It has been a rather contentious week on the Hill between President Donald Trump and several of his fellow Republicans.
The one feud that made no sense at all was between Trump and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who had introduced a stock trading ban bill, which the president took as an assault against him.
Hawley looked past Trump’s attack and had a meeting with the president to clarify the legislation, which resulted in a complete 180 by the commander in chief, who is now backing the legislation.
Hawley’s bill does mention Trump, but it actually grandfathers in the current administration and would only hold future presidents and vice presidents accountable under the terms of the stock trading ban, which I think is fair, considering it is being presented in the middle of a term. I would even go so far as to say there should be a grace period for current members of Congress, allowing them to finish out their current terms under the status quo before having to adhere to the policy.
Trump clearly did not read the bill, lashing out at Hawley, “Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years. The information was inappropriately released just minutes before the Vote -- Very much like SABOTAGE!”
The president further stated, “The Democrats, because of our tremendous ACHIEVEMENTS and SUCCESS, have been trying to ‘Target’ me for a long period of time, and they’re using Josh Hawley, who I got elected TWICE, as a pawn to help them. I wonder why Hawley would pass a Bill that Nancy Pelosi is in absolute love with -- He is playing right into the dirty hands of the Democrats. It’s a great Bill for her, and her ‘husband,’ but so bad for our Country!”
Then Trump took a direct shot at Hawley, stating, “I don’t think real Republicans want to see their President, who has had unprecedented success, TARGETED, because of the ‘whims’ of a second-tier Senator named Josh Hawley!” As I stated in the report yesterday, this was the breaking of Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment, and it was a nasty shot at a senator who has done nothing but support Trump in the past.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appeared on CNN this week with Jake Tapper, and the host wanted to give the lawmaker a chance to respond to the allegations made by Trump about insider trading, and she just about lost it on him.
Pelosi initially told Tapper that the allegations were not what she agreed to come on and talk about, and when he said he was just giving her the chance to respond to Trump’s comments, she went off.
The congresswoman stated, “That‘s ridiculous. In fact, I very much support the [efforts to] stop the trading of members of Congress. Not that I think anybody is doing anything wrong. If they are, they are prosecuted, and they go to jail. But because of the confidence it instills in the American people, don‘t worry about this.”
For the record, Nancy Pelosi does not directly trade stocks, but there is little doubt that she is feeding her husband information. There are literally sites dedicated to her husband’s timely and lucrative trades, and like Jethro Gibbs, I do not believe in coincidence, especially when it regularly results in millions in profits.
After Trump went after Hawley, the senator was a far bigger man than I, as he reached out to Trump to discuss the bill so the president fully understood what the legislation was all about. Once Hawley explained that it was not a piece of legislation to attack Trump, and that the only reason he was mentioned was to grandfather him in, the tone from the White House immediately changed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, "The reason that this idea to put a ban on stock trading for members of Congress is even a thing is because of Nancy Pelosi. I mean, she is rightfully criticized because she makes $174,000 a year. Yet she has a net worth of approximately $413 million. In 2024, Nancy Pelosi's stock portfolio -- this was a fascinating statistic to me -- grew 70% in one year in 2024."
She continued, "I think the president stands with the American people on this. He doesn't want to see people like Nancy Pelosi enriching themselves off of public service and ripping off their constituents in the process."
This is why I suggested yesterday that rather than go off on social media, pick up the phone and talk to these senators before lashing out. Trump is not going to win voters or politicians over by bullying them and attacking them. It also shows that Trump is buying into the leftist media rather than actually reading the legislation. This is the same thing that happened regarding Gabbard’s assessment of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. I would give Trump the same recommendation a former boss gave me… before you open your mouth or post something, pause, take a breath, and digest the entire picture. And remember, it is always better to deal with conflict behind the scenes rather than publicly.
