Trump, who argues that high tariffs will revive American manufacturing, last year overturned decades of U.S. policy that favored lower tariffs and ever-freer trade. Invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, he imposed double-digit tariffs on imports from almost every country, saying America’s longstanding trade deficit amounted to a national emergency.
But the Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA did not authorize tariffs. The decision forced the administration to send refunds to importers who’d paid the tariffs. Eager to make up the lost revenue, Trump turned to temporary 10% worldwide tariffs. But they expired at midnight July 24.
Now he’s tapping more durable tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the president to impose import taxes and
by Zeeshan Aleem | Aug 3, 2026 | Business, Opinion, White House
When Markwayne Mullin succeeded Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in March, he was expected to be less spotlight-seeking than his predecessor, but no less dedicated to Trump’s deportation policies. As a freshman senator from Oklahoma, Mullin had defended the federal immigration agent who reportedly killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis, opposed birthright citizenship and called for shutting down airports in “sanctuary cities.” President Donald Trump called him a “MAGA warrior.”
Yet this MAGA warrior apparently isn’t good enough for MAGA die-hards. They’re furious and calling for his ouster over comments he made Saturday at a National Governors Association meeting in which he drew a distinction between legal and illegal immigration, and also suggested immigration reform would be a good idea in the long term because it’s needed to help the economy grow.
These pundits and activists seem to be angry that Mullin dares suggest any immigration into the country is acceptable.
“If we’re looking to grow our economy, we need more permanent solutions on [work visas], because this narrative that it steals American jobs is true in some industries, it’s not true for all industries,” Mullin said in one of the comments that drew the MAGAsphere’s ire. He added, “It is America. We want to take care of Americans first. It’s our economy, it’s our homeland, but there’s a way to utilize labor where we’re not having the participation rate we need to, and we can plug those holes.”
Right-wing conspiracy theorist and media personality Laura Loomer slammed Mullin — whom she called “Markwayne Muslim” in an attempt to use “Muslim” as a slur — saying he was excited
by Martina E. Vandenberg | Jul 28, 2026 | Business, Opinion, World
Last week, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer announced a new round of sweeping tariffs against 60 countries, which collectively account for more than 99.4% of U.S. trade. After the Supreme Court toppled President Donald Trump’s original tariff regime, Greer took steps to make sure these tariffs would stick. In launching the investigation that justifies the new tariffs, the U.S. trade representative set a test that countries were doomed to fail.
The U.S. government investigation demanded that each country prove that it imposed and effectively enforced a ban on the importation of goods made in whole or in part by forced labor. That inquiry fueled a grueling, monthslong regulatory process that garnered more than 2,100 public comments, testimony by more than 100 witnesses and generated two written reports. The final 431-page report determined that every country under scrutiny had committed unfair trade practices under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. As a result, 19 countries now face 10% tariffs; another 41 countries face tariffs of up to 12.5%.
In launching the investigation that justifies the new tariffs, the U.S. trade representative set a test that countries were doomed to fail.
Crucially, the question the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative asked was not whether a country had forced labor in its own markets; every nation does, including the United States. The question was whether each country sufficiently blocks goods tainted with forced labor from entering its markets. American exceptionalism prevailed. According to the Office of the U.S Trade Representative, “The United States is the only country in the world to adopt, and effectively enforce, a ban on imports made with forced labor.”
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by Ryan Teague Beckwith | Jul 26, 2026 | Business, Congress, Opinion
Residents of Washington, D.C., don’t have voting members of Congress, so we have no say in what happens on Capitol Hill. And if DoorDash gets its way, we will have even less say at City Hall.
The San Francisco-based company, worth about $73 billion, objected to a 20-cent fee on food deliveries that the D.C. Council recently enacted.
But rather than make its case to the district’s elected leaders or persuade voters the fee was a bad idea, DoorDash went nuclear, publicly backing Republican legislation that would require Congress to approve any future local taxes or fees in the district.
I’ve never used DoorDash, but this decision made me wish I’d signed up just so I could dramatically cancel my account.
I’ve never used DoorDash, but this decision made me wish I’d signed up just so I could dramatically cancel my account. As a D.C. resident, I don’t have much power to do anything else.
Congress already exercises sweeping authority over the district. Under the 1973 Home Rule Act, it can block laws passed by the D.C. Council during a review period through a joint resolution. Even after that period ends, Congress can still overturn local laws through ordinary legislation or — more commonly — by attaching riders to must-pass appropriations bills.
Over the years, Republicans in Congress have repeatedly used that power to block policies supported by D.C. voters, including needle-exchange programs during the AIDS crisis, medical marijuana and funding for abortions for low-income women. Congress has even barred D.C. from using its own funds to lobby for statehood.
(To be fair, former President Barack Obama agreed to restrictions on D.C. abortion funding during budget negotiations,
