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The politics of shamelessness: a survival tactic from Trump to party loyalty
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Every politician operates with a certain degree of shamelessness. It’s practically in the job description.
As they try to navigate in howling political winds, they regularly have to justify changing their positions. Maybe the country’s mood has shifted. Maybe it’s a matter of party loyalty. Maybe they’re bowing to pressure from big donors.
And maybe they’re being hypocritical because something they opposed during the Biden administration is now perfectly fine in the Trump administration.
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Whatever the circumstances, it’s shameless to offer an explanation that everyone knows is garbage.
And they have to do it with a straight face. They can’t very well say, Donald Trump is going to make sure I’m primaried if I don’t go along on this one. So they offer the transparently bogus explanation.
That, you could argue, is the nature of politics. You need to have some flexibility, some wiggle room.
In one of my two interviews with President Trump last year, he tried to explain why he had totally flipped on TikTok. After all, he had spent his first term trying to ban the Chinese-owned company on national security grounds, only to be blocked by the courts. Now, suddenly, he had done a 180 and was trying to save the app, despite a congressional ban.
President-elect Trump is pictured in front of the TikTok logo. (Getty Images)
Trump told me he changed his mind because outlawing TikTok would help Facebook, which he considered a greater threat.
I didn’t buy it. He had concluded that TikTok was incredibly popular, especially with younger people, and wanted to position himself as its savior. This, of course, was before Mark Zuckerberg began cozying up to Trump, such as by making a million-dollar donation to his inaugural.
Trump may have the biggest shameless gene of them all–and that’s part of why he’s successful.
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He doesn’t get hung up on what he said the day before or an hour before. He can go from expressing sympathy for Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis to saying he doesn’t feel sorry for Biden at all. He can go from blaming the Ukraine war impasse on Volodomyr Zelenskyy to finally condemning Vladimir Putin to calling it Biden’s war.
Ross Douthat has a smart take on this in his New York Times column:
«The willingness to swerve and backpedal and contradict himself is a big part of what keeps the president viable, and the promise of chickening out is part of Trump’s implicit pitch to swing voters — reassuring them that anything extreme is also provisional, that he’s always testing limits (on policy, on power) but also generally willing to pull back.»
So MAGA voters trust Trump to go pretty far–but not too far?
Supporters of President Elect Donald Trump attend a rally at Capital One Arena in Washington DC, Sunday January 19th, 2025, the eve of Inauguration Day (Breanne Deppisch/Fox News Digital)
That brings them into John Kerry territory: «I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it,» referring to military aid to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republican ads immediately portrayed the 2004 presidential nominee as a flip-flopper. Kerry later allowed that he had been «inarticulate.»
It’s useful to think about flipping the script. In the media furor over Trump’s spate of pardons, the president gave one to the leader of a violent Chicago gang, Larry Hoover, a drug dealer who’s been serving six consecutive life sentences for killing a man.
Largely symbolic? Sure, because Hoover will remain in prison on state charges. Doesn’t matter.
If Biden had done that, conservative voters would have gone haywire. How dare he side with a murderer? Does Biden have no regard for human life? The man who was killed doesn’t get a second chance.
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The MAGA-driven story would have been on television every 10 minutes. With Trump, it was a blip, barely a story at all.
Naturally, Biden’s hands aren’t exactly clean on the pardon front. He repeatedly promised not to pardon Hunter, then did exactly that after the election. It was a blatant lie and a big story.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at a conference hosted by the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) on April 15, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. ACRD champions the rights of those who depend on Social Security and disability services. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The other day Trump got angry when a CNBC reporter asked him about his TACO nickname, Trump Always Chickens Out, based on the chatter on Wall Street. He called the question «nasty,» this from the king of bestowing derogatory nicknames (see Joe, Sleepy).
Poultry metaphor aside, the president does frequently delay draconian tariffs, conduct quick negotiations and declare victory. His supporters like that because the markets usually shoot up, though the turmoil clearly shakes up the global economy.
As Trump bounces back a bit in the polls, says Douthat, «with a different president…you might say that this recovery happened in spite of the White House’s various backtracks and reversals (plus various rebukes from the judiciary). But with Trump it’s more apt to say that it’s happened because of these setbacks and recalibrations. Seeing Trump both check himself and be checked by others is what an important group of voters expect from his presidency. They like that Trump pressures institutions they distrust or dislike, from official Washington to elite universities, but their approval is contingent on a dynamic interaction, where he accepts counterpressure and retreats.»
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One reason Trump gets away with all this is that the Democrats don’t have a national spokesman. Tim Walz, the VP flop, toying with running for president? People like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer aren’t breaking through. AOC gets some good jabs in on social media, but she’s not even a member of the leadership.
You also have to credit Trump’s political skills. He doesn’t have the slightest fear of being shameless.
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The architect of former President Bill Clinton’s political rise offered a profane preview of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, claiming he will face a «public humiliation» by November.
James Carville, known as the ‘Ragin Cajun’ for his raucous demeanor, claimed every member of Trump’s administration except top adviser Stephen Miller «hates» him. He delivered the remarks on the Politicon YouTube channel he shares with journalist Al Hunt.
