It’s Thursday, July 2. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Ruy Teixeira on why Kamala 2028 is deadly serious, and Kat Rosenfield on why “Supergirl” haters are not misogynists. Plus: Why the Declaration of Independence had no truer friend than Frederick Douglass. And more.
But first: Is the president taking us for fools?
What has been the most striking thing about Trump’s year and a half back in office? The force of his immigration crackdown? The repeated showdowns between the president and the Supreme Court? His hyperactivity on the world stage—from the Liberation Day tariffs to the Maduro raid and the strikes on Iran?
It’s a crowded field, but one answer arrived in financial disclosures published this week: how much money Donald Trump has made since he returned to the White House. It may not be the most consequential thing about Trump’s second term, but it may be the most extraordinary.
President Trump earned a staggering $2.2 billion in his first year back in office. More than $1.4 billion of that came from crypto ventures.
As we have reported before, and as we lay out in our editorial today, there is more than a whiff of corruption to these schemes.
There’s also a stench surrounding the Boeing 747 donated by the Qatari government for use as Air Force One. Trump flew on it for the first time yesterday. When he leaves office, ownership of the $400 million aircraft will transfer to the Trump Presidential Library.
Read our editorial to understand exactly what’s so wrong with these deals—and why Trump is at the center of what might just be the biggest grift in American history.
And if you see the amount Donald Trump has made in office and are asking yourself “How is this allowed?” Mene Ukueberuwa has the piece for you.
—The Editors
You might think Kamala Harris’s presidential hopes are forever dashed. And conventional wisdom gives her very little chance of winning the nomination in 2028. Not so fast, says Ruy Teixeira. Does he want Harris to win the nomination? No! But unfortunately, he doesn’t get to pick. Democratic voters do—and they like her.
A few months ago, a group of Harvard professors wrote a letter saying there was no “hostile antisemitism” at the university. Not everyone agrees. Another group of faculty members say that antisemitism on Harvard’s campus hasn’t disappeared; in fact, it’s taken an insidious new form. They describe students hiding their Star of David necklaces and omitting Israel references from their résumés—and argue that the university should be doing more to tackle the problem.
What makes for a box office flop? When it comes to DC’s “Supergirl,” a female spin-off of “Superman,” some critics have blamed misogyny. That’s an easy out, writes Kat Rosenfield. She says the film is terrible—and that pointing that out isn’t misogynistic, but rather a rejection of the low expectations traditionally set for female-led movies.
Jonni Skinner didn’t fit in growing up. When he started questioning if he were a girl, a doctor suggested he go on puberty blockers and hormones at the age of 13. A decade later, Skinner regrets it all. He talks to Maya Sulkin on a new episode of Confessions, detailing his detransition journey after growing skeptical of the advice a trusted medical professional gave him as a child.
Great Americans
David A. Price says the Declaration of Independence, now a couple of days shy of 250 years old, had “no truer friend” than Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist orator who shook a nation to its moral core, pointing out the blatant hypocrisy in permitting chattel slavery while declaring “all men are created equal.” It’s only fitting that one of the final installments of our Great Americans series is Douglass, a man whose moral conviction still echoes throughout the pages of American history today. Read Price on the great man and his much misunderstood July 4 speech.
Who do you think deserves to be considered a Great American? Let us know your pick(s) in The Free Press Forum now!
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS
THE NEWS
The United States refused to extend its United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a senior administration official told reporters. U.S. trade with its neighbors totals $1.9 trillion worth of goods and services each year, meaning Canada and Mexico have supplanted China to become America’s top two trading partners. President Donald Trump signed the deal in 2018 but has since soured on it.
The president embarked on the maiden flight of the new Air Force One—the Qatari-gifted $400 million retrofitted Boeing 747—as he traveled to North Dakota to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library ahead of its official opening. The plane eschewed the traditional light blue hull for dark navy with red and gold accents, while its interior includes cream-colored leather seats.
A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea on Wednesday as part of an “emergency water landing,” U.S. Naval Central Command said. Three of the four crew members were rescued and are in stable condition aboard the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, while the search continues for the fourth. The military said there was “no indication” the helicopter was shot down.
Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building Wednesday, apparently got engaged, and proceeded to fly a banner from the top of the skyscraper about the “power of love.” The New Jersey couple is now in custody, according to law enforcement.
Victor Willis, the lead singer of the disco group Village People, has died. The Village People’s hit song, “Y.M.C.A.,” has been a staple for President Trump at rallies and official events. Willis left the band in 1980, but returned in 2017. He was 74.
Bobby Bonilla, the former professional baseball outfielder, celebrated the start of July with his 16th $1.2 million check from his former team, the New York Mets. Bonilla hasn’t played for the club since 1999, but he’s set to receive the same payout from the franchise every July through 2035 as a result of a uniquely structured deferred contract.
That President Trump accepted an airplane from Qatar is unconscionable. Instead, he might have scoured American universities' financial records and put a stop to Qatar's donations. Qatar has an evil influence over those institutions. The minds of young Americans are being poisoned.
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! That's another smart American to be proud of today.