Thrice-married and notoriously capricious, President Donald Trump is no stranger to high-profile break-ups. But this week brought a divorce of an unexpected kind: he turned his back on the Maga movement that has twice propelled him into the White House.
"I don’t want their support any more,” he proclaimed in a Truth Social post yesterday. "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats' work."
The rift with the "Make America Great Again" fundamentalists comes in response to Mr Trump's handling of developments in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced former financier who authorities say took his own life in a New York jail while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges in 2019.
Maga and the Republican world have spent the years since Epstein's death promulgating a theory that he was murdered to ensure his silence about any wealthy and powerful clients he may have had.
Among the conspiracy theorists were FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, who as private citizens demanded the full release of the Epstein investigation files. So when the Department of Justice last week issued a memo saying Epstein had not kept a "client list" and that he did indeed kill himself, the Maga world erupted, saying a cover-up was at hand.
Instead of ordering the release of the investigation, which he had previously said he would do, Mr Trump sought to dismiss the entire Epstein case as a Democrat-concocted hoax. Anyone who believed it would be considered a "past supporter", Mr Trump wrote.
Now efforts are afoot in Congress to force the full release of the Epstein files, all but guaranteeing the saga continues to dominate headlines for weeks to come.
It all amounts to a huge headache for Mr Trump and a credibility crisis for his administration. Just last month, he was coming off perhaps the most successful period of his time as President.
In less than two weeks, he announced an Israel-Iran ceasefire, sealed a peace accord between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and persuaded European allies to increase defence spending for Nato.
But his handling of the Epstein case means cracks are forming in his foundational support. If he's not careful, the saga could start to undermine his broader agenda.
EYE ON THE WHITE HOUSE
Trump gives Russia 50 days to make a deal on Ukraine
Mr Trump on Monday threatened Russia with “100 per cent” secondary tariffs if it fails to reach a deal on ending the Ukraine war within 50 days. Speaking alongside Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, he said he was “disappointed” with President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine drags on.
“We're going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days. It's very simple, and they'll be at 100 per cent and that's the way it is,” Mr Trump said. He added: “I use trade for a lot of things. But it's great for settling wars.”
Flanked by his Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, he called Mr Putin "tough".
"I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy," he said, adding that he had "fooled" Mr Trump's predecessors.
What's Washington talking about?
Layoffs at State Hundreds of State Department employees left Foggy Bottom last week as America’s foreign service began mass layoffs. The department claims the cuts were needed to increase efficiency. Critics contend they were arbitrary and designed to exact vengeance on liberal-leaning federal workers.
Waltz in Washington Mike Waltz, nominee for US ambassador to the UN, pledged this week to pursue sweeping reforms at the global body and “make the UN great again”. Appearing for a confirmation hearing before the Senate foreign relations committee, Mr Waltz criticised the UN for what he described as bloated bureaucracy, anti-American bias and a record of inefficiency in preventing conflict.
Spotlight: Lebanon faces existential threat unless it addresses Hezbollah weapons, US envoy warns
Lebanon is at risk of being taken over by regional powers unless Beirut acts to address Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles, US special envoy Tom Barrack warned on Friday.
Mr Barrack, who is the special envoy for Syria and US ambassador to Turkey, told The National in an exclusive interview that Lebanon needs to resolve the issue or it could face an existential threat.
“I honestly think that they are going to say ‘the world will pass us by’. Why? You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical name for the Syria region.
“Syrians say 'Lebanon is our beach resort'. So we need to move. And I know how frustrated the Lebanese people are. It frustrates me.”
ONLY IN AMERICA
Pentagon wants a lot more drones
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo aimed at cutting red tape to make it easier for the Pentagon to buy and develop small drones.
Inexpensive and highly portable drones, often modified hobby craft, have emerged as one of this century's dominant weapons, with conflicts such as the war in Ukraine driving a speedy evolution of their use on the battlefield.
“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year's casualties in Ukraine,” Mr Hegseth said in the memo, warning that US adversaries collectively produce millions of cheap drones each year.
Standing outside the Pentagon building, he signed a copy of the memo, delivered to him by a small drone while other craft buzzed nearby, as Metallica's Enter Sandman played in the background.