«However bad you think this is, however much you see people in your own inner circle, in your military, in your staff, in your Congress, attorney on you, it’s just starting,» Carville said.
«You know how miserable you’re going to be in November? You know, how f—ing miserable you are? Tens of millions of American people get a chance to tell you exactly what they think of you.»
Democratic strategist James Carville doubled down this week after he was called out for predicting Trump’s imminent collapse in February. (AP/»Politics War Room»)
He addressed Trump as if he were watching, telling him to «sit still while I’m talking to you» and advising that «everybody is stabbing you in the back» before calling him a «fat, sorry, sack of s—.»
He claimed the Pentagon has begun, or will begin, leaking information to hurt Trump «because your boy Pete can’t control s—,» in an apparent reference to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
«You can’t trust anyone: trust no one, right. OK, maybe Stephen Miller, I’ll give you that one. The Congress can’t stand you. They’re not going to pass s— for you. They hate you. They know you’re going to bring them to staggering defeat.»
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James Carville speaks onstage during Election Night Live With Brian Williams at Amazon Studios on November 05, 2024, in Culver City, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Amazon Studios)
Carville also claimed Congress is in disarray, alleging that his fellow Louisianan Mike Johnson «doesn’t know whether to wind his a– or scratch his watch.»
«You are the most unpopular president at this point in your term that we’ve ever had. They don’t like you. You understand that? They don’t like you. They don’t like the way you smell and the way that you look. They don’t like your fat stomach. They don ‘t like your stupid combover,» Carville said, referring to the American people.
He also referenced the fact that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia ultimately decided to stop seeking prosecution of six federal lawmakers led by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who produced a video advising service members they can refuse lawful orders.
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«When you lose Judge Jeanine… that’s kind of horrible,» he said, referring to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who is a former judge in Westchester County, N.Y. and ex-Fox News host.
«You’re in the process of getting the living s— kicked out of you. And how bad do you think this is? However much you see people in your own inner circle, in your military, your own staff, and your own Congress attorney on you. It’s just starting.»
Carville closed by wishing Trump «good health» but warned him a «public humiliation is happening as we speak.»
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«People [will] tell you exactly what the f— they think of you, and I got news for you, it ain’t very good,» he said.
In response, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called Carville an «irrelevant loser» who «rambles to an audience of no one.»
«This is a sad example of late stage Trump Derangement Syndrome,» Jackson told Fox News Digital.
«President Trump is focused on delivering on his many promises for the American people — driving down costs, tackling Bidenflation, deporting criminal illegal aliens, lowering crime rates, and more,» she added.
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El presidente de Donald Trump aseguró este martes ante el Congreso que Estados Unidos recibió más de 80 millones de barriles de crudo provenientes de Venezuela, a la que definió como “nuestro nuevo amigo y socio”.
El mandatario afirmó además que el país atraviesa el período de mayor control fronterizo de su historia reciente, como parte de los logros que atribuyó a su segundo mandato.
Leé también: Trump desafía a la Corte Suprema de EE.UU. y anuncia un nuevo arancel global del 10% a las importaciones El presidente de Donald Trump llega al Capitolio para brindar su discurso sobre el estado de la Unión ante el Congreso. (Foto: EFE/EPA/Jim Lo Salzo).
Petróleo venezolano y balance económico
Durante su discurso sobre el estado de la Unión, Trump sostuvo que la producción de petróleo estadounidense aumentó en más de 600.000 barriles diarios, dato que presentó como evidencia del éxito de su política económica y energética.
En ese contexto, recordó que tras la operación militar estadounidense que derrocó y sacó de Caracas al entonces presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro, actualmente detenido en una cárcel de Nueva York, había anunciado que Venezuela vendería a Estados Unidos entre 30 y 50 millones de barriles de crudo. Según el mandatario, el volumen finalmente recibido superó ampliamente esa cifra inicial.
Trump dice que EE. UU. tiene “la frontera más sólida” en mucho tiempo
En el inicio de su mensaje ante la sesión conjunta del Congreso, Trump afirmó que Estados Unidos tiene hoy “la frontera más sólida” que haya tenido nunca, y vinculó ese resultado directamente con su gestión.
El presidente aseguró que en el último año los cruces fronterizos cayeron a cero, que el tráfico de fentanilo se redujo un 56 % y que los datos de muertes violentas también descendieron, aunque no detalló las fuentes oficiales de esas estadísticas.
“En los últimos nueve meses han sido admitidos a Estados Unidos cero extranjeros ilegales. Pero siempre vamos a permitir personas que ingresen legalmente, gente que amará nuestro país y trabajará duro para mantener nuestra nación”, afirmó Trump en su discurso.
La política migratoria volvió a ocupar un lugar central en la agenda presidencial desde el inicio de su segundo mandato. En las últimas semanas, la muerte de dos ciudadanos estadounidenses durante protestas contra redadas migratorias en Mineápolis, en las que intervinieron agentes federales, desató una crisis política que culminó con el cierre temporal del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) y profundizó la polarización en torno a la estrategia del Gobierno en materia de inmigración.
