President Donald Trump has a vendetta against the Presidio, a San Francisco national park site with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge that is supported by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump already fired the federal workers who maintain the site — and now one of his longtime lobbyists, a self-described “dirty trickster,” may be helping a Native American group get it.

“In a lobbying disclosure form filed on Monday, Stone’s firm, Drake Ventures, reported that the [Muwekma Ohlone Tribe] had paid it $30,000 for services in the first quarter of this year and another $20,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025,” according to public records obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday.

The report added, “The filing, which doesn’t have any specific information about what the lobbying efforts consist of or whether it’s related to the Presidio, comes nearly two weeks after President Trump terminated the national park’s Board of Trustees.”

The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has fought for 45 years to be added to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ official list of recognized tribes, and has called on Trump to “return the Presidio to indigenous care.” The tribal leaders explicitly argue the Presidio should be turned over to them.

“As the current administration works to eliminate the Presidio Trust as part of its effort to streamline the federal workforce, we stand ready to offer a cost-effective, environmentally responsible solution to filling the stewardship void,” tribal chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh stated in March.

“It’s possible that the hiring of Stone could be part of the tribe’s aggressive efforts to obtain federal recognition, a campaign that prompted a confrontation with members of Congress in January 2023 and has generated conflict with other local tribal leaders,” the San Francisco Chronicle wrote. “Recognition would give the tribe’s members new legitimacy, access to federal funds, the ability to purchase land and potentially even lucrative gaming rights.”

Trump holds a grudge against the Presidio because of Pelosi’s involvement with it, including refusing to appoint a seventh member to the Trust’s board of directors and then firing the six remaining members.

“The 1,500-acre recreation hub is one of the country’s greatest public parks,” the SFGate’s Travel Editor Silas Valentino opined about Trump’s policies toward the Presidio Trust. “It deserves better than neglect from its federal leaders, who now stand to answer for any service disruptions impacting the more than 9 million people who visit each year.”

While it would make sense for Stone to support Trump in a vendetta against the Presidio, he has previously affiliated with the white supremacist Proud Boys group and flashed a white supremacist hand signal. (The Proud Boys, which helped Trump in his 2020-2021 coup attempt, denies being white supremacist despite their racist rhetoric and ties.) When this journalist contacted him about those two issues for Salon in 2019, Stone used an expletive to describe claims that the hand signal is white supremacist, even though he later also said “the gesture is used often by President Trump and is used to connote support for the president in photos of the proudboys [sic] nationwide.”

President Donald Trump promised during his Tuesday State of the Union message to stop members of Congress from profiting from insider trading — and, in a rare moment, received bipartisan support.

During a dramatic moment in his speech, Trump declared that Congress should “ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” adding they should “pass the Stop Insider Trading act without delay.” Even though Democrats joined Republicans in applauding and delivering standing ovations, Trump then tried to make the issue into a partisan one by singling out a prominent Democrat.

“Let’s also ensure that members of congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” Trump said, then adding: “Did Nancy Pelosi stand up? ... Doubt it.”

Trump referenced the former House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has been accused of insider trading. In response, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) shouted in response, “You do it yourself. What about you?”

Despite Trump’s partisan jab, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona responded positively, tweeting during the speech “Well, Donald Trump has said one thing so far that is true: We need to ban stock trading in Congress. I’ve been fighting for years to get it done. Just need Republicans to put it up for a vote.”

Kelly was joined by his colleague Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a prominent sponsor of stock regulations who stood to applaud Trump’s remarks. Kelly and Warren were joined by several prominent Trump supporters.

“So proud to hear two of my bills discussed by @realDonaldTrump in his inspirational State of the Union speech!” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) posted on X. “ SAVE America Act & Banning Congressional stock trading! America is back! Let’s go!”

Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., also posted a clip of Trump calling for the ban, writing that “majority of us agree, ban congressional stock trading!”

He added, “Even @POTUS looked surprised when most of us stood. No more lawmakers playing Wall Street while writing the rules. Public service is not a side hustle.”

Trump has previously singled out Pelosi for attack. In January, he claimed without evidence that Pelosi was partially responsible for the January 6th coup attempt.

“In truth, it was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election, ignoring widespread irregularities, and weaponizing federal agencies to hunt down dissenters, all while Pelosi’s own security lapses invited the chaos they later exploited to seize and consolidate power,” Trump’s White House claimed. “This gaslighting narrative allowed them to persecute innocent Americans, silence opposition, and distract from their own role in undermining democracy.”

