Rabbit Trails

At 9:03 PM on April 12, 2026, President Donald J. Trump posted to Truth Social a lengthy critique of Pope Leo XIV, describing the pontiff as WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy. The post, which received 5,820 ReTruths and 21,500 Likes, stated that the President did not want a Pope who thought it was acceptable for Iran to possess a nuclear weapon, nor one who objected to the American military operation in Venezuela. It further stated that Pope Leo owed his position to the President, on the grounds that the Catholic Church had selected an American pontiff specifically to facilitate dealings with the White House. The President indicated he preferred Leo’s brother Louis, whom he described as all MAGA. The post closed with the instruction that Leo should focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.

At 9:49 PM on the same evening, forty-six minutes later, the President posted an AI-generated image to Truth Social. The image depicts the President in white and red robes consistent with religious iconography, his right hand resting on the forehead of an elderly bedridden man, from whose head and from the President’s hand light is visibly emanating. Surrounding figures include a praying woman, a soldier in a military cap, a bearded man, and a nurse in blue scrubs. The background contains a large American flag, bald eagles, fighter jets, fireworks, and the Statue of Liberty. Military figures ascend into heavenly light above the central composition. The post received 2,630 ReTruths and 11,100 Likes.

The image is not the first of its kind. During the official mourning period for the late Pope Francis in May 2025, prior to Leo’s election, the President posted a separately generated AI image depicting himself in papal vestments. That image was also shared to the White House’s official social media account. Following Leo’s election on May 8, 2025, the President described the development as such a Great Honor for our Country and said he looked forward to a very meaningful moment of meeting. On April 12, 2026, to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, the President stated he did not think Leo was doing a very good job and said, of the pontiff’s policy positions, he likes crime, I guess.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church, was aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria at the time of the President’s Sunday night posts, beginning an eleven-day tour of four African nations. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Pope confirmed he had no fear of the Trump administration and stated his appeals for peace were rooted in the Gospel. He noted that the Church does not approach foreign policy from the same perspective the President might understand. The image of the President remained posted to the Truth Social account as of Monday morning.

The Pope’s response was filed from the plane.

Original source — text post: Truth Social @realDonaldTrump

Additional sources:

On April 9, 2026, the White House Office of the First Lady issued a formal statement regarding Jeffrey Epstein on the official White House briefings and statements page — the same page used to publish executive orders, presidential proclamations, and statements of administration policy. The statement, attributed to First Lady Melania Trump, denied any meaningful relationship with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, acknowledged an email exchange with Maxwell which it characterized as casual correspondence, and confirmed that the First Lady’s name does not appear in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interview records related to the Epstein matter. The statement further noted that several individuals and companies have been legally obligated to retract prior claims, citing The Daily Beast, James Carville, and Harper Collins UK.

The statement called on Congress to convene a public hearing specifically centered on Epstein survivors, with testimony given under oath and entered permanently into the Congressional Record. The First Lady described this as the only mechanism by which the full truth would emerge. The statement noted that Epstein was not present when she met Donald Trump in 1998, and that her first encounter with Epstein occurred in the year 2000, at an event she attended with her husband. It described the circulating images and statements linking her to Epstein as completely false.

Nine months prior, on July 9, 2025, President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social characterizing interest in the Epstein matter as a Democrat Hoax, describing Epstein-related pressure from within his own base as a SCAM, and stating he no longer wished for the support of individuals pushing for full file disclosure. A separate post from the same period described Epstein as “a guy who never dies” and questioned why Republicans were giving publicity to files written by, in the President’s characterization, Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, and Brennan. The President also stated at that time that he did not want the support of people focused on the Epstein matter.

In 2002, in an interview with New York magazine, the President described Epstein as a terrific guy and noted that he was known to like beautiful women, many of them on the younger side. In July 2019, following Epstein’s federal arrest, the President told reporters he had had a falling out with Epstein a long time ago and had not spoken to him in fifteen years. In September 2025, in an interview with Lex Fridman, the President described Epstein as a good salesman.

The First Lady’s statement remains published on the official White House briefings page.

