Wertheimer Political Report, December 18, 2025
FROM D21 PRESIDENT FRED WERTHEIMER
Trump’s hand-picked Kennedy Center board votes to rename it the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’
The board’s decision to add Trump’s name could face legal hurdles, as the law creating the center prohibits renaming the building.
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Trump’s ego has no boundaries and apparently, it comes from a different planet. Someday, Trump will be out of this job and Harry Potter’s magic wand will disappear ego-related Trump moves like the ballroom and his name on the Institute of Peace. As for this feeble attempt to equate himself with John F Kennedy, this name change for the Kennedy Center appears to be illegal unless it is done by an act of Congress. And the lower federal courts have not been kind to the President and his administration.
As for John F Kennedy, he was the President of my youth; I knew of John F Kennedy in real time. President Trump, you are no John Kennedy.
Fred Wertheimer
President, Democracy 21
TRUMPWATCH 2.0
The top 10 most brazen lies from Trump’s year-end prime-time address
“That the president felt compelled to lie incessantly through his speech says volumes about how awful the year has been.” – MS Now
Marjorie Taylor Greene says ‘dam is breaking’ within GOP against Trump
“In a CNN interview, the Georgia congresswoman said Trump’s reaction to the death of Rob Reiner was ‘classless’ and that she didn’t see the GOP winning in the midterms.” – Washington Post
‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women
“The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.” – New York Times
Stephen Miller’s hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes
“The Trump administration originally planned to go after Mexican drug cartels, but pivoted to Venezuela, according to current and former officials. A trio of legal documents and directives have subsequently authorized an unorthodox lethal campaign.” – Washington Post
Venezuela’s Oil Is a Focus of Trump’s Campaign Against Maduro
“In public, the White House says it is confronting Venezuela to curb drug trafficking. Behind the scenes, gaining access to the country’s vast oil reserves is a priority.” – New York Times
Trump administration prepares sweeping crackdown on leftist networks
“The Trump administration is embarking on an expansive effort to root out what it sees as rampant left-wing domestic terrorism, raising concerns among some security experts and lawmakers that broad categories of Americans’ political speech could come under surveillance.” – Washington Post
U.S. Inflation Slowed to 2.7% in November as Shutdown Distorts Data
“Data collection issues skewed the latest Consumer Price Index report, economists warned, clouding the picture for the Federal Reserve as it also grapples with a cooling labor market.” – New York Times
Judge to order US to undo shutdown firings, stop more layoffs“A federal judge on Wednesday said she would issue an order requiring the government to reinstate hundreds of employees fired during the federal government shutdown and stop ongoing efforts to fire more federal workers.” – Roll Call
Trump hangs plaques mocking Biden, Obama along White House Colonnade
“The plaques include insult and unfounded claims about some of his predecessors.” – ABC News
MEANWHILE, ON CAPITOL HILL
House Speaker Mike Johnson denied he has “lost control of the House” after a group of moderate Republicans revolted and joined Democrats’ effort to force a vote on a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. – ABC News
Jack Smith tells Congress he could prove Trump engaged in a ‘criminal scheme’ to overturn 2020 election. Smith testified about his investigations into Trump at a closed-door deposition with members of the House Judiciary Committee. – NBC News
Kelly defiant after Pentagon escalates video investigation. – Roll Call
Holder says GOP ‘didn’t have the guts’ to let Jack Smith testify in public.” – The Hill
VOTER SUPPRESSION, MONEY, & OTHER ELECTION THREATS
Emboldened by the 2024 election results that resulted in full GOP control of Washington, Republicans began the year on a political high, but it’s been rough going since then. President Donald Trump’s job ratings have slipped back into mediocrity, and Democrats have consistently overperformed in elections around the country. – Roll Call
Texas Democrats fill every state and federal race on 2026 ballot, a first for either party. Texas Majority PAC and the Texas Democratic Party recruited 104 candidates to fill uncontested races. Gov. Greg Abbott’s strategist said it amounts to a gimmick “if they don’t back it up with serious resources.” – Texas Tribune
Jack Schlossberg and an array of careerists are vying for Manhattan’s most illustrious House seat. – The Free Press
Republicans redrew a North Carolina district held by a GOP incumbent. A war veteran Democrat is looking to take advantage. – CBS News
Democratic National Committee blocks release of its 2024 election autopsy Despite a pledge from DNC Chair Ken Martin to release the post-election report, the committee announced Thursday it would not share it publicly. – Politico
