Welcome to Friday’s Washington Secrets. Is there such a thing as a normal week with this administration? It has been seven days of extraordinary ups and downs, and that’s just for people who have eaten recalled iceberg lettuce and jalapeno peppers!Sunday was a big day for President Donald Trump, with the sort of event he lives for. After thunderous flyovers, he got to wave the green flag to start the Freedom 250 grand prix through the streets of Washington, D.C. Afterward, he hit the telephone for a tele-rally as he continued to campaign for Sen. Dorine Graham Nordone (R-SC) in her South Carolina Senate primary to replace her brother Lindsey Graham.The next day, he ratcheted up the pressure on Canada, threatening to increase tariffs on all cars, trucks, automotive parts, and steel that is imported across the border. “They feel entitled, and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an “economic D-day” for Iran, designed to ease oil prices and force Tehran to stand down. In the end, it amounted to more words and threats than a real invocation of the offensive that began the end of World War II.The start of the week also brought a Supreme Court win, with a 6-3 ruling allowing Trump’s election integrity executive order to move forward. It means the Department of Homeland Security can compile state-by-state lists of citizens eligible to vote, with Trump telling reporters: “The cheating on mail-in voting is legendary. It’s horrible what’s gone on.”Tuesday brought a degree of vindication. Nordone won the Republican nomination in South Carolina, despite a string of stumbling performances that displayed a lack of knowledge about world affairs. In the end, Trump’s strong support and big spending from MAGA Inc, his super PAC, got her over the line.On Wednesday, Trump signed a proclamation to increase beef import quotas amid a supply pinch. Secrets has written previously about how a reduced national herd has pushed up prices. But his announcement irritated ranchers who said allowing more imports does nothing to help them.Trump headlined a Republican National Committee fundraiser in Houston on Thursday aimed at boosting state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s bid for the U.S. Senate. He will return to the state next month for his party’s mid-term convention, in a sign that Republicans are anxious about keeping the state red.Before leaving the White House, he signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” using a Sharpie to scrawl the new name across a map. So that’s official then.