Original source: White House Briefings & Statements

Additional sources:

The Dispatch

The United States House of Representatives voted 212 to 219 on March 5, 2026 to block a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for any further military action against Iran. The Senate had defeated a similar measure the previous day. Following the House vote, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, stated: “We are not at war. We have no intention of being at war.”

Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, co-authored the resolution with Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, and was one of two Republicans to vote in favour of it. Massie subsequently criticised Johnson’s characterisation of the conflict. The operation against Iran, launched jointly with Israel on February 28, had by that date killed the Iranian Supreme Leader, expended hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles, and produced over a thousand confirmed Iranian casualties. Six United States service members had been confirmed dead. The operation has not been designated a war. Johnson’s statement that the United States has no intention of being at war was made one week after the operation began.

Mike Johnson, 54, is the 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and represents Louisiana’s 4th congressional district. He was elected to Congress in 2016 and became Speaker in October 2023 following the removal of Kevin McCarthy, having served less than seven years in the House — among the shortest tenures of any Speaker in modern history. Before entering politics, Johnson spent nearly two decades as a constitutional lawyer, working as a senior attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal advocacy organisation. His inaugural speech as Speaker stated that Scripture is very clear that God is the one who raises up those in authority. He is a Southern Baptist and has described the separation of church and state as a so-called separation. He and his wife host a podcast exploring Christianity’s role in American civil life. Johnson was among the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. He voted to block the war powers resolution.

Thomas Massie, 55, has represented Kentucky’s 4th congressional district since 2012 and describes himself as a libertarian Republican and constitutional conservative. Before entering politics, he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded a haptic technology startup for which he holds 29 patents, and served as Lewis County Judge-Executive in Kentucky. He lives on a 1,500-acre off-grid cattle farm in Garrison, Kentucky, in a house he built himself from local stone, powered by solar panels. He is known in the House as Mr. No for his frequency of dissenting votes, has been described as the most anti-Trump Republican in Washington, and is currently facing a Trump-backed primary challenge in May 2026. Trump has called him a third-rate grandstander. Massie has called for congressional approval of the Iran operation. He voted for the war powers resolution.

The War Powers Resolution was passed by Congress in 1973, over President Nixon’s veto, following the Vietnam War. It establishes presidential reporting requirements and procedures intended to reaffirm the constitutional role of Congress in committing the United States to armed conflict. It has been invoked numerous times since its passage. No president has acknowledged its constitutionality. The last formal congressional declaration of war was issued on June 5, 1942. The operation in Iran has not been designated a war. The terminology remains in effect.

The Selective Service System submitted a proposed rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30, 2026, outlining the implementation of automatic registration for military draft-eligible men, scheduled to begin in December 2026. The rule follows the passage of the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by President Trump in December 2025, which mandated automatic enrollment of all male United States citizens and immigrants between the ages of 18 and 25 into the Selective Service System. The agency described the change as transferring responsibility for registration from individual men to the Selective Service System through integration with federal data sources. The agency described the associated staffing adjustments as a workforce realignment.

The legislative effort to automate registration originated in the House Armed Services Committee in May 2024, where language was incorporated into the annual defense authorization bill by Representative Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania, who characterised the change as a cost-saving and equity measure. Prior to the change, registration numbers had been declining since the federal student loan application process removed its registration option, which had previously accounted for nearly one quarter of all annual registrations. Men who fail to register face ineligibility for federal programs and possible jail time. The Selective Service System costs approximately $30 million per year to operate. The agency noted that resources previously directed toward public education and advertising campaigns to encourage registration will be redirected toward readiness and mobilization.

The Selective Service System was established in 1917 and used to induct soldiers during the First World War. It was reinstated in 1940, marking the first peacetime draft in United States history, and remained in operation through the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The draft ended in 1973 with the transition to an all-volunteer military force. The registration requirement was reinstated in 1980 by President Carter following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. No draft has been called since. The system has not inducted anyone since 1973. The registration requirement has remained continuously in effect for 46 years without activation.

The proposed rule was submitted on March 30, 2026. The United States military operation against Iran, Operation Epic Fury, was in its fifth week on that date. The last formal congressional declaration of war was issued on June 5, 1942, when Congress declared war on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania during the Second World War. Since that date, the United States has conducted military operations in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran, among other engagements, without a formal declaration of war. Operation Epic Fury has not been designated a war. A ceasefire framework was agreed on April 7, 2026. Thirteen U.S. service members were killed during the operation. Automatic registration for the draft begins in December.

