Artists Flee Trump’s State Fair, Proving MAGA Radioactive as Ever
Canceled Culture
When President Trump won his second election, MAGA celebrated as much a cultural victory as a political one.
Right-wing glee was met with left-wing despondency — this moment couldn’t be considered as a fluke, a grievous mistake only recognized later by an unwitting populace. Trump was the first Republican to win the popular vote since 2004; 49.8% of the country saw what this guy was offering and wanted more.
That feeling drove both sides to overinterpret Trump’s very narrow 2024 victory. The right’s decades of sneering at and secretly envying liberal cultural dominance — Hollywood! Fashion! Every musical artist, barring third-place American Idol contestants! — were over. Liberals mourned accordingly, and tech billionaires dutifully trooped to the inauguration, bearing their gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But in the past two years, there has been no seismic shift in artistic talent to the MAGA camp. Performers cancelled their shows at the once vaunted Kennedy Center rather than be tainted by association to Trump. Prominent architects publicly shamed the firm leading the ballroom construction project. Twice as many Americans watched Bad Bunny’s halftime show as did the “All-American Halftime Show,” featuring luminaries Kid Rock and, uh, Brantley Gilbert. Popular artists frequently threaten legal action when the Trump campaign uses their music. Even podcasts, arguably the artform (I know, relax) where MAGA made the strongest inroads, have soured on the president as his popularity nosedived.
A new slate of artists recoiled this week after their participation in a series of concerts for Trump’s celebration of the country’s 250th birthday was announced. Of the nine acts listed (most at least 20 years past their peak popularity in the first place), at least six have bowed out apologetically.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn’t have one,” Martina McBride said in a statement. “It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you, that is not the case.”
Fascism — with its demands of conformity, propaganda, devotion to authority — stands in direct opposition to art. It’s obsessed with aesthetics but violently opposed to creativity and experimentation.
MAGA’s central tenets of excluding non-white, non-Christian, non-heterosexual, non-male people and requiring blind loyalty to Trump inherently limit its cultural reach. That was true in the first term and remains true today.
So, What’s the Move Here?
I was in college during the Great Recession so I emerged unscathed. You cannot lose wealth you do not possess. While others were licking their wounds, I was reveling in the undeserved confidence I had that next time, not only would I not lose money, I would make money. Tons of money. If Michael Burry can do it, I can do it. I didn’t just watch The Big Short, folks, no I even read the book. I got myself a shiny internship at Bloomberg where I covered U.S. Treasuries and learned how to use a Bloomberg Terminal.
Somehow, even with all this training, I have a dilemma. I’m pretty sure the entire economy is on the verge of collapse, sort of like when Wile E. Coyote runs off a cliff but doesn’t fall until he actually looks down. When does America look down? And how do I make sure I’m rich as hell shortly after?
Here are some concerning facts:
- Consumer sentiment is at an all-time low
- Thirty-year treasuries hit their highest yield since right before the financial crisis. This means fewer people are buying 30-year U.S. treasury bonds. Why? Because people are concerned about inflation and seemingly not worried about stocks.
- Oil prices are still over $100. The national average for gas is hovering around $4.50
- The price-to-book ratio of the S&P 500 is at an all-time high. This means the ratio of the price of a stock relative to the value of company assets has never been higher since this data was reliably tracked in 1999.
- But only 50% of the S&P is trading above its 200-day moving average. This means about half the stocks are trending down.
- The “bright spot” in the economy is AI, but it seems that all the AI spending is making inflation worse and inflation is clearly accelerating.
- As TPM’s Layla A. Jones reported, Black people in America did worse economically in 2025 than at any time since the Federal Reserve began its financial wellbeing survey in 2013. Typically, unemployment hits Black Americans first and hardest, and then comes for the rest of the country.
It certainly seems like dark times are ahead. Economically, it feels pretty stagflationy. High inflation, low growth. If inflation keeps rising, then Trump’s new Fed Chair is going to have quite the predicament when setting interest rates. Any increase to rates to tame inflation would negatively affect investment. I’m glad I don’t have that job.
But what if we put our thinking caps on and devised a plan to get rich? One of you readers out there has to have a scheme in the works, why not share it? We can all make a buck together. TPM has always been a community. If we work together, maybe we can upgrade to a gated community? How does that sound?
