Trump Refused to Sign the Housing Bill. It Became Law Without Him — the Same Week a Judge Told Him to Pay Up.
One bill he tried to hold hostage, one check he tried to dodge, and one poll that says the country's onto him — a slow week still found him three ways to lose, no signature required. Pour something cold; the schadenfreude is on the house.
1. Trump Refused to Sign the Housing Bill. It Became Law at Midnight Without Him — Including the Idea He Came Up With.
Trump spent two weeks refusing to sign the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act unless the Senate first passed his voter-ID bill, the SAVE America Act — which doesn't have the 60 votes and isn't getting them. So on July 10 the housing bill, which cleared both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support, became law automatically at 11:59 p.m. without his signature — no leverage gained, no ransom paid. Trump dismissed the bill as 'a big yawn' and 'of minor importance,' apparently forgetting it contains his own pet provision capping how many single-family homes corporate landlords are allowed to hoard. His own press secretary, meanwhile, called it 'one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation in American history.'
He tried to hold a bill hostage and it just walked out on its own. You can't ransom something that doesn't need you to sign the release form.
2. A Judge Ordered Trump to Hand E. Jean Carroll $5.8 Million — and the Appeals Court Told Him to Stop Stalling.
On July 8, Manhattan federal judge Lewis Kaplan ordered nearly $5.8 million released to E. Jean Carroll from funds Trump had parked with the court to cover the 2023 jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. Trump's lawyers sprinted to the 2nd Circuit for an emergency stay, and the appeals court denied it that same night — days after the Supreme Court had already refused to hear his appeal on June 29 without a single noted dissent. Kaplan wrote that it was time for Trump to 'do equity' and pay, noting the defendant 'has been stalling this case for years.' The money can be disbursed now, though the appeals court will still weigh his underlying challenge.
He appealed, lost, and then filed a rehearing petition for the appeal he already lost. The judge read every page and released the check anyway.
3. 60% of Americans Say Trump Uses His Office for Personal Gain. Then There's the Qatari Jet He Wants to Keep.
A new Economist/YouGov poll conducted July 3–6 put Trump's net approval at -25, a single point above the worst mark of either of his terms, with 60% of Americans saying he uses his office for personal gain and only 27% saying he doesn't. Among independents his net approval cratered to -51, the lowest of his presidency. The same survey asked about the Air Force One jet donated by Qatar: just 18% back his plan to transfer it to his presidential library when his term ends, against 51% opposed.
Six in ten Americans think he runs the country like a gift shop, and he answered by trying to keep the free plane. The tab keeps running — and public opinion doesn't grant rehearings.
Now go back to doomscrolling. You've earned five minutes of not-doom.