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UPDATING: Steve Bannon Cut From National Security Council

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Big Shakeup?

White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has been cut from the Trump administration’s National Security Council in a shakeup orchestrated by President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg News and an official White House memo. (See updates below.) Newly-appointed National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster appears to have been designated as head of the National Security Council, as is appropriate.

McMaster, who assumed office late last month, reportedly is seeking to remove from her position his Deputy National Security Advisor, controversial former Fox News national security analyst K. T. McFarland. McFarland, who was hired by the now fired Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, reportedly has been offered a state Department job as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, according to CNN.

Bannon had been named to the National Security Council early on, in a move that drew outrage and concern from many tenured House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Bannon, who is also an Assistant to the President, holds largely a political job, not a national security job. Trump effectively had politicized national security by placing Bannon in the key role.

Bannon remains a top Trump advisor.

UPDATE I: 12:00 PM EDT –
Shakeup engineered by H.R. McMaster, not by Trump, according to multiple reports.

 

UPDATE II: 12:03 PM EDT –
Washington Post’s Robert Costa Delivering Trump administration’s spin:

UPDATE III: 12:10 PM EDT –
More on why this wasn’t Trump, it was McMaster:

 

More to come.

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license

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News

‘Out of Order!’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Triggers Shouting Match Between Comer and Top Dem

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April 30, 2025

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Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ignited a heated confrontation during a budget bill hearing Wednesday by claiming that budgets have nothing to do with policy — a stance that top Democrats have long argued contradicts core American values. Her assertion drew an immediate rebuttal from one of the committee’s top Democrats, but Oversight Chairman James Comer jumped to Greene’s defense, attempting to cut off the correction and escalating the exchange into a shouting match, while mocking Democrats’ efforts to preserve and honor American values.

After U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) made an impassioned plea to not cut the budget of the Veterans Administration, or Social Security, or Medicare in order to produce a $4 trillion tax cut largely for the wealthy — a top Trump priority — Congresswoman Greene lashed out.

“I’d like to point something out that our Democrat colleagues know this, because they did reconciliation before when they are they were in charge and, you know, it may be hard for some of the freshman Dems to understand, but this is not a policy debate,” the Georgia Republican alleged. “That’s not what reconciliation is. This is a budget process.”

“And so for the American people watching at home, our Democrat colleagues are sitting here trying to score points and spread more lies and divisiveness about Republicans in order to spread more garbage across the country,” she charged, calling Democrats’ pleas “entertainment.”

READ MORE: ‘Please Chill This Is Going Great’: Trump Mocked for Blaming Biden Amid Poor Economic Data

That’s when U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat in Congress for nearly a quarter century and possibly next in line for Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee, slammed Greene’s interpretation of the Committee’s work.

“Mr. Chairman, I just want to say, our federal budget reflects our values,” Lynch declared, a statement many budget experts would affirm, and one that has been by President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

“When we fund the VA,” Lynch continued, “it’s not just about numbers. It’s about, it’s about the mission, and the purpose of our budget.”

Chairman Comer appeared to grow angry.

“You do understand our federal budget is $2.5 trillion?” Comer declared, appearing to suggest details like how much spent on veterans was not worth the Committee’s time. “We can’t have ‘values’,” Comer insisted, with the amount of debt the federal government is carrying.

“Reclaiming my time — you don’t get to just interject, Mr. Chairman,” Lynch charged.

You know what? I think you’ve already spoken, so you’re out of order,” Comer declared, hitting his desk with his gavel.

“I will speak,” Lynch, now heated, told the Chair. “You’re about to put our country $4 trillion more than debt.”

“I don’t think you all could find a billion dollars in savings,” Comer alleged.

“Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time,” Lynch again declared.

“You can talk all you want. I want everyone in America to see how much — ” Comer snapped.

“Mr. Chairman. You’re out of order. You’re out of order. You’re the chairman, you’re out of order,” Lynch again charged.

READ MORE: ‘Prices Go Up’: Economist Mocks Treasury Secretary’s ‘Empty Shelves’ Position

“Now, without interruption,” Lynch continued, “what we decide here in the budget is what I’m the point I’m trying to make is it’s not just dollars and cents. It’s about where, where that money goes, and what, what purposes and what, what priorities it reflects. And those, you know, governing is about making decisions, and we we choose to fund things that in this country, we have honored for a very long time, and that, you know, I have to say, in my 25 years in Congress, we have had very little disagreement on funding veteran benefits.”

