MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

THURSDAY
MAY 29, 2025

She’s been very, very successful at a thing called television.”

 
— Donald Trump, [while swearing in]([link removed]) former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. 

TACO THURSDAY

Is the secret to making loads of cash in Donald Trump’s America… tacos? Some financial experts say it is, as the White House’s trade agenda gets chewed up. 

- President Donald Trump once declared himself a huge fan of tacos, back when he infamously posted a picture of his big grinning mug over a [Trump Tower crispy tortilla bowl]([link removed]) filled with beans, cheese and sour cream on Cinco de Mayo. But think again! When a reporter recently asked him about TACO — finance bro slang for “Trump Always Chickens Out” — the president got red hot. “I chicken out? I’ve never heard that,” Trump responded. “Don’t ever say what you said. That’s a nasty question. To me, that’s the nastiest question.” Someone squirt some lime juice on this guy, sheesh!

- But that term, coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong, is suddenly going viral. And it’s based on a very real phenomenon: Trump’s tendency to talk big and then wimp out. That habit has put the stock market on a rollercoaster, as threats repeatedly tank the market, and cowardly reversals prompt relief rallies. Example: Remember when Trump announced tariffs on most countries in the world — including penguin-covered islands — and the market tumbled? He paused the tariffs following backlash, and markets cheered. Some investors, understandably, call this chickening out. (Others might simply call it [chicken tinga]([link removed]).)
 

- Trump’s allies, including [Attorney General Pam Bondi]([link removed]) and [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA)]([link removed]), and [even Democratic lawmakers]([link removed]), have already put their cash down on the predictable route of Trump’s TACO truck. “See how the TACO trade works? It’s a two-step process: Buy the dip — the lowered prices following a Trump tariff announcement — and sell at the higher prices after Trump’s inevitable chickening-out pushes stocks back up,” [writes Michael Hiltzik]([link removed]), a business columnist at the Los Angeles Times. (I see what you did there... buy the cheese dip. Right, gang?)

 
Sometimes, of course, Trump doesn’t have to chicken out… because he gets slapped down by a court. 

- Last night, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump can’t enact tariffs just because he made up a fake state of emergency — which is basically how he justified launching his “Liberation Day” trade war. An appeals court then paused that decision today while the legal wrangling plays out. 

- But it still marks a huge setback for a White House that continues scrambling to score trade deals. Wall Street loved the news, and stock prices spiked — showing the TACO theory can hold true even when Trump himself is still trying to stand strong.

- The president’s team is now bracing for a spicy legal food fight. “We expect to fight this battle all the way to the Supreme Court,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said today. “You can assume that even if we lose, we will [enact tariffs] another way,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told reporters.

The TACO term could even be a potent political weapon against Trump. “It’s meme-able,” The xxxxxx’s Jonathan V. Last [writes]([link removed]). “Hell, there’s even a pre-built emoji for it. 🌮 You can put this thing anywhere and it will be a symbol of the democracy movement.” Plus: Trump absolutely hates it.

CAMPUS CHAOS

The Trump administration is taking its attack on international students to disturbing new levels.
 
The State Department and Department of Homeland Security will work to “[aggressively revoke]([link removed])” visas for Chinese students, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. 
 
“I think it is terribly misguided, counterproductive and another way in which we are shooting ourselves in the foot,” Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, told the New York Times.
 
It’s also cruel. Anyone who’s been to college in the U.S. knows some international students who enrolled with all the same hopes and dreams that college kids have. Now, imagine those dreams suddenly getting smashed by — of all people — Little Marco. 
 
There are some 275,000 Chinese students on visas in the United States. American universities have benefited significantly in recent decades from the students’ research contributions, as well as financial support. The White House and lawmakers worry that some of those students [may be used by Beijing to spy]([link removed]) on the United States, which appears to be one of the motivations for this new policy.
 
Rubio suggested that the Trump administration will only target those “studying in critical fields” or with connections to the Chinese Communist Party. But we know others may be targeted for dubious reasons: The U.S. is trying to deport Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk for writing an opinion article critical of Israel in her student newspaper. It’s easy to imagine Chinese students also being targeted for practicing free speech.
 
The White House’s attack on foreign students is already having a chilling effect. At Harvard University, “too many international students to count” have inquired about transferring out of the school because of Trump’s actions, [the school said]([link removed]). 

“A lot of us are just very scared,” one Harvard doctoral student [told Boston.com]([link removed]). “There has been very little transparency on what protections the university is willing to commit to. It’s just been all very uncertain, and it’s left us all with our lives a bit upended.”

WHAT A SPONSOR

 
[link removed]
 
With so much stressful news out there… has a good night’s sleep ever felt more important?  

[Helix helps you get the rest you need to face the day.]([link removed])

With Helix, you’re getting a mattress that you know will be perfect for the way YOU sleep. They have soft, medium, and firm mattresses, and even a Helix Plus mattress for plus-size sleepers. Helix even has mattresses with specialized cooling technology, if you and your family can never agree on the temperature. 

Helix has a sleep quiz to match your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. 

Check it out now — and let them know our friends at Crooked’s Pod Save America podcast sent you for 27% Off Sitewide + Free Bedding Bundle (Sheet Set and Mattress Protector) with any Luxe or Elite Mattress Order, Exclusive for listeners of Pod Save America!

