What Happened Today - 23 December 2025
What Happened Today – 23 December 2025
Another Epstein dump and the spin
Fox, 1776 checks, and the blind program
Golden Fleet nonsense and Trump’s ego projects
ICE, Abrego García, and Trump’s holiday optics
Fake holidays, bourbon fallout, and MAGA fatigue?
Trump’s Health
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Another Epstein dump and the spin
The latest tranche of Epstein files and related material is still being rolled out under a law Trump himself signed, which forced DOJ to start releasing thousands of pages tied to the federal Epstein investigations by a December deadline, and they still haven’t fully complied. Bill Clinton’s spokesperson is now basically saying “bring it on,” demanding that all remaining Epstein records mentioning Clinton be released, and calling out DOJ for a selective drip that smears people who’ve already been cleared multiple times. Trump’s line in response has been his usual deflection – calling the Epstein focus a hoax and a distraction from all the supposed “Republican winning,” after months of trying to slow‑walk these releases until he got boxed in by his own law.
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Fox, 1776 checks, and the blind program
Even The Five on Fox finally had to choke out some criticism over his “1776 checks” for the troops, after it came out that this isn’t new money at all but a one‑time reroute of existing housing funds that were supposed to help service members afford a place to live. On air, they walked through that the so‑called warrior dividend is coming out of reconciliation funds that Congress had already earmarked for basic housing allowances, meaning Trump is literally skimming from troop housing just so he can slap his brand on a check and take a victory lap.
On top of that, Linda McMahon – whose resume is pro wrestling and small‑business branding, not defense policy – is blessing an Army move to gut the long‑standing Randolph‑Sheppard priority that lets blind vendors run base dining halls. Right now at least 23 Army chow halls are run through that program out of more than a thousand facilities nationwide, but McMahon and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll are painting it as some kind of “rip‑off,” claiming it jacks up chicken prices without offering any serious data showing the blind‑vendor preference actually hurts readiness.
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Golden Fleet nonsense and Trump’s ego projects
Trump’s obsession with grand monuments and symbols is in full bloom again – the same guy who daydreams about giant arches and triumphal Roman‑style structures is now trying to turn the U.S. Navy into a floating shrine to himself. At Mar‑a‑Lago yesterday he rolled out this so‑called “Golden Fleet,” centered on a new “Trump‑class” battleship he claims will be the biggest, most beautiful ship on the planet, with him personally helping design it because he’s such an “aesthetic person.”
In that press conference, the lies and exaggerations came rapid‑fire:
• He bragged these Trump‑class ships will be “100 times more powerful” than anything ever built, which is pure fantasy; modern destroyers already carry advanced missiles, and no serious naval expert is using that kind of made‑up multiplier.
• He pitched them as “battleships” like WWII Iowa‑class monsters, when the reality is the Navy is talking about 30,000–40,000‑ton large surface combatants with mixed missile payloads, not a return to old armor‑and‑guns behemoths.
• He made it sound like these things are right around the corner, but the Navy is only at the early concept/competition stage, with the first hull not expected until around 2030 if the whole thing survives Congress.
• He hyped that parts would be “built in every state” and that this would magically fix the industrial base, when shipbuilding is heavily concentrated in a few yards and the real bottleneck is skilled labor, not a lack of marketing slogans.
Underneath the gold‑plated branding, this is a massive pivot of money and attention away from smaller, more flexible ships just so he can say “look at my battleships,” and the “Golden Fleet” label tells you exactly who this is really for.
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ICE, Abrego García, and Trump’s holiday optics
On the ICE front, one small bit of justice: Kilmar Abrego (Abrego) Garcia, who the government wrongly deported back to El Salvador despite an immigration judge already granting him protection, has been ordered protected from re‑detention through Christmas. A federal judge in Maryland slapped ICE with a temporary restraining order and forced the administration to explain why they’re still trying to ship him off — even floating absurd third‑country options like Liberia and Uganda — instead of respecting the original ruling and his ties to his U.S. citizen family in Maryland.
So yes, he’s “home for Christmas” only because a judge blocked ICE from snatching him again in the middle of the night, not because Trump suddenly discovered compassion; the administration is still actively trying to deport him somewhere, anywhere, despite past court findings that he faces danger if removed.
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Fake holidays, bourbon fallout, and MAGA fatigue?
Trump just signed an order making Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas federal holidays for this year, so feds get a one‑time 3‑day Christmas stretch – which is rich coming from the same crowd that regularly rants about government workers having too many days off. This isn’t some permanent new benefit; it’s a 2025 one‑off that happens to drop right as he’s under fire for everything from the Epstein mess to the Navy vanity fleet to raiding troop housing funds for those 1776 checks.
Out in the real economy, Jim Beam is pausing production for at least a year at one of its major Kentucky distilleries starting in 2026, and they’re pointing straight at Trump’s tariffs and a slump in whiskey demand as reasons. Bourbon exports are down sharply, especially to key markets like Canada, and the industry is sitting on 16 million barrels – triple what it was 15 years ago – because people are drinking less while costs and trade barriers went up.
