SOROS GROUPS ARE FUNDING ANTI-TRUMP ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS

We realized everyone over at Bluesky probably wasn’t seeing our content.

So we decided to fix that.

Here are some of our greatest hits all in one place. Enjoy ❤️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/v6SdrMIWtW

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 17, 2025

“What’s up, Bluesky?” the White House said. “We thought you might’ve missed some of our greatest hits, so we put this together for you. Can’t wait to spend more quality time together!”

The White House also played up spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt’s condemnation of the Democrats as a party of terrorists, drug dealers, and illegal immigrants.

The Democrats consistently put the American people last.pic.twitter.com/Qx2Cwh6kMN https://t.co/SWndGroGEn

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 18, 2025

Conservative grader Jed Babbin said it was a good week for Trump, though far from perfect in part because the Hamas-Israel truce was looking shaky by week’s end and leading him to give just a B-minus in our Weekly White House Report Card.

Democratic pollster and grader John Zogby, who often focuses on economic issues in evaluating the president’s week, noted dark clouds moving over the country and concerns among Middle Americans of problems ahead. He graded Trump’s week with a D-minus.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS 

Trump’s net approval has averaged +3% this week.

That’s higher than 95% of days in Joe Biden’s presidency.

— Mark Mitchell, Rasmussen Reports (@honestpollster) October 16, 2025

Jed Babbin
Grade: B-

It was a pretty good week for President Donald Trump, but not a great one. His peace plan for the Gaza Strip seems to be falling apart, the Pentagon’s new reporting rules are stifling, and his plans to reduce the federal bureaucracy during the Schumer Shutdown were stalled by a federal judge.

The Gaza peace plan has been undercut by the Hamas terrorists. They released the living hostages but are now stalling on releasing the bodies of those who are deceased. The Hamas types are already executing people who opposed them and are refusing to disarm. No one can be surprised at that because terrorists — and most terrorist governments such as Iran — never live up to their obligations. Trump said that if Hamas doesn’t disarm, we’ll do it for them. That’s a threat he will have to deliver on.

Drug cartels are offering tens of thousands of dollars in bounties for the location — and murder — of ICE and Border Patrol agents. This cannot be tolerated. Meanwhile, Trump has apparently ordered the CIA to operate in Venezuela against the cartels. The Maduro government is mobilizing militias against the move. This won’t play out in less than a few years.

The Pentagon reporting rules say that reporters can’t publicize anything that hasn’t been approved for release by the Pentagon’s public affairs office. That won’t stand. Reporters are turning in their press passes in droves.

The “reductions in force” planned by budget director Russ Vought and the president have been enjoined at least temporarily by a federal judge. This doesn’t take any heat off the Democrats in the government shutdown. They’re still on the hook for Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid for illegal aliens. The Democrats are in a hole and keep digging. They are apparently incapable of learning.

John Zogby
Grade: D-

Back to the economy, and it’s not looking good.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans say that things financially are getting worse for them. Seventy-five percent say that prices are ‘soaring’ and 63% say this is a bad time to get a job.

There are other indicators that point to real fears about the economy. While home equity loans are up, but building permits are down. Folks are using their loans to live on. Sales of Hamburger Helper are up dramatically, a previously utilized indicator of bad times. Thrift store sales are up again, and cardboard box production (used for shipping) is down. And sales of big trucks are slumping

That’s not all. Justice took a beating this week. Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton was indicted by a grand jury, clearly an act of vengeance by the Trump administration. Rioting and violence against ICE agents ran wild in Chicago, while the city council in Los Angeles declared emergency status because of the presence of ICE and its heavy-handed tactics.

The U.S. appears to be at war with Venezuela, and there is a bipartisan effort to get this debated in the Senate. Both sides in Gaza are declaring that the other side is in violation of the ceasefire, and confusion reigns supreme in the Russia-Ukraine war. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but there was no announcement of a Tomahawk missile deal. Meanwhile, Trump got a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, called it a success, and plans are on for another meeting.

SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS

Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.