Torching Ivy, Pardoning Trash: Trump’s Midweek Dump

From Harvard Hatred to West Point word salad to Celebrity Pardons

The Midweek Trump Dump; Harvard Crackdowns, West Point Stunts, and a Wave of Corrupt Pardons

Welcome to The Wisecrackers' Desk. I'm Tracy Rigdon, and here, I call political bullshit exactly what it is; no filters, no corporate leash, just raw, unvarnished truth about America's political shitshow. Whether you're a longtime reader, a past subscriber, or brand new, I'm damn glad you're here. If you've ever nodded, laughed, or rethought the madness after reading my no-nonsense takes on the headlines mainstream media won't touch, consider becoming a paid subscriber, your support keeps the uncensored truth (and the profanity it demands) alive and kicking. Thanks for reading and buckle up.

Beyond the Weekly Recap; When Daily Disaster Demands Its Own Spotlight

Some weeks under the Trump regime start on fire and end in ruins, but this one? It imploded by Wednesday morning. The sheer volume of authoritarian fuckery dropping from the White House makes a “Week in Review” look like a quaint luxury. When your democracy is bleeding out in real-time, you don’t wait until Friday to call it.

This is the Midweek Trump Dump, a hard punch in the throat of complacency, covering just the last 72 hours. What happened? Trump tried to rewrite Harvard’s history, turned West Point into a campaign prop, and unleashed a pardon spree that reads like a mafia boss emptying out Rikers. And we haven’t even touched on Karoline Leavitt’s meltdown.

Harvard Under Siege: Trump’s War on Higher Education Gets Brutal

The Trump administration has intensified its campaign against elite academic institutions, with Harvard University becoming a primary target. On May 22, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under Secretary Kristi Noem, revoked Harvard's certification to enroll international students through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). This decision was justified by allegations that Harvard fostered an unsafe environment, promoted antisemitism, and had ties to the Chinese Communist Party, claims that Harvard has categorically denied.

This revocation effectively barred Harvard from accepting new international students and required nearly 6,800 current foreign enrollees to transfer or risk losing their legal status. The move sparked immediate legal action from Harvard, resulting in a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge to halt the enforcement of the revocation while the case proceeds.

In parallel, the State Department announced a pause on new student and exchange visitor visa appointments as it prepares to implement more stringent social media screening protocols for applicants. This decision aligns with the administration's broader efforts to scrutinize foreign nationals, particularly international students, under the guise of national security.

Critics argue that these actions are part of a broader strategy to undermine academic freedom and target institutions that are perceived as ideologically opposed to the administration's agenda. The implications for higher education are profound, potentially deterring international students from studying in the U.S. and damaging the country's reputation as a global leader in education and research.

Karoline Leavitt’s Culture War Meltdown

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took the war on higher education and cranked it into full-blown class war cosplay this week during a Fox News segment that reeked of authoritarian populism and anti-intellectual rage. Appearing on Sean Hannity’s program Tuesday night, Leavitt launched a sneering tirade against Harvard, declaring that the Trump administration was actively working to yank every last cent of federal funding from the Ivy League giant. Why? Because Harvard had become, in her words, a bastion of “anti-American values.”

But Leavitt didn’t stop there. With a smirk that practically dripped disdain, she went on to ridicule LGBTQ graduate programs and mocked academic disciplines as useless compared to what she framed as “real American jobs.” “We need more electricians and plumbers, and less LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard University,” she said, unironically equating trade schools with moral superiority and academia with decadence. Her claim wasn’t policy, it was performance art for the MAGA base, designed to stoke the bonfire of cultural grievance.

Then came the cherry on top: Leavitt casually justified cutting Harvard’s funding on the grounds that the school has a $53 billion endowment, suggesting that elite institutions shouldn't get a dime of taxpayer money if they dare question the administration’s values. As for the billions already frozen in grants and research funds? Gone. And now, the administration is reportedly reviewing all remaining federal contracts with Harvard. What began as a campaign against dissenting professors is morphing into a full-blown state purge of independent institutions. If Leavitt’s statements are the canary in the coal mine, then the plan is clear: starve the thinkers, feed the faithful, and gut higher learning until it becomes nothing more than vocational MAGA camp.

West Point as a Campaign Prop; Military Cadets as MAGA Set Dressing

If you thought Trump’s 2020 photo-op with a Bible upside down in front of a church was grotesque, this week’s West Point stunt pushed the needle further into fascist cosplay.

Donald Trump’s return to West Point on May 25, 2025, was supposed to be a solemn moment, a presidential address to the next generation of military leaders. What unfolded instead was a political spectacle laced with narcissism, protocol breaches, and an appalling disregard for the gravity of the moment. In what was widely expected to be a message of unity and service, Trump delivered what can only be described as an unhinged, rambling campaign tirade. The “commencement speech” quickly devolved into a litany of grievances, boasts about his economic record, attacks on the “deep state,” and yet another swipe at “woke generals,” as if the event were a town hall for Truth Social trolls rather than a sacred rite of passage for America’s future officers.