It went on to argue that then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi “repeatedly” accepted responsibility for “catastrophic security failures” including “not having the National Guard pre-deployed, despite intelligence warnings and President Trump’s offers of troops that were ignored.”

Similarly, Trump in June baselessly claimed that Pelosi’s daughter “is a whacko, her daughter told me if things were different Nancy and I would be perfect together, there's an age difference though."

Christine Pelosi replied, "Speaking for all 4 Pelosi daughters — this is a LIE. His deceitful, deranged obsession with our mother is yet another reason Donald Trump is unwell, unhinged and unfit to step foot anywhere near her — or the White House."

In 2022, after Pelosi’s husband was nearly murdered during a break-in from a stranger named David DePape, Trump argued without evidence that the attack was personally motivated.

"Well, it's weird things going on in that household in the last couple of weeks," Trump said. "You know, probably you and I are better not talking about it."

He went on to claim that "it wasn't a break-in, it was a break-out. I dunno, you hear the same things I do."

Democrats are searching for a hero to save them in the California governor’s race.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

So far, no one in party leadership has come to the rescue.

Despite Rep. Eric Swalwell’s exit from the race this week, the Democratic field remains unwieldy, with seven major candidates still splitting the field less than three weeks before ballots are sent. Each of them refuses to bow out, regardless of their polling numbers, in the hope they can capture some of the voter attention that Swalwell’s demise drew to the race.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the face of the party in California, is not interested in elevating a successor. Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks, who faces criticism for not using his position to cull the field, has relied on party-commissioned polls and vague pleas for candidates to “honestly assess” their campaign’s viability, refusing to openly pressure anyone to drop out.

Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — known for urging then-Rep. Adam Schiff to run for Senate and former President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid — won’t intervene.

“People have reached out to me saying, ‘Your mom has to do something!’” said Christine Pelosi, daughter of the San Francisco congresswoman and herself a candidate for state Senate.

“I said, ‘You know what? She doesn't, though,’” the younger Pelosi said. “She already did that with Biden and Harris. She's not going to — don't look to her to do that again.”

Gone is the heyday of the San Francisco-based political machine, a network of political talent that dominated state politics for decades and produced titans such as Pelosi and Newsom, both of whom are moving on from California politics.

Now that pipeline has run dry, and this year there is no obvious heir to Newsom for the party to coalesce behind. No current statewide officeholder joined the fray, and both presumptive favorites — former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — opted not to run.

That has made top Democrats loath to weigh in on the state’s first truly open Democratic primary in 16 years. In 2018, Newsom, then the lieutenant governor, was widely viewed as the most likely successor to former Gov. Jerry Brown, another product of the San Francisco political machine.

The 2026 race is also only the second time an open field has competed under the top-two primary system, adopted 16 years ago to the chagrin of both parties. That means two Democrats or two Republicans could advance to the general election and lock the other party out.

Newsom reiterated his lack of interest this week when he issued a statement that said in part, “I have full confidence that voters will choose a candidate who reflects the values and direction Californians believe in.”

Too much democracy for Democrats?

While grassroots activists have for decades decried the king-making of insider machine politics, the alternative — an abundance of candidates with no clear frontrunner — has proved unappealing too.

The resulting decision paralysis has resurrected calls for a strong leader to step in.

“This has been incredibly frustrating, not to mention scary, with the idea that we could end up with two Republicans,” said RL Miller, a longtime delegate and chair of the party’s environmental caucus. “I really do believe that there has been a failure of leadership at the top.”

Miller theorized that party leaders were overcorrecting after years of backlash following the 2016 presidential election, in which establishment Democrats disregarded the grassroots support for Sen. Bernie Sanders and instead anointed Hillary Clinton.

As more Democratic gubernatorial candidates entered the fray in the last year, Miller said she thought leadership had the “admirable intent” of letting delegates winnow the field themselves.

But anxieties were already spiking before the Democrats’ endorsing convention in February, where none of the nine candidates vying for the gubernatorial nod amassed more than 25% — far short of the 60% needed. Hicks faced repeated questions then about whether he would step in, but insisted it wasn’t his role.

“By the party convention, the alarm bells had been ringing for months,” said Miller, who has consistently voted against Hicks in internal party elections.

After the convention, Hicks released an open letter urging that “every candidate honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign,” and “if you do not have a viable path to make it to the general election” not to file to run. Only one listened, former Assemblymember Ian Calderon, who was polling around 1% or less.

