Trump's High-Stakes Games: From Iran Talks to Birthday Brawls
Donald Trump loves to play games. Amid tense negotiations for peace with Iran, he went to the Big Apple to watch an NBA finals game, only to see The New York Knicks lose their historic 13-game playoff winning streak. Roundly booed for "ruining the game," the commander-in-chief wore the jeers with a smile before appearing to fall asleep as he watched the game from an executive suite.
Back in Washington, the White House promptly posted on Truth Social a picture of "King of New York" watching the game, with a spokesperson suggesting, "Anyone ridiculously claiming the president was asleep is either lying or has severe brain damage."
Iran Deal Uncertainty
But a deal to end the war with Iran remained uncertain Friday, with Trump walking away from his earlier comments suggesting the two sides were tantalizingly close to an agreement. "The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing," he wrote in a series of angry social media posts, describing the Iranians as "very dishonorable people to deal with." "With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. AMAZING!" he wrote, warning, "They better get their act together, and FAST!"
The outburst came after Iranian news agencies denied that the terms of any deal had been fully agreed, and published a supposed draft of a finalized deal. A day earlier, Trump had called off new military strikes on Iran, claiming a breakthrough in talks just hours after threatening to hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT" and take "total control" of its oil and gas industries.
Inflation and Economic Claims
Meanwhile, as inflation rose to 4.2% from 2.4% in May before the war began and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an unfazed Trump proclaimed, "I love the inflation." "No, I love it. The numbers were great," he told reporters, claiming the U.S. has been taking out "millions of barrels of oil" without Iran's knowledge. Suggesting he was in control of the situation, Trump said he understood the impact the war would have on the economy. "Remember when I did this, I said … I hate to do this to you guys, but Iran is going to have a nuclear weapon very soon. We have to go in and attack," he said.
Legal Battles and Immunity
A federal judge extended her block on Trump's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, denounced by critics as a "slush fund" for the president's political allies, after the Justice Department failed to say under penalty of perjury whether the fund is truly dead. But whether the fund lives or is finally declared dead, Trump and his family will retain their immunity from Internal Revenue Service audits, according to the New York Times. "The newly won ability to escape from Internal Revenue Service examinations could be worth tens of millions of dollars," the Times wrote, noting "one ongoing audit could have resulted in a bill from the government exceeding $100 million."
Earlier last week, Trump walked out of a 'Meet the Press' interview after a verbal sparring match with the interviewer over claims of election fraud and his "anti-weaponization" fund. After some back-and-forth over claims of "no evidence," Trump lashed out at the interviewer and her channel, calling them "either crooked or you're stupid" before walking off. "You're a one-sided crooked network. Sorry. Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time."
Birthday Bash and UFC Event
But Trump was eagerly looking forward to hosting what critics have dubbed the "wildest birthday party" on June 14 when he turns 80, with professional mixed martial arts fights on the White House's South Lawn under a 'claw.' A 4,500-seater Ultimate Fighting Championship arena completely obscuring the front elevation of the White House has been set up for "the most historic sporting event of all time." Even as a lawsuit was filed against the federal government to put a stop to the event, Trump-backed super PAC MAGA Inc. plans to hold a $1 million-per-person fundraiser a day before.
"The Department of War will debut their first TV Ad, entitled 'Peace Through Strength,'" during the historic Freedom 250 UFC Fight, wrote Trump on Truth Social. "The Warrior Ethos is BACK at the War Department, and we call on our greatest young Americans to join our Great Fighting (when necessary!) Machine."
Epstein Files and Protest Symbols
Meanwhile, an Epstein 'reading room' showing 3.5 million printed-out files in more than 3,437 volumes has popped up in New York as 'an exercise in radical transparency.' A project from the not-for-profit group Institute for Primary Facts, the pop-up exhibit has transformed a storefront gallery in New York's Tribeca neighborhood into an IRL library of the Epstein files.
And then what looked like a large tracing of "8647" appeared mysteriously on the grounds of the National Mall. It references the slang term "86," originating in the restaurant industry, meaning to expel or get rid of something, and Trump as the 47th US president. It was unclear whether the numbers were drawn by aliens from a galaxy far far away. But the US Department of the Interior is investigating the incident of "deranged vandalism" as "8647" has been adopted as a protest term by Trump opponents. Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with threatening Trump based on a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to form "8647" he posted in 2025.
Kennedy Center Name Removal
Then an appeals court in Washington DC rejected a last-minute appeal by Trump's hand-picked Kennedy Center board seeking to pause the removal of his name from its facade. And workers in hard hats and yellow vests returned Friday evening to pry the president's name from its marbled exterior amid chants of "Take it down!" from a gathered crowd. But it wouldn't be that easy to erase the Trump name from airports to passports — and history!
By arrangement with The American Bazaar
