Donald Trump is stepping up his troll game to a whole new level with "Trump 2028" merchandise -- a move that is certain to anger Democrats who accuse Trump of pushing the United States towards authoritarian rule.
Trump has declined to rule out seeking a third presidential term, raising concern among critics who say it would violate the Constitution.
The cheeky product description for the Trump Organization's new "Trump 2028" MAGA hat encourages Trump fans to "rewrite the rules."
"The future looks bright! Rewrite the rules with the Trump 2028 high crown hat. Fully embroidered with a snap closure in the back, this will become your new go-to hat," the description reads.
The 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms. The measure was enacted as a guardrail after President Franklin Roosevelt's tyrannical 12-year reign.
In a March interview with NBC News, Trump said he is "not joking" about running again and alluded to "methods" to bypass the two-term limit, but he didn't go into detail.
The president identified one pathway: switching roles with his current vice president J.D. Vance.
The 22nd Amendment reads, in part, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President [emphasis added] more than twice."
Pro-Trump House Republican Andy Ogles (TN) has introduced a measure to lift the two-term limit, but amending the Constitution would be exceedingly difficult in the polarized political climate. Indeed, there doesn't appear to be much demand even among Republican voters for Trump to seek another term.
Meanwhile, Trump appears to be getting a kick out of teasing his critics.
In a new TIME magazine interview published Friday, Trump again pointed to "loopholes" that would allow him to stay in power past 2028, but he said he has no interest in exploiting them... at least for now.
“I’d rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known,” the president said. “But I don’t believe in loopholes. I don’t believe in using loopholes.”
When asked about the Vance scenario, Trump demurred and started touting his recent physical exam, which described him as being in "excellent" health.
"I don’t know anything about, what, look, all I can say is this, I am being inundated with requests,” Trump said in the interview, published Friday. “I’m doing a good job. Great physical exam, and unlike every other president, I took the cognitive test, and I aced it 100% and I bet you guys couldn’t get 100% on that exam.”
A leftist protester vandalized President Trump's golden "45" plaque at Trump Tower in New York, prompting police to shut down the iconic Fifth Avenue building.
Nathaniel Smith, 36, spray-painted "USA" in graffiti over the presidential insignia inside the lobby before kneeling on the floor and closing his eyes, as onlookers filmed on their smartphones.
Moments later, Smith unfurled a banner that read, "Game Over," as a security guard approached and told him to leave.
The man started shouting about global warming as he was led away by a group of police officers in suits.
The scene caused mixed reactions. One man swore in disgust and shook his head, while another man in a backpack told officers not to touch Smith and repeatedly asked them to share their names and badge numbers.
After the protester was led out, a police officer told the crowd that the building would be closed.
The protester was with the radical environmental group Extinction Rebellion, which is known for vandalizing landmarks to draw attention.
Smith, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with making graffiti, possession of a graffiti instrument and criminal tampering. According to the New York Post, he has a prior arrest for criminal trespass at Columbia University.
Climate protester arrested after spray painting over presidential insignia at Trump Tower https://t.co/hDJvx41oJw pic.twitter.com/aY9EAIc2Gu
— New York Post (@nypost) April 23, 2025
Secret Service was not involved in the arrest, but they said they are "aware of an incident involving a person spray painting graffiti inside the public lobby of Trump Tower in New York City.”
“There are no disruptions to protective operations,” spokesperson James Byrne said. “We thank the NYPD for their immediate response and unwavering partnership.”
Trump Tower was Trump's main residence and business headquarters for decades before he entered politics. The building houses Trump's opulent penthouse and the headquarters of the Trump Organization.
While Trump no longer lives there full-time, the iconic Midtown skyscraper continues to attract Trump fans, as well as protesters looking to start trouble.
Dozens of pro-Palestine protesters were arrested in March for occupying the Trump Tower lobby in support of Columbia graduate and activist Mahmoud Khalil.
Trump famously declared his historic 2016 presidential campaign in the lobby of Trump Tower after a ride down his golden escalator.
J.D. Vance's tour of India was rocked by a deadly terrorist attack that killed 26 people in Kashmir.
The vice president was in northwestern India when extremists ambushed a scenic resort town that is popular with Indian tourists, Pahalgam. The attack is one of the worst in years to hit Kashmir, a disputed region nestled in the Himalayas that is renowned for its natural beauty.
"Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India," Vance wrote on X.
"Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack."
Indian police said that armed men dressed in military garb emerged from the forests surrounding the Baisaran meadow and began shooting.
The scenic area can only be reached from Pahalgam by foot or horseback, the Indian Express reported.
“I was on a pony, about to enter Baisaran, when there were gunshots. People started to run for their lives,” an officer quoted a survivor as saying. “As I tried to escape, a bullet hit me in the elbow. I don’t know where it came from.”