As Trump began to reference Levitt’s eventual career downfall, he mentioned the developer’s marital history, noting that Levitt sold his company and then “had nothing to do” before he got divorced and then “found a new wife.”

“Could you say a trophy wife? I guess we could say a trophy wife,” Trump said about Levitt’s second marriage. “It didn’t work out too well. But it doesn’t work out too well, I must tell you. A lot of trophy wives, it doesn’t work out. But it made him happy for a little while at least. But he found a new wife.” WTAF!!

White House aides had teased a “major patriotic address,” but what cadets got was word salad seasoned with MAGA red meat. Trump veered off-script repeatedly, accusing NATO allies of “freeloading off the American soldier,” railing against the press corps in attendance, and even taking a moment to praise his own “incredible work with Kim Jong Un,” an utterly irrelevant tangent at a time meant to honor the military’s newest graduates. One Army instructor told Politico, under condition of anonymity, that the atmosphere among faculty and staff was “deflated and disgusted” not only by the speech’s tone, but by what came after.

In a breach of decades-old military and presidential tradition, Trump left the ceremony early, before shaking the hands of each graduate, a solemn ritual that symbolizes the commander-in-chief’s respect for the military chain of command and the sacrifices of those entering service. According to White House pool reports, Trump’s departure came abruptly after the speech. Air Force One was wheels-up within the hour. His next stop? His private golf club.

The Pentagon was reportedly blindsided by the scheduling change. Defense Secretary Tom Cotton, himself a MAGA loyalist, attempted damage control by downplaying the breach as a "logistical necessity." But cadets and their families weren’t buying it. Several posted to social media about the letdown, with one viral post from a parent reading: “My son waited four years to shake the President’s hand. Trump couldn’t be bothered, he had tee time.”

The optics were brutal. Uniformed cadets standing at attention, forced to endure a political circus, only to be snubbed by the very man who claims to “love the troops” more than any other president. It was a final insult draped in the American flag. This wasn’t patriotism, it was propaganda theater gone rogue. And once again, Trump’s fragile ego came before the dignity of the office or the respect owed to those preparing to give their lives in service.

From Wall Street to Reality TV; The Trump Pardon Machine Rolls On

Trump’s pardon spree continued this week in a way that perfectly encapsulates the grotesque celebrity-worship and political quid pro quo that defines his regime. The latest recipients? None other than disgraced reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, best known for the show Chrisley Knows Best, and now, apparently, for being the newest faces of judicial favoritism.

The Chrisleys were serving federal time after being convicted of defrauding banks of over $30 million and dodging taxes like it was a family sport. Todd had been sentenced to 12 years at a federal prison camp in Florida, while Julie was midway through a 7-year bid in Kentucky. They weren’t political prisoners. They weren’t victims of government overreach. They were white-collar criminals, plain and simple. But in the MAGAverse, notoriety and loyalty are currency, and the Chrisleys had both. Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, had become a vocal Trump surrogate, even making appearances at the Republican National Convention. And wouldn’t you know it? That little bit of PR loyalty turned into a golden ticket out of prison.

This isn’t clemency, it’s reality television meets Banana Republic. The Chrisley pardons mark yet another in a series of Trump’s decisions that reward fame and fealty over fairness. From Steve Bannon to the Proud Boys, to now reality stars with rap sheets, Trump is building a rogue’s gallery of grifters who owe him their freedom. It’s not justice, it’s a fucking casting call.

Why This Midweek Madness Matters

The MAGA machine is testing limits faster than they can be defined. Monday's raids. Tuesday’s propaganda ops. Wednesday’s pardons. What the hell will Thursday bring?

The authoritarian escalation isn’t only continuous, it’s strategic. Undermine education. Militarize loyalty optics. Immunize your criminal cabal. Then gaslight the country into thinking it’s all normal presidential business.

But it’s not normal. It’s not lawful. And it’s not sustainable.

This isn’t a presidency, it’s a fire sale on democracy.

Ethical Framing

The Trump administration’s actions in these cases aren't isolated, they’re part of a larger authoritarian framework that systematically targets institutions that challenge its orthodoxy while rewarding individuals who reinforce it, no matter how corrupt. That’s the connective tissue that makes these stories more than just headline fodder. They reveal how power is being weaponized against dissent and commodified for loyalty.

The Leavitt Doctrine, as it’s being dubbed online, essentially amounts to culture war budgeting: weaponizing federal funds to reward ideological purity and punish critical thought. It’s not education policy, it’s McCarthyism in designer heels, dressed up with MAGA buzzwords about “values” and “common sense.”

Likewise, the Chrisley pardons serve as yet another grotesque example of how the Trump administration reduces executive clemency to a transactional favor factory. Whether it’s white-collar crime, insurrectionist activity, or just being a vocal MAGA celebrity, the message is clear: If you kiss the ring, the rules don’t apply.

In both cases, the ethical concern is not just corruption, it’s the normalization of it. That’s what turns an already shaky democracy into a banana republic with better lighting.