Congress Returns To Trump Breaking The Cease Fire, Attacking The Pope, Orban Falling, Melania Going Rogue, And Inflation Exploding

After our big win in Hungary, we must notch another in Virginia - join our Thursday night phonebank!

Morning all. From reading the news this morning it’s pretty clear Congressional Republicans are in deep denial about how the ground has shifted in recent weeks. No hearings are planned for Trump’s failed war, Russia and China coming to Iran’s aid, spiraling inflation, a weakening economy, or Trump’s increasingly deranged and unhinged behavior. Instead they are going to try to put lipstick on their unpopular and destructive legislative pig - the big ugly bill; try to pass DHS/ICE/CBP funding without any reforms of ICE; and appear about to double down on the failed and unpopular war that has caused a dangerous global geopolitical and economic crisis, has caused inflation to soar, and is doing even more harm to America’s farmers already suffering under the tariffs, disappearing markets, and rising health care costs and a degraded health care system.

Putting their vulnerable incumbents on the record for all that would be extraordinary political malpractice but it appears to be where Republicans are headed this week.

Meanwhile Trump’s failed war continues to fail; he just suffered a global humiliation in Hungary; and last night his commentary raised fresh questions about this deteriorating mental health as he posted all night long - all night - attacked the Pope repeatedly, and posted this too:

Watch this video from his return to DC last night. He responds to a question about his repeated attacks on Pope Leo by talking about COVID. It’s completely unhinged:

This is from Washington Post’s homepage this am:

Here’s a live shot of the Republican House leadership meeting this morning:

As I argued last week Trump is the crisis. His war has created a global economic crisis and a political crisis for Republicans here at home. Today the Cook Report pushed four Senate races towards the Democrats. In our town this is the official declaration that “The Senate is in play and Republicans are in trouble”:

And a new poll from Iowa this morning shows the statewide races there competitive. Republicans are going to be defending seats this election they never imagined would be in play.

As we’ve been discussing, the electoral arms of the White House and Congressional Republicans have acknowledged this significant deterioration of the battlefield by announcing enormous SuperPAC summer and fall spending. I think the real question now is what happens in Congress these next few weeks as they grapple with the cascading sense of failure and collapse from Trump world. I mean look at this data from our Friday post:

Can they really keep pretending this isn’t happening? That the war will just magically end and things will snap back to where they used to be? That Trump isn’t in some kind of profound and dangerous psychological meltdown?

Look at this passage from a Politico story this morning - magical, delusional thinking:

She played down fears that the Iran conflict could weigh on the GOP’s tax-cut messaging, calling them “separate issues.” But GOP lawmakers have acknowledged concern that rising gas prices could make it harder for their party to claim it has made life more affordable for Americans.

Republicans, Malliotakis said, “need to ensure that the spike is only temporary and that we get those prices back down as soon as possible so we have all three: low taxes, affordable gas and a safer nation.”

Trump has implemented one of the largest tax increases in American history, his tariffs; gas ain’t coming down any time soon even if the war ends; and a safer nation? Yes things got safer for America yesterday because Putin’s man in Europe got routed……

I am writing all this today because I’m honestly surprised with the level of denial we are seeing from Republican leaders today.. For given their huge new ad spending they understand where they are now. But on the Hill they are proceeding as if nothing has changed, all will be well, just need to keep our heads down and keep grinding and hope/pray that things will somehow get better. I just don’t now much longer they can hang with that strategy and with Trump. For just as Trump could not save Orban, or defeat Iran, or take Greenland, or prevent inflation from exploding, Trump is not going to be able to save Republicans from a terrible midterm - and they all know it.

Time will tell if they change course and start challenging this failed regime far more directly. I am not sure they have any other choice.

My friends, this is a year of opportunity for our pro-democracy warriors here in America. Let us go seize it, together…..

Now, Let’s Get To Work Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map

Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $570,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new ambitious, audacious even, q2 goal) - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with one click | You can meet and get to know these House flipping candidates by watching our recently recorded Hopium interviews with each.

So far we’ve sat down with Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Rebecca Cooke (WI-3), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and should rounding out the rest in the coming weeks. If you are looking for inspiration this weekend watch a few of these interviews - I promise they great candidates will get you excited about our opportunities this November!

Huge shout-out to the team at FridayAction. Our recent event together has now raised $97,000 for our House candidates - amazing, amazing stuff! That total is included in our new remarkable fundraising total, as is the money given to each individual House candidate in recent weeks.

James Talarico For Texas - $56,900 raised, $250,000 - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my inspiring interview with Rep. Talarico as he fights to turn Texas blue

Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $82,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my uplifting conversation with Mary Peltola as she fights to turn Alaska blue

Winning Ohio - $119,900 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party. Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue, and watch my new discussion with our good friend David Pepper, now our candidate for Lt. Gov in Ohio. This total includes $21,00 sent by a Hopium community member directly to each of our three Buckeye State partners!

Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $104,200 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my new discussion with Gov. Cooper as he fights to turn North Carolina blue

Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $165,800 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff

Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $517,400 raised, $750,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, all now central battlegrounds in the 2026 election. Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up!

Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $20,000 to each of our five state parties over the past two years.

Advocate For The Hopium Agenda/Pass Resolutions Of Condemnation In Your Community/VA Vote Yes Phonebanks Thursday

We had hundreds of people join us last Thursday night for the first of our two Yote Yes phonebanks. We made over 50,000 dials, and had 5,000 conversations with voters. We, the members of this plucky and patriotic community, reached 5,000 voters in just a few hours. I want to double that this Thursday, and note that when we reach 5,000 voters, or 10,000 this week, we are reaching far, far more than that as each person we touch will touch many others in these critical, closing days.

Sign up for our phonebank this Thursday at 530pm here - let’s blow this one out everyone!

There are a few more ways to go to work in the coming days - call your leaders and advocate for elements of our working, ever evolving Hopium Agenda; bring resolutions that condemn our Mad King and lets facts be spoken to a candid world to your state or local government.

Here’s our working Hopium Post-Iran Disaster Agenda:

• Work to end this new gulf war and Trump’s Imperial global ambitions

• Support Ukraine and Europe, not Russia

• Roll back the new, illegal tariffs

• Rescind the Trump tax cuts, claw back the extra ICE funding

• Make the US a clean energy superpower, fight for true energy independence, and lower utility and energy prices for the American people

• Rein in ICE, end Mass Deportation

• End Trump’s destructive war on science, research, our health scare system and our public Health

• Make clear to American farmers that we want to end the failed war, repeal the terrible tariffs, find legal pathways for farm workers, and make health care and energy more affordable

This week our calls should clearly focus on reining in the illegal war in the Middle East and ICE here at home, and rescinding the tariffs that are doing so much damage to our economy.

And please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.

Keep working hard all. We have a country to save and an election to win, together - Simon