Most of the people killed were Indian tourists, making it the worst attack on Indian civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
President Trump condemned the "deeply disturbing" massacre and said the United States "stands strong with India against terrorism."
Since 1989, insurgents have been fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim. The separatists want Kashmir to either become independent or merge with Pakistan, which has a Muslim population.
Under India's nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has asserted greater control over Kashmir while promoting tourism in the region.
The militant group claiming responsibility for Tuesday's attack, The Resistance Front (TRF), formed after India revoked Kashmir's partial autonomy in 2019 and reduced it to a territory.
India and Pakistan each control a portion of Kashmir, with India holding the larger share of territory, but they both claim it in its entirety. The neighboring countries, which both have nuclear weapons, have fought two wars over Kashmir since the partition of British India in 1947.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased after Tuesday's attack, with India ordering Pakistani nationals to leave India within 48 hours.
Vice president Vance is on a four-day tour of India with his family. He was in the northwestern city of Jaipur on Tuesday after a meeting with prime minister Modi the day before to discuss trade.
The vice president also found time for pleasure, touring the Taj Mahal with his wife Usha and their kids on Wednesday.
The White House dismissed "fake news" about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after left-wing NPR claimed the administration is looking to replace him.
"This @NPR story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. “As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind @SecDef.”
Trump has stood by Hegseth since his contentious Senate confirmation battle, which saw Hegseth overcome a flood of anonymous attacks on his character as Democrats and a handful of Republicans questioned his qualifications.
President Trump and his allies are rallying behind Hegseth once again as Democrats make fresh demands for his resignation, citing what they say is his careless handling of sensitive information.
The New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources, that Hegseth included his wife and brother in a Signal chat that included details about an attack on Houthi rebels. The chat reportedly happened around the same time as the previously reported Signal conversation that included a left-wing journalist, leading to criticism of the Trump administration in March.
"Here we go again. Just a waste of time. He is doing a great job," Trump said of Hegseth on Monday. "Ask the Houthis how he's doing."
In addition to the Signal controversies, Hegseth has faced turmoil on his staff as he cracks down on leaks. The Pentagon fired three top Hegseth staffers last week for allegedly sharing information with the press, although the fired staffers deny the claims.
The latest anonymous report concerning Hegseth - from NPR - claims that the White House has lost confidence in him and is looking for a new Defense Secretary.
But Trump and Hegseth have put on a united front, dismissing the latest anonymous reports as a coordinated smear campaign.
The White House says Hegseth, who came to his role as a disruptor to the status quo, is facing backlash from D.C. insiders resistant to change.
“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change you are trying to implement," Leavitt told Fox and Friends.
Meanwhile, Hegseth upped the ante on Tuesday as he warned that "leakers" could be prosecuted.
"If we think you are leaking to the press, that's a very real problem. We take that very seriously at the Pentagon," Hegseth told Fox and Friends. "Disgruntled former employees are peddling things to try to save their a--, and ultimately, that's not going to work."
President Trump's ambitious immigration agenda is causing a dramatic shakeup at the Supreme Court, as the conservative justices split over Trump's deportations.
In a shocking rebuke of Trump, the court issued a ruling just after midnight Saturday that blocks him from using the Alien Enemies Act to remove suspected gang members detained in northern Texas.
Only two justices, neither of them appointed by Trump himself, voiced concern about the court's move. In a fiery dissent, Samuel Alito, joined by Clarence Thomas, said the court issued a hasty and premature ruling without clear jurisdiction.
"When this Court rushed to enter its order, the Court of Appeals was considering the issue of emergency relief, and we were informed that a decision would be forthcoming. This Court, however, refused to wait," Alito wrote.
Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport alleged gang members has led to a dramatic standoff between the judiciary and the executive branch.
The president's critics, including the federal judges blocking his moves, have accused him of ignoring court rulings and suspending due process, while Trump and his supporters say activist judges are trying to thwart Trump's electoral mandate to deport illegal aliens.
Prior to Saturday's midnight ruling, the Supreme Court had allowed Trump to continue using the Alien Enemies Act to carry out deportations but ordered the government to provide "reasonable time" to contest them.
The Supreme Court's midnight intervention came after the left-wing American Civil Liberties Union scrambled to file challenges in Texas, Louisiana, and Washington D.C. all in a matter of hours on Good Friday.
Alito's dissent noted that the Supreme Court did not wait to hear the Trump administration's side of the story, instead relying on "dubious" evidence that a group of Venezuelans being detained in Texas would be imminently deported.
"In sum, literally in the middle of the night, the Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order," he wrote.
