*By Chloe Aiello*
President Trump broke decades of convention on Thursday when his holiday call to troops took an unusually political turn. On his call with a general stationed in Afghanistan ー and during the questions with reporters that followed ーTrump made controversial comments on the courts, trade, and the caravan of migrants heading toward the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Historically, presidents have telephoned U.S. troops on holidays to thank them for their service and boost morale. But Trump's call, which hit on many of the hot-button topics of his political platform, was decidedly less festive.
"This is a highly politicized environment, especially with President Trump ー that's his style," Nick Givas, a reporter at the Daily Caller told Cheddar on Friday.
Trump has deployed thousands of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent a caravan of migrants seeking asylum from crossing it. The controversy over that move escalated in the past couple of weeks after a judge blocked a Trump administration order that attempted to deny asylum to migrants crossing the border illegally, [CNN reported.](https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/politics/judge-asylum-restrictions/index.html)
Trump's fury over that decision led to a war of words with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who defended the independence of the Judiciary, that extended into the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Justice Roberts can say what he wants, but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster," [Trump wrote in a Thanksgiving tweet,](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065581119242940416)"Judges must not Legislate Security...and Safety at the Border, or anywhere else. They know nothing about it and are making our Country unsafe. Our great Law Enforcement professionals MUST BE ALLOWED TO DO THEIR JOB! If not there will be only bedlam, chaos, injury and death. We want the Constitution as written!"
Former Republican National Convention chairman and outspoken Trump critic, Michael Steele, took to Twitter to tell the president to lay off of the divisive politics on the holidays.
"Give us a rest from your crazy. You don’t know the 9th circuit from a circuit breaker. It’s thanksgiving for crying out loud. Let us be thankful for your silence. You’ve said enough this week," [Steele wrote on Twitter.](https://twitter.com/MichaelSteele/status/1065360689223614465)
But on his call with the troops, Trump continued to vent his displeasure, calling the Ninth Circuit court, "a big thorn in our sie."
"We always lose and then you lose again and again, and then you hopefully win at the Supreme Court, which we’ve done," he said. "But it’s a terrible thing when judges take over your protective services, when they tell you how to protect your border. It’s a disgrace."
In a question and answer session with reporters after the call, Trump was asked what he was most thankful for this holiday season. The president said he was thankful for his family ー and for himself.
"For having a great family and for having made a tremendous difference in this country. I've made a tremendous difference in the country," he told reporters. "This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office, that you wouldn’t believe it."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/trump-breaks-with-presidential-decorum-again-in-call-to-troops).
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
