Trump Criticizes Swift, Pelosi’s Daughter, and Milwaukee

Former President Donald Trump reportedly targeted Taylor Swift, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the city of Milwaukee during a meeting with House Republicans on Thursday. In this session, Trump also shared his plans to target traditionally blue states in his presidential campaign and reiterated his proposal for more tariffs if reelected.

“Why would she endorse this dope?” Trump said of Swift, who has not endorsed Biden’s reelection campaign, according to CNN, which cited sources present at the meeting. Trump’s remarks indicate ongoing resentment over Swift’s endorsement of Biden in 2020. In a recent interview for a book on “The Apprentice” series, Trump had previously praised Swift as “unusually beautiful” and questioned her political leanings.

Trump also called Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, a “whacko,” referencing an alleged comment she made about her mother and Trump being a good couple—a claim Christine Pelosi denied on social media, describing Trump as “unwell, unhinged and unfit.”

During the meeting, Trump suggested an “all tariff policy” to replace income taxes, as reported by CNBC, and proposed using tariffs as a tool for negotiation. He expressed confidence in winning traditionally Democratic states like New Jersey, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Virginia, as per The Washington Post.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., mentioned that Trump discussed border policies, economic improvement, and inflation reduction, while urging Republicans to advocate for exceptions to abortion laws. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., described the meeting to The Wall Street Journal as a “pep talk” and noted it was more humorous than policy-focused.

Trump also criticized Milwaukee, the site of the upcoming Republican National Convention, calling it a “horrible city,” according to multiple sources. However, Republicans offered differing defenses: Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., denied Trump made the remarks; Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Minn., suggested Trump was referring to Milwaukee’s crime rate; and Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., linked Trump’s comments to concerns about election integrity. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed the report as “total bulls—t,” asserting Trump was discussing crime and voter fraud issues.

Trump’s visit to Capitol Hill on Thursday was his first since the January 6 Capitol riots. He started the day with a breakfast meeting with House Republicans and planned to meet Senate Republicans later at the National Republican Senatorial Committee headquarters. These meetings aimed to rally GOP lawmakers and sway any remaining skeptics as the campaign season intensifies. This was also Trump’s first formal engagement with GOP lawmakers since his conviction last month in Manhattan on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a potential running mate for Trump, described the meeting as a “unifying event,” expressing gratitude for Trump’s willingness to answer questions from colleagues. However, Trump faced strong criticism from Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who chaired the House Jan. 6 committee. Thompson condemned Trump’s presence on Capitol Hill, accusing him of having “no regard for democracy” and criticizing Congressional Republicans for allowing Trump to return to the scene of the January 6 insurrection.