The draft has not been used since 1973.

The Dispatch

Power Plant Day concluded without the destruction of Iran’s power plants. A ceasefire framework was agreed on April 7, 2026, brokered by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a formal declaration on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stating that if attacks against Iran are halted, Iran’s armed forces will cease their defensive operations, and that for a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s armed forces and with due consideration of technical limitations. The President of the United States subsequently reposted the declaration to Truth Social under the heading OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF IRAN.

The negotiating framework that produced the ceasefire comprised two published proposal documents. The United States submitted a 15-point proposal including: dismantlement of all major nuclear facilities; an end to uranium enrichment on Iranian soil; transfer of enriched uranium stockpiles out of Iran; acceptance of international inspections; permanent renunciation of any nuclear weapons pathway; suspension of ballistic missile development; cessation of long-range missile production; an end to drone transfers and military exports to proxies; severance of support for Hezbollah, Hamas, Iraqi Shiite militias, and the Houthis; full reopening and securing of the Strait of Hormuz; cessation of threats to regional shipping and Gulf states; and acceptance of a broader regional de-escalation framework including limits on military escalation with Israel. Iran submitted a 10-point counterproposal including: a binding guarantee that the United States and its allies will not strike Iran again; a permanent end to hostilities, not a temporary ceasefire; an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon; full lifting of United States sanctions; protection for Iran’s regional proxies and allied militias; reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian conditions; a transit fee of approximately two million dollars per ship, shared with Oman; compensation or reconstruction support for war damage inside Iran; recognition of Iran’s regional security interests; and a broader framework for long-term negotiations without immediate surrender of core strategic capabilities. Amir Tsarfati, the former Israeli Defense Forces major and founder of the evangelical intelligence ministry Behold Israel, observed that both sides understand each other’s positions and yet still agreed to a ceasefire, and that Trump may have blinked first.

Earlier on April 7, before the ceasefire was announced, the President published a post alleging that a statement circulated by CNN purporting to be an official Iranian ceasefire declaration was a fraud, linked to a fake news site from Nigeria and picked up and broadcast by CNN as a legitimate headline. The President stated that authorities are looking to determine whether or not a crime was committed on the issuance of the Fake CNN World Statement, and ordered CNN to immediately withdraw the statement with full apologies. Results of the investigation, the President stated, will be announced in the near future. The President subsequently posted the Araghchi declaration, which he described as the actual Official Statement by Iran.

Following the ceasefire announcement, the President published two additional posts. The first described the day as a big day for World Peace, stated that Iran has had enough, and announced that the United States will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz, that big money will be made, that Iran can start the reconstruction process, and that the United States will be loading up with supplies of all kinds and just hanging around in order to make sure that everything goes well. The President described the outcome as potentially the Golden Age of the Middle East. The second post announced that any country supplying military weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed at 50 percent on all goods sold to the United States, with no exclusions or exemptions, effective immediately.

A third post stated that the United States will work closely with Iran, which the President described as having gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change. The post stated there will be no enrichment of uranium, and that the United States will work with Iran to dig up and remove all of the deeply buried nuclear material using B-2 bombers, which the President described as Nuclear Dust. The post stated that nothing has been touched from the date of attack, that the United States is talking tariff and sanctions relief with Iran, and that many of the 15 points have already been agreed to. The post closed as follows: “Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

This correspondent notes that the phrase Thank you for your attention to this matter previously appeared in the President’s March 30, 2026 post outlining contingency infrastructure targets in Iran, including electric generating plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and desalination plants. It subsequently appeared in the Iran Embassy of Zimbabwe’s time change request regarding Power Plant Day. It has now appeared in the President’s ceasefire deal announcement. The power plants were not touched. The gusher remains pending.

