Obama and Bush Unite in Rare Move Against Trump Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush have joined forces to shoot down President Trump’s “colossal mistake” to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development. ....... The Trump administration cut around 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts during Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rampage back in February. Musk oversaw the depletion of the workforce from 10,000 to less than 300. ....... The agency will be absorbed by the state department, where it will be replaced by a new organization called America First........ Singer and activist Bono got in on the act, too. He recited a poem, specially written for the occasion, telling the crowd: “They called you crooks/When you were the best of us.” ........ a study published in The Lancet medical journal claims that USAID cuts could lead to 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030. ....... The study surmised that the agency had already prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, many of them children.
Makeup In U.S. Politics—Tracing From Nixon’s TV Debacle To Trump’s Signature Orange Visage
🎙️ The Power of the Camera: Nixon vs. Kennedy, 1960
On September 26, 1960, Vice President Richard Nixon faced Senator John F. Kennedy in the first-ever televised presidential debate. Under bright studio lights, Nixon, freshly out of the hospital, refused makeup. The result? Pallid skin, visible sweat, and a gray suit that nearly blended into the backdrop, making him look unwell and unrelatable (doctorzebra.com, en.wikipedia.org).
Contrast that with JFK: well-composed, tanned, confident—and camera-ready. Nixon’s own mother called after the debate, worried he was ill (en.wikipedia.org).
Kennedy won the visual battle—at least among TV viewers—a critical strike in one of the closest elections in modern history (Kennedy edged Nixon by just 0.17% in the popular vote) (en.wikipedia.org). After this, the lesson was clear: in televised politics, looking the part matters—often more than what’s being said.
💄 Trump’s Signature “Orange” Look
Fast forward to the 21st century: Donald Trump’s distinctive orange‑tan has become emblematic of his public image. Observers and makeup artists speculate that he applies heavy tanning products and foundation to project energy, strength, and a healthy appearance across countless televised events and intense lighting (kansasreflector.com).
🤔 Why the heavy makeup? With over a decade in the public eye—including reality TV and political campaigns—Trump likely relies on makeup to maintain a consistent look under varied lighting, conceal signs of aging, and portray vitality (kansasreflector.com).
🧴 What does he use? According to stylists, it’s a mix of spray tan, thick foundation, and possibly on-camera makeup. Articles even reference CHI Helmet Head spray and Just For Men dye to maintain coverage and the iconic hue (thetimes.co.uk).
📸 How much? Massive—Trump’s look suggests a heavy, full-coverage routine designed to withstand studio lights, cameras, and intense scrutiny . Reddit makeup artists note it's unusually overdone and poorly matched to his natural skin tone .
🔁 Has it always been like this? The “orange” aesthetic became widely noticed during his reality show years (early 2000s), then became entrenched through the 2010s during his presidential runs (kansasreflector.com). So yes—it’s been consistent for well over a decade.
🧠 Lessons from Nixon to Trump
Appearance influences perception
Nixon’s lack of makeup cost him votes; Trump’s make-up artistry is meant to avoid that pitfall—even if it sometimes backfires visually.
Televised presence is as strategic as speech
Nixon’s makeup refusal proved disastrous under new media norms. Trump embraced—and amplified—his image, shaping a visual brand as much as a political one (time.com, civicsforlife.org).
Makeup in politics is metaphoric
Beyond aesthetics, it reflects a candidate’s understanding of stagecraft—Trump with “MAGA glam,” Nixon with his aversion. Both used image choices to send messages, whether intentionally or not.
💬 Final Takeaway
Makeup in politics isn’t superficial—it’s strategic. Nixon’s televised stumble taught campaigns that neglecting image could cost votes. Trump’s bombastic, orange tone doubles as skin-care and show-business branding, signaling youthfulness, stamina, and theatricality—at times overtly so.
Whether you think it’s vanity—or political weaponry—one thing is clear: makeup matters. And in the age of 24/7 media, the face you present often speaks louder than your words.
