{"id":2611053,"date":"2026-06-05T12:03:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-a-confusing-week-for-congress-and-the-rest-of-us\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T12:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:04:35","slug":"white-house-report-card-a-confusing-week-for-congress-and-the-rest-of-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-a-confusing-week-for-congress-and-the-rest-of-us\/","title":{"rendered":"White House report card: A confusing week for Congress and the rest of us"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhite-house-report-card-a-confusing-week-for-congress-and-the-rest-of-us%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611053&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Friday\u2019s edition of *Washington Secrets* reviews President trump\u2019s week in Washington,emphasizing that he spent much of Monday through Wednesday on private events with little prospect for the press to question him. That changed on Wednesday when the press pool was called to the Oval Office for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-a-mess-team-biden-loses-track-of-20-million-covid-19-doses-report\/\" title=\"\u2018It\u2019s A Mess\u2019: Team Biden Loses Track Of 20 Million COVID-19 Doses: Report\">executive order signing ceremony<\/a>, after which reporters pressed him for details on several issues, including his \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund, the stalled memorandum of understanding with Iran, and his responses to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uncontrollable-events-reporter-mocked-for-attempt-to-shift-blame-for-crises-away-from-biden\/\" title=\"\u2018Uncontrollable Events\u2019: Reporter Mocked For Attempt To Shift Blame For Crises Away From Biden\">recent setbacks<\/a> involving Congress-moast notably votes related to Iran and additional strikes.<\/p>\n<p>After a brief return of press interaction, the piece describes the week shifting back to business as usual: Trump announced plans to invest heavily to revive the U.S.coal industry, then was set to travel to Wisconsin for a farming roundtable before heading to a New Jersey golf club. It also notes continued economic strength, citing additional job gains in May, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >alongside ongoing political turbulence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The strategists\u2019 take is split:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Jed Babbin (Grade B)** argues Trump lost key House efforts tied to war powers regarding Iran and an arms package for Ukraine, but won in the Senate on a separate, immigration-focused measure. He portrays Iran as resistant to moves Trump wants and suggests multiple ongoing conflicts mean \u201cnormal\u201d global conditions have effectively become war.  <\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **John Zogby (Grade D+)** says Republicans failed to stop the Iran war effort, with even some GOP lawmakers breaking with Trump-culminating in cross-party support for an aid package to Ukraine. He also points to broader public dissatisfaction and political signals, including delays of rumored Iran deals, consumer strain from higher rates and inflation, and unusual messaging on social platforms.<\/p>\n<p>The post also includes \u201clunchtime reading\u201d links and closes with the newsletter\u2019s author and contact information.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Welcome to Friday\u2019s edition of <\/em>Washington Secrets,<em> your guide to power and politics in the nation\u2019s capital. As usual, we review the president\u2019s week with the help of our political strategists.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was a week of two halves for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>. He was barely spotted last weekend, and from Monday to Wednesday, his daily public schedule was composed entirely of private events, policy meetings, executive time, and dinners.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4594825\/jill-biden-skirts-substance-softballs-book-tour-dc\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jill Biden skirts substance for softballs as birthday book tour comes to DC<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4592655\/why-donald-trump-avoiding-white-house-press-corps\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Why is Donald Trump avoiding the White House press corps?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4590722\/two-thirds-americans-founding-fathers-disappointed-250-anniversary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Two-thirds of Americans believe Founding Fathers would be disappointed in the nation at 250<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It made for seven straight days without a chance for the White House press corps to lob questions his way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, just as headlines and social media posts began asking what was going on and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4592655\/why-donald-trump-avoiding-white-house-press-corps\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4592655\/why-donald-trump-avoiding-white-house-press-corps\/\">why the president had disappeared <\/a>behind White House walls, it all changed. The 20 or so members of the press pool were summoned to the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon for an executive order signing ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president spoke to reporters for 38 minutes, answering questions about whether his $1.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-may-release-his-tax-returns-after-irs-settlement\/\" title=\"Trump &#039;may release&#039; his tax returns after IRS settlement\">8 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund<\/a> had been closed or paused \u2014 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4596560\/macron-plans-rare-dinner-trump-versailles-g7-visit\/\">\u201cI\u2019d have to ask the lawyers\u201d <\/a>\u2014 the status of the stalled memorandum of understanding with Iran \u2014 \u201cIn theory they\u2019re pretty close to signing a paper \u2014 and found time to attack CNN\u2019s Kaitlan Collins \u2014 \u201cI see her standing there with hatred in her eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The questions were a reminder that he has suffered a string of recent setbacks, including later on Wednesday when he watched four Republicans help pass a House resolution to block him from launching more strikes on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, it was back to business as usual. He announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to revive the U.S. coal industry, using wartime powers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo today we\u2019re taking historic action to bring down the price of energy and the cost of living for all Americans with the power of clean, beautiful coal,\u201d Trump said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Friday, he was due to travel to Wisconsin for a roundtable on farming before heading to his New Jersey golf club for the weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was good news ahead of his departure.\u00a0The U.S. economy posted another month of employment gains in May. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 172,000 jobs last month after rising by an upwardly revised 179,000 in April.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what do our strategists make of it all?