PUMP Newsletter

Trump Fires Back at Supreme Court after Tariffs get Struck Down

The Supreme Court handed down a ruling late Friday that gutted several key pieces of the tariff plan Trump has been pushing, and by Saturday morning he was already on Truth Social unloading. He called out specific justices by name, labeled them fools and lap dogs, and said he was genuinely ashamed of a couple he put on the bench himself. Then, without taking a breath, he told reporters he is moving forward with 15 percent across-the-board global tariffs anyway.

His team put out a statement within the hour saying the overall direction has not changed one bit and this is just one legal skirmish in a longer war. They are already looking at executive orders, new regulatory language, whatever it takes to keep the policy alive while the lawyers fight it out in lower courts. Businesses that import everything from steel to electronics are watching this closely because the uncertainty alone is starting to move prices.

It is pure Trump. He does not fold when the court pushes back. He doubles down and dares them to stop him again. The markets dipped a little on the news, then recovered once people remembered this fight is nowhere near over. Expect a flurry of new filings this week, maybe even an emergency stay request. This one is going to stay noisy for a while.

Trump Weighs Strikes on Iran as Tensions Climb

The whole Middle East is on edge right now, and it's moving fast. Over the weekend and into today, reports keep piling up that President Trump is seriously considering a targeted military strike on Iran, maybe hitting key nuclear sites or military facilities, to force Tehran back to the table on their nuclear program. If that initial hit doesn't get them to fold and give up enrichment capabilities (or at least seriously curb them), he's reportedly open to something much larger down the line, even regime-change level stuff aimed at toppling the leadership.

The backdrop is brutal, the U.S. has been stacking military assets in the region like it's prepping for something big. Two carrier strike groups are in play, the USS Abraham Lincoln already out in the Arabian Sea with its escorts, and the USS Gerald R. Ford just arrived in the Mediterranean after rushing over from other ops. That's on top of dozens of extra fighter jets, bombers, tankers, and warships scattered across the Gulf and nearby bases. It's the heaviest U.S. naval presence there since the lead-up to Iraq in 2003, and everyone's watching for what comes next.

On the diplomatic side, there's this last-ditch push, U.S. and Iranian negotiators are set to sit down in Geneva on Thursday, Oman is mediating again after earlier rounds. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff (with some mentions of Jared Kushner in the mix too) are supposed to hash out a deal. Iran is talking up encouraging signals from the U.S. side, but they're also saying no interim half-measures, they want something comprehensive and quick. Trump himself has been blunt, he's given them a tight window, like 10-15 days tops, warning of really bad things if no progress happens. We'll know a lot more after those Geneva talks, but right now it feels like the clock is ticking loud.

California Democrats Gather to Plot Their Comeback against Trump

The California Democratic Party's state convention wrapped up over the weekend in San Francisco, and the anti-Trump energy was dialed all the way up. This was less about polite policy debates and more about raw opposition: speakers repeatedly called out Trump's reign of terror in the White House, framed the midterms as an existential fight to claw back power nationally, and made it clear they're treating California as the launchpad for a broader Democratic resurgence.

The moment that went viral, Former Rep. Katie Porter, now running for governor, took the stage with her signature whiteboard prop, flipped it around to show "F— Trump" in big letters, held it high, and shouted it out. The crowd lost it, chanting along, and she followed with lines like "Together, we're gonna kick Trump's ass in November." It was unfiltered, profane, and exactly the kind of fighter vibe a lot of the base is craving right now. Porter's been polling in the gubernatorial mix, and this play definitely fired up the room while giving her critics fresh ammo to call it divisive.

The rest of the convention had that same thread, unity against Trump, but underlying tensions about the party's direction in the state. Some pushed aggressive resistance tactics (protests at the State of the Union, more direct confrontations), others wanted a steadier rebuild focused on flipping swing districts and rebuilding in places like Texas or the Midwest. Money, volunteers, and organizing are flowing out of California nationwide, and they're eyeing the midterms hard as a chance to blunt Trump's agenda

Trump's Support among Independents Drops to a New Low

This morning's big polling hit came straight from CNN, President Trump's approval rating among independents has plunged to 26 percent, marking a new low for either of his terms and a 15-point drop over the past year. Overall approval sits at just 36 percent in the same survey, with disapproval climbing higher across the board. It's the kind of number that lands right before his State of the Union address tomorrow night, and it's not the only bad news. Other recent polls like the Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos one from last weekend show independents disapproving at around 69 percent, and averages from trackers like Nate Silver's are putting his net approval deep in negative territory.

Independents are the make-or-break group in a lot of these races. They don't lean hard party, they swing based on pocketbook issues and perceived overreach, and right now things like tariff-driven price hikes, the Iran standoff, and the broader sense of economic uncertainty are turning them off fast. The White House is pushing back the usual way, dismissing it as biased polling, pointing to friendlier surveys where he looks better, but the trend across multiple outfits is consistent and tough to wave away.

Trump's team will likely hammer home wins on jobs, energy, or border security in the speech to try pulling some of these voters back, but if this sticks through the spring, it spells real trouble for GOP chances in competitive House and Senate seats come November. These are the folks who decide whether midterms turn into a referendum on the president, and the early signs aren't encouraging.

Armed man Shot Dead at Mar-a-Lago Perimeter

On Saturday afternoon a 21-year-old guy from North Carolina got past the outer security perimeter, armed, and Secret Service agents had to put him down right there. No hesitation, no second chances once he crossed that line. Trump and Melania were nowhere near the property. They were up in Washington for the weekend, so the immediate risk to them was zero. That part actually made the story hit different for a lot of people. It turned the conversation away from any direct threat to the president and straight toward the bigger question everyone always asks: how secure is a private club that also serves as one of the most visible presidential residences? The optics are never great when something like this slips through.

Palm Beach County sheriff’s office put out the confirmation Sunday evening, kept it pretty straightforward. Agents responded, shots were fired, suspect deceased at the scene. No agents or bystanders hurt. As of this morning they still have not released the man’s name publicly or said a word about motive. Family is being interviewed, his vehicle and phone are being gone over, but nothing is leaking yet. Could be a troubled kid acting alone, could be something more organized. Right now it is radio silence while they build the file. You can already hear the calls for another round of congressional hearings starting up in the background.

That’s all for today, thanks for reading!

We’ll see you tomorrow!

— The PUMP Team