Monday, May 5, 2025

Alcatraz, Sith lords and movie tariffs

President Donald Trump made a series of increasingly erratic posts throughout his weekend at his Palm Beach estate. The first one came late Friday evening when he posted an AI image of himself as the Pope after he had previously joked that he would like to replace the late Pope Francis.

Then on Sunday, Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on foreign films, supposedly to save the American film industry and address an unexpected “security threat.”

“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Lastly, late in the evening, Trump entertained the idea of re-opening Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on an island off the coast of San Francisco, which closed in 1963 – largely because it was too expensive to operate, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

It later emerged that a local TV station in Florida, where Trump was at the time, had broadcast the Clint Eastwood movie Escape From Alcatraz, shortly before the president’s statement about the famous prison.

As if that weren’t enough, the official White House X account commemorated May 4th, Star Wars Day, with an image of Trump with a lightsaber, though, tellingly, with a red blade, the color of the villainous Sith lords.

All of this comes as Trump’s approval rating has taken a significant nosedive amid his global trade war. A CNN/SSRS poll showed he had a 41 percent approval rating after his first 100 days, while a poll from The Washington Post and ABC News showed he had a 39 percent approval rating.

Read more here. 

By Eric Garcia

Reading list

Daily briefing

Trump celebrates with NFL boss to announce the 2027 NFL draft in DC

President Donald Trump hosted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris in the Oval Office Monday to announce that the nation’s capital will host the 2027 NFL draft on the National Mall, Andrew Feinberg reports.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

You mean they can’t take a joke?

President Donald Trump responds to criticism of an image he posted on Truth Social of him dressed as the pope.

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