<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-jed-babbin-grade-b\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jed Babbin: Grade B<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Trump lost two big votes in the House this week and won one in the Senate. It\u2019s been a confusing week for Congress and the rest of us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The confusion was generated by Trump\u2019s loss on a War Powers Resolution aimed at cutting off the Iran war, and on a new arms package for Ukraine. It\u2019s not clear how much Trump worked either issue, but he lost them both. He later won a huge package, in a Senate vote, for brandishing his anti-illegal immigration cudgel. Is anyone paying attention? House members seem to keep losing their bids for higher office. Maybe someone is paying attention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Iran is dancing around the Trump negotiators again (still). Iran clearly doesn\u2019t want to open the Strait of Hormuz and will resist any effort Trump makes to do so. It now poses a condition for the war in Lebanon to end at the same time the Iran war ends. These guys don\u2019t want peace. They want the war to continue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s economy seems to be holding up under all the pressure from the Iran war and its heightening of gasoline prices. The Ukraine war is not coming to a close any time soon, nor is the Lebanon war. I won\u2019t apologize for saying so, but at this point, the normal state of the world is war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Jed Babbin\u00a0is a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jedbabbin\">@jedbabbin<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-john-zogby-grade-d\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">John Zogby: Grade D+<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Republicans were unsuccessful in blocking an effort to put a stop to the Iran war. Just four members of the president\u2019s own party, but just enough, were ready to challenge him, leaving open the possibility of an independent streak among GOP representatives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Republicans, who already helped\u00a0push back against\u00a0Trump on the Iran war in an initial vote, had also rejected the president\u2019s $1 billion proposal to aid his ballroom project and a Justice Department fund to\u00a0compensate presidential allies\u00a0he claims have been unfairly prosecuted. Just stop and absorb what we are talking about.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, late Thursday, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4595078\/18-house-republicans-defy-trump-and-vote-to-send-1-3-billion-to-ukraine\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4595078\/18-house-republicans-defy-trump-and-vote-to-send-1-3-billion-to-ukraine\/\">18 GOP House members<\/a> joined the Democrats to approve an aid package to Ukraine over the president\u2019s opposition. An unapproved and unpopular Iran war \u2014 whose approval numbers reflect those at the END of the Vietnam War, not the beginning \u2014 a universally panned destruction of history and an unnecessary addition to the White House, and a slush fund for many convicted criminals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal judge has banned the Kennedy Center board from adding Trump\u2019s name to the cultural institution and from closing it for renovations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president\u2019s big bash concert to honor the 250th anniversary of this nation has been canceled because the leading participants pulled out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every Friday night, so it seems, there is an announcement (or leak) of an imminent Iran deal, which evaporates by Saturday morning. The latest iteration has been said to include a $300 billion investment to help build back Iran, which is even more generous than Obama\u2019s Iran deal, which Trump 45 scuttled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And more Americans are behind on their credit cards due to higher interest rates, inflation, and higher numbers of delinquencies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Trump is sending out almost incoherent messages on Truth Social, which are increasingly bizarre. But he keeps winning primaries with the MAGA candidates for governor of California and mayor of Los Angeles scoring well and heading to runoffs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>John Zogby\u00a0is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/\">John Zogby Strategies.<\/a> His latest book is <\/strong><\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beyond-Horse-Race-Polls-Should\/dp\/1538197146\"><strong>Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should<\/strong><\/a><em><strong>. His podcast with son, managing partner, and pollster Jeremy Zogby, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/the-zogby-report\/\">can be heard here.<\/a> Follow him on X <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zogbystrategies\">@ZogbyStrategies<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-lunchtime-reading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lunchtime reading<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/kamala-harris-gavin-newsom-presidential-election-democratic-party-4316ffc4?st=5AVAfH&#038;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/kamala-harris-gavin-newsom-presidential-election-democratic-party-4316ffc4?st=5AVAfH&#038;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\"><strong>\u2018Like two cats circling\u2019: Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom weigh a 2028 showdown<\/strong><\/a>: The pair had parallel careers in California politics, and insiders expect a gloves-off brawl if they both decide to run for president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/05\/polymarket-paid-political-influencers-00932789\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/05\/polymarket-paid-political-influencers-00932789\"><strong>\u2018Unbelievable how accurate\u2019: How paid influencers hype Polymarket\u2019s odds<\/strong><\/a>: A Polymarket executive used a personal PayPal account to send at least $350,000 to Nick Shirley and other content creators between January 2025 and February 2026, an analysis of the transactions shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>You are reading <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#8af9efe9f8effef9cafdebf9e2e3e4edfee5e4eff2ebe7e3e4eff8a4e9e5e7\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"d0a3b5b3a2b5a4a390a7b1a3b8b9beb7a4bfbeb5a8b1bdb9beb5a2feb3bfbd\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a> with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you\u2019d like to sign up, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&#038;b=01%2F21%2F2026&#038;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&#038;d=25812206&#038;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Friday\u2019s Washington Secrets-power and politics in D.C<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2611054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26155749266681.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4402,33296,32127],"class_list":["post-2611053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-congress","tag-report-card","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26155749266681.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611053"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611057,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611053\/revisions\/2611057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}