El discurso estuvo marcado además por la ausencia de decenas de congresistas demócratas, que se retiraron en protesta por la política antimigratoria del Gobierno.
“Una remontada histórica”
El jefe de Estado norteamericano destacó que el país atraviesa una “remontada histórica”, defendió su política de seguridad y advirtió que su Gobierno está dispuesto a responder ante cualquier amenaza, incluidas las provenientes de América Latina.
Trump sostuvo que su administración está “restaurando la seguridad y la dominación de Estados Unidos en el hemisferio occidental”, y aseguró que actúa para proteger los intereses nacionales frente a la violencia, las drogas, el terrorismo y la injerencia extranjera. En ese marco, advirtió que durante años amplias zonas de la región, “incluidas grandes partes de México”, estuvieron controladas por carteles de la droga.
El mandatario destacó como hitos de su política exterior la captura del presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro, detenido en Nueva York, en lo que definió como la primera aprehensión de un presidente latinoamericano desde la detención de Manuel Noriega en 1989. También aseguró que, el pasado fin de semana, los servicios de inteligencia estadounidenses tuvieron un rol decisivo para que el Ejército mexicano localizara y matara a Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, líder del Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.
“Después de solo un año, puedo decir con dignidad y orgullo que hemos conseguido una transformación como nunca antes se había visto, y una remontada histórica”, afirmó Trump, de 79 años, en el que definió como su segundo y último mandato.
El rumbo de la economía
Trump también dedicó parte de su mensaje a la economía. Reconoció que el crecimiento de 2025 fue del 2,2%, inferior al del año previo, y que la inflación se mantiene elevada, mientras defendió su apuesta por los aranceles, pese a que la Corte Suprema anuló esa política y le recordó que cualquier modificación deberá pasar por el Congreso, fallo que el mandatario calificó como “muy desafortunado”.
En un tono más celebratorio, Trump evocó el 250º aniversario de la independencia de Estados Unidos, previsto para el próximo 4 de julio, y anunció festejos “por todo lo alto”. También invitó al equipo masculino de hockey sobre hielo que obtuvo la medalla de oro en los Juegos Olímpicos de Milán, un logro que el país no alcanzaba desde 1980, en una noche que combinó gestos patrióticos, advertencias geopolíticas y un marcado clima de confrontación política interna.
Trump advirtió que Irán desarrolla misiles que podrían golpear EE.UU.
Trumpa también aseguró que Irán busca desarrollar misiles que podrían golpear a Estados Unidos, una tecnología de armamento de largo alcance que solo tiene un número limitado de países.
“Ya han desarrollado misiles que pueden amenazar a Europa y a nuestras bases en el extranjero, y están trabajando para construir misiles que pronto alcanzarán a Estados Unidos”, declaró.
“Se les advirtió que no intentaran reconstruir su programa de armas, en particular las nucleares. Sin embargo, siguen empezando de cero”, indicó Trump.
En un momento en que Estados Unidos mantiene el despliegue militar en torno a Irán más importante en Oriente Medio desde la guerra de Irak de 2003, el presidente de Estados Unidos aseguró que “nunca tendrán un arma nuclear”.
Donald Trump, Estados Unidos, Petróleo, Venezuela
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The CIA on Tuesday published a Persian-language video on its X account calling on Iranian dissidents to make secure contact with the agency amid renewed anti-government protests inside the country.
The post came as CIA Director John Ratcliffe joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a classified «Gang of Eight» briefing on Iran on Capitol Hill, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.
Written in Farsi, the CIA message says the agency «can hear your voice and wants to help you,» and provides operational guidance for those considering reaching out.
The agency urges activists not to use office computers or personal phone lines and instead, if possible, to rely on a disposable «burner» device. It advises ensuring no one can view their screen or monitor their activity.
The video walks viewers through digital security precautions designed to protect their identities.
Military members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in western Tehran, Iran (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
It recommends using updated browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari or Firefox in Private Browsing or Incognito mode and clearing device and browser histories after making contact.
The video says the CIA also strongly encourages the use of encryption and anonymity tools such as Tor or a VPN, warning that without such protections, visiting the CIA website could be visible to Iranian security services.
The agency provides instructions for accessing its secure contact portal through Tor and other anti-filtering services.
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The state tax building burned during Iran’s protests on Jan. 19, in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
The post comes as Iran entered its fourth day of escalating university protests and as U.S. negotiators are set to meet Iranian counterparts in Geneva Thursday for a second round of talks.
Tehran announced it would be building on «understandings forged in the previous round» and expressed determination to reach a «fair and equitable deal» swiftly.
In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran reiterated that it would «under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon,» while insisting it would not relinquish its right to peaceful nuclear technology.
Calling the moment a «historic opportunity,» Tehran said a deal was within reach if diplomacy is prioritized, while affirming it would defend its sovereignty «with courage» at home and at the negotiating table.
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Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported Tuesday that the Revolutionary Guard conducted military drills involving missile launches, drone flights and live-fire exercises along the country’s coast, according to Ynet.
Fox News Digital reached out to the CIA for comment, who had nothing further to add.
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