New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to deliver what his office is calling a “major address” on Friday, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The speech will “reflect on New York City’s role in our national history and its position as the nation’s symbolic gateway” - a not-so-subtle rebuttal to the Mount Rushmore festivities planned by Donald Trump later that day.
Mamdani, the city’s immigrant mayor, will speak from a desk used by George Washington during his 1789 inauguration in New York. His aides are quick to point out that this desk is older than the Resolute Desk and has a much stronger claim to being the original seat of presidential power. The Oval Office’s current furniture, they imply, is basically a knock-off.
The mayor’s remarks are expected to diverge sharply from Trump’s, especially if they draw from his father Mahmood Mamdani’s book, "Neither Settler Nor Native." The book argues that the modern nation-state began in 1492 with the taking of overseas colonies and devotes its first chapter to the ethnic cleansing of North America and the role of slavery in forming the United States. The elder Mamdani, a Columbia professor, describes the book as a study of the US as “a founding experience in modern colonialism,” comparing the conquest of Native Americans and the domination of Africans as distinct forms of subjugation.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump gave a speech in North Dakota ostensibly honoring Theodore Roosevelt but mostly praising himself. He boasted about his electoral performance versus Roosevelt, noting that Roosevelt only got 7.6 million votes in 1904 when only about 20 million Americans were eligible. Trump also mused about awarding himself and his sons the Medal of Honor - suggesting his sons deserve it for “their genius at hunting” and he deserves it for surviving the Russia investigation. This from a man who avoided Vietnam service with a foot ailment diagnosed by a doctor who rented from Trump’s father, and who once called avoiding STDs “my personal Vietnam.”
Trump also revived his “racehorse theory” of eugenics, linking it to Roosevelt’s battlefield bravery. He has previously praised the “good bloodlines” of Henry Ford’s family - Ford being a notorious antisemite admired by Hitler.
Earlier in the day, Trump deflected questions about the $1.2 billion he earned from crypto businesses, as revealed in his latest financial disclosure. He claimed “everybody is profiting” from his presidency because “the stock market’s going up.”
On trade, Trump refused to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on its existing terms, opting instead for annual reviews. The US trade representative cited persistent deficits with both neighbors. The deal was originally Trump’s signature achievement.
Trump also took his first flight on the new Air Force One - a plane donated by Qatar last year, costing $400 million. He called it “maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built.”
In Colorado, democratic socialist Melat Kiros unseated long-serving Representative Diana DeGette in a primary, while Attorney General Phil Weiser edged out Senator Michael Bennet. Both wins reflected anti-Washington sentiment.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a crackdown on “birth tourism” - the practice of tourists and undocumented immigrants coming to the US to give birth - following the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling upholding birthright citizenship. Despite limited evidence, the administration is pushing fraud charges. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates 20,000 to 26,000 such births annually, less than 1% of all US births. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the practice “grossly abused,” while Chief Justice John Roberts noted the administration provided “scant evidence” for its revisionist view.
Trump is now pushing for legislation to create exceptions to birthright citizenship, though any bill would need to overcome the 60-vote filibuster - a tall order in a divided Senate.
Finally, E. Jean Carroll asked a judge to compel Trump to pay the $5 million jury award for sexual abuse. Because nothing says “presidential” like dodging a debt from a sexual assault verdict.