The first rule of being a Patriot is bow to no king
Plus: Rihanna says R9 has no genre or radio hits
Two-and-a-half centuries ago, American colonists declared their independence from a king. President Donald Trump must have missed the memo, considering a recent White House social media post (at least Madonna knows her history). Meanwhile European leaders are meeting this week with Trump to talk Ukraine.
Welcome to this week’s issue of Whig. Read to the end for the surprising way top pop songs are changing. — Hunter
Macron gets frank:
Trump met today at the White House with the leader of America’s oldest ally, French President Emmanuel Macron. The frenemies discussed Ukraine in Trump’s first face-to-face talks with a European leader since taking office for his second term, and in a moment that had me hitting rewind to do a double take, Macron corrected Trump, something I don’t imagine a guy who surrounds himself with yes-men experiences very often.
“Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine, they get their money back,” Trump said of European aid to Ukraine to fend off Russia’s invasion. Macron then literally put his hand on Trump’s arm and corrected him. “No, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60% of the total effort,” Macron said. “It was like the U.S. Loans, guarantees, grants.”
Trump seems to think Europe will be repaid and the U.S. won’t, and he’s pushing for a peace deal that gives the U.S. profits from Ukrainian minerals. Macron is seeking a united front against Russian aggression. “This peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine. It must not mean a cease fire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty and allow Ukraine to negotiate with other stakeholders,” Macron said. Trump is set to meet Thursday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The first rule of being a Patriot is bow to no king:
Someone get this man a history book. After Trump wrote on Truth Social last Wednesday that he had killed New York City’s congestion pricing, he added, “LONG LIVE THE KING!,” and the White House posted a parody Time magazine-style illustration showing him in a crown.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) took issue with Trump’s remarks, saying at a press conference last week, “I’m here to say, New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years and we sure as hell are not going to start now.”
Trump’s confusion over basic civics extends to foreign countries. Last Wednesday he also falsely called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator.” Republican lawmakers bristled. “These are classic Russian talking points,” former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley wrote on X of Trump’s comments. “Exactly what Putin wants.”
Most Americans think Trump has exceeded his presidential authority:
A 57% majority of U.S. adults think Trump has exceeded his presidential authority, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll. That figure includes 92% of Democrats, 61% of independents, and 20% of Republicans.
Trump’s least popular actions are pardoning people convicted of violent crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol; blocking health agencies from communicating without approval from a Trump appointee; shutting down USAID, the agency that provides humanitarian aid in low-income countries; and laying off large numbers of federal government workers. The most popular thing he’s done is trying to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, according to the poll.
Republicans face blowback over Trump:
Last week was a district work period for U.S. House members, which meant they spent it back in their home states and some held town hall meetings with constituents. Things got… heated.
Attendees at town halls for Republican Reps. Rich McCormick of Georgia, Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, and Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Cliff Bentz of Oregon pressed their members of Congress over issues including D.O.G.E. cuts, Trump’s use of executive power, and him blaming Ukraine for Russia’s invasion, according to reports.
Since House members are up for reelection every two years, they’re the most sensitive to shifts in the political landscape and their town halls can often act as an early warning system for the national mood. The next extended district work period will be a long weekend beginning March 13, according to the House schedule. Watch this space.
Melania is big in China:
Her husband’s trade war with the country notwithstanding, First Lady Melania Trump has legions of fans in China. The Associated Press is out with a look at the Chinese obsession with FLOTUS that experts attribute to her loyalty to her husband mixed with her independent streak, as seen in moments like her not holding her husband’s hand in 2020, which has more than 5 million likes on the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin. Also of interest are peeks into her personal life, which are rare in Chinese politics.
“Chinese fans like her having both traditional and modern sides of a woman,” Hofstra University associate professor of media studies Jingsi Wu said. Online retailers in China had dupes of Trump’s wide-brimmed hat within 48 hours of the Inauguration, and a 24 year old named Ge Yahan translated Trump’s memoir Melania into Mandarin using artificial intelligence and sells bootleg copies for eight yuan, or about $1.10. “People want to know more about her,” she said.
Trump has kept a low profile since her husband took office for a second term, but she was on hand Saturday for the National Governors Association Evening Dinner and Reception where she wore a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo and Ralph Lauren tuxedo shirt.
Esquire pans Hegseth’s “blogger blue” suit:
After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth showed up for the NATO Ministers of Defense Meeting in Brussels earlier this month in a bright blue suit, brown shoes, and American flag pocket square, he shared a group photo showing him posing with other NATO defense officials in dark blue suits on social media and wrote, “One of these things is not like the others… America First, always.” Esquire was not amused.
“While we here at Esquire are all about marching to the beat of your own sartorial drum, there's a time and a place for wearing splashy suiting,” the men’s magazine wrote. “A meeting with NATO at a moment when the United States is increasingly estranged from its European allies is neither.” The look, which is about what you’d expect a former Fox & Friends Weekend host to wear, “seems unserious in context,” Esquire said, “like a kid who crashed the adults’ table.”