Later, Hicks announced the party would conduct ongoing polls on the race and release them every seven to 10 days through early May, when ballots are sent.

Hicks’ defenders said he was right to abstain from picking favorites. Christine Pelosi said it would be “inappropriate” for the chair to weigh in on the candidates after delegates at the party convention chose not to endorse anyone.

Hicks’ calls for candidates to “consider their viability” was a “somewhat extraordinary and surprising” move, said Paul Mitchell, the architect of the gerrymandered congressional maps that voters approved via Proposition 50 to boost congressional Democrats in the upcoming election.

“It maybe wasn't surprising for people who think that the Democratic Party chair is like a backroom dealer that's going to knock heads or something like that,” Mitchell said. “But that's not the chair’s role in California right now.”

Top-two primary adds to tension

Both Mitchell and Christine Pelosi blamed the top-two system for much of the drama. The slim possibility that two Republicans could emerge from the primary has spurred many of the calls for leadership to weigh in.

Mitchell argued that since President Donald Trump put a thumb on the scale by endorsing former Fox News host Steve Hilton, there’s less risk that both he and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco would end up on the November ticket, alleviating some of the pressure on Democrats.

“If it wasn't a top two, people wouldn't care,” said Christine Pelosi. “You wouldn't have the added agita of ‘there's only two Republicans and there's a bunch of Democrats.’”

Notably, the state GOP failed to endorse a candidate at its recent convention, indicating that Trump’s nod might not hold as much sway as Democrats assume.

Still, if Hicks is trying to convince rank-and-file Democrats he’s doing enough, it’s not working.

Amar Shergill, the former leader of the party’s progressive caucus, suggested that its weak, decentralized leadership was by design so monied interests could exert more control over who gets elected.

“Rusty Hicks is furniture that folks with real power use at their discretion,” Shergill said.

“There's no sort of anger or animosity towards him as a person,” he said. “If it wasn’t Rusty, it would be somebody else. This is just the political situation right now.”

In an interview, Hicks told CalMatters that he is “doing what is required” to ensure a Democrat wins the race. But when pressed repeatedly, Hicks would not elaborate on what that work entails, if he believes what he’s done so far is working or if he should have had a stronger hand in culling the field, as his critics have suggested.

“I'm not interested in opening up the playbook as to what we will or will not do in the coming days and weeks,” he said.

CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu contributed to this report.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

After a year of spiraling public opinion due to heavy-handed deportation tactics that culminated in the on-camera murder of two US citizens, Trump seeks to give the Department of Homeland Security a refreshed image by replacing Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin. But according to reporters at the Bulwark, the switch is unlikely to bring real change, and amounts to “an effort to put lipstick on a pig.”

Under Noem, perceptions of DHS suffered due to a combination of the agency’s aggressive tactics and her highly controversial actions, from spending $220 million of public money on an ad campaign featuring herself, to handing out lucrative no-bid contracts to those in her orbit. The final straw came when she threw Trump under the bus at a recent congressional hearing, asserting that he had approved her contested expenditures. Shortly after that, she was fired.

Trump then nominated his close ally Mullin for the role, but if he hopes the swap fixes the agency’s PR problem, the fact that the senator’s positions are so similar to Noem’s suggests it will do little to course-correct.

In the wake of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, Mullin’s stance showed little daylight from that of Noem, saying those killed should be investigated for “terrorizing” the city, and that Noem’s position was “absolutely, 100-percent correct.” According to Mullin, agents accused of brutality and murder are just “doing their job.”

Then after images of the deportation of 5-year-old Liam Ramos drew public outcry — even among Republican senators — Mullin asserted that he “spoke to Secretary Noem” about it, and that they agreed that the real problem was the reporting. “There probably should be some lawsuits filed against this,” he said.

Statements like these and others imply that DHS will show little to no change under Mullin’s leadership. Rather than appointing him out of a genuine desire to reform the agency, it is more likely that Trump tapped Mullin due to his loyalty to the president. Mullin, for example, has repeatedly stated his belief that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, and that the January 6 insurrection was the fault of Nancy Pelosi.

This MAGA loyalty, says critics, indicates that he will simply pick up where Noem left off.

“Noem wasn’t doing this without their [the administration’s] authority,” said Texas Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido. “I have no doubt he [Mullin] is going to do what they tell him to do.”

A grudge against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and an overall contempt for the environment may motivate President Donald Trump’s war against the Presidio Trust, a 1,500-acre northern California recreation hub that includes Disney Family Museum, Industrial Light & Magic and many non-profits.

