Beltway Insider: Trump 2.0, The Economy, Epstein, LA Fires, Mystic Camp, Israel/Palestine, Ukraine/Russia
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Saturday, 27 December 2025 17:17
- Written by Janet Walker
President Trump's return to the White House, the apocalyptic Los Angeles Fires, the heart wrenching Kerr County flood, peace plans, ISIS, and the Epstein files, are all part of the Beltway Insider's Year in Review.
The President's job approval rating, according to Gallup featured in The New York Times for the period ending December 27, 2025, of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President remained constant with 36% and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president remained constant at 60%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.
In the year-end overview featured in The Gallup Poll, Americans also voiced their concern over the direction of the country, "The poll also finds 24% of Americans satisfied and 74% dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country, which is unchanged from November but more negative than all other readings since January." Additionally, "68% say economic conditions are getting worse, compared with 29% who say better."
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Trump 2.0
January 2025 witnessed an historic day, as convicted felon Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term as President of The United States. It was a shocking culmination of a presidential election fallout, and while the backstory of the 2024 election has been rehashed, examined, reviewed, dozens of times throughout 2025, the election was all about payback, a constituency who believed the 2020 election was stolen from them, and no force on heaven or earth would stop this them from reclaiming the Oval.
The determination for revenge was not limited to the people, who exercised their power through their vote, and whether one agrees with the outcome or not the experiment of democracy calls for the collective to exercise their privilege and choose a leader. They did.
As President Biden delivered his farewell speech he passed the torch not to the incoming administration but to the American people to safeguard democracy until the next election, charging them with the protection of the nation's ideals.
As Trump took the mantle, the vein of vindictiveness became clear and he began immediately, through Executive Power, to dismantle any Biden era policies, laws, and provisions. Within the first month, Trump signed more than 300 Executive Orders, and began what he termed, "The Golden Age of America."
Beltway Insider: Biden/Carter Funeral, Trump Sentenced, Greenland, LA Fires Set Record
The Dismantling of Government
Trump's White House began a whole of government overhaul, instilling his top donor Elon Musk as the Administrator of DOGE, The Department of Government Efficiency, which set off alarm bells, litigations, stops, stalls, and finally as with Trump first administration, a bitter falling out, played out in social media, in the choice forum of both men.
With nearly 12 months Mr. Trump has been in office, it's a wonder democracy has survived. But it has and it is the strength of the people that continues to build a stronger democracy. Many citizens are outwardly appalled by the actions of the Trump White House, the efforts to stop illegal immigration, and more over to stop programs that give unfair advantage in hiring practices.
Repatriating illegal immigrants also became part of the year in review, as Trump's ICE, U.S. Immigration and Custom's Enforcement, began forcibly removing foreigners who were living in the U.S. illegally and returning them to their home countries.
This also created a landslide of litigation, as our great melting pot of diversity was challenged by the harshness of ripping families apart, and yet in many cases these individuals had ample time to put their affair in order, to secure some sort of status.
The Trump Administration also shocked the world with the unveiling of his Tariff plan, which ignited a tariff war with China. The two volleyed, each increasing tariff on the other, until Trump decided to exempt certain products, including all electronic, from the 100% Chinese tariff. With one nation satiated he needed to find common ground with the rest of the world. By the end of 2025, not all tariff's have been eased or certain imports excluded.
By April, Trump was flexing his domestic agenda and resorted to his usual squeeze tactics as he attempted to force Harvard University to bow to his demands to initiate a series a policy changes that would in essence revamp the entirety of the University.
Harvard would not be the only university on Trump's list; by withholding funding he managed to squeeze other ivy league universities, proving to the world, the power of the presidency can even bring the most elite to submit to his whims and will.
By August, president Trump had reworked his plan to withhold federal funding over Anti-Semitic hiring practices and initiated a plan to offer universities more favorable positioning on receiving federal funds if they signed onto his compact.
"The University of Arizona rejected the Trump administration's compact on Monday, joining Brown University, Dartmouth College, M.I.T., the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia. Vanderbilt University did not directly express a view about the plan on Monday — the deadline the Trump administration initially gave universities for feedback — but its chancellor suggested misgivings about parts of it," The New York Times reported.
Beltway Insider: Trump/Harvard, US Attorney/Russia, FSU Shooting, Sanders/AOC, AP Ban, Easter
Epstein Files
The Epstein files, which are said to implicate many of the global elite, in one of the most widely known sex trafficking organization in modern history. The shocking fall of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, who was stripped of all titles, duties, obligations, and honors, in response to his participation in Jeffrey Epstein underage organization, and the tenacity of Virginia Giuffre, who allegedly died by suicide in April, one of many Epstein victims.
As the release of the Epstein files have begun to filter out, individuals who were not identified by name in Giuffre's book, "No Body's Girl," may in fact be those pictured in those images released by the Department of Justice.
Kentucky Congressman, Thomas Massie, "has served in the US House since 2012. He has become a thorn in Trump's side after the president's administration failed to deliver on his promises of complete transparency with respect to Epstein's case. He not only co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act that sailed through Congress in November. Massie also said all those with connections to Epstein must face "the same kind of consequences" as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who lost his British royal title as the Duke of York over his ties to the sex offender financier," The Guardian reported.
With more than 1 million files still to be released by the DOJ, the expectation that Trump, who was well-known in Epstein circles, and is pictured with him on many occasions, will bleed into 2026 and will influence the upcoming midterm elections.