Jared Polis Confuses Censure With Censorship
Jared Polis was spotted showing off a new accessory this week. The Colorado governor has recently taken heat for his decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters, a former county clerk and staunch Big Lie proponent who is serving prison time for helping to compromise local election systems. Democrats in Congress and in his home state roundly criticized Polis for caving to pressure for President Trump and doing a favor for an election denier, with the Colorado Democratic Party voting to censure him. Per Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Aaron Paul, Polis responded by calling into a “private, internal party call” with black tape over his mouth.
The Pope vs. AI
An Interesting Ken Paxton Comp
“To call Paxton ethically challenged is to call Jeffrey Dahmer suffering from an eating disorder.” – Sen. Thom Tillis
What Legitimacy?
Balls & Strikes’ Madiba K. Dennie observed that Republicans sound like they’re starting to get nervous about court expansion, holding congressional hearings on the dangers of court packing. As Dennie puts it, “Claims that Court expansion threatens the Court’s legitimacy presuppose that the Court has any legitimacy to threaten in the first place.”
How Much of This Week’s News Do You Remember?
1) What does Trump plan to put his likeness on despite an 1866 amendment that explicitly forbids it?
2) What reason(s) did Republicans in South Carolina’s state senate give for again declining to move forward with redistricting ahead of the midterms?
3) Which U.S. Senator was pepper-sprayed by ICE agents during a protest outside a detention facility?
Answers below
Appearances By Kate Riga and Josh Marshall
Kate joined Edwin Eisendrath, host of “It’s The Democracy, Stupid” on Lincoln Square Media, to talk about her reporting on the corrupt Supreme Court and proposals for court reform currently being floated on the left.
Josh joined Ari Melber on MS Now to talk about former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before Congress.
Trivia Answers: 1) A $250 bill 2) It’s too late in the election cycle to change the maps 3) Andy Kim of New Jersey
Goldman and Lander spar hard over Israel
DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 57
BRIDGING THE GAP: The debate over Israel is proving to be a wedge issue in the competitive primary between Rep. Dan Goldman and former city Comptroller Brad Lander. But the incumbent, who’s fighting for his political life, is making the argument that he and his challenger aren’t so different on the issue after all.
“We are both progressive Zionists who believe in Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, and we both support a two-state solution to bring peace to the region,” Goldman said earlier today on a WNYC candidate forum. “It's disappointing to me that he's using this dog whistle attack, when in reality we really do share the same core principles.”
Lander — who, like Goldman, is Jewish and a Democrat — has positioned himself as more critical of Israel than the incumbent, and some in the party’s progressive wing have sided with him because of it. Lander and his supporters have repeatedly criticized Goldman for his ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel group that has become a major player in elections on both sides of the aisle — and a subject of intense debate — especially as the public has an increasingly negative view of Israel.
Progressives have targeted AIPAC in their messaging, a strategy Lander has also embraced. Goldman “can't unrig the system because he's part of this system, he takes money from Wall Street, from private equity, from crypto, from AIPAC,” Lander argued at the forum.
Like Goldman, some have raised concerns about the criticism of AIPAC, which has a mixed record in races it gets involved in. In an interview with POLITICO, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of a handful of Jewish governors, said he thinks the arguments against AIPAC spending have “been used cynically by some to try and silence certain voices, to try and say that certain people participating in politics shouldn’t count or should be viewed in a toxic way.”
Goldman, who is endorsed by AIPAC, has said he returned the money from the organization. And four weeks out from the primary, there’s no indication that AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC is going to spend in it.
Still, Israel remains a prominent issue in the race — no matter how much Goldman attempts to neutralize it. Last month, the incumbent rolled out an ad denouncing President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Iran.
Public polling in the district, which covers parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, has been scarce. But a recent Emerson College survey found Lander leading Goldman by more than 30 points. Lander is endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani — whom Goldman did not support during the mayoral election — the Working Families Party and a slew of progressive officials and organizations. Goldman has the backing of Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with more than a dozen unions. Goldman also recently received the support of Hasidic leaders from Brooklyn’s Borough Park enclave.