Lynch went on to lament that “now we’re fighting tooth and tongs — and nail — about whether we’re gonna lay off 80,000 employees at the VA. What I’m saying is that, sure, it’s about the budget, but underlying that budget is is our priorities as a country. What we consider to be worthwhile . And I feel that veterans’ benefits are worthwhile. Veterans, healthcare is worthwhile. The way we treat our federal employees is important. It is intrinsic to be the work of the federal government and how we help the most vulnerable, as well as, you, average everyday Americans on Social Security, on Medicaid.”

Watch the videos below or at this link.


RELATED: As US Economy Shrinks Trump Appears Unaware of Crisis: ‘This Is Biden’s Stock Market’

 

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News

‘Please Chill This Is Going Great’: Trump Mocked for Blaming Biden Amid Poor Economic Data

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4 hours ago

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April 30, 2025

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President Donald Trump, the Trump White House, and top administration officials are insisting Wednesday’s first quarter negative GDP numbers — showing a contracting economy for the first time in almost three years, since COVID — are actually good news but also the fault of President Joe Biden.

The New York Times characterized President Trump’s first quarter results as “a stunning reversal from the strong growth at the end of last year.”

Speaking at a televised Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Trump, reading from notes on the GDP results, said, “you know, you probably saw some numbers today. And I have to start off by saying, that’s Biden. That’s not Trump, because we came in on January just the quarterly numbers, and we came in and I was very against everything that Biden was doing in terms of the economy destroying our country.”

Later, at that same meeting, Trump continued.

The stock market, Trump insisted “in this case is it says how bad a situation we inherited.”

READ MORE: ‘Prices Go Up’: Economist Mocks Treasury Secretary’s ‘Empty Shelves’ Position

Leading economists say President Biden handed President Trump a robust economy — which is now in crisis, much like when President Barack Obama handed Trump a robust economy, which Trump reportedly handed over to Biden in “shambles.”

“I took place, this is a quarter that we looked at today. And I took place, we took, all of us together, we came in on January 20th,” said, Trump, appearing to stumble over his words. “So this is Biden, and you can even say the next quarter is sort of Biden, because it doesn’t just happen on a daily or even hourly basis.”

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg challenged Trump on those points.

“You frequently took credit for the stock market highs. You said it was a reflection of how well you were doing in the polls, and then after you were elected, you said the stock market highs were a reflection of how well the transition’s going and the American people’s confidence in your incoming administration,” Feinberg declared. “Now, the stock market’s not doing so well, and you’re saying that’s the Biden stock market, yet you are the president. Can you explain that?”

“No,” Trump replied. “I’m not taking credit or discredit for the stock market.”

The negative GDP numbers are for the full months of January, February, and March, so about 20 days short of the full three months took place on President Trump’s watch.

RELATED: As US Economy Shrinks Trump Appears Unaware of Crisis: ‘This Is Biden’s Stock Market’

But even Trump claimed credit for strong stock market numbers before he was sworn in to office — nearly one full year before he was sworn in to office, as political scientist Ian Bremmer noted:

Trump earlier on Wednesday had posted to his Truth Social account, “This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!”

As the Times noted, Peter Navarro, Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing, and a convicted felon who served in the first Trump administration, claimed that the G.D.P. figures “really should be very positive news for America.”

The Times remarked, “Few economists agree.”

It is not just President Trump and his trade architect Peter Navarro, attempting to “spin” the negative numbers.

“Well, look,” Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told C-SPAN on Wednesday, “if you break it down, there is an outsized influence of January in that [GDP] report. Remember, this president wasn’t elected until January 20th. The GDP is a backward looking indicator, but all the other indicators that what we do have from that report and others show that there is a really positive trend for this president’s new golden age that he is unleashing.”

At President Trump’s Cabinet meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised the president’s “momentous” first 100 days and asserted that “American families are finding their financial footing again”—a claim at odds with recent consumer confidence reports, which have fallen to their lowest levels since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bessent also stated that “energy costs are down, mortgage rates have plummeted, and food costs are moving lower.” However, each of those claims is subject to challenge, with data and examples that suggest the opposite in many cases.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed “New Data Reveals Strong Economic Momentum.”

“It’s no surprise the leftovers of Biden’s economic disaster have been a drag on economic growth, but the underlying numbers tell the real story of the strong momentum President Trump is delivering. Robust core GDP, the highest gross domestic investment in four years, job growth, and trillions of dollars in new investments secured by President Trump are fueling an economic boom and setting the stage for unprecedented growth as President Trump ushers in the new Golden Age.”

Aaron Fritschner, Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), observed, “The White House statement on the GDP report simultaneously takes the positions that the economy contracting in the first quarter is both a good thing and Biden’s fault.”

Meanwhile, critics are blasting Trump and his administration.

