A season of ironies and contradictions

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Politics U.S.

Jeff Mason, White House correspondent

It's holiday season at the White House. Ribboned wreaths are hanging from the windows, Christmas trees are stationed on the state floor, and, er, "We Are The Champions," is playing in the Rose Garden. That's right. Not Christmas carols -- Queen rock anthems. The choice of music is just one of the contradictions coming out of President Donald Trump's White House these days.

Latest U.S. politics headlines

Paradox on policy, politics and personal behavior

If you ask the president about his stamina, prepare to be told that he's the fittest man ever to hold office. Trump, who used to slam his predecessor as "Sleepy Joe," said this week he had gotten "all As" at his physical and felt sharper now than he did 25 years ago. Yet the 79-year-old Republican repeatedly struggled to keep his eyes open at a more-than-two-hour-long cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Welcome to the world of Trumpian contradiction.

Be it policy, politics or personal behavior, Trump and many of his associates often make eyebrow-raising decisions and statements that require a measure of "huh?" to reconcile.

Take Trump's stance on illegal drugs. The president has painted himself as a crusader against fentanyl and other substances that cause American deaths and used that as justification for strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean and a potential land operation in Venezuela. But this week he also pardoned the former president of Honduras, who was serving a 45-year sentence for conspiring to import tons of cocaine into the United States. Contradiction.

Now on politics: The president won the 2024 election, resoundingly as he likes to make clear, in large part because of his promise to bring prices down and his criticism of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the economy they oversaw. It worked well for him. That economy is his now, however, and polls show that voters are still upset. Instead of convincing them that his policies are delivering, he called the opposition party's use of his own tactic against him a hoax. "The word affordability is a con job by the Democrats," he said at the cabinet meeting. Ironic.

Back to Christmas at the White House, where some irony is coming out as well. I joined a press tour on Monday of the White House's state floor, which featured a portrait of Trump made of Legos along with decorated trees and a gingerbread model of the executive mansion. Holiday cheer all around. But only one holiday was featured. Though Trump has pursued pro-Israel policies and punished universities for what he views as tolerance of anti-Semitic behavior on their campuses, staff did not put up a menorah that used to be featured at the White House this time of year. A spokesman for the first lady confirmed that it was not used. Why? That was introduced by the Bidens, he said.

Poll of the week

Follow Reuters/Ipsos polling on the president's approval ratings here.

The view from Germany

Berlin is weighing in on Trump's decision to exclude South Africa, this year's G20 host, from next year's summit in the United States. Trump has accused South Africa of mistreating its white population and said it would not be welcome when the U.S. hosts the economic forum in 2026. Germany says it will try to change his mind.

Photo of the week

A Lego portrait of U.S. President Donald Trump is displayed in the Green Room of the White House during a media preview of the 2025 holiday decorations at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2025. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz

What to watch for

December 4: U.S. and Ukraine hold follow-up talks on a Russia peace deal; Trump and first lady attend the national Christmas tree lighting
December 5: Trump presides over the soccer World Cup draw in Washington
December 7: Trump attends the Kennedy Center Honors for the first time
December 15: Deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Congress is divided on whether to extend Obamacare subsidies

The who, what and when

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