Donald Trump sparks alarm by asserting uncommon prime-time deal with for ‘actually massive information’

Trump has been coy about the details – but it’s unusual for him to do an address to the nation from the Oval Office. Here’s everything you need to know about that and all the latest from Trumpworld

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Donald Trump has been teasing a rare-prime time address he’s scheduled to deliver this week with some “really big news”.

It’s the kind of event that could just be a Trump-style nothingburger. A fresh trip down the President’s bottomless rabbit hole of election denial, and his absolute refusal to accept that he was beaten by Joe Biden in 2020.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s going to be the first act in the downfall of the Republic.

Meanwhile, it has been another TACO Tuesday – with Trump backing down from a major standoff over Iran. As Washington reels from the sudden death of Lindsey Graham, Trump, for once, found a conspiracy theory he doesn’t like. And after weeks of stories about Trump making money out of the Presidency, we finally have one about Trump paying $5m to someone else.

Here’s everything you need to know

US braces for Trump’s address to the nation

Donald Trump has scheduled a rare prime-time address to the Nation on Thursday evening – and it could have terrifying ramifications for American democracy. Trump has been asked about it a couple of times this week, but he’s been coy about the actual content of the speech. This afternoon in the Oval Office he nodded to it being related to “voting machines”, and “free and fair elections.” Without giving specific details, he said it was “really, really big news.”

That sounds ominous

It does. And coming from Trump himself, you can kind of imagine it being a massive nothingburger, or the opening act in the downfall of the republic. So here’s the background. Tulsi Gabbard’s departure as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Trump raised a bunch of eyebrows by installing Bill Pulte – a dramatically unqualified golf buddy – as “interim” DNI. Trump said all along that Pluto’s time in the role would be temporary, and he’d be replaced by someone else later in the year. But for now, he’s got someone lapdog loyal to him in charge of America’s intelligence apparatus. Trump reportedly set Pulte to work, tasking him with finding proof that would back up his repeated false claims of election theft in 2020. “Bill is just there for a fairly short period of time,” Trump said a couple of weeks ago. “But while he’s there, I said you can declassify whatever you want.”

So…he’s going to try and interfere with the Midterms, right?

Well, maybe. Administration officials have told US media outlets that Trump would discuss newly declassified intelligence related to the 2020 election, and that his speech would focus on national elections and what they see as “flaws” in voting machines that could permit foreign governments to interfere in the vote counting process.

Hang on…voting machines?

Yep. Cast your minds back to all of…Thursday last week and you’ll recall that Trump fired all the remaining board members of the independent watchdog that monitors…voting machines. The Election Assistance Commission is responsible for maintaining voter registration forms and certifying voting machines and equipment. It was formed after the farce of the 2000 election, where the result took weeks to be finalised because of recounts and court challenges in Florida. The White House said Trump “reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted.”

Should we be alarmed?

So far nobody I’ve spoken to is legitimately alarmed about Thursday’s speech. Most of it is par for the course for Trump – and in all likelihood there will be absolutely nothing that would back up his claim that he won the 2020 election. Joe Biden won it, by quite a lot of votes. But you’ve got to wonder what he wants to accomplish with this move. Is it just a bid to pressure congress into letting his SAVE America Act – itself a blatant attempt to fiddle with American elections – the Midterms and beyond. Or…is it something a little more alarming than that? There’s no legal route for Trump to interfere in the Midterms directly, or to order states to change how they manage their elections. But not to be alarmist, but that’s almost always the case the day before…you know…things change.

Georgia on his mind?

There have also been rumours flying around that Trump plans to go after Georgia’s democratic senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Ossoff is up for re-election in November, and is up against Trump-backed election denier Mike Collins for Georgia’s junior seat. Then earlier this week there was a tweet from the Washington Reporter, which claimed Trump was “planning to announce that Georgia’s two senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are illegitimate because of fraud.” This was later walked back, after the White House told the Washington Reporter Thursday’s speech would not focus on Georgia’s 2020 elections. But John Ossoff – whom a lot of people are tipping for a 2028 run – had a lot to say about it. “Donald Trump’s spiral continues,” he said on Twitter. “The failed president, pocketing billions as he drives up prices, is afraid to lose the midterms. So he will reheat debunked election conspiracy theories and tell bizarre new lies to deny his 2020 defeat and attack voting rights. This is a disaster for Trump puppet Mike Collins. Already mired in scandal, Mike will now have to double down on conspiracy theories toxic in the General Election. From the start, Trump’s obsession with Georgia elections revealed his fury that Black voters were instrumental to his defeat. I’m asking concerned citizens nationwide to join me and support our voter protection efforts in Georgia.”

Meanwhile, Trump backed down on his Strait of Hormuz toll

Happy Taco Tuesday, everyone.

Trump announced I guess yesterday that he planned to slap a tax of 20% on oil transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, to repay America for being the Guardian of the Strait. Guardian of the Strait, for what it’s worth, sounds like the world’s most poorly dressed superhero. Anyway, barely 24 hours later, he posted on Truth Social that he was scrapping that idea – something he’s been toying with for months – and replacing it with “Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future.” Uh huh. You want guac with that?

Trump found a conspiracy theory he didn’t buy

Trump was asked in the Oval Office why the FBI were investigating the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham over the weekend. Presumably the reporter was hoping Trump would launch into one of his wild, untrammelled “many people are saying” flights of fancy. But…no. He said he doesn’t know why the FBI is looking into Graham’s death. The president said the late South Carolina senator had “a problem” and that what ultimately took his life “is actually something that’s very hard to detect.” A preliminary medical examiner’s report said Graham suffered a tear in his aorta. Trump said he’s watched medical reports about Graham’s case and had White House doctors explain to him what happened. “And this is something that is very almost undetectable,” Trump said, adding that there’s not much that can be done about a torn aorta. “So I don’t see a lot of evil there. I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, and I don’t think the FBI, I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing it,” Trump said of an investigation.

Today, Donald Trump is $5 million poorer

The writer E. Jean Carroll has collected over $5.6 million that a jury awarded in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, court records and her lawyers said. The payment — representing the $5 million jury award, plus interest — was made Monday from an account where it had been held in escrow since the 2023 verdict, according to court records. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the payment Tuesday. “We are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment,” Kaplan said in a statement. Carroll herself later wrote on Substack that “the eagle has landed.” Trump’s lawyers have vowed to continue appealing.