3 weeks ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, welcomed the end of Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration, saying it protects the MAGA movement from being co-opted by oligarchs.
👥 Who’s Involved: Raheem Kassam, President Donald J. Trump, Elon Musk, and the MAGA movement.
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📍Where & When: Kassam spoke to The Washington Post at Butterworth’s in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “I was very worried for a time that MAGA would be bought out by the oligarch [like the Tea Party], and it’s just so satisfying to see that that is now no longer the case,” Kassam said.
⚠️ Impact: The Trump-Musk split reinforces MAGA’s independence, aligning with Trump’s America First vision against vested interests.
IN FULL:
Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, has welcomed the split between President Donald J. Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk, telling The Washington Post that it signals the MAGA movement will not sell out to vested interests like the Tea Party.
“This is a lesson the MAGA right needed to learn right now,” Kassam told the newspaper at Butterworth’s, the Washington, D.C. bistro where he is an investor. He noted that the Tea Party, the grassroots movement against Big Government that sprang up following Barack Obama’s election, previously “got bought out by the Kochs,” referring to Charles and the late David Koch, who support mass legal immigration and amnesty for many illegals.
“I was very worried for a time that MAGA would be bought out by the oligarchs, too,” Kassam continued. “And it’s just so satisfying to see that that is now no longer the case.”
Musk’s falling out with President Trump centers around the “one big beautiful bill” currently working its way through Congress. The bill increases funding for border security and defense while making permanent Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and enacting new tax cuts for tips, overtime, and social security.
While Musk and his cohorts claim it increases spending and the debt ceiling unacceptably, the administration argues it will actually result in substantial spending cuts, and that Musk is upset that this includes cuts to government support for electric vehicles (EVs), which his Tesla firm manufactures.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump warned of “very, very tough” sanctions on Russia and potentially Ukraine if peace talks fail or are obstructed.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.
📍 Where & When: Oval Office meeting, Washington D.C., Thursday morning.
💬 Key Quote: “When I see the moment when we’re not going to make a deal… we’ll be very, very tough. And it could be on both countries, to be honest, you know? It takes two to tango,” Trump said.
⚠️ Impact: Potential for expanded U.S. sanctions targeting Russian energy customers, including major nations like China, if peace efforts are derailed, and possibly sanctions on Ukraine, too.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump has issued a stark warning to Russia and Ukraine over their ongoing conflict, saying “very, very tough” sanctions could be imposed on either nation if peace negotiations fail or are intentionally obstructed. The comments came during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on Thursday morning.
Trump emphasized his commitment to facilitating peace, but cautioned that both sides could face consequences if talks collapse. “When I see the moment when we’re not going to make a deal, when this thing won’t stop, at that moment… we’ll be very, very tough. And it could be on both countries, to be honest, you know? It takes two to tango,” he said.
While stating his support for Ukraine, Trump also warned Kiev against taking an obstructive stance. He noted, “I’m with Ukraine, we just signed a big deal on rare earth with Ukraine. I’m for stopping killing, really.”
The President highlighted the deep animosity between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, likening the situation to a referee intervening in a heated fight. “There’s a great hatred between those two men,” Trump remarked.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Western nations have imposed extensive sanctions on Moscow. However, these measures have had limited success in crippling the Russian economy, which has benefitted from sustained energy exports.
Trump proposed a new approach to sanctions, suggesting penalties on nations purchasing Russian energy, a strategy he referred to as “secondary sanctions.” Such measures could target major Russian energy customers, including China, in an effort to pressure Moscow into negotiating in good faith.
“If [a peace deal] doesn’t happen and if I see someone’s out of line, if Russia’s out of line, you’ll be amazed how tough [I will be],” Trump added, underscoring his readiness to act decisively if talks falter.
President Trump also expressed a willingness to sanction either country if they refuse to sign a 30-day ceasefire or violate any ceasefire agreement last month. Russia has previously accused Ukraine of violating ceasefire agreements, including one directed at halting attacks on infrastructure earlier this year, and vice versa.
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