Curious about other political appearances or how current candidates use image strategies? Leave a comment.
1/ 📺💄 From Nixon to Trump: The Power of Makeup in Politics Let’s talk about how makeup—yes, makeup—has shaped U.S. presidential history, from Richard Nixon’s sweaty disaster to Donald Trump’s iconic orange hue. 🧵#PoliticalHistory#Trump#Nixon#MediaMatters
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) July 1, 2025
Mamdani’s Victory: A Historic Moment, Not a Socialist Revolution
When Zohran Mamdani won his election, I’ll admit—I hadn’t taken a deep look at his platform. But now that I have, one thing stands out: it’s not the radical socialist program some corners might have painted it to be. Sure, there are several government programs on the agenda—but since when did that become the sole criteria for labeling someone a socialist?
Programs like free city buses aren’t controversial to me. In fact, I’ve been advocating for them for years. They encourage public transit use, reduce traffic congestion, are better for the environment, and save people money. Seeing this idea on Mamdani’s platform was a pleasant surprise—and a clear signal that he's thinking practically, not ideologically.
Let’s be clear: having government programs is not socialism. Neither is wanting a more equitable city. The debates over tax rates or the size of government are legitimate, ongoing conversations in any functioning democracy. But what matters most is whether the numbers add up, and whether the programs are designed with long-term impact in mind.
And then there’s his age. In a political landscape dominated by older generations, electing someone in his early 30s to a position of this scale is a breath of fresh air. It signals a shift—a generational one—and it’s exciting to see what that brings. Youth doesn’t mean inexperience; it can also mean energy, vision, and a closer connection to the issues of the present, not just the past.
Mamdani isn’t calling for the nationalization of companies. He’s not attacking entrepreneurship. If anything, a safer, more stable, and more affordable New York is good for business. Many of his proposals are grounded in making the city more livable for everyone, and that includes the small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who make NYC hum with economic energy.
This is a historic election. Let’s not lose sight of that. The role he now occupies is arguably the second most powerful directly elected office in the United States. And because this is New York City—the so-called capital of the world—this local election carries global resonance. It’s being watched in cities from Mumbai to Madrid, from Nairobi to São Paulo.
What happens next is the real question. As the saying goes, you campaign in poetry, but govern in prose. The hard work begins now, and the challenge will be translating the ideals into implementable policy without losing public trust—or momentum.
And of course, in the background looms another tantalizing question: Will Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez run for Senate? Or won’t she? That could be the next tectonic shift in New York politics.
For now, Mamdani’s win marks a new chapter—not an end, not a revolution, but a fresh start. Let’s see what prose he writes.
1/ When Zohran Mamdani won his election, I hadn’t really looked at his platform. Now that I have, here’s what I see: not a socialist revolution, but a serious, progressive policy agenda with some surprisingly practical ideas. @ZohranKMamdani@AOC
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 25, 2025
Here’s a breakdown of Mamdani’s major proposals and how they could be funded within NYC’s existing $112 billion budget:
NYC currently collects about $27 billion in taxes annually (en.wikipedia.org)
A $20 billion uptick would nearly double city-collected revenue—a major but not implausible shift if implemented fully and phased in over time.
✔️ 6. Existing fiscal safeguards
NYC maintains balanced budgets by law
Strong reserves and AA credit rating support fiscal flexibility (barrons.com)
FY 2025 features $2–3 billion in built-in savings (PEGs), with extra state/federal reimbursements, e.g., asylum seeker funds (comptroller.nyc.gov)
🧮 Quick summary table
Proposal
Approx. Cost
% of FY 2025 Budget
Fare-free buses
$650 million/year
0.6%
Trans health funding
$65 million/year
0.06%
Housing/rent measures
TBD (similar to $100–200 M)
~0.1–0.2%
Minimum wage raise (phased)
Progressive impact
Budgeted over years
Total estimated annual cost
$800–1,000 M+
~0.7–0.9% annually
These additions are less than 1% of the FY 2025 budget—and crucially, Mamdani plans to fund them via major revenue increases from high earners and corporations.