Go to [helixsleep.com/crooked]([link removed]) for 27% Off Sitewide + Free Bedding Bundle (Sheet Set and Mattress Protector) with any Luxe or Elite Mattress Order, Exclusive for listeners of Pod Save America!

 

 

[link removed]

WHAT ELSE?

[The White House said that Israel accepted]([link removed]) its proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas. The militant group said it’s considering the idea. Previously, Hamas said it agreed on a “general framework,” which would include Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza, a longer ceasefire, and an increase in aid into the territory.
 
[Gazillionaire tech freak Elon Musk officially]([link removed]) left the U.S. government after a tumultuous tenure that destroyed his public image [sad trombone]. When news of his official departure broke, stock in Tesla, his electric car, rose 2 percent — a sign that investors are happy that his focus might not be pulled in one million different directions anymore. 
 
[Brainworm survivor Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s so-called]([link removed]) Make American Healthy Again report cites studies that don’t actually exist, according to researchers who are listed in the report released last week. Kennedy has called the document a “milestone” for public health… when it really seems to be a milestone for public lies and misinformation. How much do you wanna bet someone used ChatGPT to write this thing, and it made up some fake sources? The White House blamed “formatting issues” for the bogus research. Lmaoooo.
 
[The Department of Health and Human Services]([link removed]) canceled millions in funding for Moderna to vaccines against bird flu. I’m now imagining RFK Jr.’s dream summer: taking cool dips in sewage-infested water, eating roadkill, hanging out with his dead brainworm, and contracting bird flu. And the government says it’s okay! Woohoo!
 
[Qatar appears uneasy with how Trump’s]([link removed]) jumbo jet transaction went down, the Washington Post reports. The Qatari government wants a memo of understanding between Washington and Doha stating that the transaction was initiated by the Trump administration, and that Qatar isn’t responsible for any further transfers of the plane. In other words, the deal isn’t done yet — despite the U.S. saying it will have a new Air Force One in no time. I, too, would like to manifest a free luxury jet for myself!
 
[The Trump administration is working to return]([link removed]) a Guatemalan man who was deported to Mexico without due process, the Department of Homeland Security told a judge last night. It’s the first public sign that Trump’s team would comply with orders to bring back someone who they wrongfully deported. But, like, come on. I’ll believe it when I see it.
 
[Paramount offered the Trump administration $15 million]([link removed]) to settle its lawsuit against CBS News, but Trump’s team is demanding $25 million and an apology from the news outlet, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rumor has it, his team ends every new demand with a menacing look and a simple phrase: Capisce?
 
[Trump pardoned or commuted sentences]([link removed]) for 26 people, including a former gang leader convicted of murder, reality TV stars and former GOP lawmakers. One of those former lawmakers, Michael Grimm, once told a reporter [on live television]([link removed]), “I’ll break you in half, like a boy.” Can someone check in on that reporter, please?

[CEOs of S&P 500 companies brought home]([link removed]) a lot of extra bacon last year — nearly 10 percent more than the year prior. At many of those companies, it would take the average worker 192 years to earn as much money as the CEO makes in a single year. Wow, the CEOs must work really hard!

THERE'S MORE IN STORE
 

Hey, good news! For the next month, when you buy something from the Crooked Store, you'll get a promo code for a free 30-day trial of Friends of the Pod, our subscription community. That means a full month of ad-free pods, exclusive subscriber-only shows, and access to our Discord server completely free. So if there’s a t-shirt you’ve had your eye on or you need something to wear to the next protest, volunteer event, or angry walk around your neighborhood, now’s the perfect time to grab it.

Support the mission. Get the merch. Head to [crooked.com/store]([link removed]) now.

 
[link removed]

[A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s]([link removed]) efforts to deport Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil is likely unconstitutional. The judge stopped short of releasing him from jail, even though he hasn’t been charged with any crimes. So that’s total BS… but we’ll take this as a win for now. 

[Gov. Josh Green (D-HI) signed legislation]([link removed]) that will raise taxes on hotel rooms and vacation rentals in Hawaii to raise money to fight climate change. Hawaii is the first state to impose such a tax, which is estimated to bring in some $100 million annually. Way to live up to your name, Mr. Green!

[Comedian Nathan Fielder called the]([link removed]) Federal Aviation Administration “dumb” after it disputed his claim that pilots have communication problems in the cockpit, leading to airplane crashes. That’s the premise of his new season of “The Rehearsal,” which is totally absurd but attempts to address what some experts call a real problem with aviation safety. He also made Wolf Blitzer quite uncomfortable, which was silly to watch.

[Scientists identified new (very old) hunter-gatherers]([link removed]) who lived near the land bridge between North and South America about 6,000 years ago. Scientists don’t know where they fit in the family tree, though, because their DNA isn’t closely linked to people from either continents. I’m going to choose to believe they were aliens.

[Hundreds of daredevils and Sherpa guides]([link removed]) summited Mount Everest this month, which marks the end of climbing season for the world’s tallest mountain. These pictures from the journey are truly insane. You will never catch me on those slopes, thank you very much!
 
[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed]
[Share this newsletter]([link removed])
No longer want to receive these emails? [Unsubscribe]([link removed]).
Crooked Media 4817 N 56th St Suite 45 Lincoln, Nebraska 68504