Hollywood Week: LA Fires Produce Catastrophic Devastation, LA Awards Season Paused
Natural Disasters - LA County Fires
A year in review would not be complete without mentioning the catastrophic natural disasters that the heart wrenching outcomes. Both fire and flood captured the attention of the American people, as the Los Angeles County Fires, in January, sparked by open flame and fueled by the strong Santa Ana winds, which increased to hurricane strength, at times, increasing to 90+ miles per hour, and carrying embers to other parts of the city, creating at one point at least 14 known fires.
Overall, the Pacific Palisades fire, which began in the Santa Monica Mountains, quickly developed into a shocking wall of destruction, reducing parts of the iconic California coastline to blacked ash and smoldering rubble. The Eaton Fire, in Altadena, began with a surge in the electrical towers, and in hours consumed nearly 11,000 homes, with an intensity that still shocks.
With more than 14,000 civilian firefighting personnel, 1,680 California National Guardsmen, and 1,700 pieces of firefighting equipment, this round of fires, which gained strength when ariel support was grounded, were exponentially more difficult to manage. Firefighters, represent the bravest men and women in the world, and the global response was heartwarming, as firefighters flew in from nations around the world, to assist the over-extended LAFD.
As of August, 400 deaths have been attributed to the LA County Fires, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures, including supermarkets, coffee shops, banks, churches, schools and another 2500 damaged, and burned over 57,529 acres (89.89 sq mi) of land in total.
Kerr County Floods
On July 4, 2025, a catastrophic weather pattern was forecasted for Kerr County, Texas. Although initial reports failed to explain the severity, the region along the usually gentle Guadalupe River, was ill-prepared for the rage of what would become a rising wall of unforgiving water devouring everything and everyone caught in its path.
The Fourth of July weekend, in this part of the country, an enclave of Christian sleep away camps, families arriving for upcoming rodeos, and seniors enjoying a tradition of Americana, had little to no warning when the rain began, what would follow. Thunderstorms, in this area, can also be quite intense, with booming ricocheting claps, decibels that would shake the living those unaccustomed to the roar, from any slumber.
Camp Mystic, a sleep away girls camp, that boosts former First Ladies as alumni, with cabins sitting on the Guadalupe would be one of the hardest hit. The younger girls cabins were steps from the swirling river, and in the days to follow, the rules which apparently were hard and fast called for the cabin counselors, many teens themselves barely able to pass a driver's test, to stay in the cabins.
Stories of how one cabin survived, as a split second decision to move the girls to higher ground spared the camp from losing double the original 27, and the unfortunate ingrained Christian belief that patriarchy, the male leadership and elders, stopped the Bubble Inn counselors from taking quick and decisive action. Any decision to move the girls to higher ground would have needed to be immediate, as the river rose 26 feet over 45 minutes, and breaking the rules and possibly being wrong would have stopped the counselors from acting. For the Christian counselors there was no time to pray and wait for direction, the river was rising, (aka the building was burning), and finding higher ground, escaping, was the only option.
The camp confirmed the loss of 27 campers and counselors in total. The camp director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, was among those who died, reportedly while trying to save the girls. Counselors helped many other campers escape their cabins through windows and reach higher ground, where they waited for rescue.
Over all 137 individuals lost their lives in the Kerr County Floods. The devasting loss was heart wrenching.
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Coronavirus Total
At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually. The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from each new variants.
For the seven days ending December 21, 2025, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 20,892 to 778,994,897. The total worldwide death toll increased by 302 to 7,106,996 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated December 7, 2025, from the World Health Organization).
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International
Israel Agrees to Peace Plan
President Trump's most visible victory in 2025 is negotiating an end to the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas led attack on Israel. The 20 point peace plan, which has seemed to hold, began with the return of all hostages, alive and deceased.
More than 70,000 Palestinians were killed as a result of the invasion of the Gaza Strip, the majority of the victims, 70%, were women and children. As a result of the cease-fire, humanitarian aid has been able to reach the Gaza Strip, and while food insecurity remains a problem, the famine that plagued the region for the majority of 2025, has abated somewhat.
Peace between Israel and Palestine has always been a stone's throw from escalating into all-out war, and for now, the simmering peace that has prevailed seems to be holding.
Beltway Insider: Trump, Euro Leaders Meet, 2026 Smokescreen, Redistricting, Israel Withholds Aid, Camp Mystic Parents, James Dobson
Trump Efforts to Secure Ukraine, Russia Cease Fire Continues
Even as negotiators are meeting round the clock, in an effort to secure a peace plan, the two sides remain impossibly far apart on key demands declared by Putin this week, of surrender of regions. Moreover, Putin's threat of "acquiring weapons unmatched by any country," may hint to the use of biological or chemical warfare.
"The 20 points included in the plan — which Mr. Zelensky said on Friday was "90 percent ready" — cover a broad range of issues, from the security guarantees Kyiv wants to prevent future Russian aggression to commitments to rebuild the war-ravaged nation. Mr. Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine and the United States had yet to reach full agreement on territorial questions that have been the biggest sticking point in peace talks," The New York Times reported.
Bondi Beach Massacre
Unfortunately, 2025 ended with a resurgence of the Islamic State with the Bondi Beach, Australia, was massacre, as two gunmen targeting families who had gathered for the annual lighting of the Menorah, celebrating the first night of Chanukah, opened fire killing 15 and injuring 25.
"It will be Australia's worst terrorist attack. It will be the worst attack on Jews anywhere since October 7, 2023. It will also produce heroes; the couple who give their lives trying to foil the attack as it begins; Muslim immigrant Ahmed al-Ahmed who single-handedly disarmed one gunman; the detective who made the critical shot; another Middle Eastern immigrant who kicked a weapon away; the outgunned young policeman who ran towards the danger, the lifeguards, the police who drove the ambulances, the emergency workers and medical staff, the tens of thousands who gave blood," The Financial Review reported.
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For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.
Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