I regret to inform you Lara Trump has a terrible new song with French Montana:
The wrong Trump is trying to become a pop star (#JusticeForTiffany). Lara Trump is out with a new song called “No Days Off” with French Montana, a feature I can’t imagine she could have landed if her father-in-law wasn’t POTUS. I’d describe the vocals as Kidz Bopesque, but that would be generous. Please, make it stop.
Kamala Harris warns against “shadows gathering on our democracy”:
In her first nationally televised remarks since the Inauguration, former Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Chairman’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards over the weekend and called her supporters to action.
“Some look at this moment and rightly feel the weight of history,” Harris said. “Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy, and ask, ‘What do we do now?’ But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before, and we will do it again. We use our power, we organize, mobilize, we educate and we advocate. Because, you see, our power has never come from having an easy path. Our strength flows from our faith. Faith in God, faith in each other, and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.”
Harris wore a black silk pussybow blouse and matching silk cummerbund-waist trousers and satin blazer designed by LaQuan Smith. He told Vogue, “dressing her is always a thoughtful process because she gravitates toward pieces that make a statement while staying true to her identity. It’s inspiring to create for someone who uses fashion as a tool for empowerment.”
Kendrick Lamar replaces himself at No. 1:
A week after Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” returned to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, he replaced himself at No. 1 with “Luther,” his collab with SZA that they performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. It’s Lamar’s sixth No. 1 hit and SZA’s third.
Further down the top 10, Drake debuts two new songs, “Gimme a Hug” at No. 6 and “Nokia” at No. 10. The debuts extend Drake’s record for most top 10 hits to 80.
Tate McRae calls Britney comparisons “flattering and scary”:
I haven’t been able to stop spinning Tate McRae’s new album So Close To What since it came out Friday, what about you? McRae told Apple Music she loved writing with female songwriters for this record, including Julia Michaels and Amy Allen, because “with music and finding perspective on situations, no one quite understands like another girl.”
In an interview with Independent, McRae called the comparisons to Britney Spears “flattering,” “scary,” and “such a crazy statement because no one can compare to Britney Spears. It’s like comparing someone to Michael Jackson! That’s the blueprint!” Amen. McRae’s new video for “Revolving Door” is one of her best.
The queen of pop responds to Trump’s “king” comments:
As she works on a sequel to her 2005 magnum opus Confessions on a Dancefloor, Madonna took some time to speak out against Trump. “I thought this country was built by Europeans, escaping living under the rule of a King, to establish a New World governed by the people,” she wrote on X. “If this is a joke, I'm not laughing.”
Kodak Black went to the White House:
Rapper Kodak Black, who Trump pardoned in 2020 over a firearms possessions charge, was at the White House last week for a Black History Month reception. Black endorsed Trump in 2023 by suggesting the U.S. needs a dictator (“We need Trump in office forever, man. Just like how them Chinese and Russian and Korean motherf—ers have their president,” he wrote on social media). Yikes! The official White House social media accounts posted images of the rapper’s visit.
Rihanna says R9 has no genre or radio hits:
Take heart, people who thought Rihanna’s original music for the upcoming Smurfs movie was the only new Rihanna music we’d get, the singer told Harper’s Bazaar that yes, her ninth studio album is still in the works. “I just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work,” she said. “I am actually feeling really good about this. I know I kept saying this over the years.”
Riri said R9 has “no genre now” and that she’s waited so long to put out a follow-up to 2016’s Anti because, “Every time, I was just like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right. It’s not matching my growth. It’s not matching my evolution. I can’t do this. I can’t stand by this. I can’t perform this for a year on tour.’ After a while, I looked at it, and I was like, this much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears. It has to count. It has to matter. I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre.”
Rihanna warned there’s not going to be anything “commercial or radio” on the album and offered a little insight into what it’s like being a pop star who has to hear her own music. “I actually don’t like listening to my music,” she said. “You know when you hear your voice in a voicemail, and it’s like, ‘Ugh.’” But Anti, she said, she can listen to “top to bottom with no shame.”
Kelly Clarkson covers “Your Love”:
Listen, Kelly Clarkson has plenty of amazing “Kellyoke” cover songs, but I have to say, her cover of The Outfield’s “Your Love” is another level of amazingness. Kelly, you are a national treasure.
Kim K is being sued after misidentifying man:
A New York man is suing Kim Kardashian after she mistakenly identified him on social media as a Texas death row inmate who shared his name. Attorneys for the reality star and criminal justice reform advocate called it a “simple mistake” and said “the image was taken down almost immediately once the error was discovered.”
Pop songs are getting longer:
The TikTokification of pop music has led to shorter hit songs, but that changed in 2024, with the average length of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 songs rising by 20 seconds to 3:40, according to the Hit Songs Deconstructed 2024 No. 1 Hit Focus report. Not only that, but top 10 songs also took longer to get to their chorus, rising from 33 seconds in 2023 to 45 seconds in 2024. Nature is healing.
Thanks for reading! See you next week. ⭐