“I Want Him Impeached Now”: Former Trump Supporters Are Revealing Exactly When They Changed Their Minds
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Dropkick Murphys show video of “loser” Trump, Jeffrey Epstein at Warped Tour
The Celtic punk band has generated headlines in recent months for pulling out of a festival over the organizer’s ties to Republican politics. They upped the ante during a performance at the revived Vans Warped Tour over the weekend. The screen showed clips of Epstein and Trump together as well as quotes from the president where he called the late trafficker a “terrific guy” who likes “beautiful women…on the younger side”
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
Dropkick Murphys have made no secret of their dislike of President Donald Trump.
The Celtic punk band has generated headlines in recent months for pulling out of a festival over the organizer’s ties to Republican politics and hectoring fans for their Trump merch. They upped the ante during a performance at the revived Vans Warped Tour over the weekend, projecting video of Trump and the convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein over a performance of their song “First Class Loser.”
As frontman Ken Casey sang about “a bully” and “a jerk,” the screen showed clips of Epstein and Trump together as well as quotes from the president where he called the late trafficker a “terrific guy” who likes “beautiful women…on the younger side.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Dropkick Murphys are far from the first musicians to share their feelings about Trump. Bruce Springsteen used his massive platform to campaign for his opponent in the last election. Neil Young jumped on the commander-in-chief for wasting his time squabbling with artists in May.
“Stop thinking about what rockers are saying,” Young wrote. “Think about saving America from the mess you made. Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel.”
You can watch the moment below via Instagram:
The post Dropkick Murphys show video of “loser” Trump, Jeffrey Epstein at Warped Tour appeared first on Salon.com.
Putin stalls. Trump changes his mind. Ukraine targets Moscow. Latest on the war.
Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine has seen Moscow make its largest territorial gains in Ukraine since the start of the year. Moscow still controls Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and about two-thirds of Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Russia has substantially increased its use of drone attacks, and missiles and shells, on Ukraine. Trump has appeared to change his tune on Ukraine and Putin as the Russian leader has pushed forward with drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. The relationship between Putin and Trump has soured, and a broad coalition of U.S. lawmakers has lined up ready to place new aggressive sanctions on Russia. The White House has changed its mind about sending weapons to Ukraine and has threatened “severe” economic penalties on Moscow if it does not commit to a ceasefire by early September. But there’s little doubt that Moscow, for now, is on the back foot, and perhaps even more so now, even if the White House won’t comment on the issue.. The battle for Ukraine is still raging, and Russia is still winning.
Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine has seen Moscow make its largest territorial gains in Ukraine since the start of the year, according to the Ukrainian open-source DeepState website and estimates by the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, D.C., that specializes in military affairs and warfare.
In the past month, Russian military units concentrated in Ukraine’s Sumy region, which borders Russia in the northeast, the eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka, and Zaporizhzhia in the south, have gained about 200 square miles, according to data from the war study institute. That’s an area a little larger than the size of Atlanta.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Does that mean Russia is prevailing? Not really. It’s not that simple. Here’s the latest on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Why is Russia gaining ground in Ukraine?
Ukraine has liberated about 7% of the territory Russia occupied before and after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Ukrainian estimates and DeepState. That leaves about 19% still in Russian hands. Moscow still controls Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and about two-thirds of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a vast and heavily industrialized region which remains the center of the ground war.
Russia has long had the upper hand in the war in terms of military manpower, but analysts say Moscow has suffered more casualties, and its loss of equipment − vehicles, artillery, tanks − also has been at a higher rate than Ukraine’s. Though Russia has been advancing in recent months, those gains have been relatively slow and small, amounting to less than 0.1% of Ukraine’s territory in July, according to a manual calculation.
Still, one reason Russia may have been able to make progress, according to the war study institute, is that Russia has substantially increased its use of drone attacks, and missiles and shells, on Ukraine. These grew at an average monthly rate of 31% in June and July. Russia has been using drones to pin down Ukrainian troops.
No, then yes, to more American weapons for Ukraine. Why?
President Donald Trump began his second term promising to end the war in Ukraine in his first 24 hours in office. He quickly halted the flow of military aid to Kyiv and temporarily stopped sharing some intelligence. He also cast blame on Ukraine for the war, giving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a public dressing down in the Oval Office when he tried to push back on that assertion and counter Trump by saying Putin was not a reliable negotiator.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Since then, the leaders have revised their stances and welcomed more nuance in their discussions.
The war is still raging. Trump has appeared to change his tune on Ukraine and Putin as the Russian leader has pushed forward with drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s attempts to broker a ceasefire. In early July, Trump said he would resume shipping arms to Ukraine. He also announced a new arrangement with NATO that will see the military alliance transfer advanced U.S.-made air defense systems to Kyiv.
He also altered his attitude about the Russian leader.
“He’s very nice to us all the time,” Trump said July 9. “But it turns out to be meaningless.”
What about the diplomacy?