And hanging over everything is that creeping feeling that MAGA might finally be getting tired of constantly being the mark. The 1776 checks turn out to be a shell game with housing funds. The Epstein files trickle out under a law he signed while he screams “distraction” and tries to blame everyone else. The Navy gets rebranded into a golden tribute act while day‑to‑day prices, housing, and jobs still feel rough for a lot of people and iconic brands like Jim Beam are cutting back. When even Fox’s The Five is side‑eyeing his troop “bonus,” you can see cracks forming; the base may not abandon him overnight, but every new grift, every exposed lie, and every ridiculous ego project makes it a little harder for people to pretend this is all about patriotism instead of one man’s need to be worshiped.
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Trump’s Health
Both sides are spinning his health for their own storylines, but the reality looks like this: Trump is an almost‑80‑year‑old man who’s clearly slowing down, has real age‑related issues, and is being aggressively packaged as “excellent” anyway.
What his own people are claiming
• The White House doctor, Sean Barbabella, keeps putting out short memos saying Trump is in “excellent overall health,” with “perfectly normal” cardiovascular and abdominal imaging and “remarkable” condition for his age.
• Karoline Leavitt and the comms shop insist the October MRI and “advanced imaging” were just routine executive‑physical stuff, saying his heart and major organs look great and that he’s fully fit to serve.
• When pressed, Trump himself leans on the “I aced the cognitive test” line from earlier years and brags he’s “sharper than 25 years ago,” while mocking Biden as “Sleepy Joe” to frame himself as the energetic one.
What critics and the press are seeing
• Reporters and staff have repeatedly clocked him visibly fighting sleep, zoning out, or outright appearing to doze during meetings and a Cabinet session, even as he’s ranting about media stories on his fatigue.
• Photos and video have shown big dark bruises and discoloration on his hands plus noticeable leg swelling; the White House first tried to write it off as aspirin and handshakes before finally admitting he has chronic venous insufficiency, an age‑related circulation problem.
• Coverage has highlighted shorter public days, fewer unscripted events, and staff quietly tightening his schedule as signs he can’t do the marathon “stamina” routine he bragged about in his 70s.
What doctors outside the bubble say
• Independent internists and cardiologists who’ve looked at the released numbers and imaging summaries say the memos are too vague, note he’s on multiple cholesterol meds, and point back to older coronary calcium scores that already showed coronary artery disease.
• Several experts say there’s nothing “routine” about throwing advanced imaging and executive‑style scans at an asymptomatic 79‑year‑old president; that kind of workup usually means doctors are looking harder because something (fatigue, vascular issues, cognitive questions) made them nervous.
• Their bottom line is not “he’s dying,” it’s that he’s a high‑risk, very elderly man with heart disease and circulation problems whose team is choosing spin and overtesting instead of real transparency.
What MAGA vs anti‑MAGA are saying
• Hardcore MAGA mostly parrots the “perfectly normal MRI, liberal hoax” line and treats any clip of him nodding off or shuffling as deepfake or “fake news,” pointing to the doctor’s memos as proof he’s fine.
• Some conservative and MAGA‑adjacent voices are getting uneasy, especially after the bruised‑hands saga, the venous insufficiency admission, and the weird back‑and‑forth over what body part the MRI even scanned.
• On the other side, critics and mainstream outlets openly question his stamina, point to those dozing‑off moments, and say his age and health are now unavoidable factors in how he governs and how long he can keep this pace.
The real reality
• Facts on paper: he’s 79, has documented coronary artery disease, chronic venous insufficiency, is on cholesterol meds, and needs extra imaging and repeat physicals to keep tabs on his heart and circulation.
• Facts on camera: he moves slower, sometimes seems confused about his own tests, and struggles to stay fully alert in long meetings in a way that simply wasn’t visible a decade ago.
• Put together, the honest read is that he’s not on death’s door, but he’s an old man with real cardiovascular and vascular issues whose team is doing everything possible to hide the decline and sell “excellent health” long past the point where anyone neutral fully buys it.
My personal view – he is WELL beyond his expiration date. Time to go away, I don’t care where you go Mr. Trump – but please disappear and leave us all alone. I saw something this am about the “lunatic lefts” taking back control if MAGA doesn’t do something (midterms). I stated back and will now continue to state every time I see it – “you mean the LOGICAL left”. Start reframing the narrative when the opportunity presents itself. This is OUR country, don’t forget that.
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Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Spend time with people you love – the news cycle will continue to churn – let it. Don’t let this ruin what tomorrow and this season is all about.
Speak Truth! Keep speaking TRUTH!
Don’t Give up the Ship!
Go Cause Good Trouble, with Your Elbows Up!
These are facts that I researched and verified – AI helped put together some sentence structure, but the words and tone are mine. These are my views based upon facts, research and thoughtful consideration using logic. I own the copyright to any images used. I’m comfortable to stand alone to uphold truth. Feel free to check me, but do not attack me. I am only causing good trouble.