As for Goldman and Lander’s similarities on Israel, the challenger pushed back, pointing to Goldman having “voted for every single U.S. military aid package to Israel.” In a back-and forth during the forum about the boycott, divest and sanctions movement — which both Goldman and Lander said they do not support — Goldman said he agrees with Lander that “Israelis aren't going to be safe until Palestinians are free,” to which the challenger retorted: “You don’t do anything to make it happen.”
“I believe in the vision of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, but it's not acting consistently with Jewish or democratic values right now, and it can't while it keeps occupying the West Bank and Gaza, and imposing apartheid on Palestinians,” Lander said. “The differences here are strong. If people want someone who is really going to fight to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, to make it so that Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers can work together instead of be divided from each other, and try to address the failures of U.S. foreign policy, the choice is clear.”
Much of the forum focused on Israel. When asked if he would vote for the “Block the Bombs Act,” which would prohibit the sale or transfer of military equipment to Israel until the country guarantees compliance with international law, Goldman said it is “not going to come to a vote, because it was written last summer as an effort to support a ceasefire, which was reached in October, and our laws enforce international human rights law already.” When pressed again, he said the legislation has “been overtaken by events, and I think there are other issues with ‘Block the Bombs’” but also that we need to "aggressively enforce international law against Bibi Netanyahu.”
Lander has called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide.” Goldman said today it’s “really important that we move away from labels and terminology, especially for legal terms, and focus on how we can arrive at a two-state peaceful solution.”
The incumbent also expressed regret for voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in 2023 over her criticism of Israel, saying “there are better ways of dealing with that that I wish I had pursued” and “it was a very emotional time and sometimes emotion gets the best of you.”
“This is an incredibly, incredibly emotional issue right now for very, very many people, and what I'm worried about is that it is dividing all of us; it is dividing Muslims and Jews, it is dividing Jews,” Goldman said. “This is part of the reason why I disagree a little bit about what the critical issues are in this race. The critical issues are the ones facing the voters, and those are not necessarily what's going on 6,000 miles away, it's what's going on at their kitchen tables.” — Madison Fernandez
From the Capitol
REDISTRICTING REDUX: New York Democrats are expected to introduce bills by Friday to pave the way for new congressional lines in 2028, according to four people familiar with the talks.
Officials are weighing two constitutional amendments — one that would allow some minor tweaks, and another that would permit an aggressive Democratic gerrymander, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door conversations.
New York’s cumbersome process to change the state constitution restricts Democrats from redrawing House boundaries in time for the 2026 midterm elections. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, has made his home state’s House lines part of a broader, longer-term strategy to pick up seats in the closely divided chamber.
“This is a potentially existential matter for our democracy in the ‘28 elections,” said Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a Democratic House candidate who previously proposed an amendment to allow for mid-decade redistricting. “There’s a broad understanding that in the redistricting arms race New York can’t be on the sidelines.”
Read more from POLITICO Bill Mahoney and Nick Reisman.
HOCHUL BACKS ALT ROCK BAND: The governor’s press shop sent out a release today that heaped effusive and exuberant praise on a ‘90s rock band.
The missive — uncharacteristic of the staid memos typically dispatched by the gov’s press shop — was sent to promote a state-sponsored watch party on Long Island for the U.S. vs. Paraguay World Cup match on June 12, which will feature a pregame concert from Third Eye Blind, or 3EB.
“Participation in the older, untouchable realm of nervous star-making could color a band's identity,” the governor’s office said. “In the case of 3EB, it often blurred the perception of their brilliant musical creations.”
It’s unclear if the band behind hits like "Semi-Charmed Life" and "Jumper,” which formed in San Francisco, feel the same way about the governor. In 2016, 3EB made headlines when their lead singer said he “repudiates” the Republican party and called Donald Trump’s then-presidential campaign deplorable. But there’s no record of him expressing similar passion — either in support or opposition — for New York’s 57th governor.
“3EB won wide success during a tumultuous group of years when the major-label recording industry was finally losing its grip on an enterprise that for decades it had dominated with steely efficiency,” Hochul’s office also said. “3EB now write, tour, record, and communicate in a fluid new world where their music continues to evolve naturally. Their exchange with their audience is unfiltered and being from the hub of tech, they are using it to develop a closer connection with their audience.”