The Dispatch

The President of the United States published two posts to Truth Social on the morning of April 7, 2026, the date designated Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, with strikes scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

The first post, published at approximately 7:20 AM, read as follows: “Two more major pharmaceutical companies to launch products through TrumpRx.” The post linked to a news report confirming that Abbvie and Genentech are expected to become the 10th and 11th drug-making companies to release products at a discounted rate on the TrumpRx portal, joining other companies including AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly. The TrumpRx portal is a federal initiative providing Americans access to prescription medications at reduced prices.

The second post, published eight minutes later at approximately 7:28 AM, read as follows: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

This correspondent notes that the second post represents a revision to the President’s previously stated position on regime change in Iran. In his Easter Lunch remarks on April 1, the President stated that regime change was never the stated objective and that the United States obtained it by accident, describing the outcome as accidental on two occasions. The April 7 post describes regime change as Complete and Total. The President has not addressed this terminological adjustment. The power plants are scheduled to be struck at 8:00 PM Eastern. The pharmaceutical discounts are available now.

The Dispatch

Two Iranian official accounts filed responses on April 5, 2026, to the President of the United States’ announcement that Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, with the event scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

The first response was filed by @IRTruePromise, a state-aligned X account associated with Iran’s Operation True Promise IV military campaign, which is cited by regional media as a source for Iranian military communications. The account quote-tweeted the President’s post and submitted the following demographic data: that approximately 40 percent of children in the United States are born to unmarried mothers, with rates peaking at 40.7 percent in 2012; that rates vary significantly by state, reaching over 55 percent in Louisiana and Mississippi; and that rates are higher among non-Hispanic Black and American Indian populations. The account appended the following editorial observation: “Audacity to call others ‘Bastards’.” The post received 33,000 likes and 7,200 reposts at time of filing.

The second response was filed by @IRANinZIMBABWE, the verified X account of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Zimbabwe. The account quote-tweeted the President’s 8:00 PM scheduling notice and submitted the following request: “8 P.M. is not that good. Could you change it to between 1 and 2 P.M., or if possible, 1 and 2 A.M.?” The communication closed with the following: “Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I.E.Z.” The post received 49,000 likes and 7,200 reposts at time of filing.

This correspondent notes that the closing phrase employed by the Iran Embassy in Zimbabwe — “Thank you for your attention to this important matter” — is identical to the closing phrase employed by the President of the United States in his March 30, 2026 Truth Social post outlining contingency infrastructure targets in Iran, which listed electric generating plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and desalination plants, and which closed with “Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.” The President has not responded to the time change request. The event remains scheduled for Tuesday, 8:00 PM Eastern. The power plants have not yet been touched.

The Dispatch

The Secretary of War of the United States issued an Easter greeting on April 5, 2026, via his official X account, @SecWar. The post read: “The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage, and truth — Happy Easter.” The post was accompanied by an image bearing a cross, the seal of the Department of War, and a citation from Luke 24:6: “He is not here, but is risen.” The post received 75,000 likes and 15,000 reposts at time of filing.

For administrative context, this correspondent notes the following. On September 5, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring the United States Department of War,” which established the Department of War as an official secondary title for the Department of Defense. The order authorised the use of Department of War and Secretary of War in public communications, official correspondence, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch. The stated purpose was to convey a stronger message of readiness and resolve, offensive capabilities, and warrior ethos, replacing a Defense focus with an Offense focus. The legal name of the department remains the Department of Defense. A permanent change requires an act of Congress. The Pentagon began replacing plaques following the order. The website was updated to war.gov. Pete Hegseth, sworn in as Secretary of Defense on January 25, 2025, adopted the title Secretary of War under the order. The department was originally called the War Department upon its creation in 1789, and was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949.

The Secretary of War’s Easter greeting was issued on the same morning the President of the United States published a post to Truth Social announcing that Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, and urging Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or be living in Hell. The President’s post closed with the phrase Praise be to Allah. The President subsequently published a second post confirming the event time as Tuesday, 8:00 PM Eastern. At time of filing, the United States military operation in Iran — Operation Epic Fury — has entered its sixth week. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed. Three aircraft were struck on Friday, April 3. The operation has not been designated a war.

The tomb is empty. The power plants have not yet been touched.