"I refused to join the Court’s order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing an order atm midnight was necessary or appropriate," he wrote.
Alito concluded, “Both the Executive and the Judiciary have an obligation to follow the law."
Vice President J.D. Vance made an interesting stop during his travels this week to talk about religion in one of the world's most religiously-centric locations.
According to Fox News, the vice president stopped in Rome to meet with top Vatican officials as part of official travel to Italy and India. The two parties spoke about religion and important topics of the day, including deportations.
The report noted that Vance and the Vatican officials had an "exchange of opinions" on the deportation issue.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with "Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, its foreign minister," Fox News noted.
The issue of deportations and migrants was reportedly a hot topic for the two parties. The Vatican released a statement following the meeting with Vance.
"There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners," the Vatican's statement read.
It added, "Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged."
Fox News noted:
He and Parolin "discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace," Vance’s office said.
It was reported that VP Vance was able to "briefly" meet with Pope Francis on Easter.
Pope Francis met briefly with U.S. Vice President @JDVance on Easter Sunday. The private audience lasted a few minutes. They exchanged Easter greetings, and the pope gave Vance a Vatican tie, rosaries and a set of three large chocolate Easter eggs for his kids. pic.twitter.com/v48BsukaDQ
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 20, 2025
The vice president made a social media post regarding his visit with the pope.
"It was an honor to visit the Vatican during Holy Week, and a blessing to experience the beauty and reverence of the Good Friday liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica," Vance wrote on X.
Many across social media offered well wishes to the vice president for Easter.
Others injected politics into the matter, while some criticized the pope.
What would have otherwise been a cheerful and celebratory swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Mehmet Oz at the Oval Office turned into a scary medical situation for one of his young granddaughters.
According to the Daily Mail, Dr. Oz, who was appointed by Trump as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), was set to be sworn in at the Oval Office earlier this week until his granddaughter, Philomena, 11, passed out.
The moment came just after Dr. Oz had a question-and-answer session with President Donald Trump at the White House.
Reports indicated that after Trump answered a question about nuclear weapons, Dr. Oz's daughter began yelling, "Philo fainted, Philo fainted. Dad, go!"
Several people, including Dr. Oz, rushed over to where the medical episode took place, while others hurried the press out of the room. One White House aide shouted, "Everybody out!"
Multiple videos and pictures from the moment it happened and the resulting chaos were posted across social media.
🔁 UPDATE: The White House confirms a minor family member fainted during Dr. Oz’s swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office. She has since recovered and is okay, according to officials. pic.twitter.com/xiK5h5J9xC
— Next News Network 🇺🇲 (@NextNewsNetwork) April 18, 2025
"UPDATE: The White House confirms a minor family member fainted during Dr. Oz’s swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office. She has since recovered and is okay, according to officials," Next News Network reported at the time.
It was later reported that the young girl had recovered from the incident and was doing well after being checked out.
"A minor family member fainted during Dr. Oz’s swearing in ceremony in the Oval Office,” the White House said in a statement to PEOPLE. “We are happy to say she is okay."
Users across social media reacted to the situation and Trump's response, with many praising the president for directing attention to what was happening in the room.
"Trump stops everything when someone falls out in his audience, even if that audience has 25,000 people," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Notice how Trump never runs away. He runs to the roar. Whatever is happening, he'll move to help."
Thankfully, all is well and the young girl will be fine.
The White House is looking into whether President Donald Trump can fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, as the administration accuses the central bank leader of "playing politics" with monetary policy.
“The president and his team will continue to study that matter,” economic adviser Kevin Hassett told reporters at the White House.
Trump is frustrated with Powell's reluctance to lower interest rates even as inflation has fallen from its Biden-era peaks. Inflation fell to 2.4% in March, which is just above the Fed's 2% target.
The Fed hiked interest rates during the Biden presidency to combat historic inflation that surged to 9.1%.
While the Fed started lowering rates last year, Powell is cautious about adjusting them again because of the uncertain impact of Trump's tariffs.
Raising interest rates discourages borrowing and spending, which eases pressure on inflation. At same time, leaving rates raised for too long can slow down the economy.
Trump fired off a broadside on social media criticizing "Too Late" Powell's timing, while pointing to the European Central Bank's recent decision to cut rates again.
"Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!" Trump wrote.
The president's message followed an ominous prediction from Powell about Trump's tariffs. The central bank leader said an economic slowdown could occur simultaneously with increased inflation. That would force the Fed to strike a difficult balance between combating prices - which entails raising rates - and stimulating growth by slashing them.
"The level of the tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated. The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth," Powell told an audience at the Economic Club of Chicago.
Trump's critics have accused him of threatening the Fed's conventional political independence. Powell has insisted he's not going anywhere.