✅ So—do the numbers work?
Yes—on paper. The incremental costs are modest within the overall $112 billion budget. Funding depends on enacting large surtaxes and corporate tax hikes—ambitious but achievable with state approval and over a phased timeline.
Importantly, NYC already has $2–3 billion in savings built in, healthy reserves, and a balanced-budget requirement—giving space to make these moves without immediate disruption (osc.ny.gov, fr.wikipedia.org, barrons.com).
🧭 Bottom line
Mamdani’s agenda is fiscally plausible if key revenue measures are implemented. The added program costs are small relative to NYC’s total spending, and the city operates with strong fiscal checks and reserves. The real test won’t be math on paper—it’ll be political will, state-level approvals, and gradual implementation.
What do you think of this? A Radical Blueprint to Transform New York City into the World’s Greatest Metropolis https://t.co/IzOJs3h2R5
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 27, 2025
Please endorse this book: AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism https://t.co/OFT21hoLmW
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 27, 2025
The Corporate Democrat’s Biggest Nightmare He’s on the way to becoming mayor of New York City ........ Leave it to the Democratic Party to snatch existential crisis from the jaws of electoral victory. ....... It’s one thing for Trump to call Mamdani “a 100% Communist Lunatic.” That’s to be expected from the vulgarian-in-chief. It’s another for Matt Bennett, co-founder of the centrist Democratic group Third Way, to warn that Mamdani’s “affiliation with the (Democratic Socialists of America) is very dangerous.” ......... Dangerous for whom? Bernie Sanders nearly won the Democratic primary for the 2016 presidential election after announcing he was a democratic socialist — and probably would have won had the Democratic National Committee not torpedoed him. ............ Lawrence Summers, treasury secretary under former Democratic President Barack Obama, says the New York City results make him “profoundly alarmed about the future of the (Democratic Party) and the country.” ........ Well, I’m profoundly alarmed, too — by just this kind of vacuous statement. If polls are to be believed, the current Democratic Party doesn’t have much of a future. Mamdani and other young politicians with the charisma to connect with the people and a willingness to take on corporate America and Wall Street may be the only way forward for the Democrats. ........... Nor has the mainstream media greeted Mamdani’s upset victory with much enthusiasm. The Associated Press writes that “the party’s more pragmatic wing cast the outcome as a serious setback in their quest to broaden Democrats’ appeal.” .........
Pragmatic wing?
....... If it were pragmatic — in the sense of wanting to win elections and fire up the base — Democrats would not have lost the House, Senate, and presidency in 2024. .......... the Post criticizes Mamdani’s proposals for a 2 percent annual wealth tax on the richest 1 percent of New Yorkers and for increasing the state’s corporate tax rate from 7.25 percent to 11.5 percent: “Mamdani’s tax plans would spur a corporate exodus and drive more rich people out of town, undermining the tax base and making existing services harder to maintain.” ......... The reality is that if you invest in your people — in their skills, education, affordable child care, affordable elder care, and the infrastructure needed to link them together — they’ll be more productive, and their higher productivity will attract corporations (and the wealthy). A major way to afford all these things is to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy. ........ Mamdani is the corporate Democrat’s biggest nightmare — a young, charismatic politician winning over Democratic voters with an optimistic message centering on the cost of living. Putting together a multiethnic and multiracial coalition backed by a sprawling grassroots campaign that brings out enormous numbers of volunteers. Aiming to fund what average people need by taxing corporations and the rich. ............ Instead of wringing their hands over him, Democrats should follow his lead......... The largest force in American politics today is antiestablishment fury at a system rigged by big corporations and the wealthy to make them even richer and more powerful............ Trump is killing the economy, fueling inflation with his tariffs, reducing the U.S. government to rubble, and destroying our relationships with our allies. He’s readying another giant tax cut for the wealthy and big corporations — this one to be financed by cuts in Medicaid, food stamps, and other things average people need, along with trillions more in national debt. .......... If Democrats had had the guts years ago to condemn big money in politics, fight corporate welfare, and unrig a market that’s been rigged in favor of big corporations and the rich, Trump’s absurd bogeymen (the deep state, immigrants, socialists, trans people, diversity-equity-inclusion) wouldn’t have stood a chance. ........... most Americans don’t want a Trump Republican budget that slashes Medicaid, food stamps, and child nutrition in order to make way for a giant tax cut mostly for the wealthy. ......... Most don’t want tariffs that drive up the prices they pay for food, gas, housing, and clothing. Most understand that tariffs are taxes paid by American consumers. Most don’t want a government of, by, and for billionaires. Most believe in democracy and the rule of law and don’t want Trump trampling on the Constitution, acts of Congress, and federal court orders. ......... The nation is in clear and present danger. Democrats must stand up for American ideals at a time when the Trump regime is riding roughshod over them.
Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 New York City mayoral campaign platform focused on addressing the cost-of-living crisis for working-class New Yorkers through progressive, socialist-inspired policies. Key proposals included:
Rent Freeze: Freezing rent increases for over 2 million tenants in rent-stabilized apartments to prevent displacement and provide immediate financial relief.
Free Public Buses: Expanding a successful fare-free bus pilot program citywide to increase ridership, reduce violence against drivers, and ease transit costs. Estimated cost: $900 million annually.
Universal No-Cost Childcare: Offering free childcare for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years to support working parents and boost the economy. Estimated cost: $2–$7 billion annually.
City-Owned Grocery Stores: Establishing five municipal grocery stores (one per borough) to sell affordable staples at wholesale prices, addressing food deserts and price gouging. Estimated cost: $60 million.
Affordable Housing: Tripling the city’s production of permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes, including 200,000 new public housing units.
Raising Minimum Wage: Increasing the city’s minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030.
Tax Increases: Funding these initiatives by raising $10 billion through higher taxes on corporations (to 11.5%) and a 2% flat tax on incomes over $1 million, plus hiring more tax auditors and cracking down on corrupt landlords.
Community Safety: Creating a Department of Community Safety to prevent violence through mental health and crisis response programs, reducing reliance on police.
Trump-Proofing NYC: Strengthening sanctuary city policies by expelling ICE from city facilities, increasing legal support for immigrants, and protecting LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights.
Mamdani’s platform, endorsed by economists like Yanis Varoufakis and backed by progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, aimed to reject austerity and make life more affordable. Critics, including business leaders and opponents like Andrew Cuomo, argued the proposals were fiscally unrealistic and underestimated costs, requiring state approvals unlikely from Governor Kathy Hochul.
In N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race, Mamdani Responds to a Call for His Deportation Vickie Paladino, a councilwoman from Queens, called Zohran Mamdani a “radical leftist” who hates America, and warned against “future Zohrans.” ......... a Republican city councilwoman from Queens called for him to be deported. (Mr. Mamdani is a U.S. citizen.)
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 25, 2025
Congratulations to @ZohranKMamdani, our Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City!
His was a campaign powered by the people, and the people made their voices heard. New Yorkers are ready for a city we can all afford. Now it is time to bring our city together and win! pic.twitter.com/yjB6sj8lyR
This means a great deal to me, @ewarren. Thank you for your leadership, your fight for working families, and your support. https://t.co/BOVb6hO4Wr
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 25, 2025
“Voters in New York City demanded change and, with Zohran’s triumph, we have a direct repudiation of Donald Trump’s politics of tax cuts and authoritarianism.” https://t.co/prLA6Rmm5Y
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 25, 2025
Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani and his thousands of grassroots supporters for their extraordinary campaign. You took on the political, economic and media Establishment- and you beat them. Now it’s on to victory in the general election.