Yet according to the San Francisco Gate's Travel Editor Silas Valentino, Trump’s grudge will primarily hurt the more than 9 million people who visit the Presidio annually.

“The 1,500-acre recreation hub is one of the country’s greatest public parks,” Valentino wrote on Monday. “It deserves better than neglect from its federal leaders, who now stand to answer for any service disruptions impacting the more than 9 million people who visit each year.”

Valentino specifically criticized Trump for firing the Presidio Trust’s board of directors, which was widely expected after he pointedly refused to appoint a scheduled seventh member.

“All six members, who happened to have been appointed by President Joseph Biden, were excused effective immediately last week; three of them had terms that already expired, but the other three were not set to term out until 2027, according to the San Francisco Chronicle,” Valentino explained. “No new appointees were announced to replace any of the seats on the seven-person board. This puts the independent federal agency that manages the national park site in limbo.”

Valentino added, “The president’s playbook is familiar; after his hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center board, its members voted to shut it down for two years. No one can outright close the Presidio, however. It was established through the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 and doesn’t rely on federal funding to operate. The Presidio Trust will still operate without the board, since its members serve in an advisory capacity, but will nevertheless lack leadership — especially with its CEO stepping down this year and the ongoing search for a replacement.”

Despite opposing one San Francisco-area complex worth billions of dollars and that attracts millions of visitors, Trump is quite fond of another that few have any interest in — the abandoned island prison Alcatraz. After a May social media post arguing that Alcatraz should be reopened, in April Trump’s proposed budget included $132 million to “rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility."

In his May post on the social media platform he owns, Truth Social, Trump wrote that America should "REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be[.]"

President Donald Trump is buying expensive shoes for his advisors, and people are scared of not wearing them.

According to a bizarre Wall Street Journal report, during meetings, the 79-year-old president starts guessing people's shoe size and then orders them $145 pair of loafers known as Florsheims.

“Marco, JD, you guys have s—y shoes,” Trump told his vice president and Secretary of State. He then grabbed a catalogue. The report said that they were "deep in conversation," though it didn't say what was being discussed. Rubio was an 11.5 and Vance is a 13. A third person in the room, whom Vance wouldn't identify, wore a 7.

“The president kind of leans back in his chair and says, ‘You know you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size,’ ” Vance recalled.

“It helps to be tall,” Trump told the men. “I don’t know, they’re big heels. They’re big heels. I mean, those were really up there.”

Rubio was mocked in New Hampshire in 2016 when he was caught wearing the Florsheims, which boast a nice heel giving some height to the wearer. Rubio is 5-foot-10 and the shoe "scandal" became known as "Bootgate." Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) faced his own "Bootgate" when he was spotted in 2023 wearing a heal on his shoe. Politico reported at the time that three expert shoemakers said that he was likely wearing "height boosters."

There have been at least four instances in which Trump lied about his height. He has long claimed to be 6-foot-3. But when he stands next to people who also say they are 6'3", he is shorter. Lawyer Christine Pelosi, daughter of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.), spotted Trump in a "kitten heel" in 2020 while he was viewing hurricane damage.

At least one Cabinet official is annoyed to slum it with the Florsheims, one person who heard his complaint told the Wall Street Journal that he was forced to shelve his Louis Vuittons, which typically run over $1,000, unless there is a sale.

“All the boys have them,” a female White House official remarked.

One joked, “It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”

The report said that the "shoe-salesman-in-chief is paying attention."

Menswear writer Derek Guy suggested that Trump try a higher-end brand, Alden Shoe Co., and be properly fitted. Trump's fashion has been mocked over the years, with suits that are too big, shoulder pads, and his signature red tie that is abnormally long. While Trump frequently wears a blue suit, he pairs it with black shoes, whereas most would pair blue with brown shoes.

“I don’t think it’s extravagant—for a billionaire," he quipped.

In a previous thread on X, Guy questioned some of Trump's fashion choices.

"Trump's tailoring is done in a way to conceal his weight. His shoulders are relatively narrow compared to his waist, which gives his body a somewhat rectangular shape," said Guy at the time. "As I've mentioned many times, the platonic male silhouette in classic Western aesthetic is a shoulder line that's broader than the waist, which creates a V-shaped figure. Since Trump doesn't naturally have this silhouette, his suits have an extended shoulder."

It causes a problem because you can only extend a shoulder so far, he explained.

The Journal didn't explain whether or not Trump was paying for the shoes himself or if these were taxpayer-funded shoes.

