A jovial President Donald Trump, set to jet off to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, took time on Tuesday to participate in the annual presidential pardoning of two turkeys, but told attendees at the White House that nearly all of the pardons then-President Joe Biden had performed are “invalid.”

“You remember last year,” Trump said, “after a thorough and very rigorous investigation, by Pam Bondi and all of the people, at Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, the White House Counsel’s Office, and the Department of Everything —we have a Department of Everything. You know what that is? I think that’s called the White House — into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden.”

“He used an autopen, last year for the turkeys’ pardon.”

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“So I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid,” the president, apparently joking, told onlookers.

“As are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned, other than, uh, where’s Hunter?” Trump continued, referring to the former president’s son.

“No, Hunter’s was good,” Trump said. “That was the one pardon Pam that was good, right? The rest of them are all invalid.”

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The president then appeared to stop joking.

“I don’t know what the h – – you’re gonna do about that, but that’s, now we’re gonna take a little of the joke, and that is a mess,” he said of the pardons.

Presidents, including President Trump, for at least decades have used autopens to sign documents. But Trump has strongly suggested that at least some of President Biden’s autopen-signed documents are invalid.

Trump: “The department of everything. We have a department of everything. You know what that is? I think that’s called the White House. Into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden. He used an autopen last year for the turkey’s pardon.” pic.twitter.com/RpNKIEqpef

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 25, 2025

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The Consumer Confidence Index dropped sharply in November, as disillusioned Americans indicated unease in the Trump economy amid rising prices, steady inflation, tariffs, increasing unemployment, and surging layoffs that are making finding a job more difficult.

The Consumer Confidence Index dropped 6.8 points to its lowest level since April, and consumer expectations “tumbled,” CNBC reported on Tuesday.

“Consumers were notably more pessimistic about business conditions six months from now,” said Dana Peterson, the Conference Board’s chief economist. “Mid-2026 expectations for labor market conditions remained decidedly negative, and expectations for increased household incomes shrunk dramatically, after six months of strongly positive readings.”

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Now, just six percent of workers say that jobs are “plentiful,” down from 28.6% one month ago.

“Consumers’ write-in responses pertaining to factors affecting the economy continued to be led by references to prices and inflation, tariffs and trade, and politics, with increased mentions of the federal government shutdown,” Peterson also said in a statement, according to Bloomberg News.

The news comes just as another indicator of a weakening jobs market shows that “private companies shed an average 13,500 jobs over the past four weeks,” CNBC noted, citing data from payrolls processing firm ADP.

“That’s an acceleration from the 2,500 jobs a week lost in the last update a week ago,” CNBC also reported.

Other data also suggest a troubled economy.

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“Government figures out earlier on Tuesday showed retail sales moderated in September after several robust months,” Bloomberg added.

“As for November, the Conference Board’s report showed buying plans for big-ticket items, including cars and major appliances, declined. Home-buying plans also fell.”

Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative and a former Biden White House official, summed up his thoughts on the current situation:

“Good news: fewer people think we’re headed toward a recession. Bad news: more people think we’re already in one.”

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President Donald Trump’s continued attacks on top Democrats — calling for their arrest and jailing, calling them “traitors,” accusing them of “seditious behavior,” and suggesting that they be hanged — is not sitting well with influential GOP lawmakers who now fear the chance of passing any critical bipartisan funding bills has stalled.

“Republican lawmakers and strategists fear that Trump is undermining his own credibility and ability to get anything done before the midterm election,” The Hill reported, describing Trump’s allies as “dumbfounded.”

The president has been lashing out at six Democratic lawmakers, all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or Intelligence Community, for appearing in a video in which they reminded members of the military of their duty to not obey illegal orders.

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U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) called Trump’s attacks “reckless” and “irresponsible.”

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) “furrowed her brow incredulously when a reporter last week described to her Trump’s comments,” which included saying the Democrats’ actions were “seditious behavior punishable by death.”

“Obviously, I don’t agree with that,” Collins said.

“Two weeks after the conclusion of the longest government shutdown in American history,” The Hill reported, “Trump and Democratic lawmakers are tearing at each other again, dimming the prospects of reaching a deal on expiring health insurance premium subsidies or legislation to fund the government past Jan. 30.”

Moderate Democrats have been hoping to forge a deal to extend the Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of the year. Millions of Americans are already seeing premiums for next year skyrocket, in some cases to double or triple what they were this year.

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“Striking a deal in the next few weeks now appears to be an unreachable goal,” The Hill observed.

Funding deals are also needed for the U.S. Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Commerce, Justice, and State, by the end of January.

“All those objectives are being cast under new doubt given the rancorous tone in Washington,” according to The Hill.

Former U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) blasted both the Democratic senators and President Trump, but pinned the bulk of the blame on the Commander in Chief.

“The president’s statements — he always has to one-up everybody — basically his statements were beyond irresponsible,” Gregg told The Hill. “You can’t accuse members of Congress of treason, you can’t suggest somebody be executed in a democracy.”

“A lot of people have incorrect positions,” he continued. “So you’re going to go out and call everybody with an incorrect position a traitor? It borders on the theater of the absurd at a level we haven’t seen before.”

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