“Our independence is a matter of law,” Powell said Wednesday. “We’re not removable except for cause. We serve very long terms, seemingly endless terms. So we’re protected into law. Congress could change that law, but I don’t think there’s any danger of that. Fed independence has pretty broad support across both political parties and in both sides of the Hill."
Meanwhile, Trump accused Powell of "playing politics" while answering questions from reporters Thursday.
"If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “I’m not happy with him.”
The White House has vowed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will "never" live in the United States again, as the Trump administration releases evidence to back up its claims about the Salvadoran man's gang affiliation.
"He will never live in the United States of America," said press secretary Karoline Leavitt, calling Garcia a "wife beater."
The administration's critics have said Garcia, widely depicted as an innocent "Maryland man" in the media, was wrongly deported to his native El Salvador without due process. Trump officials maintain that Garcia is a gang member, and they have emphasized that he was living in the U.S. illegally.
A federal judge has ordered Trump to bring Garcia, who is being held in an infamous prison in El Salvador, back to the United States. The Supreme Court has been less definitive, saying Trump must "facilitate" the man's return.
The administration has responded to critics with defiance, releasing police records Wednesday detailing Garcia's MS-13 ties. The files revealed that Garcia, while living in the U.S. illegally, was arrested with known MS-13 members outside of a Home Depot in 2019.
A police informant identified Garcia as a member of the gang, providing his rank and nickname, and immigration judges found the evidence convincing enough to deny him bail. Nevertheless, he received a "withholding of removal," shielding him from being sent back to his homeland over fears of persecution by Barrio 18, an MS-13 rival.
The Department of Homeland Security also shared a protective order Wednesday sought by Garcia's American wife, who alleged he severely beat her. She has since changed her story, however, as she fights for his return to the U.S.
"Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process," she said in a new statement. "We were able to work through this situation privately as a family, including by going to counselling. Our marriage only grew stronger in the years that followed."
At a press briefing Wednesday, Press Secretary Leavitt repeated the allegations against "wife beater" Garcia and said he would be promptly deported again if returned from El Salvador.
"If he [Mr Ábrego García] ever ends up back in the United States, he would immediately be deported again," she said.
"He will never live in the United States of America."
The government's lawyers have also said Garcia, if returned to the U.S., would either be removed to a third country, or have his withholding order instantly revoked to facilitate his return to El Salvador.
A Democratic senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, traveled to El Salvador on Wednesday to see Garcia but was denied entry to the prison where he is being kept.
Some argue that Democrats are walking into a trap by rushing to Garcia's defense. The public is generally supportive of Trump's immigration crackdown, and now that the White House has shared concrete evidence of Garcia's dubious character, public sympathy for the "Maryland man" could soon dry up.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro shared hospital footage of his recovery from bowel surgery, as he continues to deal with the aftermath of a stabbing that almost killed him.
The right-wing leader miraculously survived losing 40% of his blood after he was stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning for the presidency in 2018. He has since undergone multiple surgeries stemming from the attempted assassination.
The latest surgery, a 12-hour operation to treat a bowel obstruction that involved reconstructing part of his abdominal wall, was his most complex and invasive yet. The procedure was successful, and Bolsonaro was sent to the intensive care unit (ICU) for observation.
Bolsonaro shared videos of him moving around with help from a walker and hospital staff at DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.
- Jair Bolsonaro.
- Michelle Bolsonaro.
- DF Star - Rede D’OR.
- Brasília/DF, 15 Abr 15h30 Terça-Feira. pic.twitter.com/97zlDiEiK3— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) April 15, 2025
"This is the period in which the organs that were manipulated during the procedure lasting more than 12 hours begin to deflate, allowing us to observe the first signs of a real situation," he said.
"I remain focused on the recovery process, which from what I understand was the most invasive procedure that took place, seeking strength to get out of bed once again, after facing the sixth surgery resulting from the stabbing suffered by a former member of the PSOL, a historic ally of the PT," Bolsonaro wrote on X, tying the attack to the ruling Workers' Party.
The ex-president was still sharing updates from the hospital Tuesday, his third day in the ICU.
Bolsonaro had been planning to campaign across Brazil's northeastern region when he was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain Friday in Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte.
He was later brought to a hospital in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, and then transferred to the nation's capital Brasilia on Saturday.
A vocal support of President Trump, Bolsonaro has faced a thicket of legal troubles since narrowly losing re-election in 2022 to current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro was recently cleared of charges for faking a COVID vaccine certificate, but he is still facing trial for an alleged coup attempt, and he is legally barred from running for office until 2030.
The 70-year-old has denied any wrongdoing, saying he's the target of political persecution by his leftist rival, Lula.