The Dispatch

The President of the United States published two posts to Truth Social on April 5, 2026, pertaining to scheduled infrastructure events in Iran. The first post, published at 8:03 AM, read as follows: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.” The second post, published at 12:38 PM, provided the following logistical detail: “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”

For the record, this correspondent notes the relevant context. The President previously outlined contingency infrastructure targets in a March 30 post, which listed electric generating plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and, with an exclamation point, desalination plants, as targets to be struck if a deal was not reached. In his April 1 primetime address to the nation, the President stated that if no deal is made, the United States has its eyes on key targets and will hit every one of Iran’s electric generating plants very hard, and probably simultaneously. On April 3, the President described the Strait of Hormuz as a potential gusher for the world, stating that with a little more time the United States can easily open it and take the oil. The Hormuz condition — the opening of the strait — has appeared in each of the President’s major communications on the subject since April 1. The strait remains closed.

The April 5 posts constitute the first public announcement of a scheduled date and time for the strikes. Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, has been designated Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran. The posts received a combined 56,600 likes and 13,300 ReTruths on Truth Social at time of filing. The President closed the first post with the phrase “Praise be to Allah.” This is a transliteration of the Arabic phrase Allahu Akbar, or a variant thereof, which is a common expression in Islamic devotional practice. The President’s own spiritual advisor, Paula White, described the President at the April 1 White House Easter Lunch as the greatest champion of faith that we have ever seen in a president. Franklin Graham, also present at that lunch, characterised the operation in Iran as a divinely ordained mission. Neither White nor Graham has commented on the closing phrase.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday. The power plants have not yet been touched.

The Dispatch

Three United States military aircraft were struck by Iranian forces on Friday, April 3, 2026, in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz and southwestern Iran. This correspondent files the following status update as of late afternoon Eastern time.

The first aircraft struck was a United States Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, a two-seat platform crewed by a pilot and a weapons systems officer, assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron of the 48th Fighter Wing based at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. The IRGC claimed responsibility for the downing, stating the aircraft was shot down over the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southwestern Iran. Analysis of wreckage photographs by weapons experts confirmed the debris consistent with an F-15E. One crew member was located and rescued by United States special forces on Iranian territory and is alive and receiving medical treatment. The search for the second crew member is ongoing. Israel cancelled planned strikes in Iran in areas relevant to the rescue effort and is providing intelligence assistance to locate the remaining crew member.

A second aircraft, a United States Air Force A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft, was also struck by Iranian forces on Friday near the Strait of Hormuz. The A-10 carries a single pilot. The pilot was rescued and is accounted for and safe, government officials told Newsmax. Circumstances of the A-10 incident remain limited at time of filing.

A third aircraft, a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter, was struck by Iranian fire during the search and rescue operation for the F-15E crew. The Black Hawk was able to exit Iranian territory and land safely. All crew members aboard the Black Hawk are accounted for and safe, government officials told Newsmax.

In connection with the F-15E downing, Iranian state television broadcast an instruction to civilians in southwestern Iran to locate the downed pilots and hand them over to police, with a reward offered for delivery alive. A separate on-screen crawl on the same broadcast urged civilians to shoot them if you see them, referring to footage of United States aircraft operating in the area. The Iranian armed forces simultaneously issued a statement calling on the public not to mistreat the pilot. All three instructions were in circulation on Friday afternoon. The fate of the second F-15E crew member has not been confirmed.

This correspondent notes that on Wednesday evening, April 1, the President stated in his primetime address to the nation that Iran has no anti-aircraft equipment, that its radar is one hundred percent annihilated, and that the United States is unstoppable as a military force. Defense Secretary Hegseth had similarly stated that the United States had achieved dominance of the Iranian skies. The United States military has conducted more than 13,000 combat flights over Iran since February 28. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed during the operation. Three F-15Es were previously lost in a friendly fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses early in the campaign, with no casualties. Friday’s downing marks the first confirmed instance of a United States aircraft being shot down by Iranian forces during the conflict. The operation has not been designated a war.

This correspondent further notes that at 8:22 AM on the morning of April 3, several hours before the first aircraft was reported struck, the President published a post to Truth Social stating that with a little more time, the United States can easily open the Hormuz Strait, take the oil, and make a fortune, describing the prospect as a “GUSHER” for the world. The post has not been amended. The search for the second F-15E crew member is ongoing.