Donald Trump was on his best behaviour as King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House today in a shower of pomp and ceremony. But behind the scenes, it's business as usual in the Trump regime. Even as he was playing nice for the royal visit, his administration pushed out a string of wild, anti-democratic moves - attacking freedom of speech, slapping his face on official documents and attacking international allies.
1. He Raged Against a Key International Ally
Trump lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Truth Social, accusing him of wanting Iran to have a nuclear weapon. It was in retaliation for Merz saying the US was being "humiliated" by Iran's leadership, and had been outwitted by Tehran's negotiators. Trump wrote: "The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn't know what he's talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!"
2. Demanding Disney Fire Jimmy Kimmel for a Joke... That He Ended Up Telling Himself
Trump demanded Disney fire TV host Jimmy Kimmel for telling a joke about him - despite making more or less the same joke in his speech welcoming the King for his visit. The President proudly declared his mother and father were married for 63 years - before making a joke about his own mortality. "That's not a record we're going to be able to match, darling," he said to wife Melania. "I'm sorry, just not going to work out that way." Mrs Trump did not appear to react to the joke. But it was a strange echo of the joke Kimmel made last week, which prompted the First Lady and others in the Trump administration to demand he be fired. The host of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! made the joke on Thursday's edition of the show. The joke was, Kimmel has since explained, based on the fact that instead of hiring a comedian to poke fun at the President, as usually happens at the Correspondents' Dinner, they hired a mind reader to do close-up magic. So he did a skit, pretending he was hosting the event. "Of course, our first lady, Melania, is here," he said. He called her "so beautiful" and added: "Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow." Speaking on yesterday's show, Kimmel explained: "It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am." But after events at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, when a gunman apparently opened fire in a bid to assassinate Trump and members of his cabinet, Melania and other allies of the President have falsely framed the joke as a call to violence. "His monologue about my family isn't comedy - his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," Melania said in a statement on Monday morning. Trump followed up on Truth Social, calling the joke a "despicable call to violence", and demanding: "Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."
3. And He's Threatening Their Broadcast Licences
Today it's emerged the Federal Communications Commission, the government body that issues broadcasting licences, announced it was calling in all of ABC's broadcast licences early in apparent retribution over the joke. The body, run by Trump ally Brendan Carr, said: "The FCC determines that calling in Disney's ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communications Act's public interest standard is essential within the meaning of agency regulations. Therefore, Disney's ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days--in other words, by May 28, 2026." The notice suggested the review is related to an investigation into Disney's diversity policies - but the move is very unusual and the timing spectacularly coincidental. So far there is no sign Disney or ABC will capitulate to Trump's demand to fire Kimmel. The host was suspended for several days last year after he angered MAGA supporters with comments about slain activist Charlie Kirk. He was returned to the airwaves after less than a week.
4. Accusing His Political Opponents of Inciting the Assassination Attempt
While the King was meeting with Trump in the White House, the Trump administration issued a press release explicitly accusing his political opponents of inciting the failed attempt on his life on Saturday. Many of the phrases listed in the emailed release are common, benign turns of phrase. It lists Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro suggesting "heads need to roll" in the Trump administration over the widely criticised ICE immigration crackdown. It also complains about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz saying his state is "at war with our federal government" over the same policy. The release also suggests describing Trump's actions as "fascist" or likening him to a dictator were inciting violence. Trump has repeatedly used violent and dehumanising rhetoric in his public statements - often explicitly suggesting people carry out violent acts on his behalf. He also frequently makes extreme, false claims about his opponents, claiming Democrats are "sick" and that "you won't have a country any more" if they were to win elections. He's branded Americans of Somali origin "animals". And twice in 2016, he urged supporters at rallies to "punch" and "knock the crap out of" protesters. An ABC News investigation in 2020 found 54 criminal cases where Trump's name was invoked by the perpetrator - including 12 cases where attackers named Trump in the middle or immediate aftermath of committing physical assault.
5. Slapping His Own Face on US Passports
The Trump administration is in the process of redesigning the US Passport ...and is, of course, including Trump's face on one of the pages. According to the Bulwark, the State department is planning a "limited run" of 25,000 Trump Passports.
6. Indicting His Former FBI Director... Again
Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for a second time. The administration has pursued a relentless campaign against Comey - who Trump infamously fired during his first administration, after the FBI chief refused to declare loyalty to him. Comey was indicted in September on charges that he lied to and obstructed Congress related to testimony he gave in 2020 about whether he had authorised inside information about an investigation to be provided to a journalist. He denied any wrongdoing, and the case was subsequently dismissed after a judge concluded that the prosecutor who brought the indictment was illegally appointed. This time, it appears, the charge is related to an Instagram photo he posted of a set of seashells spelling out "86 47". The number 47 refers to Trump, the 47th US president. And the number "86" is often used as slang meaning "to throw out," "to get rid of" or "to refuse service to." But Trump has claimed it was intended to invoke the less common reading of the slang meaning "to kill". The seashells photo was posted nearly a year ago, but the indictment was secured as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a Trump loyalist who previously served as his personal lawyer, aims to prove to the president that he's the right person to hold the job permanently. The fact that the Justice Department pursued a new case against the ex-FBI director months after a separate and unrelated indictment was dismissed could open the government to claims of a vindictive prosecution and to arguments that it is going out of its way to target Comey, who had overseen the early months of an investigation into whether the Republican president’s 2016 campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of that year’s election. Comey was fired by Trump months into the president’s first term, and they have openly feuded ever since.
7. And Then, as Icing on the Cake, the White House Posted This
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