How Trump turned a celebration against tyranny into an embarrassing personal infomercial
Trump’s newest unfortunate obsession is the number ‘250’
The president is fixated on the upcoming semiquincentennial — and using it as an excuse to build, renovate and self-promote to his heart’s content.
“Donald Trump is a numbers guy” is not a phrase one would normally use without a certain amount of irony. (Fortunately, that is exactly how it is being deployed here.) The details of the federal budget may elude him, but Trump is a big fan of branding, as evidenced by his penchant for slapping his name on every edifice and product available. In the run-up to the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday, Trump has expanded into numerical iconography, treating this year’s semiquincentennial as yet another excuse to put the spotlight on himself.
It’s well-established that Trump loves a big number, no matter how inaccurate it may be, and the bigger the better. He also loves redecorating, putting his face on things, and otherwise making it all about him. It’s no surprise then that his administration has been reportedly pressing the Treasury to issue a $250 bill featuring Trump, which would be the largest denomination issued since 1969.
Is it legal for the administration to simply print up a bill and issue it without Congress signing off? No. Would it be possible to do so ahead of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding? Still no. Would it get much use? Probably less than some of the other items featuring Trump’s presidential mug (not his mug shot, though, that’s a different cash grab for Trump’s business interests). There’s the Trump face-adorned special issue passports, this year’s National Park season passes and a commemorative gold coin he’s having minted.
But let’s focus on the important part here: the $250 value of the proposed bill. It’s a number that has been increasingly cropping up in Trump’s self-aggrandizement programs. He selected the largest option for the Triumphal Arch that he wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery, which would be roughly 250 feet tall when completed. His vision for the “National Garden of American Heroes,” which he has been going on about since the end of his first term, has expanded to include 250 statues of varying historical accuracy.
Play
Trump admin reportedly pushing for Trump’s face to be printed on $250 billMay 28, 2026 / 02:25
The pending anniversary has been a useful shield for criticism against Trump’s projects, as it has given him another semiplausible justification for his actions. Much like the ballroom he’s constructing on the remains of the East Wing, Trump has taken to saying everything he’s doing ahead of July 4 is a gift to the American people. Painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue isn’t a sign of a bored, aging man who isn’t focused on running the country. It’s all part of the plan to make Washington beautiful again for this year’s Fourth of July festivities.
The same goes for painting bronze horse statues around the city and installing new fountains at Lafayette Park near the White House, offering no-bid contracts for the projects despite the potential misuse of taxpayer dollars. Most of these renovations won’t be fully done by July 4, of course, but that’s clearly beside the point. What matters is that Trump gets to enjoy pointing to them and saying that he did it, and maybe get a little plaque installed reminding everyone who was the perfect genius that came up with the idea.
This is just the latest iteration of a tic he picked up during his first term, when he started labeling everything in his orbit with “45” in honor of being the 45th president. During the 2024 campaign, Trump branding transitioned to including both 45 and 47, to preemptively claim the nonconsecutive titles. You can still dine at 45 Wine & Whiskey at Trump Tower if you so choose, but the trinkets and baubles on offer at the Trump Store are now more likely to have “47” emblazoned on them. (He’s also managed to get the next generation fighter jet from Boeing to be named the F-47, which feels embarrassing for everyone involved in that decision.)
For all the blatant self-promotion at work, though, it’s interesting that he at least realizes he needs the fig leaf the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence provides him. (He did manage to forget the reasoning when first pitching the Arc de Trump, as it’s been mockingly nicknamed. When asked who the arch would be built for last year when first presenting the idea, Trump answered: “Me.”) And yet, with the vast majority of musical acts dropping out of the “Great American State Fair” that a White House-backed group has planned, Trump has pivoted to making himself the main attraction, the marquee speaker at an event meant to be about America’s birth.
But in elevating himself to be of equal importance with the nation’s founding, Trump seems to be forgetting the inciting incident for the declaration’s drafting. It was crafted in the opposition of tyranny and in rejection of government tilted toward the whims of one man that America was born. While he may pretend that the monuments that he wants built are meant to glorify the nation and that ideal, Trump’s hijacking of America’s 250th birthday suggests he would prefer if we never left monarchy behind.
Judge orders Trump to respond to fraud claims over IRS lawsuit settlement
President Donald Trump dropped the suit, which sought $10 billion from the IRS, in a deal with the Justice Department to set up a fund that critics say could be used to pay his supporters.
A federal judge on Friday ordered President Donald Trump to address allegations that he committed fraud on the court in the settlement of his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and whether the deal was designed to improperly benefit Trump and his allies.
In her order, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams cited a request filed Wednesday by 35 former federal judges calling on her to reopen the case and look into whether the out-of-court settlement “is a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the Court.” In their court filing, the former judges say Trump and his co-plaintiffs failed to mention any plans of a settlement in their motion to withdraw the lawsuit against the IRS.
Earlier this month, Trump voluntarily withdrew his civil lawsuit against the IRS, in which he had sought $10 billion in damages from the agency over the leak of his past tax returns. Shortly after, the Justice Department announced it was creating an “anti-weaponization” fund as part of a settlement with Trump that establishes a pool of nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer money earmarked to compensate people who claim to be victims of the government’s “weaponization.” Through an addendum issued the next day, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also released Trump, his family and his companies from any tax liability accrued through mid-May.
“The Court was deceived,” the former judges wrote in their Wednesday court filing, noting that the Justice Department’s settlement was announced shortly after Trump’s attorneys filed to dismiss the lawsuit.
“That ‘settlement’ commandeers the contrived sum of $1.776 billion from the United States Treasury, to be handed out to recipients chosen by a commission effectively controlled by the President,” the former judges wrote.