Two rounds of Trump-brokered ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia have come to nothing. As the relationship between Putin and Trump has soured, a broad coalition of U.S. lawmakers has lined up ready to place new aggressive sanctions on Russia. Trump also has threatened “severe” economic penalties on Moscow if it does not commit to a ceasefire by early September. The Kremlin has dismissed this as “bluster.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
The Russian government has suggested that Trump and Putin could meet in Beijing in September when Russia’s leader is there for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Moscow said it had not heard whether Trump plans to attend.
The White House has not commented.
But there’s little doubt Moscow, for now, is on the back foot geopolitically, and perhaps even militarily.
Zelenskyy and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot recently announced in Kyiv a series of manufacturing deals with French companies that will launch drone production in Ukraine. On July 21, Russia launched its latest barrage of drones and missiles at Kyiv. But Ukraine is also fighting back in ways increasingly difficult for Moscow to ignore. Videos published by Russian media showed people sleeping on the floor of Sheremetyevo, Russia’s busiest airport, amid long lines and canceled flights after Ukraine bombarded it with drones.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine-Russia war: Who’s winning now and what could happen next
MAGA Turns on Trump After His Latest Desperate Epstein Post
Supporters of President Donald Trump are turning on him after he ordered MAGA to move on from the controversy surrounding the Epstein files. Trump’s Saturday Truth Social post, in which he pleaded for his allies to stop attacking Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to release the much-anticipated Epstein files, came in for harsh criticism. Now, some of his supporters are aiming their attacks not just at Bondi, but at the president, too. “This is how things go from bad to worse,” right-wing conservative commentator Benny Johnson said in a Saturday podcast launched after Trump’s post. Some MAGA supporters are also reportedly burning their MAGA hats in response to the president’s latest tirade. The president”s former director of communications, Andrew Schulz, implored Trump to “read the room’ and ‘read the damn files.’” “The president has been facing increasing pressure from his base to change course to change the course of the investigation into the disgraced financier,’ he said.
Several prominent Trump supporters have hit back in response to Trump’s Saturday Truth Social post, in which he pleaded for his allies to stop attacking Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to release the much-anticipated Epstein files. Now, some of his supporters are aiming their attacks not just at Bondi, but at the president, too.
“This is how things go from bad to worse,” right-wing conservative commentator Benny Johnson said in a Saturday podcast launched after Trump’s post. “It just went thermonuclear with President Trump taking a side in the epic battle royale between Dan Bongino and Pam Bondi.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Former DOGE adviser Elon Musk joined in, tweeting that Trump should “just release the files as promised,” adding the Epstein saga “is a very big deal.”
American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997. / Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images
Fractures have been appearing all over the MAGA sphere this week in the wake of the joint announcement from the Department of Justice and the FBI that Epstein’s infamous client list did not exist, and that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and was not murdered as part of an elaborate cover-up.
At the heart of the civil war: Attorney General Bondi, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, and FBI Director Kash Patel. Bongino is said to be pondering resignation over Bondi’s handling of the case. Trump mentioned Bondi and Patel in his Truth Social post, but Bongino was noticeably absent.
“I’m sure it’s a relief for Pam Bondi to hear the president is still in her corner,” Megyn Kelly tweeted. “Unfortunately, huge swaths of the party are not. She repeatedly misled on Epstein. Then didn’t have the courage to explain herself. Suddenly, she’s camera shy & no Qs allowed. Good luck!”
Trump looks on as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. / Ken Cedeno / REUTERS
Even Fox News wasn’t convinced by Trump’s latest tirade, posting a stream of reactions from young conservatives at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit who claim it is “not a good look for the president at all.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“I do not agree with the president,” a number of those interviewed said.
“I think there’s a lot of instances where the president should keep his mouth closed,” said another.
Nick Fuentes, a prominent white supremacist influencer and known supporter of the president, tweeted, “So now Trump is claiming the Epstein files are a Democrat hoax? Lol. MAGA is dead. Good riddance.” Another MAGA influencer, Evan Kilgore, posted his own lament, writing, ”I feel totally betrayed. Who else?” and ”RIP to Donald Trump’s legacy.”
The president’s own post came in for harsh criticism from supporters on Truth Social, demanding accountability and warning Trump he was losing his MAGA base.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Some MAGA supporters are also reportedly burning their MAGA hats in response.
From left, American real estate developer Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 12, 2000. / Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images
The president has been facing increasing pressure from his base to change course on his administration’s handling of the investigation into the disgraced financier’s death since the memo was released.
Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon demanded Wednesday that Trump hire a special prosecutor to initiate a probe into the files, while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said that the DOJ and FBI both had “more explaining to do.”
Celebrity Trump supporters also chimed in, with podcaster Andrew Schulz condemning the Trump administration and actor Roseanne Barr imploring Trump to “read the damn room.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Trump’s former director of communications told CNN Saturday that she had been watching in astonishment as Trump ignored his base this week.
“This is the first time I can really remember that Trump is sidestepping his base and not doing what they’re very vocally asking him to do,” Alyssa Farah Griffin said.
“If Donald Trump wants all of the information the government has on Jeffrey Epstein to be released, he can make that available—he can direct the attorney general to release it,” she explained. ”So the fact he’s not, I think, raises a lot of questions. And this is an issue this White House is not going to be able to make go away overnight.”