Addressing far-right white evangelicals and Christian nationalists, President Donald Trump repeatedly attacks Democrats, liberals and progressives as anti-Christianity. But it isn't hard to find Trump critics who are known for being devout Christians, from Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock (a Baptist minister) to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (a Catholic) to former Transportation Secretary Pete Butigieg (an Episcopalian).

Another critic of Trump and the MAGA movement is Bishop William J. Barber II, who chairs the NAACP's legislative political action committee. Barber is a member of the Disciples of Christ, a Mainline Protestant denomination. And during an interview with Religion News Service (RNS) published in Q&A form on February 9, Barber described the role that faith can play in activism this midterms year and laid out some things that MAGA evangelicals — including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) — get wrong about Christianity and scripture.

Barber told RNS interviewer Amanda Henderson, "In every battleground state, there should be a massive gathering in the state capitol where the clergy and impacted people and other moral activists come together. No politicians taking the stage…. It's not what I'll fight for because Trump's in office, it's what I will fight for, what I believe in regardless, and what I'm calling this government and nation to be about, irregardless. We're trying to follow that kind of moral Holy Spirit vision of mobilization."

During the interview, Henderson noted that Johnson said, "What's also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper…. Sovereign borders are biblical and good and right. They're just, because it's not because we hate people on the outside. It's because we love the people on the inside."

Barber told Henderson he would be "proud to host" a debate with Johnson about immigration and other subjects.

Barber argued, "First of all, he reveals that he doesn’t know the Bible. He reveals that he certainly doesn't know Jesus. There’s no Jesus in anything he just said. They don't like Jesus. That's why they never call his name. They don't quote Jesus. They don't like Jesus. Jesus undermines them. They would call Jesus a socialist, a communist. They would crucify Jesus. Let's be up front. They don't deal with Jesus…. To do what he's talking about doing, you literally have to take about 2000 scriptures out of the Bible and tear them apart and throw them away — and the Bible, of course, would fall apart."

Although President Donald Trump maintains a strong bond with far-right white evangelicals and Christian nationalists, his relations with Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Jews and other non-fundamentalists are much more complicated. Some of Trump's most scathing critics are known for being quite religious, from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) to Sen. Raphael Warnock (a Georgia Democrat and Baptist minister).

In an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark in early February, journalist Lauren Egan reports that Democrats — with the 2026 midterms a little over nine months away — are ramping up their outreach to voters of faith.

"As Democrats scope out the emerging midterm landscape," Egan reports, "party strategists and officials have grown excited about the number of candidates for whom religion is a major part of their biography and identity. The most prominent so far is James Talarico, the middle school teacher turned Texas state representative running for U.S. Senate. The grandson of a Baptist preacher, Talarico is an outspoken Christian and an aspiring Presbyterian minister. But Talarico is far from the only Democratic candidate notable for the role of faith in his life. There is also Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister, who has a shot at flipping Iowa's 3rd Congressional District."

Egan continues, "Meanwhile, in the state's 2nd Congressional District, Lindsay James, an ordained Presbyterian pastor, and Clint Twedt-Ball, a United Methodist pastor, are both vying for the party's nomination. Matt Schultz, the head pastor of Anchorage's First Presbyterian Church, is running for Alaska’s sole congressional seat. Chaz Molder, a small-town mayor and Sunday school teacher, is running in Tennessee's fifth district. The list goes on."

Many of the people of faith running in the 2026 midterms, according to Egan, reflect "the public recoiling at the immorality and cruelty of the Trump Administration."

Schultz, a Mainline Protestant, told The Bulwark, "All of these people are coming to me and saying, 'Please, won't you help me? Please, won't somebody do something to stop this onslaught of cruelty? We're crying out in pain.' And as a pastor, it's my duty to stand between the abusers and the abused."

Michael Wear, who oversaw former President Barack Obama's faith-based outreach during the 2012 presidential race, believes that the challenge for Democrats is to excite their religious voters without alienating those who are not religious.

Wear told The Bulwark, "The Democratic Party contains some of the most religious people in America and some of the least religious people in America. It's not just (that) there's a God gap between Democrats and Republicans — there's a God gap within the Democratic Party itself. One of the ways to navigate that is to just take it off the table. But the problem when you take it off the table is you leave a pretty profound lane for someone like Donald Trump to say, 'Well, they don't care about you. They don't hear you, but I do.' And that's a lot of what has happened over the last 12 years."

Lauren Egan's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.