Breaking News
Breaking News
from Washington and beyond

Trump Creepily Lusts Over Married Woman in Front of His Grandson

“Is she in good shape or what?” the president said while spending time with his grandson.

Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
PAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump took time out of a busy day playing golf at Mar-a-Lago Sunday afternoon to ogle at a married woman.

Trump stopped the golf cart he was driving with his grandson, Donald Trump III, to stop and greet golf content creator and MAGA supporter Nina Coates, who was jumping up and down out of excitement.

“She’s in great shape, great shape, look at her,” the president said. “You want a picture? Come on over here,” Trump said, adjusting his pants and pulling her in close. “Is she in good shape or what?”

“This is how people (Trump) treat you if you keep staying in shape,” the video is captioned.

A second clip of the interaction showed Trump still with Coates—holding her hand—while other golfers and club members surrounded them. “Is that your husband?” he asked her, pointing directly at the camera.

“Yes, sir,” the man behind the camera replied.

It’s hard to brush this off as just some wholesome interaction, especially knowing what we know about the president—from his harassment of beauty pageant contestants to his friendship with perhaps the most infamous sexual predator of the modern era, Jeffrey Epstein. And even worse, he’s driving around in sunny Mar-a-Lago golfing while people home and abroad suffer because of the decisions he made.

Trump Begs DoorDash Driver to Praise Him During Bizarre Event

The woman, a Trump voter from Arkansas, seemed unsure of how to respond.

Donald Trump stands outside the Oval Office, holding McDonald's takeout bags while he watches DoorDash driver Sharon Simmons speak
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Even Donald Trump’s guest of honor at an impromptu White House photo op Monday wasn’t willing to praise the president’s performance during his second term.

After grabbing two bags of McDonalds from his DoorDash driver, the president repeatedly prompted the food courier to compliment his policies in front of the press—to no avail.

“Well, you’re really nice, would you like to do a little news conference with me? These are not the nicest people, they’re not nice like you,” Trump said.

“I’ll do whatever you ask me to do, sir,” said Sharon Simmons, wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned with the words “DoorDash Grandma.”

Simmons had traveled to the White House from Arkansas to speak with the president about his No Tax on Tips program, which she told Fox News had allowed her to afford cancer treatments for her husband.

However, Trump’s press conference featured very little talk of the relevant tax cut. Instead, Trump pressed Simmons on a range of other conservative talking points, including banning trans athletes (primarily trans girls) from competing in their gender-aligned sports.

“Do you think that men should play in women’s sports?” asked Trump.

“I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Simmons insisted.

“You don’t? I’ll bet you do,” Trump pushed.

“No, no, I’m here about no tax on tips,” she said.

Trump also queried the grandmother of 10 about her opinion on the war with Iran, the scheduled White House UFC tournament, and whether she voted for him.

“And I think you voted for me? Do you think?” asked Trump, touching her shoulder.

“Uh, maybe,” Simmons said with a laugh.

Simmons later told Fox News that she was a supporter of the president.

DoorDash celebrated the success of its White House event later that afternoon, noting in a statement that Simmons had conducted the “first ever White House delivery.”

Trump Confusingly Brags About Ships Passing Through Strait of Hormuz

Which are we supposed to want, ships passing through the strait, or the U.S. military preventing ships from passing through the strait?

Donald Trump frowns while standing outside the Oval Office
Salwan Georges/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Donald Trump bragged Monday about the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after imposing a military blockade of Iranian ports.

“34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish closure began,” Trump wrote in a brief post on Truth Social.

It seems the president is trying to suggest that his announcement of a military blockade was to thank for the sudden surge in trade through the Strait of Hormuz, but that “foolish closure” he referred to was spurred by his decision to join Israel’s reckless military campaign against Iran. As a result, Iran’s retaliatory attacks have brought trade through the Strait of Hormuz to a screeching halt, threatening global food and energy supplies.

Trump would like to pretend he’s the savior, when really, he’s the problem.

The reality of Trump’s blockade is a lot more tenuous. A sustained military blockade would be incredibly expensive and require a large number of warships, and U.S. allies have made it very clear they have no intention of helping out. While it may seem like a quick fix, taking Iranian oil off the market will only squeeze the market, causing energy prices to surge higher. Gas prices in the U.S. have surged beyond $4 a gallon, as crude oil has climbed to over $100 per barrel.

Plus, Trump’s numbers are a little off. In the last 24 hours, 31 vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, carrying oil, natural gas, and other cargo, NBC News reported. As of early Monday morning, there were 11 vessels in the waterway, including three Iranian ships. That’s still well below the prewar daily average of 138 ships. Although it wasn’t immediately clear whether the U.S. Navy had begun its operation, CBS News reported, two ships immediately turned away from the waterway Monday.

Just minutes after Trump’s military blockade was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EST, the president claimed that Iran’s entire navy had been “completely obliterated”—except for a fleet of “fast attack ships,” which he claimed posed no threat. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” he wrote.