This Elderly Trump Supporter’s Analysis Of What Trump Did To America Is Going Viral
An elderly voter called in to C‑SPAN and delivered a *heartfelt* speech about what Trump has done to America. “Mr. Trump, I am so very disappointed in you. I voted for you, and you have just turned us into a bunch of hateful, mean, horrible people,” she said. “I probably won’t be here for the next election, but my goodness, I’ll never, ever vote Republican,” she added. “This country is just going in the wrong direction, and it just saddens my heart,” she continued. “It hurts to see what Trump is doing to America,” another person said.
CHRISTOPHER FURLONG / POOL/AFP via Getty Images
That call is going viral:
CSPAN/RpsAgainstTrump/Twitter: @RpsAgainstTrump
Related: AOC Just Tweeted What So Many Are Thinking After Trump’s Sudden 180 On The Epstein Files
“Mr. Trump, I am so very disappointed in you. I voted for you, and you have just turned us into a bunch of hateful, mean, horrible people. You know, I know we’ve got too many immigrants in this country, but my goodness, we don’t have to be mean to them. That’s not what this country is built on,” she said. “I probably won’t be here for the next election, but my goodness, I’ll never, ever vote Republican, and I’ve been voting for 80 years. I don’t know, this country is just going in the wrong direction, and it just saddens my heart.”
Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
Now, let’s look at reactions…
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
You have a bunch of people in agreement: “100% AGREED! I feel the same exact way!”
Related: “You Have No Principles Or Backbone”: 22 Tweets Calling Out The Dystopia That Is American Politics This Week
“It hurts to see what Trump is doing to America,” another person said.
And this person commented: “Welcome to the light.”
Related: 14 MAGA Voters Are Finally Realizing What They Voted For, And The Stories Are Shocking
Other people are asking, “This is who Trump has been. How did you miss that?”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“She knew what Trump was, and if she didn’t, that’s on her,” another person tweeted.
This person replied: “It’s almost like we warned them?”
Related: “You Have The Nerve To Call Yourself Christian”: The Internet Is Finding It Hard To Sympathize With This Trump Supporter Who Is Suddenly Worried About Access To Healthcare Now That She Might Lose Hers
And this person said, “She is getting exactly what she voted for.”
Thoughts, feelings, etc.?
Also in In the News: “This Is So Weird”: People Cannot Believe What This MAGA Influencer Said To A Young Girl Asking About Her Future
Also in In the News: A Video Of Obama Exposing MAGA’s Double Standards Is Going Viral, And It’s A Startling Reminder Of Just How Much Things Have Changed
Also in In the News: “Wake Up America”: 28 Of The Very, Very Best Political Tweets Of The Week
Read it on BuzzFeed.com
WSJ says Trump wrote racy birthday letter to Epstein. The president says it never happened.
The letter was part of a book of messages organized by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Maxwell was convicted 16 years later in 2019 for aiding Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors. The president denied to the Journal that he wrote the letter or drew the picture and threatened to sue the newspaper if it published an article about it. Trump had spoken positively about Epstein before his first arrest in 2006 but has since downplayed their relationship. Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it considered the Epstein investigation closed, and refuted theories that he had a “client list” that could have been used to blackmail wealthy associates. The announcement sparked a backlash from some of Trump’s most ardent supporters that the administration has sought to quell.
The letter, which the president says is “fake,” was part of a book of messages organized by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday, the Journal reported. Maxwell was convicted 16 years later in 2019 for aiding Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors.
The report offers a new detail about Trump’s relationship to Epstein following the announcement by the Justice Department that it would not release background materials from the investigation of the accused sex trafficker — a conclusion that infuriated people who have long hoped for further disclosures about the case.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
According to The Wall Street Journal, the letter signed by Trump wishes Epstein a happy birthday and tells him, “may every day be another wonderful secret.” The letter featured lines of typewritten text framed by a drawing of a naked woman, with Trump’s name signed below the woman’s waist.
The president denied to the Journal that he wrote the letter or drew the picture and threatened to sue the newspaper if it published an article about it.
“I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” he told the Journal. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
Vice President JD Vance quickly came to the president’s defense shortly after the story was published, calling the story “complete and utter bullshit.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it,” Vance said in a social media post. “Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?”
Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution charges in a Florida state court in 2008. In 2019, he was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking minors prior to dying in jail. He died later that year in jail in what authorities concluded was a suicide.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it considered the Epstein investigation closed, and refuted theories that he had a “client list” that could have been used to blackmail wealthy associates. The announcement sparked a backlash from some of Trump’s most ardent supporters that the administration has sought scrambling to quell.
It has long been reported that Trump’s name appeared in documents related to the Epstein investigation, though the president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the case. Trump had spoken positively about Epstein before his first arrest in 2006 but has since downplayed their relationship.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has called on the White House to appoint a special counsel to handle the release of the Epstein files, also called the letter “totally fake.”
“I’m calling bullshit on this Trump “birthday letter” to Epstein. It’s totally fake. Everyone who actually KNOWS President Trump knows he doesn’t type letters,” she said on X.