“If you’re keeping track, Candidate Trump claimed credit for a booming stock market a year before he would ultimately take office, but here President Trump blames his predecessor after 100 days of his stewardship of the economy,” wrote NBC News senior White House correspondent Garrett Haake.

And in an all-caps post, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), the Democrats’ Chief Deputy Whip, appeared to mock Trump: “Last year when the stock market was booming that was because of me but now that I am president the problems are Bidens fault please chill this is going great I’m making deals be patient shortages are fine aaaaahhhhhh.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Great Jobs of the Future’ Are Generations of Family Factory Work Says Commerce Secretary

 

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OPINION

As US Economy Shrinks Trump Appears Unaware of Crisis: ‘This Is Biden’s Stock Market’

Published

8 hours ago

on

April 30, 2025

By

To mark his first 100 days in office — “100 Days of Greatness,” he called it — President Donald Trump threw himself a celebration rally in the swing state of Michigan on Tuesday, declaring he has returned America to a “golden age.”

“The arena was surrounded by banners that read, ‘Investing in America,’ ‘Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!,’ ‘The Golden Age,’ ‘Buy American, Hire American’ and ‘The American Dream is Back,'” The Guardian reported. “Trump’s supporters held signs with slogans such as: ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘Golden Age of America.'”

On Wednesday, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that the American economy shrank in the first three months of 2025, the first time it has done so in nearly three years.

READ MORE: ‘Prices Go Up’: Economist Mocks Treasury Secretary’s ‘Empty Shelves’ Position

“Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025 (January, February, and March), according to the advance estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2024, real GDP increased 2.4 percent.”

Economic experts had predicted 3% GDP growth for the first quarter, (some more, some less, but in that neighborhood) before Trump’s tariffs.

Economists and financial experts are pointing to President Donald Trump’s policies, including his tariff war, as the reason for the contraction.

“Real GDP down. Consumption down. Prices up. It’s very easy to criticize what is happening right in front of your eyes when you’re not in a woke cult,” observed Spencer Hakimian, founder and chief investment officer of the hedge fund Tolou Capital Management.

Hakimian pinned the blame for the economy contracting directly on Trump’s policies.

And pointing to the BEA’s numbers, Hakimian added, “Welcome to the recession.”

While the official “we are in a recession” declaration has not yet been made, some are doing so already, given the multiple forecasts predicting a recession, and some saying a recession is the current best possible outcome America (and possibly the global economy) will see this year.

Conservative commentator David Frum of The Atlantic responded to the economic news.

“Trump pushed the US economy into decline by his ignorance and malice, enabled and abetted by advisers who were variously obnoxious, stupid, cowardly, and/or crazy,” said Frum, a former George W. Bush speechwriter.

Despite the declarations of experts, President Trump quickly denied responsibility for any economic pain, and, appeared to not understand the issue.

Forty-three  minutes after the economic news — a contraction of gross domestic product — had been announced, Trump declared the “stock market” problem was not his but his predecessor’s.

“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” the President claimed on Truth Social. “I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!”

The issue is not the stock market—although the markets tanked upon news of an economic contraction—but the actual economy.

READ MORE: ‘Great Jobs of the Future’ Are Generations of Family Factory Work Says Commerce Secretary

“CEOs of major retail giants warned last week that prices would rise and shelves would soon fall empty if the president didn’t reverse course,” The Daily Beast reported Thursday. “The S&P 500 is down 8 percent since Trump’s inauguration—its worst run during a president’s first 100 days in office in more than 50 years. Some financial analysts worry the U.S. is heading toward recession.”

The President appears to be in denial.

During his first 100 days interview with ABC News, which aired Tuesday evening, senior national correspondent Terry Moran told Trump tourism is down.

Trump refused to believe him, despite the facts that prove this have been freely available for weeks.

Economist Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy, posted charts showing tourism “cratering,” along with video of Trump insisting tourism is up.

Despite all the economic data and expert predictions, despite what we now see as an economic contraction, and some say a looming recession, President Trump is steadfast in his position.

ABC’s Moran told the President, “with the economy, the number one issue for so many people, for just about everybody. It — it’s one of the main reasons that you’re back in this office. And now we have this trade war with China that — that Moody’s and other analysts say is gonna cost American families thousands of more dollars per year. And there is a lot of concern out there. People are worried, even some people who voted for you, sayin’, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ So how do you answer those concerns?”

“Well,” Trump replied, “they did sign up for it, actually.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Lying Again’: Hegseth Ripped for Ending ‘Woke Biden Initiative’ Trump Signed Into Law

 

Image via Reuters

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