Of course, that would throw a pretty big wedge in the tentative ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has also warned that any warships approaching the strait will be considered a ceasefire violation.

Trump Deletes Photo of Himself as Jesus and Makes Up Pathetic Excuse

The president appears to have finally realized he crossed a line after the MAGA uproar.

AI photo of Trump as Jesus as he heals a sick man by putting his hand on his forehead. Others crowd around them watching and praying.
Screengrab/Donald Trump on Truth Social

Donald Trump has deleted a post containing an AI image of himself as Jesus after backlash from his supporters and religious leaders.

X screenshot Kaitlan Collins @kaitlancollins It appears as if Trump has deleted his post portraying himself as Jesus after facing some backlash from his own supporters. (Screenshot: Not Found)

The Truth Social post showed an illustration of the president, in the style of art usually found in Bibles, dressed in white in a red shawl with light emanating from him while he healed a sick man in a bed wearing a hospital gown. In the picture, Trump is surrounded by men and women, all white, while the background is full of soldiers, fighter jets, a bald eagle, a waving American flag, and the Statue of Liberty.

Screengrab/Donald Trump on Truth Social

Shortly after deleting the image, he made a lame attempt to play dumb, saying that while he did initially post it, “I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there which we support, and only the fake news could come up with that one.”

Various figures on the right, including evangelical Christians and right-wing media personalities, decried the picture as blasphemous. Sean Feucht, who has performed worship music at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and the White House, called on the photo to be “deleted immediately.” Christian influencer Mandy Arthur posted on X that “we have made a mistake and accidently elected the Antichrist. Send help.”

Anti-transgender activist Riley Gaines also chimed in, saying that “a little humility would serve [Trump] well” and “God shall not be mocked.” Conservative Christian commentator Megan Basham called the post “OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy” and called on Trump “to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”

Trump has not endeared himself to his Christian supporters in recent days, drawing ire from Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals alike. After a report emerged last week that his administration apparently threatened Pope Leo XIV in January, Trump doubled down on Sunday and attacked the pontiff further, calling him “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”

The pope deflected Trump’s comments on Monday, saying that he wasn’t afraid of the president and that he “will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, ⁠promoting dialogue and multilateral ​relationships among the states to look ​for just solutions to problems.”

“Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent ‌people ⁠are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way to do this,” the pope added.

This post alienated Christians of all denominations, even the right-wing conservatives in his base. But Trump doesn’t seem to care, and has enjoyed being compared to Jesus before, most recently at an Easter lunch at the White House by his spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain. The president has never rushed to correct anyone praising him, no matter how excessive.

This story has been updated.

Growing Number of Democrats Call on Eric Swalwell to Leave Congress

Democrats are calling on the California representative to resign or be expelled after sexual assault allegations against him.

Representative Eric Swalwell on the steps of the Capitol
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Representative Eric Swalwell on the steps of the Capitol

Multiple House Democrats have called for the resignation of California Representative Eric Swalwell following serious sexual assault allegations against him. Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial election Sunday, but remains in the House. He admitted to “mistakes in judgement” while denying all allegations.

“If you sexually assaulted someone, you should not be serving in Congress—[or as President],” Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury wrote Sunday night on X. “Period.”

Some Democrats made a point to include other legislators with allegations of assault or corruption—like Republicans Tony Gonzales and Cory Mills and Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick—in their calls for expulsion.

“Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office. Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled,” Representative Nydia Velasquez wrote. “Americans deserve better and Congress must hold our members accountable.”

“The accusations against Rep. Eric Swalwell are serious and must be fully investigated,” Representative Greg Amo said in a statement. “The women who have come forward are brave, deserve to be heard, and have my support.... These allegations, like those against Cory Mills and Tony Gonzales, demonstrate they are not fit to serve in public office and should resign. If they do not and the House votes on their removal, I would vote to expel them from Congress.”

“I’ve seen enough. With his nuanced statement aimed at defending likely criminal charges, Swalwell all but admits a per se abuse of power under House ethics rules: sex with a subordinate,” Representative Jared Huffman wrote. “He must now drop out of the Governor’s race and resign from Congress. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who admitted to the same violation, should also resign. If they don’t, I will support voting to expel both of them.”

“I am sick and tired of watching powerful men in powerful positions be able to get away with sexually abusing and assaulting women,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal on MS NOW. “Representatives Gonzales and Swalwell should resign,” she added on X. “Otherwise, I would vote to expel them.”

Some Democrats made even stronger statements, although anonymously.

“People feel confident that the allegations against all four are credible,” one House Democrat told Axios. “[Members] are frustrated ... by what feels like a bottleneck of scandals without any real accountability yet in any one.”

“We want a full house cleaning,” said another. “Get the garbage out of here. These jerks are destroying Congress, for the American people and for all of us who came here to do good work.”

This is exactly what should be happening. The allegations against Swalwell are alarming, and there has been far too much passivity from both parties regarding the heinous conduct of their members, from sexual assault to corruption. This must be a moment of serious reckoning.