Perhaps 3EB can release an updated version of its 2000 single “10 Days Late” to inspire lawmakers as they scramble to wrap up the nearly two-month late state budget. — Jason Beeferman
SHARPE SUBMITS: Libertarian Larry Sharpe has filed to run for the “Coalition Party” in this year’s gubernatorial campaign, making him the only candidate seeking to run without major party support.
The odds are long he’ll actually make the ballot — a reality he’s more than willing to concede.
“It doesn’t matter, we’re never going to make it. We’re going to be in lawsuits,” Sharpe said when asked how many signatures he submitted.
One individual familiar with the filing said he believes Sharpe submitted 1,600 of the required 45,000 signatures.
Third parties have become all but extinct in major races in New York since former Gov. Andrew Cuomo hiked the signature threshold from 15,000 in 2019. “Bobby Kennedy Jr. spent a million dollars,” Sharpe said of the now-health secretary’s 2024 presidential campaign. “He’s a fucking Kennedy and he couldn’t get on.”
The only other candidate to file for an additional ballot line in November was Bruce Blakeman, who submitted to add the “Vote Affordable” line to the Republican and Conservative ones he’s already running under. His campaign told the New York Post he submitted 66,345 signatures — not quite the number most experts say is needed to make a candidate immune from challenges. — Bill Mahoney
FROM CITY HALL
RAISING HELL: City Council member Shahana Hanif is under fire from critics for declaring on social media last night that two fellow Muslim women critical of Mayor Zohran Mamdani should be “condemned to Jahannam,” the Islamic concept of hell.
But Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to the Council, says the criticism against her is overblown — and potentially bigoted.
“Let’s be serious: ‘Go to hell’ is a pretty common expression of frustration or disappointment … but the moment Arabic enters the conversation, suddenly people will act like I said something far more sinister,” Hanif told Playbook today.
Hanif delivered the broadside in an X post last night criticizing the two women, Anila Ali and Zeba Zebunnesa, for participating in a protest held outside Gracie Mansion to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Mamdani from office over the claim that he’s not doing enough to combat antisemitism.
“May Allah condemn you to Jahannam,” Hanif wrote in the post, which was responding to a message from Ali saying she and Zebunnesa were on their way to the Gracie demonstration.
Ali and Zebunnesa are organizers with a group called American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council.
In the Quran, Jahannam is portrayed as a place of divine justice where sinners are sent to face punishment in the afterlife. Broken into seven descending levels reserved for different groups of sinners, Jahannam is considered the Islamic equivalent of hell, with punishments becoming more extreme the deeper one goes.
Elchanan Poupko, a rabbi and social media commentator, said Hanif crossed “a red line” with her tweet.
“Why is @ShahanaFromBK, an elected official, using religion for targeted harassment against a Muslim woman @anilaali, for exercising her constitutional rights protesting @ZohranKMamdani????” Poupko wrote on X. “This is unacceptable.”
A few hundred people participated in the protest outside Gracie Mansion last night, though no elected officials or mainstream Jewish groups were billed as being in attendance.
The event featured people brandishing Israeli flags and demanding that Mamdani, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, do more to combat antisemitism in New York. The event also featured more extreme, bigoted elements, including people shouting that Mamdani, an American citizen born in Uganda, should be deported.
Hanif pointed to the fact that rhetoric like that played out at the protest in justifying her Jahannam jab.
“I can and will criticize MAGA influencers joining a MAGA hate rally full of conspiratorial rhetoric and f-bombs,” Hanif said. — Chris Sommerfeldt
IN OTHER NEWS
— TARGETING GAP: A database of more than 1,200 lawsuits shows more than 93 percent of immigration enforcement arrests in New York and New Jersey targeted Latinos, despite the fact that they make up only 66 percent of immigrants without legal status. (THE CITY)
— NO PLAYING AROUND: New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a joint investigation into FIFA’s ticket selling practices. (POLITICO)
— ‘I WAS HURT’: New York’s Legislature is considering bills to amend policies for imprisoned pregnant women after one gave birth while handcuffed in a Brooklyn courtroom. (Gothamist)
Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