The unprecedented compensation fund drew criticism from lawmakers from both parties.
House Democrats denounced the settlement as a “slush fund” and “super-pardon” created to benefit Trump and his family. Some lawmakers were concerned the funds would be awarded to people involved in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Politico reported on a bipartisan House effort to stop the “anti-weaponization” fund.
This week, Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., told reporters that he did not sign off on the creation of the fund and insisted that no taxpayer money be given to “any January 6 insurrectionist.”
“I do not think one penny of any fund should ever go to any January 6 insurrectionist that was in the Capitol,” Flood said Tuesday. “I want to be very clear: I do not think we should be creating a fund for people that commit physical violence against law enforcement.”
Williams, appointed to the bench by then-President Barack Obama, gave Trump’s attorneys until June 12 to respond to the fraud allegations and address whether the lawsuit should be reopened over fraud on the court.
Xavier Becerra advances in California governor race to replace Newsom
Jun. 5, 2026, 8:08 PM EDT By Julianne McShane
Xavier Becerra will advance to the general election in California’s gubernatorial race.
Becerra was barely leading the field when The Associated Press reported Friday he would go on to the general election. In second place with roughly 67% of the votes counted was former Fox News host Steve Hilton, trailed by billionaire businessman Tom Steyer.
The top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election.
Becerra previously served as the Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, was California attorney general from 2017 to 2021 and was a member of Congress for more than 20 years. He made a late-in-the-race surge in polling at 25% in late May, after coming in at 5% in early March.
The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom became wide open after former Vice President and California Sen. Kamala Harris and the state’s senior senator, Alex Padilla, chose not to run. The race was further shaken when some candidates who were gaining popularity became embroiled in scandals. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, viewed as a potential front-runner, dropped out after facing sexual misconduct allegations, while former Rep. Katie Porter came under scrutiny over allegations that she bullied staffers.
Recommended
News
A billionaire, a Cabinet secretary and a Fox News host walk into California governor’s race
Hunter Woodall
News
California’s woes at the center of debate among leading candidates for governor
The Associated Press
Steyer is a billionaire and hedge fund investor who launched a Democratic bid for presidency in 2020, branding himself as a progressive climate activist.
British-born Hilton is a registered Republican who received backing from President Donald Trump. In a Truth Social post earlier Tuesday, Trump wrote that Hilton “will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN.” California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was first elected in 2003.
The next governor of California will inherit a range of challenges, including an unstable state budget, an affordability crisis and the fallout from ongoing clashes with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Julianne McShane
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.
Sophie Cunningham turned heads off the court before dominating Angel Reese, Spurs-Knicks ticket price & Saban!
Sophie Cunningham finished with a +11 off the bench as Indiana dominated Atlanta on both ends of the floor
Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com.
We did it! We made it to another Friday. To the first weekend of June. Whew. Everyone can exhale now.
And hey! For June, we have a pretty loaded weekend on tap.
NBA Finals (for those interested)
Stanley Cup
Super Regionals
Memorial tournament
Belmont Stakes
Honestly? It's not the worst lineup you'll see this summer. We're also experiencing a rare June cold front down here in Florida, which is nice. By "cold front," I mean it's 82 instead of 92, but that makes a big difference this time of year.
So, yeah, we're rolling right now. A lot of momentum. Let's pump out one final class this week and get on outta here.
Welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark dominate Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream, both on and off the court. You'll see.
What else? I've got the best of the rest from a loaded week of #content, Scottie ripping his caddie a new one after a water ball off the tee, and more Nick Saban talk in June.
HERE'S WHY NICK SABAN AND NOTRE DAME'S PETE BEVACQUA ARE WRONG ABOUT NIL RUINING COLLEGE FOOTBALL
OK, grab you a veggie burger for National Veggie Burger Day — throw it straight into the trash and get a Bubba Burger instead — and THEN settle in for a Friday 'Cap!
Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Caitlin and Sophie set the tone and take Game 1
Let's spin the wheel and start with ... the WNBA! That's right.
Look, I normally wouldn't do it, but when Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and Angel Reese are all on the floor at the same time, I sort of have to. I'm nothing if not a sucker for the Google Algo.
The Fever won the first game of something called "The Commissioner's Cup" last night over Reese and the Dream. For those who don't know, that now makes Caitlin Clark 6-1 against Reese since the infamous finger-point in college, which I'm sure will delight most of you.
There were a few newsy moments from the game, most notably this little sequence in the first half that I reckon will now be used whenever an Angel Reese fan tries to say she's better than Caitlin Clark:
Lordy. Not great! Why is Angel Reese anywhere near the three-point line? Seems silly to me, but I admittedly ain't the biggest basketball fan.
The box score tells me that Reese finished with a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds), while Clark finished with 17 but shot just 6 of 17 from the floor. For those interested in the +/- stat, Reese was a -2, while Caitlin was a +2.
They all paled in comparison to Sophie, who finished with eight points off the bench and a +11 on the court.
WNBA'S SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM'S LATEST VIRAL ATTIRE CELEBRATES HER LOVE OF BBQ, CORNHOLE GOLF COURSE & HOT STEAKS!
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) plays in the first half against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 17, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
That's our girl! Remember where you met Sophie Cunningham first, boys and girls. Right here, in these spaces, last year.
She became famous last summer when she defended Clark after a hard foul, and it's been off to the races ever since.
Perhaps we should've known she was primed for a big game when she got to the arena dressed like someone ready to bash some skulls.
Choose your fighters, America:
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM BELTS OUT A GARTH BROOKS CLASSIC IN HER SHREDDED JORTS AT INDY BAR, PGA BEER PRICES & MEAT
